The day after the ball barely dawned at all, it was so gloomy. Felix found he didn't much mind- he had had a lovely evening, even if he hadn't managed to introduce Kasumi and Bridgette. He hadn't gone straight to bed upon leaving the ball, but with his parents' permission had gone to one of the secret rooms his grandfather had built in order to practice magic.
It was his favourite room in the house, tucked away in a corner of the library. It was soundproofed sufficiently that it doubled as a music room. It was certainly more of an effort, having to keep the room himself, and getting the piano in that room had been a catastrophe of epic proportions due to the secrecy, but he enjoyed being able to practice without self-consciously wondering who was listening in to hear every mistake or flat note in the music.
Bridgette had spoken well in the gardens; his music was something quite personal to him. Upon leaving the ball, he'd been anxious to play, the sparks of inspiration having caught in his mind. He'd barely had the patience to go through his evening routine, before quietly slipping out of his room and into one of the passageways to the library.
He'd begun writing a new song. It was early days yet, but he thought it might end up being the best he'd ever written.
As he headed towards the library, Felix hummed to himself, letting the tune take shape in the air. He had intended to go straight to his secret room and continue practice, until he passed Madame Malaura's suite.
Madame, he had been told, had stayed up though the entire ball, eating a light breakfast before retiring to her bed. She had left orders with one of her attendants, not Bridgette who had been dismissed the same hour as he had retreated from the ball, that she was not to be disturbed until dinner, if she had not awoken herself.
So why was Bridgette carrying a tray in?
Felix followed on cat-silent feet, sliding into the room without notice. Bridgette headed straight for the table, gently putting down the tray.
She poured out three cups of tea, using two different varieties of leaves in tea strainers rather than having the leaves brewed in the pot. To one she added a single lemon slice, to another a tiny spoon of honey from the pot Madame kept on the table for one of her friends. This done, she went to the windowsill in order to pour out the glass of water there into a bucket, then replaced the glass with a fresh one.
Madame preferred her tea with a splash of milk. None of those teacups were therefore for Madame.
"Did Madame ask you to do this?" He spoke quietly, so as not to alert Madame next door.
Bridgette started so badly she spilt most of the water in the glass. Hissing (very quietly, with a side glance at Madame's door), she pulled a rag out of her apron and began to try mop it up.
She was wearing pink again, possibly the same dress as the night before but without the decorations. Her hair was once more covered by a cap, but she still looked very pretty.
It took a moment for Felix to realise he could help her mop up the water rather than just wait for her to be done. He wiped the water off the wooden table as best as he could with his quickly sodden handkerchief, wringing it out into the vase of flowers to continue as best as he could.
Bridgette quickly stopped him. "You'll ruin your hanky." She breathed out, stepping closer so he could hear.
His ears burned. "It's not one of my favourites." He said back, just as quietly.
They soaked up as much of the spilt water as they could before leaving. Felix gently shut the door behind them, aware of Bridgette glaring at him.
"You startled me!" She hissed at him, still keeping the sleeping Madame Malaura in mind.
Felix smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to, I was just curious about what you were doing."
He gestured towards the library, and they began walking. "I didn't think Madame Malaura left any instructions except not to wake her up before dinner."
Bridgette shrugged uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. "She didn't. But those are the usual orders for her friends, and the room always feels a bit happier once I've delivered."
"It… feels happier?" Felix repeated. He had no idea Bridgette's potential for magic could allow her to sense such a thing. He could see the spirits, their reaction to the offerings provided, but perhaps Bridgette's unawakened magic allowed her to put together clues she couldn't fully recognise as a sixth sense of sort.
Bridgette flushed a brilliant red. "I know it sounds mad. But it does, and it doesn't hurt anyone. Those brands of tea are only used by Madame Malaura's visitants, and she has honey especially for Frau Syvestra. Lieutenant Grim likes having clean water on hand, but one glass of water isn't a real difficulty. Not normally, anyway." She shot him what was probably meant to be a scolding look, but he was too distracted by the possibilities in his mind to notice.
He had permission from his parents to bring in one friend. To teach someone else about magic.
"Is today a day off for you?" Felix asked eagerly.
A look of startlement settled on Bridgette's face. "Yes. I would usually go outside but.." She gestured to the windows.
Felix nodded. "What were your plans for today?"
"To help in the schoolroom I suppose. Mrs Mendel can always put another set of hands to work, and there's a few children who live near enough to attend school no matter how bad the rain gets."
Felix, for one wild moment, considered what he was about to do. He could walk away not, take the time to consider if he wanted to do this.
He pushed ahead anyway. "Would you like to know a secret?"