Anthony double-checked that he had the right address. Then he triple-checked.
Wow, the place was huge.
The doors were tall and looked heavy. The grounds were neatly trimmed, and the edge of the grass was kept clean and straight with military precision.
Confidence, confidence, confidence, Anthony repeated, like a mantra to himself, as he reached out and knocked on the door.
"Hello!" He introduced himself to the elegant-looking man who opened it. "I'm Crowley, I'm the new tutor. Nice to meet you, Captain Fell."
"And I'm the old butler, Mr. Crowley," the man said, one of his eyebrows lifting. He did not take Crowley's outstretched hand, only stood to the side to let him in.
"Oh. Nice to meet you too, sir."
"I'll fetch the captain, you wait. Just in here." The butler gestured, and Anthony took his first step into the Fell household. It was... rather underwhelming. Sure, it was a fairly big household. The staircases were sweeping, and the windows were so big and lovely, and the regal-looking portraits added some color, but... for the most part, it was just so clean and white. It hardly looked like people lived here.
It didn't sound like anyone lived here either. Once the butler's footsteps had retreated, Anthony could hear nothing but the soft sound of his own breathing. It was unsettling. He tried rocking back and forth on his heels. Humming. That also sounded weird and too loud. The butler still wasn't back with the captain.
A set of doors to his left caught his eye, and Anthony set his suitcase down on the floor, which was so clean that it shined. He padded over to the elegantly carved doors and tried one. It eased open almost completely silently and Anthony was enveloped by the scent of paper.
Through these doors was a library. Anthony had never been a very avid reader, but he was impressed nonetheless by the towering bookshelves and the cozy atmosphere in this room that seemed absent from the rest of the house.
"Excuse me."
Anthony recoiled so quickly that he nearly smacked his head on the edge of the door. He whirled around to see a stocky man with white hair who stood maybe an inch or two shorter than him. The man did not look impressed. Oh, that was probably his employer. Who had just now caught him snooping. Oops.
"You'll do well to remember that the library is free to access during study hours. Your name?"
"Anthony Crowley. You're-"
"Captain Aziraphale Fell. And you're supposed to be... the new governess?" The captain gave Anthony a dubious look up and down. Anthony felt the back of his neck grow warm under the man's steely blue gaze.
"Tutor, I suppose."
"You don't look like much of a tutor. Turn around."
Astonished, Anthony complied.
"It's the sweater. You'll have to change into one that looks more professional."
Anthony glanced down at the red and black stripes. He remembered completing this, after so many frustrating tangles in the yarn and dropped stitches. "I've only got the one. The abbey isn't all about worldly possessions, believe it or not. I can make another, I can make my own clothes."
"I'll see to it that you receive some material, then. It is imperative that every member of my staff maintain a certain level of professionalism and... decorum. Should you stay-"
"What do you mean 'should I stay'? I'm here until September, aren't I?"
Captain Fell gave Anthony a withering look. "We'll see. The last governess lasted two hours." With that unsettling new information, the captain withdrew a whistle from his pocket and blew into it three times. Anthony winced. He could hear footsteps upstairs. Soon enough, around the corner and down the stairs came two girls. Then a boy. Then another girl hauled her brother along, and soon all seven of the Fell children stood in a line in the middle of the foyer. They stood in age order, which happened to nearly be height order, thought the third one in the lineup- a boy with a mop of unruly brown hair- was clearly gaining on his older sisters fast.
"Introduce yourselves," Captain Fell commanded. "Names and ages."
The first girl stepped forward. Anthony immediately noted and admired the defiant jut of her chin. "I'm Bee. I'm sixteen, and I don't need a governess. Or... whatever your equivalent is." She stepped back into the line.
"I'm Pepper. I'm fourteen and I'm impossible."
Next was the rather tall, gangly one. "I'm Adam. Twelve."
"I'm Anathema, and I'm ten." This girl had long dark hair, and clutched a book in her hands, one of her fingers marking her page. She probably couldn't wait to get back to it.
"I'm Brian and I'm incorrigible."
"I'm Wensley. I'm going to be eight on Thursday," the little boy with round glasses on beamed, and Anthony smiled back at him.
The last little boy stepped forward, then backward, but didn't say a word.
"Yes, and that's Warlock," Captain Fell filled in. "Children, this is Mr. Crowley. He will be your new tutor."
"I thought we were getting a governess this time. What happened to the girl from the abbey?" Adam asked.
"I believe there was a misunderstanding," Anthony said. "I'm the one the abbey sent. I was raised there."
"No matter," Captain Fell said, in a tone that left no room for argument. "No matter whether your new teacher is a man or woman, you will behave. Mr. Crowley-"
"Just Crowley."
"What?"
"You can drop the Mister. I like just Crowley better. Or Anthony."
"That would be terribly... casual. I will not address you by any first name or nickname. Anyhow, each of the children does have a signal-"
"A whistle signal?" Anthony crossed his arms, looking distinctly unimpressed.
"Yes. I can teach them to you, and yours can be-"
"Or not, because whistles are for animals. Not for children. And definitely not for me."
Captain Fell's eyes narrowed. Anthony felt his heart sink as he wondered whether he had screwed up before his first day was even over. The captain stepped closer, and he stood his ground, not breaking eye contact.
"Mr. Crowley, were you this much trouble at the abbey?"
"Oh, much more, sir," Anthony answered honestly.
He didn't get a reaction to that beyond a rather sharp exhale. With that, Captain Fell turned to go.
"Sir?" Anthony called, and the man stopped. "What should I call you? Was it Az-"
"You may call me Captain."
His footsteps retreated, and Anthony was left with the children. All seven of them. Suddenly, his task seemed monumental. Don't seem nervous.
"So," he began, a little unnerved by the looks he was receiving. They mostly ranged from apathetic to downright disapproving, except for the littlest one. Warlock. He looked openly curious. "It's very nice to meet you all. Might have trouble with the names at first. you know. How old are you, Warlock? Your father forgot the mention."
The littlest boy held up five fingers. "Wow, five? That's practically all grown up. Now, I have to tell you all a secret. I've never been a tutor before."
"You don't know anything about it?" Pepper raised her eyebrows. Anthony didn't miss the glance exchanged between Anathema and Adam.
"No. I'll probably need some advice about how things work around here."
"The best way to start is to tell Father to mind his own business!" Brian piped up.
"Well, as much as I'd like to, I'm not sure that would go over very well," Anthony laughed. The kids were breaking their line and crowding around him to offer obviously bogus advice.
"Always be late to dinner," Wensleydale added.
"And always slurp your soup," Adam stifled a giggle.
"Don't listen to them!" Warlock spoke up for the first time, reaching out to cling to one of Anthony's pant legs.
"Why not? Sounds like sound advice," Anthony said sarcastically.
"Because I like you, and I want you to stay."
Anthony's heart melted a little. "Oh. Well, we'll see how this goes. I certainly don't plan on leaving yet."
"Mr. Crowley, is it?" the butler had returned. "Captain Fell asked me to show you to your room so you could unpack."
"Alright. See you all later?" Anthony reached down for his suitcase and came into contact with something cool, smooth, and moving. He jerked away on instinct.
What was- oh!
"Look at you!" he grinned down at the snake that had found its way to his suitcase handle. He reached down and scooped it up. The small black snake looped around his wrist, probably enjoying the heat from his body. "Aren't you a gorgeous little thing? How did you get here?"
The children stared, dumbfounded. Their plan hadn't worked at all!
Anathema glanced up at Bee, who could only offer a helpless shrug. It had worked with every other governess or tutor. Why not this one? Somehow he didn't have the same disgusted reaction to their surprise.
"Let's go then. I think I'll name you Crawly," Anthony was still talking to the snake, letting it flick its tongue out against his hand.
As he ascended the stairs, it occurred to him that one of the kids must have planted the snake. He turned his head, watching them out of the corner of his eye, and pressed a light kiss to the top of the snake's head. Seven jaws dropped. Anthony turned to hide his grin and followed the butler up the rest of the stairs.