The Charlotte Series: Book 1: The Pirate's Treasure

chapter 04

London 1850

Millicent gently traced the embossed floral design on the cover of the leather bound journal. She flipped the pages and imagined the words that would one day fill them.

"It's beautiful, Lexi" She looked up and smiled, "I can't believe you remembered my birthday!"

"Well that's a fine thank you! I couldn't forget my little sister's birthday could I?" She slipped her arm around Millicent's shoulder and squeezed.

"I wish we were real sisters." Millicent smiled and slipped her arm around Lexi's waist to hug her back.

"We are real sisters, Millie!" She stuck her thumb under Millicent's nose and displayed the thin white scar that marked it.

Millicent tucked the journal under her arm and looked at her own thumbs. Similar scars marked them both. She smiled remembering the day Clay had made them real siblings after Lexi made a similar wish six years ago. She was seven, Lexi was eight, and Clay was nine.

"What?"

"I was just remembering when we first met."

"Clay and I went to the kitchen to steal some treats. Clay caught cook's spoon on his knuckles. He yelped like a kicked puppy and we ran out before they could take that spoon to our backsides."

"Yes, that part I remember!" Millicent tried not to blush.

"Why were you there again?"

"Mama was sick. I had to stay with Cook."

"That's right. There was that dance and all those extra people came to help in the kitchen. You were sleeping in the corner like Little Miss Muffet!"

"No—I was reading." She smiled sheepishly and hurried on. "I just dozed off. It was so hot in the kitchen and it only had a little bit of air when someone opened the door."

"Well, there was certainly no way for you to know that Clay would come by and knock you off your stool!" Lexi laughed, "You really did look silly with your feet in the air and your skirts all..."

"Yes, well..."Millicent blushed.

"Well!" A familiar voice announced behind them, "How are my two favorite sisters today?"

"Clay!" Lexi turned around and beamed at him, "We're your ONLY sisters!"

Stepping between them he put his arm around their shoulders and hugged them in greeting as they laughed at their own particular joke.

"This, of course, makes you my favorites!" Millicent was just noticing he'd grown quite tall when he added "Happy Birthday Squirt."

"You know, I recall a time when you weren't so tall." She grumbled playfully. "In fact, I was taller."

"Yes. I recall those long legs kicking like a bug turned upside down!"

"You!" Millicent laughed and poked playfully at his ribs.

"Come on. Let's get out of here. Care for a walk in the garden?" he winked.

"I'll keep watch!" Lexi promised with a whisper and a wink.

As they came to the hedge near the back of the garden Clay bent down and retrieved their dueling swords from beneath it. In honor of their first match by the stream they used wooden swords today—sticks really—handles pilfered from the crochet mallets. Lexi stood at the side dividing her attention between the garden path and her dueling siblings behind the hedge.