"I can understand your father's worry over me getting all huffy about you marrying for something other than love but a marriage based solely because you were kidnapped? I can't believe you thought that was a good idea!" Plum chides.
"Plum," Marianne starts.
"It's clear you two love each other now, so I'm not saying that I disapprove," Plum interrupts. "But why didn't you at least court for a season as is traditional before deciding to up and get married? You didn't even wait for one day, for spirit's sake!"
"Plum," Marianne tries again.
"You were always more sensible than your sister," Plum continues. "You are your father's daughter, after all, so it's a complete shock that your father insists that this arrangement was your idea and not anyone else's."
"Plum!" Griselda yells.
Griselda taps her foot impatiently as Plum turns her shocked attention to her. She tries not to ruin her scowl at the other female as she hears Bog, Marianne, and the imp breathe a sigh of relief at the silence.
"Breakfast is ready," Griselda announces, ushering the mated pair into the dining room.
Her heart pangs as the imp becomes excited at the prepared food laid on the table and nearly reaches out to take some before squeaking and clinging to Marianne's tunic in obvious fear. Before she is able to reassure the poor thing, Marianne soothes him herself and Bog offers him some food with his own reassurances.
They'll make such great parents!
Shooing away the usual morning reports by Stuff and Thang, Griselda explains to Plum the events of that fateful day, just as she told it to Dagda the morning of Samhain. Any attempts to offer an edited version is shushed with an order for the pair to continue eating.
"It's still not ideal but I guess that's understandable," Plum murmurs once the story is done. "I wonder why Dagda didn't explain all that?"
"Did you even listen to a word he said?" Marianne counters.
"Of course I did," Plum scoffs. "I always listen when he speaks. After all, what else did I have to do in that dungeon your grandfather locked me away in?"
Griselda tries to contain her laughter at Marianne's longsuffering look. Obviously, this is a normal occurrence whenever Plum is involved.
"I'm only looking out for you, Marianne," Plum insists.
"I know," Marianne murmurs, offering a fond smile to the elder female before feeding another slice of cooked meat to the imp. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Vincent yesterday when he expressed his own concerns. Had that law not even been a problem, I would have courted Bog myself."
"You..you would? Me, too!" Bog agrees with a large smile. "I...I mean, I had hoped that you weren't already mated and I...well, I..."
Tuning out her son's bashful mutterings, Griselda turns her attention back to Plum and relaxes as she notices her beaming smile. The other female was only concerned that Marianne had truly made the choice from her heart. It really was no different than when Dagda himself tested her decision.
"They really do love each other," Plum sighs happily. "I didn't even need my magic to see it when they walked into the dungeon."
"They were like this from nearly the beginning," Griselda comments. "Bog was entranced with her and even before she realized that goblins weren't the same as the stories she grew up on, Marianne was entranced with him. A mother knows these things, after all. It just took them three months to admit their love for each other."