Chapter Six
Unbeknownst to Mable, there was a meeting going on in Master Theo's private study. Labelle sat in one of the study chairs, rubbing her feet and eyeing her childhood friend. Monsieur Lune stood right behind her. If his feet ached as much as hers, he didn't say, but when a man has the ability to pop one place to another with a thought he really has no right to complain about sore feet.
Theo paced in front of the fireplace, ignoring his two confidantes. Monsieur Lune and Labelle exchanged weary glances. Monsieur Lune had heard from a footman and Labelle from Cecile that the dinner had not gone well.
Tired of this mood, Labelle let out a gusty sigh.
Theo spun and glared at her. "What?"
"Why don't you just say what is on your mind, instead of wearing a hole in the floor with your pacing?" Labelle said. She indicated to Monsieur Lune and herself. "We have had a long day, and are tired. We would like to go to bed."
Theo just growled at her and turned away. Labelle glanced up at Monsieur Lune. His face held the same, cool detachment it usually did, but Labelle could see the lines around the Seneschal's mouth deepen. She had known Monsieur Lune for all her life; he had been training as the House Seneschal when she was but a toddler and took over as Seneschal when she and Theo were barely teenagers. His commitment to Theo's family was only in second to his daughter, and while he usually deferred to Theo in public, he wouldn't hesitate to put the boy in his place in private. She knew from talking to him earlier that he was also disappointed in Theo's behavior tonight.
"What is it that bothers you, Master Theo?" he said now, solicitous as ever. Labelle crossed her arms and waited.
She was disturbed that Theo wouldn't meet her eyes, and that he turned to Monsieur Lune.
"Lune, what do you think of this…this girl?" he asked Monsieur Lune, carefully avoiding her narrow stare.
Monsieur Lune hesitated before he spoke. "I think Lady Mable is a charming young woman. She is polite, she has been friendly towards everyone she met. I would say she likes children, by the way my Maddie is responding to her. She values family…I gather from what she has said in passing that her father is ill, and she has been caring for him. She seems to be adapting to this situation as well as can be expected. At least she didn't run screaming for the door." Monsieur Lune's smile was wry, "I would even go so far as to say that she is brave. It took a lot of courage to find her way here, fighting the dark and snow, and sleep among strangers."
Theo waved away Monsieur Lune's opinions. "Yes, but is she what you pictured? I mean, she does not seem very Lady-like."
Labelle's temper rose. Oh, there was something wrong here all right.
Monsieur Lune's eyebrows rose. "I think Lady Mable is quite lovely." He told Theo blandly. "And I believe a wise man once said, true beauty lies within." Monsieur Lune placed a gentle hand on Labelle's shoulder, silently asking for her to listen to Theo's answer.
Theo stared at the ground, admonished for a moment. Then he threw his chin up and stubbornly glared at the two of them. "All right, I admit it, I was disappointed with her. I mean, I don't expect perfection, but she can't be what who we need to break the curse. How can someone accept me for my appearance when -" he broke off when Labelle jumped to her feet.
"You…you pig!" she snapped at him, dark eyes blazing. She felt Monsieur Lune step back. When it came to beating sense into Theo, she was the best. "Are you saying that you refuse to like her because you don't find her beautiful? Forgive me, Master, but you aren't exactly a vision of loveliness yourself!"
Theo had backed up from her, putting his back dangerously close to the roaring fireplace behind him. "Well, no, I am not saying I refuse to like her because she isn't beautiful. But you didn't see her react to me tonight, Labelle. She could barely look at me! And you should have heard how she talked to me." He pointed out.
Labelle gave a nasty laugh. "So, because she does not agree with every little thing you say, she is not fit to break the curse, is that it?"
"No!" Theo ran his paws through his fur anxiously. "It's just that I thought if the curse let a woman through, it would be because she was the right person to break it! Instead we get some irritable, unpleasant girl who can't stand the thought of living here. Who can't stand the sight of me. I thought when you told me that a woman appeared at our doorstep…well, that it would just come together. I thought as soon as I saw her I would feel it."
"Feel what?" Monsieur Lune asked.
Theo shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever it is you feel when you meet the one you're supposed to fall in love with." Bitterness filled his eyes. "I certainly didn't expect her, and for her to leave after barely spending a day here."
He started to pace again. "I don't understand how this is supposed to work." He grumbled. "If the curse let a woman find us, wouldn't it be a woman who would fall in love with me right away? A woman I could fall in love with right away?"
Monsieur Lune said, with uncharacteristic impatience. "Master Theo, you know it doesn't work that way. Love isn't an emotion that happens so quickly. Love takes time."
"It didn't with my parents." Theo reminded him. "They knew instantly."
"Not every relationship is the same." Monsieur Lune said, exasperated. "Maddie's mother and I did not fall in love right away. Love is a partnership as much as it is anything else. You can't expect for a woman to just appear and be in love with you from the start."
"Then how will the curse ever break?" Theo sounded annoyed. "How can we work towards a partnership if she can't even stand being in the same room as me? How can we build anything if she doesn't even want to consider staying here?"
Since it looked like Labelle was still shocked into speechlessness at Theo's attitude, Monsieur Lune took it upon himself to reason with him.
"Master Theo, please think for a moment. The poor dear has found herself trapped in a strange new setting, in a castle full of strangers. She does not know us well, she can only rely on her instincts to guide her. Then she runs into you and, yes, was probably frightened by your appearance. She has been fed a story that is so odd it is like fantasy. She probably wants to believe our story, but she is only human. Humans are always full of doubts and skepticism. She probably spent the whole day questioning her own sanity. But she has been trying to wrap her mind around it, which is not an easy feat."
Labelle blinked. Monsieur Lune could and would reprimand Theo if he thought he was out of line, but this amount of protective anger was surprising, especially towards a woman he had known for only a day. She wondered if it was because Lune saw Mable the same way she did; a friendly, considerate woman who was pulled, quite accidentally, into a world she was not ready to handle yet.
Not that Labelle blamed her. If she hadn't been born here, hadn't been raised and trained in this castle as the heir of the last Housekeeper who had been her mother, she probably wouldn't have been able to handle it either. But unlike Mable, who seemed to at least be trying to process it, Labelle would probably have run away screaming like Monsieur Lune suggested. Labelle had watched the woman carefully, and while she was obviously struggling with the idea of Fairies and curses existing, she seemed to be adapting to it as best she could.
Because of this, Labelle had liked Mable the minute she had met her, and was quite upset with herself for pushing the poor thing into that dinner when she obviously wasn't ready for it. Labelle had hoped if the two of them just had dinner, the intimate setting would help them open up to each other.
Mable was wrong when she thought that the staff was just using her as a way to break the curse. When Labelle learned that Lady Mable wanted to leave, she had felt disappointed. But after some thought, she had realized that this could still be a good opportunity. She didn't have to be his love; she could just be his friend. Theo had never had many friends, and even less since the curse. Since Labelle had met her own true love through friendship, she thought that a friendship with this woman would help him discover what he truly needed when it came to love. Maybe Mable's friendship wouldn't break the curse, but it would bend it a little, enough so if his true love did come along, he would be able to open his heart towards her.
Of course, this plan wouldn't work if they hated each other.
"You didn't help matters." she told Theo, who merely glared at her. "Honestly, Theo. Not only did she have to listen to all this curse nonsense, but I am sure she is also trying to conquer homesickness, on top of everything else. She has a family of her own, and she is worried that they are worried. The poor darling is just a mess of emotions. Can you really blame her for losing control tonight? She has been through so much, in such little time. And you just went and told her that she should abandon everything she has known and stay to help us." Labelle made sure her tone told him what she thought of that.
Theo frowned, but he wasn't angry. "I didn't mean it that way. Well, all right, perhaps that is how it came out, but I don't want her to abandon her family." He sounded a little ashamed.
As well he should, Labelle thought.
"Perhaps we should give her until tomorrow to rest and think things through." Monsieur Lune suggested. "Tomorrow is a new day, and can be considered a fresh start."
"I suppose." Theo looked thoughtful. "Perhaps I can take her on a tour of the castle. She seemed to like the library. There might be other rooms she'd like to see."
"That sounds like a fine idea. Why don't you two eat breakfast together." Labelle suggested. "Talk to her, Theo! Get to know her. Maybe there is a way for her to contact her family, so they know she is safe. Once she feels they are well-assured of her safety, perhaps she will be more willing to stay with us."
Theo didn't seem altogether convinced, but he shrugged. "All right, I suppose breakfast can't hurt. And I will try and get to know her better." He added quickly when Labelle scowled at him.
"Wonderful. Now, why don't you get some rest as well? It's getting late. Fais de beaux rêves." She pecked him on the cheek, and ruffled his hair.
He growled, but it was more playful than irritable, and he even gave Monsieur Lune a cheerful "Bonne nuite." before leaving the room. It seemed his usual, easy-going temperament had been fully restored.
After making sure he had retreated, Labelle sank back into a chair. "This is going to be difficult. They seem determined to hate each other, or at least severely dislike one another."
Monsieur Lune kept his voice low, eyes on the door Theo had exited "Yes, but we cannot force them, Labelle. We must let things happen in their own time."
"I've never been one for patience."
"I'm well aware," said Monsieur Lune dryly. "But this requires delicacy. If we truly want them to be friendly towards each other, we must allow them room to grow into a friendship. Otherwise they will only feel responsibility towards our feelings, not their own." He sighed gustily. "Though I agree, waiting is going to be a chore. I hope things run a bit more smoothly tomorrow morning, as opposed to tonight."
"Whose idea was it to let them have dinner alone, anyway? What an utter disaster."
"Wasn't it your idea?" Monsieur Lune chuckled.
"Yes, I guess it was. Mon Dieu, in the library those two were so stiff; I would have thought they were pieces of wood. I thought if they ate alone, they would be less intimidated by each other. They need a common ground, someone to break the silence when they can't do it themselves." A flash of brilliance sparked through Labelle's head, and she shot up out of the chair in triumph. "Maddie! She could be the common ground!"
Monsieur Lune raised his brows skeptically. "What is your plan, may I ask?"
"They are having breakfast together. Only this time, instead of it being just the two of them let Maddie breakfast with them as well. They both like her, and she's so full of chatter, they won't be able to get a word in to fight with."
Monsieur Lune peered into Labelle's hopeful face. "Let's give it a try, then. It can't be worse than tonight."