Chapter 5: Joy and sorrow

He was bored. And if there was one thing Lumiere just couldn't stand, it was boredom. Just as little as silence, and he had more of that than he liked. Sighing, he closed his eyes for a moment, but he could no longer sleep. Which, considering the fact that he had slept for the last three days, didn't really surprise him. Lumiere was staring at the ceiling, pondering how he could relieve this miserable boredom, when he heard excited voices approaching in the corridor. He listened, first recognising the voice of Madame Potts trying to explain something to someone. Lumiere wondered, but then a glow crossed his face as he recognised the second voice. He sat up with difficulty and not a moment too soon, for the door was already pulled open and the next moment he was embraced and kissed in a way that almost took his senses away.

"Oh Lumiere!" the young woman said through her tears as she paused for a moment and looked at the man in front of her.

"What have you done now? I'm only with my dear maman for a few days and what do I have to hear when I return? That you almost died! Oh, mon amour..."

Before Lumiere could reply, she had pulled him into another intimate embrace, which the young man now returned warmly.

"Ma petit chérie..."

His voice sounded rough and husky, but he didn't care. He carefully pushed his beloved away from him to look into her big, chestnut-brown eyes, where tears were once again gathering. He smiled and gently stroked her cheek.

"Ma chère Plumette... No tears, mon amour, I'm all right now!

And in a few days all this will be forgotten, you'll see."

"Oh Lumiere... When I heard what happened... I was so afraid for you..."

She could no longer hold back the tears as she snuggled against her beloved, now sobbing. He said no more, only wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her black hair, which fell in soft curls over her shoulders.

Madame Potts had just watched the scene with a smile and was about to leave when Lumiere addressed her.

"Madame Potts..."

He cleared his throat, speaking was difficult for him, but he had to get something off his chest, even if it was just a simple word.

"Merci."

"You're welcome, my dear. And Plumette..."

The one addressed looked up questioningly, but the housekeeper only gave her her motherly smile.

"Please remember, Lumiere still needs plenty of rest."

The young woman blushed despite her dark skin, then nodded, at which Madame Potts nodded to them both and left the room.

Plumette had snuggled back up to Lumiere and so they both lay there in silence, enjoying the moment and now Lumiere didn't mind the silence in the room. He closed his eyes and would surely have fallen asleep after all if Plumette had not asked him a question.

"Lumiere, mon amour... What actually happened?"

"Well I... I 'ad been outside, in the rain and..."

"In the rain? What were you doing out there?"

He smiled at the utterly confused look on his beloved's face and continued.

"I wasn't doing anything out there. Except rejoicing in the fact that I'm finally 'uman again and can feel the rain on my skin."

She looked at him for a moment, then laughed. Her bell-bright laugh was music to his ears.

"Oh Lumiere! Where do you get such crazy ideas?"

He couldn't help but join in her laughter and so it took a moment before he could continue.

"Well, the idea itself wasn't that crazy, but I should 'ave chosen a slightly warmer day to implement it..."

"Which of course you didn't and that's why you promptly caught a cold!"

He nodded and his expression turned serious. Only for a moment, though.

"Oh you should 'ave seen Cogsworth! I think 'e was going to give me a lecture of unimaginable proportions, but..."

He fell silent and this time the serious expression remained.

Plumette looked at him worriedly, then gently stroked his cheek, bringing Lumiere back from his gloomy thoughts.

"'e... 'e didn't. Instead, 'e stayed by my side, for hours."

"For hours? I can't believe that! Surely 'e would never neglect 'is duties!"

"Oui, oui, but... 'e was 'ere. But then I felt worse and worse, until finally I lost consciousness and..."

He turned away as a sudden fit of coughing seized him. He doubled over in pain, but it was not quite as bad as before he fainted. When the fit was over and he had calmed down again, he looked at his beloved, who was staring at him in horror.

"Don't worry, I... I'll be fine, but..."

He thought for a moment, then mused, "I've been awake since this morning, but 'e 'asn't been 'ere once..."

"That's strange. When I arrived this morning I didn't see 'im, and I was sure 'e would greet me. 'e does that to everyone who enters the castle, no?"

Seeing his worried expression, she quickly added, "But I'm sure 'e's just busy catching up on 'is missed duties."

She smiled and Lumiere let himself sink back onto his pillow.

"I'm sure you're right, ma petit chérie. But still... There's something strange about it..."

He suddenly yawned profusely, which made Plumette giggle. Then she leaned forward and kissed her lover.

"I think someone 'ere really needs some more rest. I suggest you sleep a little longer and I will see in which corner of the castle our majordomo 'as 'idden, oui?"

"Oh, Plumette... I am just imagining Cogsworth 'iding in a wardrobe somewhere..."

Lumiere had to laugh, even if it ended in another coughing fit, but he had quickly regained his composure.

"Well, I'll go and find 'im before 'e gets too comfortable in 'is 'iding place!"

She kissed Lumiere once more, tucked him in lovingly and skipped away, pausing at the door once more to throw her beloved another kiss on the hand. Then she was gone.

Lumiere, however, closed his eyes, still smiling. But he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong...

The room was darkened, only a candelabra on the bedside table provided just enough light to see. Madame Potts sat silently by the bed and looked at the motionless man with concern. She had taken hold of his hand, which lay cold and pale in hers, and tears were streaming down her face when there was a knock at the door. Astonished, she looked up when she heard Plumette's voice.

"Madame Potts? Are you 'ere?"

Quickly the housekeeper wiped away her tears and hurried to the door, opened it and scurried out into the hallway.

"Yes my dear, what is it?"

Plumette looked anxiously at the older woman, she immediately saw that she had been crying.

"They told me you were 'ere, but... What happened? And where is Monsieur Cogsworth, I 'aven't seen him all day and Lumiere is worried, too. Is 'e not well?"

Madame Potts looked sadly at the ground, she did not know how to explain to the young woman what had happened. Plumette had been very young when she came to the castle, almost a child, and the majordomo, despite his sometimes aloof manner, had always been something of a father figure to the young woman. He meant so much to her that Madame Potts decided she had to know the truth. She sighed, then looked at Plumette, who just stood there silently, waiting.

"Come, my dear..."

With these words, she led Plumette to a small salon that was at the other end of the hall, directed her to a seat by the fireplace there, and disappeared towards the kitchen to make tea.

It was all a little easier with a good cup of tea...

It was a sight that broke her heart, but Madame Potts had known that the truth would come as a shock to the young woman. Sighing, she stroked Plumette's black curls as she leaned against her and cried.

But finally she looked up and said in a tear-stained voice with a questioning expression, "Lumiere, he... He doesn't know yet, no?"

The housekeeper shook her head sadly, then said firmly: "And he mustn't know either! ... Not yet..."

"Yes, but..."

"No, Plumette!"

Her determined tone made the woman flinch, but Madame Potts's voice was again as gentle as before as she continued. As she did so, she had placed her hands gently on Plumette's shoulder and was looking at her kindly but very firmly.

"Plumette... Lumiere is still very ill and the doctor said he could have a serious relapse if he gets too upset and..."

"And it would upset him if he found out... What happened to Monsieur Cogsworth..."

Plumette swallowed before tears came to her eyes again. Madame Potts pressed her against her and stroked her head again soothingly.

"Shhhh, dear child. Everything will be all right. Monsieur Cogsworth will be fine and when he is a little better, and Lumiere too, we will tell Lumiere everything. All right?"

Lovingly, she wiped the tears from the younger one's face, who in turn smiled bravely.

Then she snuggled up to the older one again and hugged her warmly.

"Merci, Madame Potts... Merci..."

"It's all right my child, it's all right."

So the two women sat together in silence for quite a while and Madame Potts couldn't help but wonder. Just a few minutes ago, all seemed right in the world for Plumette, she had been so happy to see her beloved doing well. Now she was still crying in the housekeeper's arms and she had to realise once again how close joy and sorrow sometimes lay together.