Shay

"It's not fair. I want to go away to school too, Papa." Julia's lip quivered. Hannah always got to do things that she couldn't.

"Julia." Rebecca held her arms out to her second daughter. "You're only thirteen. When you are fifteen, you too shall attend Saint Germaine's in Paris."

"Shay is half a year more than Hannah." Julia lifted her hand and pointed at Shay. "How come she's not going? Hannah gets everything. It's not fair." She wiped her palms down her face and scowled at her parents.

"That's not true, Julia. You each get the same thing at the same age." Thomas took her by the shoulders and made her face him. "Look at me when I speak to you. An honest person looks another in the eye, Julia." When she lifted her head, he continued. "As your mother has just said when you are fifteen you will attend Saint Germaine's Finishing School in Paris. Until then Mrs. Freeman will continue to teach you."

"What of Shay, Papa?" Julia lifted her chin proudly. "As I have just said, Shay is older than fifteen and still Mrs. Freeman teaches her."

"This is true and since you are pushing the subject, I shall now have to inform you, in front of Shay, that she too, will also be leaving for Paris."

"N..." Shay jumped up from her seat frantically shaking her head. Thomas held his hand out to stop her from speaking.

"We have not informed you of this, Shay, as we knew Julia would be upset when finding out Hannah would be leaving us. We thought it best to inform you, once Julia was settled with the knowledge Hannah would be leaving, and then tell her of our decision to send you to Saint Germaine's also. Since Julia will not let this go, she now finds out she will be losing two sisters at the same time." Thomas cupped his daughter's face. "Are you happy now, miss?" He turned her head so she could look at Shay's stricken features. "Are you happy that Shay has found out in this way? We wanted you all to get used to the idea of Hannah attending school first." Thomas let go of his daughter and turned to face Shay. "Mrs. Freeman doesn't think she can teach you any further, Shay. She has tried her best. You are a young woman of free spirit. This is a side of you that we all love, but now it is time to mature. Your Aunt and I feel Saint Germaine's will be very good for you."

"But..." Before Shay could say anything more, Hannah threw her arms around her.

"It'll be wonderful, Shay. Just imagine learning to dance so we can be swirled around every ballroom in London when we come out." With that, she held out her skirt and swirled around the room. "I will wear a sapphire gown and you will wear an emerald one. Oh... it will be grand, Shay." Hannah stopped mid-twirl and sprang in front of Julia. She poked her sister in the ribs. "And you, my darling, will wear amethyst. What do you think of that?" Hannah grabbed Julia's hands and spun her around.

Tommy yanked on Izzy's hand and dragged her into the middle of the room while Andrew bounced off the settee and cartwheeled across the room. Little Simon, who was just two, squealed with delight and tried to mimic his siblings.

Shay stood quietly to one side. She watched Thomas and Rebecca's faces light up. It was a wonderful moment. She so wanted to join in, but she just couldn't. Her heart sank. She didn't want to leave her home. She didn't want to attend a fancy school. She didn't want to dance under crystal chandeliers in a beautiful gown. She wasn't striking and curvaceous like Hannah. She was flat chested and shapeless. No gentleman would choose her to dance with, when others had round backsides and breasts. Shay bit down on her bottom lip, and then forced a smile on her face.

Thomas looked over his shoulder and caught her sad look just before she smiled. Though he knew she wouldn't like being sent to school, he knew it would be the best outcome for her. To leave her to live her life at Lytton House would be a mistake. Even though she was slow to develop, in a few years she would be stunning. He needed her to learn to be the best woman she could be, as it would not only be men of wealth who would want to marry her. He was sure she would be desired by men who lived with royal blood in their veins.

Thomas certainly has high hopes for Shay.  I hope he's not going to push her too much.

I do feel sorry for Shay finding out that she will be leaving the home she loves to go to boarding school.

Photo taken from Fine Art America.