Sara, Mr. Carrisford, Jacques, Pierre, and Soleil had just finished dinner the day Mr. Carrisford took Sara in.
"Now it has been a long day for us so I think it is best we all went to bed." Mr. Carrisford smiled. "Especially since I would like to arrive at the school early tomorrow to meet Miss Amelia and drop off Sara at her first class."
"That's a good idea, I honestly am tired and I want to welcome Miss Amelia back as soon as possible." Sara smiled.
"Oui…." Jacques yawned, Pierre and then Soleil yawning after.
"Come along then Sara, I would like to show you your room." Mr. Carrisford got up and gathered his dishes.
"Oh we can do zat Mr. Carrisford." Pierre said.
"You and Jacques just yawned, so I would prefer helping you both by at least carrying some of the dishes into the kitchen." Mr. Carrisford kindly pointed out.
"I agree, I'll help too." Sara gathered her dishes.
"Zen merci beaucoup." Jacques smiled.
After getting all the dishes to the kitchen, Pierre and Jacques washed up while Mr. Carrisford led Sara to her room. Soleil followed, wanting to see Sara's reaction.
"Oh…." Sara breathed upon seeing it, amazed and touched.
For starters, the room was nicely large with country paintings on the light blue walls along with a huge nature-themed rug on the wooden floor.
"Africa!" She gasped with delight upon seeing that one of the paintings was of an African countryside.
"Your father told me how much you preferred the country to the city, but I could only find one painting of Africa so far. I figured paintings of the English countryside would be good temporary substitutes until I can find more." Mr. Carrisford explained.
"Oh don't bother, these other paintings are also beautiful. They make we want to see the English countryside for real." Sara smiled.
"I promise we will visit at least one next summer, for that is the best season to visit the country." Mr. Carrisford smiled. "It is usually either too cold, too wet, or both during the rest of the year."
"I can definitely wait then." Sara agreed before going to the wardrobe with curiosity; she was surprised by the dresses, which were simple yet pretty. "Goodness…are most of these cotton?"
"Yes, your father also told me how much you loved going on adventures, both in your mind and for real, so I thought it would be best to get you clothing that you wouldn't have to worry about. Cotton is easily cleaned and repairable, so you will be able to play and explore in them without fear of damaging them too much. However I also got you a couple silk dresses and a velvet coat, along with matching accessories, in case we ever go somewhere elegant such as the theater or to a gala. I decided to wait until meeting you before getting you any jewelry, so that I could be sure of your exact tastes."
"I am glad of that, and I would indeed love to see a play or ballet." Sara shut the wardrobe door before turning to look at the bed and the shelves on the wall near it. "As for jewelry don't worry, I don't even wear necklaces all that much. Just one or two that go with the fancy dresses will do."
Mr. Carrisford then noticed the look of disappointment in her eyes as she saw the shelves, which were bare apart from a few books, though she tried to hide it.
"I am sorry you don't have more books than that, your father did tell me of your love of reading but I assumed that you were able to keep the books you already had. So I only got the few that were recently published." He apologized before smiling. "And I only didn't get you any toys because I knew that once I started buying them I wouldn't be able to stop. That wouldn't have been fair to Father Christmas."
"No worries, it will be easy to replace my old collection of books. And I admit I've never read these particular books before." Sara smiled reassuringly. "Also I don't really need a lot of toys, a few stuffed animals and dolls for companionship is fine but otherwise I prefer toys that can be played with others. Such as board games, balls, cards, and a jump rope."
Mr. Carrisford smiled with relief.
Luckily Sara loved the look of the bed, since it was also simple yet beautiful. The sheets and pillows looked to be plain-yet-comfy white, no lace even, and the quilt was a pattern of flowers and leaves.
"Oh good, I'm grateful the bed isn't fancy." She hopped onto the bed with joy and relief before joking: "I would be afraid to sleep in a fancy bed due to not wanting to harm it."
"I figured, since your father also told me you were humble." Mr. Carrisford chuckled. "He really did raise you right, not that I had any doubt he would."
"Yes, he was definitely the best father anyone could ever have." Sara sighed sadly before realizing: "Oh, not that you won't be a good father, I mean…."
"No it's okay, you were right." Mr. Carrisford sat on the bed. "I know I can never replace your father, which is why I never intended to think of myself as your new papa. I'm happy enough just being your guardian and making sure the rest of your life is happy."
"Well, I still would like you to be more than a guardian. After all you and papa were so close, and I know he wouldn't make just anyone my godfather. So I was thinking of calling you my uncle…if you don't mind…." Sara shyly looked away.
Mr. Carrisford instantly felt a warmth he had not felt since the day he got the letter from Captain Crewe asking him to be Sara's godfather. He smiled with tears of joy in his eyes.
"I would be honored to be your uncle." He said.
Sara beamed and hugged him, and he returned the hug. Then they heard sobbing and confusedly looked towards the door.
There was Jacques and Pierre sobbing, Jacques specifically sobbing into Soleil's shoulder.
"Zat was ze most beautiful thing I had ever seen!" Pierre sobbed with joy.
Soleil just looked at Mr. Carrisford and Sara and shrugged with his free shoulder and paw. Mr. Carrisford and Sara affectionately chuckled before Mr. Carrisford, Jacques, and Pierre left so that Sara could change into her nightgown. It turned out that she also had her own bathroom, so she was able to brush her teeth and take a bath without entering the hallway first. When she was done Mr. Carrisford came back to tuck her in, and at her request read her The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
A.N. In case you were wondering, yes I did base the ending scene on the scene from the 1990s The Parent Trap when the butler Martin sobbed into the grandfather's shoulder after Hallie (pretending to be Annie) told her mom the truth about who she was. I thought it was just too fitting for Jacques and Pierre, so I had to use it. ^^