Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 70: Flustering Gooseberry Forever.

Chapter 70: Flustering Gooseberry Forever.

Evening.

Red Room, Library. Theodore Mansion.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

****************

A clear of throat breaks the intimate couple apart, before Theodore could complain Joyous’s voice breached into the room. "Lady Theodore, your sister intends to leave now," she said.

Lydia’s eyes widened "Shi’Enz! I got carried away" she whispered, pulling out of Theodore’s embrace.

"What shall I do with this stubborn maid?" Theodore grumbled.

Lydia shook her head. "She has a name, Theodore," she remarked.

He pulled Lydia back into his arms. "I think she is intentionally intruding" he claimed.

"No, she’s not, she is a help, like an employed should be" Lydia defended with a valid point.

"Gooseberry" he whined.

She stood straight. "Please let me go and say goodbye to my sister" she pleaded.

"I shall come along" he declared.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, you shall" she retorted.

Theodore narrowed his eyes as he followed after her "Is that a jab?" he asked.

"No honey it’s..." her sentence trailed off into a squeal as he suddenly gripped her ribs with both his palms.

She froze, her breath funny.

"Stop! Theodore you’ve been flustering me since morning" she scolded.

Theodore chuckled softly. "I intend to fluster you forever, Gooseberry" he confessed, his brain boyish.

Joyous cleared her throat again as they exited the library and were still in each other’s arms.

"Joyous, Joyous, Joyous, you keep up the good work" Theodore praised with advice.

"Thank you Lord Theodore" the maid showed gratitude.

Lydia strutted into the main hall and there stood Shi’Enz waiting for her, Lydia hurried to her side, Theodore right behind her.

"I’m sorry Shi’Enz I got carried away" Lydia tendered her apology upon reaching her sister.

Shi’Enz nodded her head facing down, she could barely breathe. Lydia frowned, she hadn’t been this terrified of the lord before why is Shi’Enz now?

"Come I shall have Conan drop you off" Lydia said

"Ah no no, Lady Theodore I apologize but the way to my bungalow and the Statham estate differs a lot, it is a completely different route" Conan waltzed in with his objection.

"Are you denying my wife?" Theodore snarled with narrowed eyes.

Conan thinned his lips "Please Theodore, I am sure Hound would be happy to escort her" he said.

Lydia shook her head as she countered. "But Hound is-"

"He is fine" Shi’Enz shrieked cutting her sister off. She reddened immediately "I mean I saw him and he is good to take me home" she added softly.

Lydia frowned in doubt, Hound had been a complete stone since he woke up so she couldn’t believe the visitor of the house had seen him and could confirm if he was fine now. "Conan?" Lydia called.

Conan nodded in affirmation. "Yes, he almost took off my head when I teased him well enough"

Lydia then turned to Theodore, this was getting confusing "Does that help?" she asked her husband.

Theodore smirked "Yes it does" he said.

She nodded. "Alright, please get Hound, he shall escort my sister to the Statham estate" she instructed, her eyes firm on Joyous, but the very diligent maid shivered. "Lady Theodore I..."

Conan chuckled lowly shaking his head as he said. "Not to worry, I shall bring him, please wait outside, I wish to go home soon," he said and started to walk out.

Lydia appeared confused, why was he in such a hurry to leave the mansion, what was at home for him?

Theodore caught her expression so he bent and whispered into her ears. "His muckraker is back"

"His muckraker? The city muckraker?" she asked with a frown.

How is she his muckraker?

"Yes, he is obsessed with her or the papers" Theodore confirms with a shake of his head at Conan’s obsession.

Lydia looked insulted. "What?! Have you seen my collection at all" she inquired of her husband’s knowledge about her books.

Theodore bit the inside of his mouth. "Of what? Books?" he asked making her sigh.

"Yes, I have all the series of the muckraker’s gossip, I am her number one fan" she declared confidently.

Conan paused in his steps abruptly. "Nah I am the number one fan, Lady Theodore we should avoid going into an argument," he said along with some advice.

Lydia frowned but nodded. "Yes, tomorrow we can argue, it is getting late," she said.

"I shall have today’s papers before you" Conan announced.

Lydia let out a soft laugh. She has never actually bought the papers herself, they came with her father’s morning papers whenever a new one was released and right after her mother read them she would rush and acquire them, she has kept a pile of them since she read the first papers. The writer is blessed. "I do not mind please bring a copy for me" she said to Conan.

"That I will try, it is hard to get it you know" he explained cockily.

Lydia scoffed "Yet I managed to get them all" she retorted, her chin high. Theodore watched their exchange in shock.

Is he about to have another mysterious muckraker-obsessed fan? His wife?! He roared mentally.

Before Conan could reply he caught Hound in his peripheral view coming towards the parked cart from the pond.

"There he is... Hound!" Conan called out.

Hound paused, his posture strong, confident and solemn. He is dressed in all white, pants and shirt, his legs covered in boots, he started for the small group with measured steps. Shi’Enz felt her heart-fighting battles of its own.

"Would you do this house a favour by escorting this young lady back to her house?" Conan asked when the young man reached them.

Hound calmly turned to the lady of the house. "Hello Lady Theodore," he said.

Lydia smiled. "Welcome back Hound" she responded.

"Thank you" he mumbled. He then met Shi’Enz’s brown eyes before he veered around and as his majestic steps went further Conan leaned towards Shi’Enz and whispered "Follow him"

Shi’Enz nodded "Bye" she said and then started to run after him.

"Did he not see me?" Theodore mumbled as he followed his wife back inside the mansion.

Lydia smiled softly, she couldn’t wait to arrange her library and start to read again.

*

* *

*

Late Evening.

Bathroom, Theodore mansion.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

***************

In the couple’s cosy bathroom filled with the gentle flow of water, Lydia is wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, Red is cradled contentedly in her arms, she had been with it since after Conan and Shi’Enz left. Hound isn’t back to know if he has dropped off her sister, she thought. She would until he came back before she slept, she declared as she worked.

The bathroom air is filled with the soothing sound of Red purring as warm water cascades over its fur. With careful strokes, she massages soap and water into the cat’s soft coat, and that creates a lather that captures the essence of tranquillity.

Lydia’s ocean-blue eyes reflect a mix of affection and concentration as she ensures every inch of Red’s white fur is pampered and cared for. After she was done with her new cleansing ritual, she wrapped the sleepy pursuing cat in a towel, creating a snug cocoon of warmth for Red, it snuggled well.

"Gooseberry?" Theodore called from the bedroom.

Lydia looked at the door as she answered. "I’m in here, Red needed a bath," she said.

"What?!" he stepped inside the room and his eyes immediately widened. "No no, Give it," he said panicked.

She doesn’t see his expression so she smiles as she rocks the cat. "Do you want your father to carry you?" she asked Red.

It only mumbled a purr.

The supposed father scowled. "I’m not its father" he wailed.

"Lydia it will swell if you bathe it like that" Theodore pointed out.

"Swell? What do you mean it will swell?" Lydia asked suspiciously.

"The water does things to him," he said vaguely.

Theodore wonders why she had completely forgotten that she had net Red the first day she came, it is as if the memory of that moment was wiped out of her mind. Maybe Red did it to her.

Now Theodore doesn’t want her to see the animal change in her arms.

"What, you think Dorothy never bathed it?" she scowled at Theodore making him raise both his hands in surrender.

"Yes, she never bathed it, oh... I don’t know but you need to give it to me" he said when Lydia gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, I was already planning to drop it, I was going to take a bath, why are you acting so suspicious?" she said, her hair in an updo making her appear younger, Theodore shook his head and took the pet, he needed to get it out before Red transformed.

"Enjoy your bath wife" he wished as he took the cat in the fluffy towel out of her arms. Lydia merely nodded, she felt sleepy because of how warm the bathroom was.

He glared at the cat as he took it out of the mansion to the garden before the courtyard.