It's here! The next chapter!
Thank you so much to batbinmyheart91 and ConformityisNonsense, for their wordy, wondrous reviews!
As warned, this chapter contains a cliché.
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Chapter 7
Lumiere stared, wide eyed, at her "W-What?" he stuttered in disbelief.
"I am pregnant" repeated Babette.
The Frenchman squeezed her hand "Mon Duie, I am going to be father" he thought.
Obviously, that moment of hesitation was too long for his beloved. She started tearing up again "A-Are you not h-happy?" she asked. She blinked back further tears "I knew it, all men are the same. As soon as they hear that their little passionate affairs have turned into the possibility of a child, they are no longer interested in the woman" she thought.
Lumiere softly cupped her face in his hands "Oh, ma cheri, of course I am happy. The baby is a wonderful miracle…" he kissed her cheek affectionately "Correction, our baby."
Babette looked at him, smiling "Do…do you really mean that?" she asked.
He nodded "But of course" he answered gently.
All of a sudden, Mia burst through the door "Babette! I heard that you something wrong with you…are you alright?" she inquired, her anxiety faked. She had heard everything through the door (yes, she had been listening again), and knew exactly what was going on.
Lumiere turned to her, still keeping a grip on Babette's hand "She is fine Mia. Leave s'il vous plait" he said.
She heard the slight sternness in his tone, but did not pay attention to it. Instead, she walked over to him and batted her eyes "Is there any way I can help" she inquired innocently, with a slight seductive purr in her voice.
The Frenchman shook his head "No Mia. Now, once again, could you leave s'il vous plait?" he asked.
She could not contain the frustrated look on her face, but then took a deep breath to calm herself down "Fine" she answered. As she turned to leave, Mia could not help but notice the murderous glare that Babette gave her. However, the younger woman only smiled in obvious false pleasantness, and continued out the door, closing it behind her.
Once outside, Mia smiled slyly to herself "This turned out better than I could have hoped. Not only are Lumiere and Babette apart, but she's pregnant" she thought. She knew that pregnancy meant dismissal…it was perfect. All she had to do was spread word around the castle, and eventually Adam and Belle would check with Babette to see if the rumours were true. Once they did…they would have no choice but to dismiss her.
Later that day, Babette was doing her duties as normal, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach. It was a combination of her pregnancy…and worry "I am an unwed mother. That is considered the highest disgrace, even for a servant" she thought.
All of a sudden, two female servants, both chambermaids, passed her. One whispered harshly, deliberately making it so she could hear "Whore."
The other whispered in the same fashion "Shameless harlot."
Babette turned to face them, but they had already moved on. She immediately started panicking "How do they know? How did the news get out?" she muttered.
As if on cue, Mia's voice came from behind her "Hello Babette" she said, pretending to be friendly.
The young woman turned to her and gripped the library mantel to restrain herself "Bonjur Mia" she growled.
The blonde walked closer "What's the matter? Don't you like me?" she asked.
Babette took a step back "No, to be honest, not at all" she answered.
Then, as quickly as it took to blink, Mia's expression darkened. It was no longer friendly and innocent, but devious and sly. She smiled menacingly "Well, if I'm honest, I never liked you either" she sneered.
"I know it was you" continued Babette.
Mia felt nervousness build inside her, but did not dare let it show. Instead, she simply smiled "So what if it was me? Lumiere wouldn't care. You think he loves you…you're wrong" she said.
The other woman's response faltered, but only for a second "How would you know?" she asked rhetorically.
The blonde continued as if she had not even spoken "So you really think he loves you? You saw how nervous he was when he found out you were pregnant! If fact, I even overhead him talk to himself to build up the courage to leave you, now that you're pregnant." She thought that it was best to play on Babette's weaknesses…and Lumiere's commitment was clearly one of them.
Babette swallowed "You…you do not mean that" she said, although she was unable to keep her voice from wavering.
"How do you know that?" questioned Mia, knowing she had won. Babette was probably one of her easiest targets, since she had already gotten the idea into her own head through fear, all Mia had to do was make sure it stuck.
The chambermaid sighed "Go away Mia" she snarled. The young woman did so, and left her to her own mind, knowing that what she had said would stick. A pregnant woman was very easy to believe any suggestion, no matter what it was. The older woman was her puppet, and Mia was the one pulling the strings.
After completing her duties, Babette collapsed onto a chair and groaned "Why does this have to be so difficult. Lumiere and I should just tell the Master and Mistress..." she shook her head "No! We cannot tell him, they will send me away, and Lumiere will surely be dismissed" she muttered to herself.
Suddenly, Cogsworth came running up to her. The butler was clearly out of breath "The...Master...wants...to...see you" he huffed.
She gasped "Oh Diue, no" she thought.
The maid arrived at Adam and Belles room shortly after. She calmed herself down as much as she could, and walked inside. The prince and princess were sitting on the edge of their bed, and Belle gestured to the chair opposite her "Sit down please Babette" she said. The chambermaid did as she was told immediately, feeling more afraid than ever.
It seemed like hours before Adam spoke "Word has reached me that you are pregnant. Mia informed me as soon as she found out..."
Babette scoffed quietly "Of course she did" she thought.
The prince continued "Now Babette. I wish I didn't have to say this to you, but, as you know, it is expected that, when a servant is pregnant, it means dismissal. Now, usually this involves calling a midwife to look after you and, unfortunately, when you do have the child, if you wish to return to the castle, you must do so without your child…"
The chambermaid felt herself beginning to cry "No Master, s'il vous plaite, do not do this" she begged.
Belle smiled at her "It's alright, we're not going to. We don't have the heart to do that to you or Lumiere. You both will stay, and so will he or she when they're born" she said.
Babette smiled in disbelief "Merci beaucoup mes ami" she replied. Then, a look of confusion crossed her face, and she asked the prince "W-What about your uncle? Surely he will not approve of this."
Adam replied, biting his lip "His opinion doesn't matter."
The chambermaid smiled at the royals, curtsied politely, and left the room. However, she was still unable to shake one thought "Will staying here be worth it?"
That night, Babette lay awake in her bed, gently petting her stomach. Mia's words were still on her mind, how Lumiere had been planning to leave her. The young woman's mood quickly turned to anger and resentment "How dare he! How could he even think of leaving me, when I am in such a venerable time! He does not care about me" she thought.
The young woman rose from her bed, and looked down at her stomach "Do not worry ma petite. Adam and Belle are probably reconsidering dismissing me anyway, and Lumiere…" she wiped her tears away "Lumiere does not even care what happens to me" she murmured. She sighed, and got up from the bed, and collected the few things that she had packed into a bag, earlier.
Carefully, Babette crept down the stairs, and through the hall. She put a hand on the doorknob, and, with a sigh, turned it, stepping outside and shutting the door behind her.
Fortunately, it was not the slightest bit cold that night. The chambermaid then proceeded out the gate, and immediately boarded the carriage that had been waiting for her. Turning to the coachman, she handed him some of the money from a smaller bag "Merci beaucoup monsieur" she said.
He looked at her over his shoulder "You're quite welcome miss. Now, where was it that you wanted to go?" he asked.
Babette sighed "The one thing I have not figured out yet" she thought. She considered her options "It has to be somewhere that the baby will be welcome, and somewhere that I can stay for as long as I like, and somewhere that I know" she mused.
That was when she thought of it.
It was the one place where she knew she would be welcomed. But it was also, ironically, the one place that she had once dreamed to get away from. Her employment there had been the one thing that was more disgraceful to a woman then being an unwed mother.
The maid took a deep breath, and told the coachman confidently "Take me to 'Le Desir Tentant', s'il vous pliat."
The coachman gasped "The dancehall?" he inquired in disbelief.
Babette ignored his shock, and replied "Oui, monsieur."
