Chapter 8: The Confrontation
Klaus and I spent the night taking turns reading the nuptial law book. We curled up on the window seat beside each other while Violet took the bed and Sunny slept in her pile of curtains. Klaus' arm was draped around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder as he took his turn to read. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Despite the misery, it made me happy to be with Klaus. I just needed to help him and his siblings escape Count Olaf so we could be together in peace. I could hear a soft sniffling noise and I opened my eyes to see Klaus frowning at the book as he skimmed it and I caught his gaze, his brown eyes warm and comforting like the wood of a campfire.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Everything," he said, as tears streamed down his face. "I miss home. I miss reading books from our library. I miss reading because I loved it."
I nodded and put a hand on Klaus' shoulder. "I wish we were in a better place," I said. "I wish we were in your home's library. I wish your parents were still alive and we were both free to live our lives in peace."
"I know," Klaus said. "But you weren't happy like we were. I wish we could have met you when our parents were still alive. I wish we didn't have to be miserable together. You didn't get a happy home. I wish you did."
"I had Madame Bovary to look after me," I said.
"What happened to your parents?" Klaus asked. "How did they die?"
"Just like yours," I said. "In a fire. Then I almost died in a fire. It's my worst fear. It's taken the most from me and from you."
"How did you get to the boarding school?"
"My parents left me there," I said. "Before they died."
"They must have been trying to protect you," Klaus said. "From someone."
"Or they just didn't want me," I said. Now tears filled my own eyes and I leaned my head against Klaus' shoulder and he pressed his head against mine as we both sobbed.
"I know we're miserable, Jane," Klaus said and I lifted my head to look at him with a spark in his brown eyes. "But I'm glad we met you. You make everything better. You're our miracle, Jane."
We stared at each other and the moon cast a soft glow, illuminating us while the rest of the room was in darkness. Klaus held out his hand and I took it before gently kissing his cheek, making him blush.
"We're doing this together," Klaus said. "We can do this. Normally I would fall asleep reading up at night."
"You can," I said. "I'll take over."
"I can't sleep," Klaus said and glanced over at Violet who was moving about restlessly as she tried to sleep and at the pile of cloth that was Sunny in her pile of curtains.
We stared at each other and there was a long silence.
If I don't say this now, I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one I want to take
Forgive the urgency, but hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
I'll look after you
There now, steady love, so few come and don't go
Will you won't you, be the one I always know?
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
I'll look after you
And I'll look after you
If ever there was a doubt
My love she leans into me
This most assuredly counts
She says most assuredly
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
I'll look after you
After you
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
It's always have and never hold
You've begun to feel like home yeah
What's mine is yours to leave or take
What's mine is yours to make your own
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh
(Look After You, The Fray)
"We'd better get back to the book," I said after a pause.
Klaus nodded and returned the page he left off. We continued reading and gathered the information we needed to confront Count Olaf and save us from the play.
"Just as I thought," Klaus said, "If he performs a legitimate service during the play you and Violet will be married to him and he'll get both fortunes."
"What should we do?" I asked. "We need to warn someone."
"We can't see anyone," Klaus said. "The hook-handed man spotted us reading books and told us we couldn't go back until after Friday. We need to confront Count Olaf and then we'll report it to Mr. Poe."
"Will Mr. Poe believe us?" I asked.
"He has to," Klaus said and touched his cheek which was still slightly bruised. "It's our only hope."
I nodded and rubbed my tired eyes. Klaus and I rose from our curled position on the windowsill and we walked triumphantly out of the room. We made our way to the kitchen. We sat down on either side of the long table and waited until Count Olaf entered. He paused when he saw us and smirked like we were a couple of toys he wanted to play with.
"Hello, orphan," he said. "You're up early."
"We know what you're up to," I began right away and shifted the book from Klaus' hands to Count Olaf's sight. "Nuptial law. We studied it all night."
"I didn't know you could read," Olaf said looking at me with a frown and then at Klaus.
"She can." Klaus said. "She's just as good as me. Jane helped me find the book. The word 'nuptial' means 'relating to marriage.'"
"I know what the word means," Count Olaf growled. "Where did you get that book?"
"From Justice Strauss's library," Klaus said. "But that's not important. What's important is that we have found out your plan."
"Is that so?" Count Olaf said, his one eyebrow raising. "And what is my plan, you little runt?"
"Don't call him that," I said sharply. "The law says that a wedding in the presence of a judge, a statement of 'I do', and signing a piece of paper with at least one witness would sign over our fortunes over to you as marital law states that property between a husband and wife is shared."
Klaus nodded from beside me and stood. "This play you're putting on shouldn't be called The Marvelous Marriage. It should be called The Menacing Marriage. You're not going to marry Violet and Jane figuratively, you're going to marry her literally! This play won't be pretend; it will be real and legally binding."
Count Olaf laughed a rough, hoarse laugh. "Jane and your sister aren't old enough to get married. And I can't possibly marry two."
"You can if the legal guardian gives permission which is you," I said. "You can marry two in the same way."
"Why in the world would I want to actually marry you and Violet?" Count Olaf asked with shiny eyes. "It is true you're both very pretty, but a man like myself can acquire any number of beautiful women."
Klaus skipped ahead to another section of the book. "'A legal husband,'" he read, "'has the right to control any money in the possession of his legal wife.' " Klaus stared in triumph at Count Olaf and echoed his expression.
"When Mr. Poe finds out the play won't happen and you will go to jail," I said.
Count Olaf gazed down at us with very shiny eyes and gave us a wide smirk that made my triumphant expression fade. I thought he would be mad but he was surprisingly calm.
"I guess you've found me out," Olaf said simply. "I suppose you're right: I'll go to prison, and you and the other orphans will go free. Now, why don't you run up to your room and wake Violet and Sunny? I'm sure they'll want to know all about your grand victory over my evil ways."
I looked at Klaus who was gazing carefully at Count Olaf and tried to guess what Count Olaf was up to. He wasn't threatening us and seemed at ease.
"Well, I will go tell my sisters," Klaus said. I followed him up the stairs and into our bedroom where Violet dozed and Sunny was huddled beneath the pile of curtains. Klaus went to Violet to wake her up and I went to see Sunny but when I reached the pile of curtains I paused and choked up in fear.
"Jane and I stayed up all night reading," Klaus said to Violet when she opened her eyes, "and we discovered what Count Olaf is up to. He plans to marry you and Jane for real, when you and Justice Strauss and everyone all think it's just a play, and once he's your husband he'll have control of our parents' money and he can dispose of us."
I searched the pile of curtains to find them bare while Klaus explained the rest.
"Oh no!" Violet cried when she heard Klaus' explanation of Count Olaf's plan. "What can we do?"
"We need to tell Mr. Poe," Klaus said. "So he can put a stop to it."
"There's just one problem," I said and turned to gaze at them in fear. "Sunny's gone."
"Sunny?" Violet said. "Where's Sunny?"
Violet rose from the bed and we searched the room for Sunny but we couldn't find her.
"Where can she be?" Violet asked worriedly. "She's not the type to run off."
"Where can she be indeed?" I heard Count Olaf's scratchy voice from behind us. We turned to find Count Olaf in the doorway watching us. His eyes shone the brightest I'd ever seen and it looked like he had just told us a joke.
I'm on the run
I'm on the ropes this time
Where is my song?
I've lost the song of my soul tonight
Sing it out
Sing it out
Take what is left of me
And make it a melody
Sing it out
Sing out-loud
I can't the words to sing
You'd be my remedy
My song
My song
I'll sing with what's left of me
Where is the sun?
Feel like a ghost this time
Where have you gone?
I need your breath in my lungs tonight
Sing it out
I'm holding on
I'm holding on to you
My world is wrong
My world is a lie that's come true
And I fall in love with the ones that run me through
When all along all I need is you
Sing it out
(Sing it Out, Switchfoot)