Goldie had been counting down the days until her week was up. As soon as the alarm on her phone woke her, she snuck out of her room and headed for the bathroom. She was going to soak in a hot bath until her skin wrinkled, and she was going to do it in the biggest bath in the mansion.
Scrooge was not impressed to find her in his bath. She cut off his ranting by offering to share the water, which made him blush and then start stammering - especially when he realised that Goldie O'Gilt was naked beneath those bubbles. He quickly backed out of the room and went to find another place to brush his teeth. Goldie washed her hair, wondering whether she should lock the door in case anyone came in but figured no-one else would dare to use Scrooge's bathroom.
Finally feeling clean, she waltzed down to breakfast and took the seat next to Scrooge. She was in high spirits, and the family were entertained by her alternating digs and flirting towards Scrooge. Every time he started in with his alliterative replies she'd bat her eyelids, or brush her foot up against his leg to distract him leaving her feeling victorious.
"So what are your plans now that you're back on your feet?" Mrs Beakley asked her, with a look that suggested she knew exactly what Goldie had been been doing.
"Oh I don't think Goldie will be ready to leave for a few more days," Scrooge assured her. "You can't rush a healing like that."
Goldie smiled and patted Scrooge's closest hand, causing him to turn his head just before he was about to take a bite of his porridge. The spoon connected with his cheek instead of his beak and he had to wipe it away.
"You've all been very welcoming, but do have places to be."
"You can't leave yet," Louie told her. "I could still use you help with... that thing."
"I'm still waiting for one or two things to fall into place for my next... venture," Goldie took another slice of toast from the centre of the table. "Once I've got confirmation I'll be off."
Dewey was sitting between Della and Mrs Beakley at the end of the table, feeling safe between them. He'd decided not to leave the table until after Goldie was gone, just in case anything he did messed things up. Della was fussing over him, and Goldie struggled to see how the woman in front of her was ever the bold and daring Della she used to know.
After breakfast, Webby followed her up to her room. Goldie knew it was Webby because no-one else had the skills to almost fool her - she'd kept one step ahead of Mrs Beakley during her last few visits so she didn't hold much value in that woman's spy skills anymore. She pretended not to notice Webby, going to her room but leaving the door ajar as a silent invitation. The young girl knocked after a few moments of hovering outside.
"I might have to start charging for all these stories about Scrooge," Goldie commented as she let Webby in.
"Oh, have I been taking up a lot of your time? Ha, I uh, I didn't mean to I thought you'd like talking about him because you two are, you know..."
"Old acquaintances?" Goldie smirked as Webby tried to find the right label for their relationship.
"Yeah, right, exactly. Only you do... flirt with him a lot, when you're not teasing him about getting old and stuff."
"That's just a bit of fun."
"So, how do you know what to say to him? Totally just for research purposes, I might need them for next years Christmas play and I've never had to flirt with anyone before, so..."
Goldie raised one eyebrow, "is this about your friend?"
"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about, why would I need to know how to flirt with my friends, that's totally ridiculous even if their eyes gleam like the edge of a freshly sharpened dagger... I mean, whaaaat?"
"For someone so dedicated to Scrooge's history I was surprised to see that almost-kiss in the play. Of course, a writer has artistic licence to play around with the truth on occasion. I do wonder though, if there was an ulterior motive."
Webby started to back out of the room, "I think my granny's calling me."
"Well if you're not old enough to ask for help directly you're probably to young to handle any real flirting."
Webby paused, "why do you flirt with Scrooge?"
Goldie smiled, "how else can I find out whether he still likes me? He blushes so adorably and becomes quite the bumbling idiot when I do, it's preferable to his irritable coin-pinching side."
"I knew it! Flirting is the key to finding out how someone else feels about you. I read something in Huey's Woodchuck Guide that suggested flirting too much can be annoying and put someone off but that just the right amount..."
"You cannot learn to flirt from a book. Gah, fine I'll help you. Sit," Goldie pointed to the bed and went to close the door against eavesdroppers.
She spent nearly an hour with Webby, giving her suggestions on what to say and not to say to Lena - though Webby refused to admit the target of her affections. They practiced until Webby had the best lined memorised, and Goldie reminded her not to use them all at once.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Webby asked before she left. "Just to say thank you for your help?"
"I don't suppose you're allowed to give me any of those weapons Scrooge keeps locked up in his armoury? He's changed the lock since I was last here and it takes so much time to get back in there."
"Uh, no I don't think they'd like it if I did that. I didn't think you used weapons, anyway?"
"I know how to use them, I just usually don't need them." Goldie placed a hand over her healing wound, "I used to just carry a sharp knife for stubborn locks but I'm thinking about upgrading. Of course, the bigger weapons are harder to get through security checks. Never mind."
"Oh, good," Webby let out a little nervous laugh.
"Off you go then. Enjoy the day with your friends."
Goldie watched the young duck leave, then went to lay down on her bed. She hated that she still felt tired after so little movement.
It was snowing. Huey had been watching the weather forecast the day before and told them all it was possible, so Webby was up early, excited for the chance to build snow-monsters and have snowball fights. She planned on creating a secret pile of snowballs, then hiding them ready for the battle ahead. If there was time, she might even be able to surprise the boys by waking them up with a face-full of snow!
She was hiding the third batch of snowballs in a bush near the mansion when she spotted a pair of footprints in the snow. Curious, and alert for any danger - after all someone else might be up just as early as her and ready to pounce with snowballs - she looked around for any more tracks. She was a little disappointed when she couldn't find them, so she explored the grounds for a while in case there were any other clues. At the base of one of the walls around the gardens she found a deep indent in the ground, as if someone had put something heavy on the ground like a bag.
Goldie!
Webby raced back to the mansion knowing Goldie was clever enough to hide her tracks. Webby had been taught several ways by her granny, Goldie probably knew just as many. Was the older woman gone or just planning her departure?
Webby knocked on Goldie's door before going in, she didn't want a repeat of the incident with Dewey. When there was no answer she went inside and looked around. Goldie was gone. The bed was neatly made, and there were a few envelopes on the pillow. Webby left them and went to find her granny, knowing she'd be awake - unlike Scrooge.
Breakfast was a slightly more solemn affair that morning. The triplets had been told about Goldie leaving when they came downstairs, and Scrooge was hiding behind his newspaper. No-one was talking and from the amount of food still on the table no-one felt like eating much for breakfast. When Lena and Violet arrived, dressed warmly and anticipating that a snowball fight would be waiting for them, they were surprised to find a very subdued household.
"Where's Goldie?" Lena asked, pulling off her gloves and hat.
"She's gone," Webby told her in a whisper.
"Oh, well I guess the skin was knitting back together nicely. Have you seen the snow? Are we building snow-unicorns or going straight to the snowball fight?"
"I believe they are feeling sorrow at her departure," Violet told Lena. "Perhaps we should come back tomorrow?"
Webby quickly brightened up, thought it was hard, "no! We're building snow-sword-horses and snow-krakens and having snowball fights - girls against boys!"
The triplets groaned in unison.
"Actually, I think there are some messages here from Goldie for each of you," Mrs Beakley arrived in the kitchen.
She had gone over Goldie's room for some clue as to where she might be headed next, but as expected all traces of Goldie's presence had gone with the woman. There were just a few items left on her pillow, addressed to the different residents and she handed out bulky envelopes to Lena, Louie, Donald, Dewey and Webby, then folded pieces of paper to Huey, Della and Scrooge. Lena and Violet sat down in the kitchen and Scrooge lowered his newspaper so his hands would be free to take his.
Donald opened his first, seeing that the others were hesitating.
"Thanks for the loan, you probably don't need the interest as you're still living rent-free" he read to them and held up a few coins that equalled what used to be left under his pillow when he lost a tooth.
Louie slipped something from his envelope into his hoodie, "just wishing me good luck with my next business venture."
Huey had a Woodchuck badge, the note read "stole this off Della decades ago, didn't want you to feel left out," - he immediately passed it back to his mother, who smiled.
Della's note just said "welcome back."
Dewey wouldn't touch his envelope so Della opened it for him. A small cassette fell out, labelled "Dewey Dew-Night, Goldie interview". His eyes widened in surprise.
Lena opened hers next, inside was a silver chain , "stole it off a witch. It's probably cursed but I figure you can un-curse it and keep it. Payment for your help. Knowing a witch could come in handy, call me if you want to get rich."
Webby blushed as she read Goldie's words. When the others asked what it said she told them it was just some advice, they assumed she meant about the play or Scrooge. Goldie actually told her "your friend has the look of someone who knows how to survive on her own, but it's a rough old world out there. Give her a reason to stay."
Scrooge looked at his piece of paper, then tucked it into his pocket. He didn't think he was ready to share what was inside with the others. Probably Goldie had left him the same sort of simple note she'd written for Della or Huey - something that wouldn't make him feel left out.
"Right, everyone outside for some fresh air," Mrs Beakley saw the way Scrooge hid his note and decided to give him some privacy. "Boys, don't forget your coats this time. Yes that includes you Louie, you are not sitting around all day watching television. Della you're in charge, make sure they come in if they start getting too cold or need to change their gloves if they get too wet when the snow starts melting."
"Yay!" Webby was the first one ready by the back door. "Snowball wars, then snow monsters and then we can come back in and relax by de-cursing Lena's bracelet."
Lena smiled at her. "sure pink."
"Did she saw snowball wars?" Louie asked his mom, sounding panicked.
With the efficiency of someone who had years of practice ordering others around, Mrs Beakley soon had the kitchen cleared. When she turned around, even Scrooge had gone.