This story is inspired by the musical "The Count of Monte Cristo". This is the only scene from the musical I will write about since I don't know anything about the musical. The only thing I know about the musical is the song "A Story Told" which I really liked. If you cannot tell, Cogsworth is Mondego, LePlume is Danglars, Jock is Vilefort, Lumiere is Edmund Dantes, and Babette is Mercedes.
Cogsworth paced back and forth, his patience wearing thin. He pulled his watch from the pocket of his crimson jacket. Jock had agreed to meet at midnight in the tavern, but it was 12:11 now.
"Surely there is a perfect explanation as to why he's not here yet," LePlume, who was also waiting for Jock's arrival, said.
"You're correct, LePlume. The perfect explanation is that Jock is Lumiere's brother. There entire family has no sense of punctuality!" Cogsworth ranted which fueled his impatience and frustration.
Not long after Cogsworth spoke, the door to the tavern swung open. In the doorway stood a tall man wearing a long, cape-like black coat. His caramel brown hair was plastered to his cheeks and forehead from the rain.
"It's about time," Cogsworth grumbled.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting. My travels were slowed by the storm. Otherwise I would've been here sooner." Jock apologized. Though, his apology earned him a dissatisfied snort from Cogsworth.
Jock ignored him, however, and moved towards a round table where LePlume was already seated. A single candle lit the tavern from the center of that table. After Jock found a chair for himself at the table, Cogsworth also took a seat in between the other two men.
"There is something that I have been planning to tell you. As you know, I have been planning to reap the benefits of my brother Lumiere's accusation. He knows a few secrets of mine that I would prefer to not be revealed. In order to keep those secrets of mine hidden, I committed the crime that Lumiere is now being accused of performing." Jock explained.
"Now that you have told us this, why shouldn't we tell the king and queen the truth about the crime now?" LePlume questioned him.
"You see, the two of you can also benefit from Lumiere's downfall." Jock told them. "LePlume, I believe that after Lumiere is in prison, someone will need to inherit his job." That statement seemed to spark excitement in LePlume, for Lumiere's job was far superior to his own. "And, Cogsworth, I believe that you might be interested in Lumiere's lady-friend."
Cogsworth was taken aback by Jock's remark. "Why would I be interested in Babette?"
"Don't make yourself look like an idiot. Anyone could see that you feel for her if they looked closely." Jock replied as if the answer was obvious.
All of a sudden, Cogsworth felt himself growing a deep shade of red. Were his feelings really that obvious? He would be a complete liar if he tried to insist that the woman hadn't captured his heart, so instead he said nothing.
"So we all are agreed?" Jock assumed. He glanced from one man to the other, waiting for their response.
Both LePlume and Cogsworth nodded. "We must all pretend that our naïve friend was caught in his own lies." LePlume agreed.
"We'll have to supply a little lie to help the gullible to by our fable." Cogsworth pointed out.
"That will not be a problem, mon ami." Jock promised. "After all, it is the truth if it's officially the story.
"What if the cost is one young man, so three more men can survive?" Cogsworth said, agreeing that lying would not be any trouble.
"We'll say that he was standing in the way of precious justice." LePlume decided.
"We all have to stick to the story," Cogsworth warned them.
"Well, the story ends with Lumiere in prison." Jock laughed.