A Lady's Guide to Courtship

VIII. Into the Lake

For some reason, the presence of their brothers somehow lifted Ysabella's spirit.

"I am not aware that Miss Randolph is also coming along," Nicholas noted as the three women climbed down the carriage.

"Well, she is. Why do you care?" Ysabella uttered, tone filled with meaning.

Nicholas merely shook his head, causing Ralph to laugh out loud. Being the sixth Everard child, Ralph was closest in age to Ysabella and Emma. That did not mean, though, that they had a loving and sweet relationship. It was actually the opposite, with their childhood filled of numerous pranks and banters that nearly caused their mother to go mad if their eldest brother, Benedict, did not make the necessary interventions every time.

"You are their current project, are you not?" Ralph asked Nicholas, eyes glimmering with mirth and mocked disbelief.

"If you have not been very busy being a loyal Town Guard, brother, you would have already realized the fact," Emma snapped.

"I do take my work in ensuring peace and order around Wickhurst quite seriously, sister, unlike the two of you who seem to have decided to cause yet more trouble."

"You do realize that we are listening," Nicholas dryly uttered, motioning his head at Aurora. "Miss Randolph and I, however, are old and wise enough to realize what Ysa and Emma are up to and we shall not fall victim. Am I correct, Miss Randolph?"

Aurora opened her mouth to answer but Levi beat him to it.

"You might want to hold that thought off for a while, brother," Levi whispered to Nicholas.

"Unlike you and Ben, Levi, I am quite confident," Nicholas snapped, turning away.

Their ever cynical brother, Maxwell, snickered. "Quite a challenge, eh?" he asked the twins before he left and followed Nicholas.

"The hunt is about to begin," Levi said, turning to face the three women. "You don't venture into the hunting grounds, understand?"

"Simply enjoy tea and cakes," Ralph said in a mocking tone.

Ysabella and Emma threw him a look.

"What? Women could not—"

"I know someone who can beat you to a pulp, brother, and she is a woman," Ysabella interjected.

"Now, let us not talk about that," Levi said, giving them a look of warning. He was with the twins when they both made friends with a female bandit and her friends and he had made them both promise to never share the story of Alex and her bandit family to anyone else.

"Present this woman before me and I shall gladly fight her with naught but one hand," Ralph issued in challenge.

"Mayhap that day will come," Emma said. "Do not wish for it, Ralph, I tell you."

"Stop," Levi said, voice rising. "Do you see the picnic there?" he asked, pointing to the right.

Aurora nodded and said, "We shall stay there and never wander into the hunting grounds."

"Quiet refreshing to talk to someone with sense for once, particularly one who knows how to follow the rules," Ralph uttered before hastily running away to join Maxwell and Nicholas, avoiding a blow from Emma.

"Remember to stay out of the hunting grounds," Levi warned once more, escorting the three ladies to the picnic where they were greeted by wives and sisters of the other lords who had decided to join the hunt.

After setting up their picnic, Aurora sat on the ground to look up at the hole above, relishing on the heat of the sun sifting through the leaves.