Chapter 33:

There was a light tap on her room door.

Jubilee hastily smoothed down the skirt of the brown dress she'd gotten the day before, and made sure her petticoat was completely hidden. Then she went to the door and opened it.

Remy stood there, dressed in a black riding coat and complete riding gear. "Ma chere mademoiselle," he said, smiling at her as he extended his arm, "May I have de honor of escorting you to breakfast?"

She smiled at him. It was meant in fun, but he had such a serious look in his eyes and a way of saying the simple words that made her unsure if he was actually serious. "Mais oui, monsieur," she said, laughing a little at his surprise. He had taken up the time on the trail to teach her some of the basics of his language, but she'd never had the temerity to actually try to say it. Now seemed as good a time as any.

She took his arm, and they went down the wide staircase. Again Jubilee was struck by the beauty and grandeur of the house, and missed what Remy was saying until he finally tugged gently on her sleeve. "I'm sorry," she blushed. "This is still all so new to me…"

"Don' worry. Remy feel de same way too when he firs' come here, but now it feels like home. I can' imagine living anywhere else." Remy smiled. "I was saying dat Charles want to speak to you after breakfast. An' Henry wan' to look at you too, to make sure you okay, an' so we have a doctor's certification dat you soun' of min' an' body for de application for freedom papers."

Jubilee sighed, but Remy looked serious. "An' I wan' to make sure you okay. You didn' have no doctor after dat whippin' de Railmaster give you an' I'm still worried dat you might have broken a rib. It still hurt?"

"No," Jubilee said after a moment of thought. "A little bit, when I run or do something strenuous, but other than that, no, it doesn't hurt."

Remy looked happier, but he said, 'Still, I wan' him to look at you. Will you do dat after you talk to Charles? An' when you done dat, I have a surprise for you."

Jubilee frowned. "Jean and Ororo have already given me clothes and shoes and stuff, I don't think I need anything else."

"We'll see," Remy said, smiling to himself. "We'll see. Ah, here we are." He swung open the doors into the dining room, and all the gentlemen stood up again as she entered. Jubilee felt her face grow hot as Remy led her to her seat and sat her down in her chair at the table, and Ororo, dressed in an everyday dress of light gray stuff, directed the servers to put their dishes on the table.

Eggs, cooked two different ways; bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, grits, oatmeal, flapjacks, and toast with butter or preserved fruit made up this meal. Again Jubilee was struck by how much of it there was. She took her usual small portions, but when the platter of bacon went past him he took two more pieces and dumped them on her plate. Same with the sausage. "Eat," he told her bluntly. "Dere's more where dat came from. An' you need to gain de weight back."

Everyone was served, and Jean said grace, and they commenced eating. Jean was telling Charles about the progress of some of her students in their makeshift school; Scott and Henry, apparently, were debating whether to replace or just fix a part of something called a 'mill', Remy and Ororo were discussing the annual apple-picking day, which was apparently being planned for a day two weeks from now. Jubilee sat quietly, listening to the conversations while she ate, then when she was full she nibbled daintily at a piece of toast spread with preserved apple as she listened to the conversation.

When everyone was done, the men stood and waited for Jean and Ororo to rise from the table first. Then Charles looked directly at Jubilee. "My dear, would you please come to my study? I would like to have a word with you." Feeling self-conscious, Jubilee followed him quietly from the room.

He opened the door to his study and gestured her to step in before he closed the door. Jubilee stood, looking around, her fingers twisting nervously in the folds of her dress.

The study was paneled in light colored wood, and the floor was the same, the boards sanded smooth and polished to a dull shine. She came to a stop on the heavy burgundy carpet in front of the desk, feeling nervous and out of place, and cast her eyes down demurely to the floor as Charles walked around the heavy ornate desk and sat down. "Please," he indicated the two chairs in front of the desk. "Have a seat. I won't keep you long."

Jubilee perched on the edge of one of the padded chairs, uneasily. Charles sighed. "My dear, I am not a wild horse, I'm not going to kick you or bite you." She looked up, startled at his words, and saw him grinning at her. He nodded. "That's better. Remy said you had lovely eyes; I can see what he means." He smiled, and Jubilee slowly smiled back.

Charles sat back. Did she have any idea how that smile transformed her face? Far from being simply pretty, when she smiled she was absolutely lovely. He leaned forward across his desk as he saw her relax slightly. It was too soon to ask her to be completely comfortable, but this was a good start. "Remy has no doubt told you that I own all of this here. What he probably didn't tell you is that all the permanent residents here have their names on the list; Scott, Jean, Henry, Remy, and, should you choose to make this your permanent home, you will be added to the deed as well. So consider this your home, for as long as you wish to call it home." He broke off as he saw her try to wipe away a tear. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Papa said the same thing," Jubilee sniffed, trying not to cry and not succeeding. 'He said I could live with him as long as I wanted to, but then he threw me out and made me leave with Remy. I don't know why, it wasn't even my fault."

Charles sat back, his mind whirling. Remy had told him John Logan had been harsh with the girl to get her to go with Remy, and also so she wouldn't try to return to him and her home. Obviously, though he had told Charles, he hadn't told Jubilee why Logan had chased her away. Charles compressed his lips. It was obviously tearing the girl up inside, to believe that her beloved adopted father didn't love her anymore. He would have to have a talk with Remy about telling her the real reason John Logan had said the hurtful things he'd said, and why he had done what he'd done. In the meantime, however…"Perhaps he had his own reasons. I wouldn't presume to guess at his intentions, but maybe he thought it best for you to leave, or maybe he spoke in haste and may come to regret it later." He spoke gently, and then got up and walked around his desk, leaning against the front of the desk and patting her hands where they sat in her lap, tightly laced together and white-knuckled with the anguish in her heart. "In the meantime, I wanted to tell you that this is your home, and we care about you here, and we want you to be happy. I realize you may not be completely comfortable with so much time on your hands.

"Scott, Jean, and Henry buy slaves from America and bring them up here to be freed. Much of the time when they arrive here they are unable to read, write, or do simple mathematics. So, when they first come here, I have them attend Jean's school to learn how to read their free papers, and also so they can see the cost of those papers, and make an informed decision on how they want to pay that back. Most of them take jobs around the property here, jobs for which they receive wages. It is up to them how much they wish to give me out of their weekly wages to pay for the papers, although most of them choose to give all they earn each week until the debt is paid, since food and shelter are free. Thanks to Jean's teaching, they can ask to see the balance anytime and watch the amount go down. This way they are sure that I am not cheating them. I wish to offer you the same thing."

"Papa taught me to read and write, and I taught myself how to figure," came Jubilee's soft reply. 'I found one of his wife's cookbooks in a box of old things, and in order to understand the recipes and learn to cook I had to learn numbers and letters."

Charles smiled. "That means that Jean's lessons are unnecessary for you. Is there anything you like doing, any skill you have learned, that would be of use around the property?"

"I like horses." Jubilee's eyes shone with excitement when she thought of the black filly she'd seen the previous day. "Papa bred, raised, and trained horses, and I helped them and cared for them. I'll clean your stables if you let me spend time with the horses."

Xavier looked at the small, slim girl sitting in front of him, and wondered how she'd be able to handle the heavy draft horses that pulled the plow. Maybe he should see her with the horses first? "Well, I could always use more help with the horses," he said. "The stable manager I have now has some experience with the horses, but some of his methods are…slightly questionable. I think he can be somewhat heavy-handed with some of them, especially the high-strung purebreds, but that is only personal opinion. Would you consider riding out to the stables with me, then, and we will see if you like the horses I have? They are a far cry from the mustangs your father undoubtedly had."

"Is it okay if I ride in this?" Jubilee looked down at her new dress, making a face. "It's not very practical."

Xavier looked at the dress, and smiled. "I have never found women's clothing practical," he said candidly. "What did you wear when you were at your Papa's ranch?"

"Just a dress, or a skirt and blouse. I didn't bother with all these underskirts," Jubilee twitched at her long, full, puffy skirts irritably. "Papa didn't see the point in all those underskirts either."

Xavier smiled. 'Perhaps the dress Jean found for you yesterday morning will suffice, then?" he said. "If you are more comfortable in clothing like that, please, feel free to wear them during the day when you're home. Theresa, our laundress, actually prefers to wear boys' trousers when she is working. If you'd like to do that, I can see no reason why you couldn't as well." He stood up. "If you will go and change now, I could take you over to the stables. I need a little fresh air myself."

Jubilee went upstairs to change, looking more animated than she had seemed yesterday in the few small glimpses he'd seen of her throughout the day, and Charles found Remy waiting for them outside the study door. She kissed his cheek and ran upstairs before he could ask her what was going on, so Charles paused to explain. "I'm going to take her over to the stables. She says she has some experience with horses, but I am doubtful she is as good with them as she claims."

Remy grinned. "I'll come along, den. De surprise I have for her is in de stables anyway. Let me tell you somet'ing, Charles. You in for a surprise." He grinned smugly and walked away, whistling.

Bobby got Rogue, Betsy, and Charles's mount Excalibur out of the riding stables for them. Jubilee, however, insisted on taking Betsy up herself as she told Charles about Betsy's past, and the fact that she'd known the horse since birth. Without the frothy underskirts hampering her, she swung into the saddle astride with ease, and soon the three were heading down the drive toward the horse stables at the outer edge of the Xavier property. On the way, Charles explained that he had two stables, one close to the house for the horses used for riding, and the other, in the far fields, was for the horses he used for breeding and for farm work.

As they walked into the yard and stopped it was strangely quiet. Instead of dismounting, Charles walked Excalibur around the rear of the stables, and running around the perimeter of the corral was the beautiful black filly Jubilee had seen before. Although her lines were still clean, and she was still beautiful, she was exhausted, her eyes were rolling wildly, and she was breathing so hard the red lining in her nostrils showed.

In the center of the corral was a large, burly African, one of the biggest men Jubilee had ever seen in her live. Six feet tall, with arms and legs like trees, he was holding the end of a rope and a long, thick black leather bullwhip. The other end of the rope, Jubilee saw, was tied to a halter equipped with a cruel curb bit buckled around the horse's head. Bloody froth colored the horse's lips, and the heavy bit, far too grueling for a small, delicate filly, chafed at the thin skin at the corners of the horse's mouth.

The man was forcing the horse to run. Turning around in the center, he kept the whip cracking over the sweating black back. The horse suddenly stumbled and went down on her front knees in the dust.

The man hauled on the lunge line cruelly. "Get up!" he snarled at the black Arabian. "I'll teach you to bite me!" When the horse refused to move, he cracked the whip over that sleek black back.

Jubilee was off her saddle and ducking under the corral fence before Remy could call her back. She flung herself over the prostrate horse and cried out, "Stop!"

The man's face clouded angrily at this little girl who commanded him so imperiously, but when he glanced at the fence, over which Charles and Remy were now sitting, watching the proceedings, Charles gave him a nod, silently backing Jubilee. Xavier had spent a lot of money on that horse, at Remy's behest. She was a pureblood Arabian, full of fire and spirit, and if he could breed her with his prize stallions, the foals would be well worth the trouble of keeping her around. She was troublesome; she lashed out with hooves or teeth at anyone who came too close, and although she was pretty, they hadn't been able to do much with her.

Jubilee's hands fumbled with the buckle on the halter, finally getting it undone and throwing it aside. Next went the rope that was tied in a tight twitch around the lower jaw. When the horse was completely free of the ropes and straps, Jubilee went to the corner of the corral and grabbed an empty bucket, filling it at the trough and bringing it back to the horse. 'There," she said, speaking softly, soothingly, comfortingly. "It's all over."

The burly man stood in the middle of the corral, watching her. "Lady," he said finally, "Watch them teeth there, this one's wild, and a biter. Wouldn't want you to get bitten--"

He got no further. Jubilee cried out in pain as the filly whipped her head around, sinking her teeth into the girl's upper arm. She bit back the sharp cry as the horse looked at her, daring her to do her worst, and carefully, making no sudden moves, got up. The man was about to step forward, but Jubilee held up her hand. "No. Stop. Don't go near her. She's tired, she's in pain, and I tried to touch the sore welt on her neck. I'm not blaming her, but she needs to learn not to bite. Leave her here, and come with me." Leaving Remy, Charles and the rest of the stablehands watching the horse, she went into the stable.

She pushed her sleeve up and inspected the bite, and sighed when she saw it wasn't deep. The horse didn't bite me to hurt me," she told the African stable manager bluntly. "If she'd wanted to really hurt me she could have snapped my arm when she bit me." Jubilee grabbed for a handful of clean rags in the tack room and wrapped it around her arm. "Do you have any potatoes here?"

"What?" the man stared at her stupidly.

"My papa used to have potatoes in the barn, and when he got hungry he'd put one on a small fire to cook. Do you have any potatoes?"

Still scratching his head, the man pointed to a sack in the corner. Jubilee dug into the sack, found three good-sized potatoes, and put them over the small fire that was used to heat and shape horseshoes.

It didn't take long for them to get done, and the man's puzzlement sharpened as she placed one against the wrapping on her arm and tied another cloth over top of it. The sleeves then came down, and aside from a slight bulge there, there was no sign of the potato strapped to her arm. She put the other two in a bucket, and walked grimly back out to the corral.

Some of the other hands had gone back to their chores, but most of them were right where they had been when she rode up. Charles and Remy were also still watching.

The black filly was up and walking around, her sides still heaving with her breaths but no longer as winded as she had been. Jubilee took another rag and went into the corral. She dampened the cloth in the water left in the bucket, and began to stroke the horse's still sweaty skin. She started around the hindquarters, and worked her way up, and when she got close to the cut on the neck she had touched before, the filly turned and sank her teeth into Jubilee's arm in the same place she'd bitten before. This time, Jubilee made no outcry.

The filly's head went back on her neck, and she snorted as her face went through a series of contortions that was almost comical. Jubilee watched as the horse danced away sideways, whinnying and shaking her head as her mouth hung open. She sidestepped to the trough, lowered her head, and took a long drink. When she raised her head Jubilee was there. "There now, I guess you won't be biting anyone else in a hurry, eh, girl?' Jubilee patted the horse's withers, then reached for the cut on the neck again. The horse snorted, but she didn't bite or lash out. Jubilee wiped the cut free of sweat and dirt, then led her out of the corral and turned her out into the filly pasture. The stablehands watched as she handled the filly calmly, and stared at her as she came back. Jubilee laughed aloud, and pulled her sleeve up, revealing the potato still on her arm. "A hot potato," she told them. "She burned her mouth on a hot potato. Am I right in guessing she bites the same arm, same place?" She'd seen the rags tied around the arms of some of the stable lads.

At their chorus of assent, She said, "For the next few weeks, tie hot potatoes over your arm when you go into her stall or near her. If she tries to bite you, she'll burn her mouth on a hot potato. It'll cure her of biting without breaking her spirit or hurting you. Got me?" When they nodded, she climbed the fence and headed back to Charles and Remy.