The girls bowed as they wore pink dresses with their laces and had white gloves. Once they saw Horst, they curtsied for him as he bowed to them before he came to Pepito's parents, his mother, and his father, The Spanish Ambassador.
"Senor Ambassador of Spain and his wife." Miss Clavel introduced Horst to their next-door neighbors.
'This just might work.' Darla thought to herself.
Horst shook hands with The Spanish Ambassador.
"Oh, Madeline, I like your dress." Pepito smiled to the smallest of the twelve little girls.
"Oh, thank you, Pepito." Madeline blushed.
'Those two are so meant to be.' Darla thought to herself.
The Spanish couple was trying to make it so Madeline and Darla could stay with the others and not go to Vienna with Horst, but he insisted on letting the girls come with him.
'Let's hope the lord can convince him to let Madeline and Darla stay.' Atticus thought to himself.
The school inspector Lord Cucuface soon came over and the girls curtsied to him with polite smiles, and where he and Horst shook hands.
"I'm surprised we haven't met," Lord Cucuface told Horst. "I have many friends in high places in Vienna!"
"Ja?" Horst replied which seemed to make him nervous.
"Oh, yes, indeed!" Lord Cucuface replied before listing some of his friends, but he seemed to forget the names along the way.
Darla and Amber hid eye rolls at this.
"Madames and Monsieurs," a maid walked in with a smile. "Dinner is served."
'Great, maybe dinner will help.' Cherry thought to herself.
They all came into the dining hall to see great foods.
"Mm..." Patch smiled.
There was fish, pot roast, honey cake, baked rolls, buttery potatoes, and gelatin. It was a great meal all together.
"Here in school, I learn how to play piano." Madeline said to Horst.
"Most beneficial, but in Vienna, you will learn how to play the flute!" Horst replied.
'This guy isn't giving up.' Patch thought to himself.
"Madeline has also learned how to paint." Danielle smiled.
"In Vienna, you will learn to sculpt!" Horst replied.
"And, she's learned... Um..." Chloe pouted.
"Football!" Yvette quickly suggested.
"She means 'physics'!" Madeline then said after a gasp about the idea of playing football.
"Yeah, everyone needs to learn about physics, even a lady." Darla said.
"You ladies do not need to know these things." Horst replied.
"Darla's my bestest friend, we do everything together!" Amber said as she put her arm around Darla.
"She will become best friends with princesses in Vienna." Horst insisted.
"Me and those princesses won't have anything in common." Darla said.
"Uh, I believe our girls have something very special for us this evening!" Lord Cucuface spoke up as Madeline felt nervous about meeting princesses.
"Come on, girls, let's go to the Music Room." Charlotte told her aunt's students.
"I hope this works." Amber whispered
"You and me both." Darla whispered back to her best friend.
The adults, Cherry, Atticus, Charlotte, Darla, and Amber sat down to watch the musical performance while Patch, Maisy, and Genevieve sat by their feet. Danielle conducted the music and the speaking as Nona played violin, Sylvie played cello, and Ellie played the flute.
"I count like an accountant." Chloe said.
"I speak Dutch like a Duchess!" Yvette added.
"And they both print like a couple of princesses!" Pepito finished as he pointed to Darla and Madeline.
Darla and Madeline both smiled at that. Miss Clavel smiled back and patted both the girls on their heads.
"We can sing, we can dance, we sing songs with compassion, we can draw, we can paint, all with true fashion~" the girls all sang together. "We like each other and our bread, Sometimes we travel and take 'Le Red', We are elegant and confident, posh, and sophisticated, playful, musically inside~"
"We can dribble!" Pepito added as he kicked a soccer ball.
Darla got a bit nervous as Pepito mentioned soccer. The girls continued to sing and dance to show off their talents to Horst such as ballet dancing, painting pictures, singing at the Opera, swimming, skating, horseback riding, cooking, baking, and staying connected to the many countries of the world. Horst still insisted on having Madeline and Darla come to school in Vienna and not staying here anymore or living with the Fudos.
Atticus, Cherry, Miss Clavel, Charlotte, and Pepito's parents began to join in the song, telling Horst what the girls were amazing at. Pepito played his rather violin horribly which made Horst cringe and shudder. After the song, everyone clapped for the girls.
'That must have let him know that the girls belong with us.' Atticus thought to himself.
"I love it when you sing." Maisy purred quietly to Darla.
Darla gently pet her kitten.
Horst clapped although didn't seem to have any emotion. "That was, uh, most entertaining for music lovers," he replied. "Do not worry, liebchans, you vill attend many concerts in Vienna just as your mothers loved to do."
Madeline and Darla frowned to each other until they heard about their mothers.
"Now, tomorrow, ve have an early start, The Orient Express vaits for no vun," Horst then reminded after looking at his pocket watch. "Be on time!"
"Of... Of course." Darla replied.
"Allow me to drive you." Lord Cucuface offered.
"Of course." Horst smiled.
"Yes, of course." Lord Cucuface nodded back and walked out with the man.
"I can't believe that didn't work." Darla frowned.
"Oh, Darla..." Atticus frowned sadly as he hugged his little sister.
"I love you too much to go away." Darla blinked with tears in her eyes.
"Maybe you won't have to go away, we have some news that will shock you." Maisy whispered to them.
Darla looked down to her kitten. Miss Clavel tried to hide her sadness about Madeline leaving the school as did the other girls, but Darla and Atticus came to Maisy as they were getting ready for bed.
"Okay, it turns out; that man, he's French and he's not your uncle, his name isn't even Horst." Maisy said.
"What?!" Darla gasped.
"It's true, his real name is Henri Durand," Maisy nodded. "Patch and I went to the French Pound Puppies/Furries Headquarters."
"I knew there was something wrong about him." Atticus said.
"But wait, is Madeline really my cousin?" Darla wondered.
"Well, you two do have the same eye color." Atticus said.
"Wasn't your mother French?" Maisy asked.
"Probably hints of..." Darla replied with a small shrug. "My dad's family came from New Orleans though."
"I wonder how they met?" Patch said.
"I wonder that all the time..." Darla sighed. "I also wonder who sang and danced, I knew I had to get it from someone. I didn't see them a whole lot before I had to live in an orphanage, I was mostly with my nanny."
"Maybe your mom was the singer and your dad was the dancer." Atticus guessed.
"Maybe..." Darla replied.
Amber poked her head in. "Darla, are you ready for bed?"
"Yeah." Darla said.
"Come on then." Amber said.
"Let's talk more about this tomorrow." Darla said before she went with her best friend.
"Alright." Atticus said.
"Pleasant dreams, mon cheries." Miss Clavel smiled to her girls.
"We will try." The girls replied sadly.
Miss Clavel sighed and then turned off the light and shut the door to let her students sleep. Darla couldn't seem to get to sleep after finding out that the man they met lied about who he was.