A/N: Short and sweet, THANKS Trudi-)
Chapter Eight
Dress upon dress, blouses upon skirts. Every scrap of clothing that Lina owned had made the journey from her drawers to a growing heap on her floor. Though a lucky few received a second glance, they would not have been hopeful for too long, for they were thrown to the pile again moments later. Their mistress was not satisfied with any of them, and with an irritated sigh, she collapsed on her bed with a bounce.
"Lina?" Babette called from the adjoining door. "What are you doing in there?"
"Panicking!" she called. "Inwardly, but definitely panicking!"
When Babette opened the door, she raised a brow, eyeing the mass of clothes. "I can see that."
Lina reached for a pillow to cover her face. "My stomach hurts," she moaned, "I refuse to go downstairs to eat!"
Babette snatched it away, forcing her to sit up. "That is not illness," she mused. "It is nerves. Come now, you made these plans, against our better judgment…"
"Your better judgment," Lina corrected. "Papa knows he is a good person."
"Against my better judgment," Babette sighed as she continued, "We agreed to let him join us. You are going to dinner."
"In the name of justice and humanity, please do not make me go. I have butterflies in my stomach and worse, absolutely nothing to wear!"
"You have only met this boy twice!"
There was a pause before Lina asked, "And…your point is?"
Babette folded her arms as a thoughtful look of realization came over her. "This means that much to you?"
Lina shrugged. "I…don't know. I just want to look nice tonight. Really nice, almost formal."
Babette smiled with a decisive nod. "Come with me, I think I may have something."
Lina followed her into her room, watching as she went through her own drawers. It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Babette took out a folded dress. Despite the slight wear it showed from aging, it was pretty, a black bodice over a billowy white blouse, and a long black skirt.
"This was your grandmother's," she explained. "When I first met your father, before there was anything serious between us, I adored him but could not stand him whatsoever. But the one time…" Babette paused to laugh gently. "One time, he made me so jealous that I took most of my dresses, cut them short and used them to…return the favor, if you will. This was the only one that I did not touch."
Lina smiled as she accepted it from her. "It is nice."
She put on the dress carefully, as if it were a precious treasure. She knew how close her mother and grandmother had been; the last thing she wanted to do was ruin the heirloom. As Babette laced the bodice, Lina glanced at the mirror, grinning absently at her reflection. She truly felt like an elegant lady, a sentiment she had not known since she was a little girl when Lumière treated her as if she were the true princess of the castle.
After tying her long reddish hair back simply, Lina turned to her mother. "Well? What do you think?"
Babette nodded, gazing at her proudly. "You look stunning, absolutely stunning." With a bit of a smirk, she could not resist adding, "If that dress does not win him over, I do not know what will."
Lina laughed, straightening the skirt before nodding in contentment. "All right…I am ready."
Quickly they made their way to the main hallway of the servants' quarters where Lumière waited, shaking his head seemingly in disapproval as he saw his daughter.
"Oh mon Dieu, non," he said with a frown.
Lina looked at him, confused. "What is it, Papa?"
"You."
"What about me?"
"I think…yes, it is definitely the dress," he nodded, before breaking into a grin. "You are far too breathtaking in it; the boy does not stand a chance. He will adoringly grovel at your feet all night."
"I believe that was the general idea she had in mind," Babette responded knowingly, folding her arms in front of her with a smirk. "Besides, he who has groveled before should not cast stones."
Lumière smiled sheepishly as she accepted his arm, leading them to the wing's dining room. "Touché, as always, ma plumette." Once they arrived, he asked Lina, "You did tell him promptly at eight? The last thing we need to hear is Cogsworth fussing about dinner getting cold."
She was about to respond when a new voice spoke from the door. "I pray I am not late?"
Lina turned, beaming amidst a gentle blush as she saw Etienne. Considering her earlier impressions—badly bruised after a brawl and a passing-by meeting during his work hours—she did not have much of a standard of comparison, but nonetheless, she truly believed it possible for him to grow more handsome with each visit, this one certainly being the best. He could almost pass for a royal; his light, shoulder length hair neatly groomed and his clothes pressed neatly.
"As you can see, I did," she answered her father, before running to greet him. "Not at all, you are just in time."
Etienne breathed a sigh of relief. "Merci le Dieu!" Quietly, as he took her hand for the familiar greeting kiss, he added, "The last thing I want to do is disappoint those I am most indebted to."
As the pair slowly made their way to the table, Lumière chuckled under his breath. "If he acts as well as he presents himself, I think she has finally found a respectable admirer."
"What do you mean?" Babette asked.
"You did not see him a week ago," he whispered. "René is stronger than he appears, and that young man took quite a beating. Now look at him, hardly a scratch! He cleans up rather well." As Babette nodded, gazing at the boy intently, he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Not wrong," she said silently, "I just…feel like I have seen him before, but from where, I do not know."
Before he could reply, Babette subtly gestured for silence as Lina and Etienne came into hearing range.
"Papa, you remember Etienne," Lina introduced, glowing with adoration. "Maman, this is the 'hero' we have been telling you about."
Etienne nodded, his face mildly turning red. "Monsieur, an honor once again; Madame, enchantée absolument," he greeted, respectfully acknowledging each as a gentleman would.
Babette smiled, still studying him intently. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Etienne, especially after hearing nothing but wonderful things about you from both my husband and Lina."
"The pleasure is mine," Etienne replied with a kind grin. "It is not every day a man is glorified for a fight."
Lumière laughed. "That was not a fight; it was a matter of honor. A defense of mankind, I believe you called it?"
"Something like that, oui," Etienne mused. Trying not to glance at Lina—and failing miserably—he added, "At least this time, the beating was worth it."
Lina blushed deeply, never in her life feeling as shy as she did then. "I do believe it is time to eat. Shall we?"
Everything went by without a hitch as Lina prayed it would. If anything would prove Etienne worthy and honorable as a possible suitor, it would have been this dinner. Growing up a servant's life, her family had always consisted of not only her parents, but of each and every person seated at the table. He fit so perfectly within that family. In serious conversation, he spoke with intelligence and thoughtfulness; in amusement, he jested and laughed with the best of them. Even Cogsworth, the most uptight and critical of them all, had taken a liking to him; that alone was a good omen.
Etienne, on the other hand, could not draw his attention away from Lina. As young as he was when his father was murdered, he thought nothing good would enter his life ever again, and Jacques constantly saw to that personally. But as he watched this girl amongst her family, he knew he was wrong. He could not help but notice something more about her than what he had seen across the room at the tavern. On those nights, she could illuminate his darkest thoughts by simply being there, even if she was on another man's arm. Now that he had finally met and started getting to know her, she was slowly becoming his light in the darkness, and he never wanted to leave her side.
Only when it was time to clear the table did Etienne's mind take on a new focus, and he rose to help. Lina watched amusedly as she gathered plates at the farther end of the table, blaming his actions on instinct. She understood all too well like the rest; you could never take the servant out of the boy, even among friends.
As Etienne reached for a plate, however, a hand stopped his, and he looked up to see Babette.
"Monsieur Etienne, you are our guest," she said gently. "You need not fuss over the cleaning."
"Madame, it is no trouble at all," he insisted, "It would not be right to sit, stare and do nothing."
Babette grinned, as if with a secret plan. "I never said I would make you do nothing. I was going to suggest that Lina show you the grounds instead of being in the kitchen with the rest of us."
Lina's eyes turned in their direction, wide with hope as she stood over a stack of dishes. When Etienne looked to her in question, she nodded quickly.
The young man smiled. "In that case, with your permission, I would be delighted to accept that offer."
Babette turned in Lina's direction calling, "I know you already heard me! Come here!"
As the girl bounded happily towards them, she asked, "Papa will not mind?"
"Leave your father to me. Just promise you will not corrupt Monsieur Etienne's mind with too many of your inherited flirtations," Babette warned. "I am trusting you, Lina; please do not disappoint me."
"I swear I will not," Lina replied immediately, embracing her mother in gratitude. "Merci, Maman!" Taking Etienne by the hand, she led him outside onto the grounds.
For the longest time as the pair lingered upon the moonlit grounds, no words passed between them. Eyes met, laughs were shared, but words were elusive until Etienne attempted to speak.
"The skies are surprisingly clear up here," he offered. Pathetic, but it was a start. "We rarely see stars at home. My master lives closer to the busier cities; no one ever has the time to look at them."
Lina turned her eyes upward. "Never thought too much of them myself, or at least not recently. My father would always tell me to make a wish on one each night when I was little."
He nodded, his voice distant, almost saddening. "Reminds me of my own, although yes, that was a long time ago. Have not seen him in so long."
"He travels? Hardly home?"
He looked down at the ground. "Dead…killed when I was a boy."
Lina winced. "I'm sorry; I did not mean to—"
"Do not apologize," Etienne interrupted. "You asked honestly."
She nodded in understanding. "May I ask how? You do not have to answer."
He swallowed, discreetly nervous. While he knew Jacques was far from hearing him, it had always been his instinct to guard his words having had enough punishment for them when he was younger. "He…was in town, running errands for our master, and some roustabouts decided…to give him a difficult time."
His voice clearly revealed he was lying, Lina knew; she had the same tone numerous times before in front of her parents. But it had to be painful talking about it hence she did not persist for the truth.
"What about your mother?"
"Never knew her; she gave life to me in exchange for hers, if you want to see death in childbirth as a noble deed."
Lina sighed. "If you want to give me a good smack upside the head, you can; I can not even pick a decent conversation."
Etienne laughed. "You did nothing wrong in asking, I swear it; how would you have known?" His smile grew as she blushed slightly; such a simple every day action, yet on her, it was most adorable. "How about this? Your parents must worry constantly whenever you went to the taverns, and I do not blame them. If you feel you have to 'make up for your words', then do not worry them so much, for me. Do we have a deal?"
Lina rolled her eyes in mock frustration. "Oh, all right! For you, I will behave, I promise." She laughed along with him gently, adding, "Making me promise such things; one would think you wanted me all for yourself."
Etienne's foot once again scuffed the ground, and she made a note that he always seemed to do that when he was nervous. "I never said that…"
"But you did not deny it either."
"True," he smiled, starting to blush himself.
Lina grinned, "Are you saying that you want to keep me all for yourself?"
Etienne looked thoughtful. "I think it may be a bit early to determine that." When she stopped their walk suddenly, he asked, concerned, "Are you all right? Did I offend you?"
Lina shook her head, speaking reassuringly. "That was…just the first time I ever heard that from a man. I am…not quite used to the respectable type, if you will, although I never really thought about looking for one of them."
Etienne smirked a bit. "You forget that I have seen the other men you speak of."
She flushed bright red, grinning rightfully embarrassed. "Touché." She looked at him for a long moment, almost thoughtfully. He certainly was different…but in a good sense of the word. By now, her usual escort would have her swooning in desire, not caring any more about what she had to say. It was all about a physical sense of admiration, but not with Etienne. Lina had to admit she was almost speechless.
"Thank you," she said suddenly.
"Thank you?" he asked, confused. "Whatever for?"
"For everything. You have done more good for me than you know. Not every man would have stood up for me as you did, and then made such an effort to see me in such a kind way as you did tonight. I have not had a friend like that in so long, outside of home at least." Lina laughed after a moment's pause and shrugged. "I know, I am being rather random, but you honestly have me at a loss for words."
Etienne smiled. "I completely understand. I grew up with few friends myself, and the one good friend I had I lost the same year as my father."
"Really?"
He nodded. "I remember she used to come along every December when we were young, visiting the cemetery with her family."
Lina paused before she asked thoughtfully, "December 1st? To a city north of here…I can not remember the name…?"
"Exactly," he said, mirroring her expression. "St. Honore?"
Lina's eyes grew wide, but shook her head. "You are not serious…?"
Etienne took his own moment of silence, and then laughed. "Chandellina…that is your full name, I take it?"
Laughing herself, she hugged him tightly. "Mon Dieu, I still do not believe it; I knew it! I knew you seemed familiar!"
A little taken aback by the embrace, he returned it slowly, grinning from ear to ear. "Small world, I guess."
She pulled back but did not let go. "Absolument…"
He said nothing in reply, only gazed at her. Finally, something from his past that had not abandoned him, he thought with a smile, absentmindedly reaching to brush back a bit of hair that escaped her ribbon, resting it then on her cheek. "You never could keep your hair intact," he whispered.
Lina closed her eyes, pleasantly. "It is just as stubborn as me, I think…"
On any other occasion, this would be the beginning of lustful passion, but not this time. This felt real, comfortable, and she prayed the moment would linger as long as possible. Biting her lip, she gently drew him close…
"You there! What are you doing out here?"
Both of them pulled away at the sudden interruption, and Lina frowned as they found Arnaud, the captain of the guards, riding towards them. Beside her, Etienne tensed, trying, and failing, not to be seen.
"It is only me, Captain Arnaud!" she answered. "I was showing our guest the grounds."
Arnaud glared at Etienne for a moment before he answered. "Very well, Lina; I did not realize. But I must ask that you hurry inside; the doors will be locked shortly. Besides, it is rather late to be out here, for you and your…friend. He should be getting home himself, I am sure. His master must be worried."
Etienne scowled at him, but turned to Lina, his expression softening. "I really should be going."
Lina nodded, certainly regretting that he had to go. "Yes…thank you again for coming. You are always welcome here."
Etienne smiled, whispering a good night as he walked to his horse, which was tied at the gate. When he was gone, and Lina turned to go inside, Arnaud watched them both, allowing a deadly smirk to play about his lips. This was indeed a most interesting turn of events that Jacques was certain to enjoy.
Hearing Lina's door click shut, Babette discreetly peeked in through the adjoining door, barely containing her amusement as she watched Lina slide into bed after she changed. Never, in the longest time, had the girl seemed so content and happy, she realized, seeing her daughter smile as she fell asleep. She would see Etienne again in her dreams, Babette knew as she grinned and shut the adjoining door quietly.
"Well?" Lumière asked quietly from the bed.
"Long gone and meeting him in dreamland," Babette answered, resting herself beside him. "And this one is definitely worth clinging to."
Lumière laughed. "Brings back memories, oui?"
"It certainly does, although you would have been in her place. I could not stand you when we met."
"Liar," he scoffed. "You know you worshipped me."
Babette smirked. "Prove it."
Reaching to douse the candlelight, Lumière gazed at her hungrily. Drawing her close with a kiss, he was determined to meet her demands.
