Having partaken in ice cream at Percy's Tea Shop, the three sisters made their way to Mrs Mable's market stall, laughing as they went.
Unable to hide her mischievous side, Cecelia found herself poking and prodding her sisters as they went, tugging a loose curl of Mary's back behind her ear, “Don't you know you ought to be more aware of these things, Lady Mary?”
The girls laughed at how she sounded just like their lady's maid.
Sophia followed on, grim faced while a footman followed behind with their modiste purchases.
“Don't you know it's impolite to comment on a young lady's appearance?” Mary countered, sticking out her tongue.
“You know what Mother would say about that tongue of yours, Mary,” Catherine said.
“Keep it in your mouth,” the three girls said, laughing as they reached Mrs Mable's stall.
They brought three apples for themselves and a bunch more to return home with before Cecelia was unable to stop herself from performing a magic trick.
Using her handkerchief and a little sleight of hand, she made Catherine's apple disappear.
Her sister looked quite unimpressed.
“I was going to eat that!” she exclaimed before Cecelia magically made it reappear to the delight of everyone.
At the sound of the chapel bells tolling, Cecelia sighed, her heart sinking. “I suppose we ought to consider returning home.”
Sophia looked relieved, as did the footman, but both her sisters complained.
“I thought you were bored?” Cecelia said to Catherine, who shrugged.
“Mother will likely bore me to tears with her meddling when we get home,” she pointed out.
“Then we had better enjoy the ride home,” Cecelia insisted, nudging her sister playfully.
And so, they did, impersonating all those members of thetonthey found ridiculous, like Lord Appleby, who only ever spoke ofhis magnificent orchards, and dowager Lady Vanderbalm, who was always sour-faced no matter the weather and company.
As they drew closer to the house, Cecelia realized she couldn't quite let their outing come to an end. Calling to the coachman, she asked him to drop them at the bottom of the driveway before insisting to her sisters, “You must race me back to the house.”
“Oh, My Lady, are you quite certain that is a good idea?” Sophia protested, but Cecelia's mind was already set.
She and her sisters piled out of the carriage at the end of the driveway and lined up.
“Are you ready?” Cecelia asked, and her sisters looked ready to burst with excitement.
“My Lady, I think perhaps we ought to ride up to the house,” Sophia protested from the carriage window.
“Oh, Sophia, stop being such a spoilsport,” Cecelia insisted. She placed one foot forward and bent her knees slightly, ready to spring. “3 … 2 … 1… go!”
The three girls burst off with squeals and excitement with Cecelia well in the lead.
Only as she drew halfway down the driveway did she slow her speed, smiling at the idea of allowing one of her sisters to win.
“Come on!” she called over her shoulder. “You can't let me win again!”
“I don't know why we even try!” Catherine called from the final place. “You always win.”
Attempting to make it appear real, Cecelia pretended to trip a little, slowing her pace further.
The carriage came up behind them as if the horses were chasing them down the driveway, and Cecelia laughed as Mary's eyes widened, streaming past her into first place.
“Go on, Mary!” Sophia called as if she had entirely forgotten her protests in favour of seeing the youngest sister win.
