Chapter Fourteen

Numerous coaches had arrived on the glorious evening, bringing only the crème de la crème of French nobility to the palace. News of a royal command performance by the acclaimed opera diva, Madame de la Grande Bouche, had drawn quite a crowd, and all gathered in the castle's music room with anticipation. Hers was a stunning soprano, much enjoyed by anyone whose ears had witnessed its melodious sounds. Each song she sang that evening had her audience hanging on every note, making it quite a pleasant evening for all.

Despite all the merriment, however, not all in the castle were enjoying themselves. In the ballroom, waiting for the performance to end, Lumière kept to himself, attempting not to sulk. He had not been himself for the past few days, and thus the majority of the staff knew to leave him be. Part of him felt apologetic for his unnatural pessimism, but another part of him could not care any less. Pieces of his heart were strewn about within him where it still lay shattered, and he did not want any help in picking them up.

Friendship, the last word he wanted to think about; such a wonderful term that now meant only pain for him. Babette did not want him as a lover, only as a friend. A mere companion, and all because she still pined for a man that she could not have! A man who could never offer her anything.

But Lumière could. He could give her everything she desired: words, gifts, and above all true love and passion. But none of that mattered so long as she still held onto the ridiculous belief that Lucien would come for her and ride off with her into the night.

Speak of the devil. Lumière quickly changed expressions as he saw the nobles beginning to pour into the ballroom, and lo and behold, there was the man of the hour himself. This being the first time he had seen Lucien since being promoted to the castle, Lumière knew he should have been overjoyed instead of miserable. Lucien never expected him to fall for Babette after all, but that did not change the fact that such feelings had taken hold of Lumière.

One smile of friendship from Lucien, however, found his mood lifting as Lumière mirrored the smile genuinely. Meeting him halfway, Lumière bowed playfully, just as he had when they were children, to poke fun at his friend.

"Well, well, the honorable Vicomte de Bontecou," he laughed. "It has been far too long!"

"Too long or not long enough?" Lucien asked in the same manner before his expression became more serious. "It is wonderful to see you, mon ami; the château is not the same without you! I must beg the king to grant your return to us."

"And just when I was beginning to enjoy it here!" Lumière sighed, mockingly forlorn.

Lucien laughed heartily. "All right, you are driving an unspoken hard bargain, but what if I said return for a visit instead?"

Lumière nodded, exaggeratedly pleased. "Much better; I fear I'd actually miss this place if I ever had to leave."

"They are treating you well, then?" Lucien asked. "You must be getting into as little trouble as possible."

Lumière shrugged with a smirk. "Still about the same amount of trouble actually; I am just too wonderful to be dismissed, I guess."

Lucien nodded in agreement. "You are correct; they would be mad to get rid of you." He quieted his voice before he continued. "And…how are…the others faring?"

"Others?" Lumière asked, before the realization struck, causing his smile to fade a bit. Just when he had begun to forget about his woes, Lucien had to say that. "She is well; doing a splendid job, better than I thought she would at least."

"Really?" Lucien asked curiously. "No trouble at all?"

Lumière lowered his gaze to the floor, trying to end the topic as soon as possible. "Not too much, no. There were a few…mishaps in the beginning, but everything has gone smoothly since."

Lucien grinned sympathetically. "Was it so bad that you even fear to speak of it?"

"I would prefer not to speak of her in general," Lumière said seriously. "Please, trust me."

Lucien's expression gradually lost its jovial nature. "Very well, so be it."

Lumière used the momentary pause to his advantage. "But really now, so many questions about me, and not nearly enough about you!"

"That, mon ami, is because my life dulls in comparison to yours," Lucien replied with a smirk.

As the two friends continued their talk, Babette halted in shock across the room. She always scanned the room constantly during every grand affair at the palace to keep herself occupied and of course, to look for Lucien. Time and again, the latter had not been found, but now…there he was.

He would keep his promise after all, just as she had prayed he would! Why he had not informed her, she did not understand; but after a moment's thought, she realized it would have been silly. She could not read notes if he had sent one, and would not dare to let such information be discovered by having someone read it to her. But perhaps that was the idea! He did not want her to know about the getaway, Babette thought with a dreamy smile. He would surprise her by arriving first, and then, after the reception, carry out his plans!

Slowly, ever so casually, Babette crossed the room, plotting ways to cut in on their conversation, the most difficult block in her path being Lumière himself. Surely his jealousy would begin to show itself at her efforts, but she could not let that stop her. He still did not comprehend that all they had between them was friendship. As caring, wonderful…and admittedly handsome as he was, she would not give him any more than that.

But just as she came within a close distance, Babette found herself stopping short again. A woman had joined the pair, taking Lucien's arm. That must have been his wife, but what would she be doing there? Watching the way Lucien introduced her to Lumière, however, it all made sense. Lumière would keep her occupied while Lucien and Babette made their escape!

Sheer brilliance, Babette thought, moving within hearing range to listen for any signals.

"An honor, it is, madame," Lumière said politely with a bow. "Such a pleasure to see you again; you look just as splendid as when I last saw you."

Lucien raised a playful eyebrow. "Be careful, ma chérie," he said to Nicolette. "He is quite the sly one, known to steal a lady's heart right out from under her suitor or husband's nose."

"You have nothing to fear," Nicolette laughed. "My heart is tied securely to yours; not even Monsieur Lumière could take it away."

It was now Lumière's turn to raise an eyebrow, but in his case, with surprise. "What is this? Marriage has made lovebirds out of you?"

Babette froze as she turned slightly to look at the group. Lucien was sweetly gazing into Nicolette's eyes…the same way he had done to her when they first met.

"Very much so," Lucien said affectionately. "Before I knew what had happened, she had me wrapped around her little finger; 'twas impossible not to fall for her."

Babette could hardly watch, wide eyed in horror, as the couple shared a tender kiss. Lucien had forgotten about her, abandoned her like a worn out glove! He was not here to take her away…obviously he never would! Distractedly, she began to back away, but jumped, startled, when she accidentally bumped into one of the guests.

"Of all the nerve!" the man shouted, clearly displeased. "Have you no sense of direction?"

All eyes turned on the scene, including those of Lumière and Lucien, both of whom realized, with a flash of terror, to whom he was speaking. Babette glanced at the noble before turning her tearful gaze on Lucien, and after muttering a quick apology, she hid her face in embarrassment, racing for the door.

Lumière sighed. "If you both will excuse me," he said, cautiously. "New girl, very high strung."

Following Babette to a nearby sitting room, noticing ruefully that it was the exact one where she had rejected him, Lumière paused before he spoke.

"Eavesdropping," he said. "It seems like a good idea, but it never fails to go awry."

Babette did not even look at him. "I suppose you are pleased with yourself," she muttered angrily. "You were right all along."

"I would never be so cruel, you know that," Lumière said, sitting at her side.

Babette slid away in response. "Leave me alone. I do not need your sympathy, nor will I accept any of your attempts to use this to your own advantage."

Lumière looked at her, clearly insulted. "You never cease to amaze me by showing how petty you think I am," he said. "The last thing I remember, we were friends, and friends are supposed to be there for one another in times of need."

"Then as a friend, just leave me alone!" she cried.

After a moment, Lumière finally stood to leave, having seen in her eyes the same pain and heartache he had felt a few days before. With understanding, he simply nodded, respecting her need for solitude and made his way to the hall. There, he found Lucien waiting.

"I heard," Lucien explained before Lumière could protest. "I only have a few minutes, and I must speak with her. Do not tell Nicolette where I am."

If it had been anyone but Lucien, Lumière would have remained steadfast in seeing that Babette was left alone. However, this was what she needed instead: to hear once and for all, from Lucien himself, that she was free. Thus with a simple nod of agreement, Lumière left, leaving Lucien to face Babette.

Proceeding cautiously into the room, Lucien was speechless. Thankfully Babette was the first to speak; she must have heard his footsteps.

"I thought I told you to--," she began, but stopped as she saw that the man before her was not Lumière.

Lucien offered a weak smile. "Not who you expected?"

A new wave of tears flooded Babette's eyes as she tried to find something to say to this man. "You promised me," she said finally. "You promised, and once again, you lied."

Lucien sat beside her, taking a deep breath. "I know, and I am sorry. I did not expect to fall in love with her."

"And clearly forget about me," Babette replied, anger glazing her tone.

Lucien shook his head. "I have never forgotten you, and I never will. No one forgets their first love."

Babette sniffed gently, swallowing a lump in her throat. "She…she is very pretty; how could you not love her?"

"Yes, she is lovely, but not just in her appearance," Lucien corrected. "Nicolette is a wonderful woman. The more I have gotten to know her, the more I realized…she is a lot like you."

Babette looked at him curiously. "Really? How?"

Lucien grinned from ear to ear, clearly overjoyed to speak of his wife with pride. "She is very spirited and completely outspoken," he laughed. "I doubt any other man would be able to stand for her as much as I do. In any other situation, I believe you both would have enough in common to be very good friends."

Babette tried desperately to suppress a fresh flood of crying. "Friends…like we must be now?"

Brushing back a bit of her hair, as a father would do to his child, Lucien nodded. "Babette…ma chérie, I want you to listen and understand," he began, only continuing after receiving a nod of confirmation to his request. "I was foolish and impetuous when I met you; you were unlike any woman I had ever known. I closed my mind to all other thoughts of women except for you. Nonetheless, you were my first love; I could never just throw your memory aside.

"I will always love you, and care for you, no matter what; I want you to know that." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "But how I do so has changed. Nicolette means the world to me, and how I loved you then…is how I feel for her now. I did not plan for that to happen, but it has. I was meant to be with her.

"But I will never just abandon you," he emphasized. "I have never cast you from my heart as you seem to think I have. I will always be here if you need me; our love has simply changed from passion to friendship."

Friendship, Babette mused to herself; the word of the week!

"I…I understand," she said, trying to conceal her breaking heart. All she wanted to do at that moment was find Lumière and tell him how sorry she was for making him feel this much pain. "It is over; truly…over," she added.

"Our romance, yes," Lucien said, attempting to be comforting, but knowing quite well that there was nothing comfortable about their situation. Smiling gently, he continued, "For us, the time has come to romantically say good-bye…but when one door closes, another is certain to open."

Babette looked at him, puzzled, as she accepted his handkerchief to dry her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I know for certain that there is a man, in this very castle, who loves you," he said gently. "I could see it in his eyes before."

Babette's eyes went wide in realization, but she simply said, "I do not know what you mean."

"Babette," Lucien said with a knowing smile to match his tone. "Give him a chance; not just this instant, but soon. I promise you will not regret it."

As the clock on the mantle tolled a quarter after the hour, Babette sighed. "You had better return to the ballroom; she must be missing you."

Lucien nodded in agreement, standing before helping her to do so. Embracing her soothingly, he said, "Thank you…for everything you have ever given me."

Babette pulled back to look at him with a smile. "I hope your lady knows how lucky she is," she whispered.

Lucien smiled proudly. "I am quite sure she does."

Babette laughed, despite her lingering solemn mood. "I will never forget you," she promised.

"I most certainly will say the same about you," Lucien agreed, his smile softening. Leaving a kiss on her cheek, he left her in peace.

With a shuddering breath, Babette sat down once again to collect her thoughts when a fellow maid peeked in through the door a few minutes later.

"Monsieur Lumière says that he understands if you want to take the rest of the night off," the young girl said meekly. "He will cover for you."

Babette nodded, rising from her seat and joining her in the hallway. "Tell him that will be best, and be sure to thank him for me."

The girl agreed and left as Babette slowly made her way upstairs. She would personally see to it that she thanked Lumière herself eventually. In her current state of mind, the last thing she would be able to do was focus on her work, and she was grateful for his understanding that.

Closing her door once she reached her room, Babette collapsed on the bed, allowing one last flood of tears to fall before allowing herself to attempt rational though. But sleep had other intentions for her, and took hold of her very quickly. Her many thoughts to ponder would simply have to wait till morning.


Just wanted to say thank you first for the common "great jobs" about the Lumi/Cogs banter bit in the beginning of the last chapter! Now onto the specifics in the Reviews...

TrudiRose: (sniffs with you!) Yeah, it's almost done, but I WILL make that deadline. May wait to post the last two chapters, but I'm going to keep on going! Glad you liked it:-)

OrcaSpirit: Can I have thestick to smack her with next? LOL Nah, Veronique was a blast to write; shockingly, I had Pam Klinger's interpretation of Babette in my head while I was writing her, so she's almost what Babs may turn out to be. Just a heck of a lot meaner; Babs is at least nice about her insults. LOL Thanks much!

ShortStef: Did this satisfy that need to see Lucien one last time:-) Thanks much for your kind words about Lumi; he's my guy so I always try my best to write him to the fullest. Hearing I did a good job just boosts the ego and makes me proud:-)

Lyssa: Would I EVER not let them get together? Have you lost trust in my position as a Pyromatic Fluffball? LOL I'm busting ya. :-) Never fear, it's all down hill from here, so stay tuned! Thanks much!

Princeali: Yes he will! LOL Stick with the last two chapters on the way and you'll see how. :-)