July 1998- Penny
3rd July 1998- Friday
Penny sighed as she watched her daughter run around the garden, shrieking in delight as her younger brother slowly toddled after her, his little legs wobbly but gait determined. The baby in her arms, another little girl, soothed her uneasy thoughts slightly, but the knowledge that, soon, her eldest would be out of her reach was overwhelming.
"Mama! Mama, look, butterfly!" Aurelia called out, drawing her attention to where she was running after a butterfly, stopping to point at it as if she couldn't see it.
"Hm, oh, how pretty, Aurelia!" She cooed, smiling when her daughter giggled and rushed off to chase it, Rastus looking around confusedly at her quick speed, before tottering after her again. Penny leant back, closed her eyes and simply basked in the happy giggles of her children, humming softly to soothe the sleeping Princess in her arms when she shuffled.
"Madam, Nobles Lafington and Witt have arrived, along with tenth Princess Serina."
Her eyes blinked open at the voice of her head maid, and Penny stared up at the woman with resignation. "Did you forget, Madam?"
"Perhaps."
"Shall I send them away?"
"No, no, there's no need for that. Let them in, however, please entertain them for a few moments while I refresh myself. Gemma, please can you take Cecilia, I believe she'll be needing a feed soon."
"Yes, Madam." The maid who had been shading her as she sat on the bench put down the umbrella and leant down to take her daughter, which Penny resisted for a moment before relenting. She had somewhere to be, and a baby had no place being involved in political battles.
Phoebe helped her up and led her inside, before diverging at her door to head for the entrance room. Penny entered her room, met with Kate who was already holding a robe for her to change into. She smiled at her, slipping out of the robe she was wearing and putting the new, cooler one on, shivering as the silk brushed against her skin. "Thank you."
"My please, Madam. Will you be wanting to wear different jewellery?"
"No, what I have on is sufficient. They are only Nobles, after all. There's no faux pas I can make that would set them against me to a degree that they could alter my reputation." She tied the belt at her waist with a smile, admiring the way the golden robes brought out the brighter tones of her blonde hair and highlighted the blues in her cornflower eyes. Perfect.
"Lead me out to the garden again, I would like for us to take our tea out there. The children are enjoying the warmth, and I would loathe taking away their fun by forcing them inside."
"Of course, Madam."
It seemed to have grown hotter in the time she had spent inside, and she smiled at the sight of her daughter and son laying next to each other on the grass, watched over by their nanny. Further into the garden, under the gazebo, Penny could see another couple of her maids prepping the table for Tea.
"Greetings, Consort Haywood." Came two soft voices from behind her, followed by a warbled third, and Penny spun elegantly, keeping that warm smile on her face as she observed the awed expressions on the Nobles before her.
"Greetings to you as well, Sisters, Princess Serina." She dipped her head slightly whilst greeting the Princess, who continued to stare up at her with big, brown eyes. "Would you like to go and play with your Sister and Brother? You might not remember, but you and my Aurelia liked to nap together when you were really little. And you haven't met your brother, Rastus, yet, have you?" The girl shook her head, adorable black ringlets following the movement. "Run along then, they're just over there." Penny pointed at the two shapes on the grass, Aurelia now up on her elbows and staring over, having noticed the newcomers.
"Okay!" The little girl giggled, before running over to them. Well, she tried to.
"Serina, no running! You must walk!"
Looking dejected, the girl stopped with a pout, before carefully walking towards her half-siblings, who greeted her with babbled hello's.
"Now, Sisters, should we discuss the goings of the Harem over Tea?"