Scenery flew by, rolling hills and woods and orchards. Captain Fell kept his hands on the wheel and his expression carefully neutral. In the passenger seat, Baroness Lucille Fern sat, taking it all in. Strands of dark hair that had escaped her elegant bun were whipped about her face by the wind. From the backseat, her best friend Furfur pointed at a quickly-passing orchard.
"Look at those children!"
Captain Fell and Lucille caught a glimpse and heard their chattering and yelling voices before the car continued down the curved road. "Little ragamuffins," the Baroness clucked her tongue.
"They looked like they were having fun," Furfur shrugged.
"Well, I can't wait to meet your children, Az," Lucille grinned at Captain Fell, whose eyes were on the road.
"Hm. They will be glad for the break in their studies."
"I can't wait for dinner," Furfur chimed in.
"Oh, hush," Lucille stifled her laughter.
"What? Rich people serve really good food."
"You're a sponge."
"I'm a rather charming sponge."
"The sunset is starting. I love sunsets," Adam sighed, leaning back against the trunk of a tree.
"Sunset?" Anthony looked up. "Oh. We've got to go before it gets dark." The shadows of the trees were already growing longer. He'd been too wrapped up in watching Pepper trying to learn to juggle with underripe plums to notice.
"Aw, man!" Brian frowned.
"Do you want to row back in the dark? Rhetorical question, we really don't. Grab your baskets and hop to it."
Anthony did a headcount before pushing off from the shore, and he and Pepper rowed as fast as they could.
"And this is the library," Captain Fell led Baroness Lucille into his favorite room in the house. It smelled comforting, like old paper and ink.
"Impressive," Lucille said politely, letting her gaze roam over the countless spines of books.
"The children should be somewhere here. I don't... I don't hear them."
"They're out for the afternoon, sir," Shadwell appeared in the doorway. "They'll be back by sunset for dinner, I reckon."
That wasn't part of the plan. Captain Fell bit the inside of his cheek and kept his composure. "Thank you, Shadwell." He would be having a talk with Mr. Crowley. Just because it was a Friday didn't mean the children were to slack off. Too much free time could lead to boredom, which Captain Fell had no doubt they would find some creative solutions to which could lead them into a world of trouble-
"Where are you?"
"Hm?" He turned to look at the Baroness, who regarded him with clear blue-green eyes.
"You're a thousand miles away. Where are you?"
"Only worrying. Over nothing, I hope."
"You know, you look so much more at home here than you ever did in Vienna."
"In my home? Might have guessed that."
"No. Surrounded by books. I didn't know quite how much you liked them."
"Well. They are a worthy way to fill time."
"Lots of free time after you were discharged?"
"Yes, and a lasting injury that made sure I couldn't partake in many of my former hobbies." Captain Fell glanced down at his knee. "I became quite interested in book repair. I got to practice on the books my little ones had been rough on."
"How many of them are there, again?" Lucille asked.
Captain Fell held the door open for her and they meandered down the hall together. "Seven." He saw her eyebrows jump up. "One set of twins, Brian and Anathema. The rest were singles."
"The late Mrs. Fell must have loved kids."
Captain Fell felt his throat tighten. He was saved from responding when he caught sight of a ridiculous scene through the window.
Were those his kids? Dressed in casual, black garments? On a boat?!
"Oh dear, there they are." Tracy, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, shook her head but smiled good-naturedly. "Captain Fell! Hadn't realized you were back. The children will be delighted to see you. And Baroness Fern," she dipped into a quick curtsey. "Pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you as well. Captain Fell, do your children usually enjoy... what is it they're doing? Oh, are those plums?"
The boat was wobbling closer to the dock, and Mr. Crowley was shouting something.
"Dear lord," Captain Fell muttered.
"Don't stand up yet! Okay, I'm going to get us closer, then we'll lift the baskets out first, hear that?"
He got a couple of affirmatives. Good enough, he supposed.
"Father!" Adam shouted, pointing toward the house. Anthony's head swiveled in that direction, and sure enough, there was Captain Fell, crossing the yard and not looking too happy.
That was where it all went pear-shaped. Or plum-shaped. Brian was leaning over toward the dock to set some of the baskets at the end, and so was Ana, and when Wensley and Brian stood up to wave to their father, far too much weight shifted to one side and suddenly they were all underwater.
Anthony surfaced, pushing his wet hair out of his face. He hung on to the overturned canoe with one hand to keep himself above water. Bee was pulling herself up onto the dock, yelling at her siblings all the while. Brian was trying to collect as many spilled plums as he could before they all floated downstream. Adam lifted Wensley up onto the dock, then dove to retrieve his glasses. That was four.
"Crowley!" Pepper sputtered. Warlock was clinging to her desperately, and it was pushing her under. "He can't- pppft- stop that! Relax, you're pulling my hair!"
Anthony reached out and grabbed the youngest boy, who was gasping and seemed to be in shock. He'd been clinging to the closest sibling to him.
"He can't swim yet," Ana said, from where she clung to the canoe. "He hasn't learned."
"We should have made time to teach him," Pepper looked worried. She was keeping her head above the water with ease now that a panicking five-year-old wasn't trying to climb onto her shoulders.
"You're okay," Anthony told Warlock, trying not to wince as little fingernails dug into his arms. "We've got you. You're going to learn this summer so this doesn't happen again."
"I've got them!" Adam surfaced with Wensley's glasses, hair plastered to his head.
"Yay, I can see again!"
The sharp tone of the whistle made silence fall. The children scrambled to their feet, except for Warlock, and lined up. Captain Fell surveyed the line, then held out a hand to help Anthony out of the river. One arm still wrapped around Warlock, it would have been an awkward process. But the captain hauled them both right out of the water in two seconds flat. Before Anthony could admire the strength that required, Captain Fell snapped: "Inside to change, children. Get dry and put on some proper clothing." He grabbed the soaked bandana from Pepper's head. "Bee, take Warlock."
"No," the littlest boy whined. Anthony wasn't sure if it was river water or tears on his face.
"C'mon, we'll get you warmed up," Bee promised. She and Anthony pried him from his teacher. He started to cry as Bee carried him in. Anthony was hit by the strongest wave of parental affection yet and felt that it nearly bowled him over. He wanted nothing more than to take him back and hold him until he was okay. To let Bee take care of herself first.
"I should go help them-"
"You will stay here, please, Mr. Crowley."
"Don't worry Crowley, I'll make sure they're put to rights," Tracy assured him, turning back to head inside.
"I'd best go see what Furfur is up to," said the new woman. The Baroness, Anthony realized. He was standing there soaked in river water, algae clinging to his skirt, in front of a Baroness. He felt his cheeks flame.
The Baroness, with one more glance at Anthony, turned in a swish of stylish satin skirt and left. Then it was just him and the Captain. Him and his employer. After one of his kids nearly drowned. How did he not know that Warlock couldn't swim? Why hadn't he been told this? Not that he blamed any of the children. In fact, it seemed like the sort of thing a father should inform a teacher of if that teacher is going to be keeping track of his kids twenty-four-seven...
"Mr. Crowley, have my children by any chance been climbing trees today?" The captain's voice was low. Dangerous. Well, so had Sister Michael's been, and he always talked back to her.
"Indeed."
"I see. And where, may I ask, did they get these..." he held up the bandana.
"Play clothes. I made them, sir. From the drapes that used to hang in my room."
"The drapes?"
"The children have been everywhere in them and they still have plenty of wear left."
Anthony saw the way the captain's jaw twitched. He felt equal parts triumphant and terrified.
"You've been parading my children around Salzburg in nothing but some old drapes? Just how often? What of their studies?"
"We still study some," Anthony assured him. "And when they've been at it for a while, that's when we go out and get some real-world experience." That was a formal way of explaining that they were mostly traipsing around doing whatever seemed interesting next.
"You're telling me they've been slacking? Spending every day doing- doing whatever their whims dictate?"
"And having a marvelous time," Crowley spat. "Trust me, Captain, it's good for them. You can't keep growing children cooped up, in clothes they're afraid to do anything in and- and- it's simply not fair."
"They haven't complained yet."
"They wouldn't dare! They love you too much. And fear you too-"
"Mr. Crowley," the captain cut him off. "I will not discuss my children in this manner-"
"You have got to hear it from someone," Anthony was somewhat aware that he was raising his voice. He couldn't help it. "And you're never home long enough to-"
"I said I don't want to hear any more from you."
"I know you don't, but you must!" Anthony took a step forward, pushing into the captain's space. "Now, take Bee for example-"
"You'll not say one word," Mr. Fell began, taking his own step forward. Anthony didn't back down. He raised his voice louder and continued over the captain.
"One of these days you're going to wake up and she's going to be a young woman and you won't even know her! And Adam, he's just a boy but he considers himself the 'man of the house'. He wants to be like you but there's no one to show him how!"
"Don't you dare tell me about my-"
Crowley got closer and louder. They were practically nose to nose now. Water from Crowley's hair dripped onto the toes of the captain's boots but neither noticed. "And Pepper could tell you about him, about all of them, if you'd let her get close to you. And Ana notices everything. And poor Brian pretends to be tough not to show how hurt he is when you brush him aside-"
"That will do-"
"The way you do all of them. All of them. Wensley, I don't know about, but someone has to find out about him. All of them just want to be loved, sir. That's all any kid wants. Please, just-"
"I don't want to hear any further from you," Captain Fell turned to go. Anthony, fuming, resolved not to let him.
"I am not finished yet!"
"Oh, yes you are, captain- Mr. Crowley."
Anthony's jaw dropped. What was that little slip-up supposed to mean? He was pleased to see an embarrassed flush creeping up the captain's neck.
"Now, you will pack your things this minute and return to the abbey."
"I want Crowley," Warlock whined as Bee set him on his feet in the bathroom.
"He's is talking with Father. He'll be back," the eldest grabbed some towels from the linen closet and started to dry her brother's hair.
"Let me take care of him, duck," Tracy said. "You grab yourself a change of clothes, something your father would approve of."
"Is Crowley fired, Tracy?" Ana asked.
"Why do you ask that, love?"
"I did a reading in my tea leaves of how things would go when he got back home, and it wasn't all good. There was a sun and knots, and maybe that meant that Crowley is getting fired and we have to get used to someone new again."
"Don't put too much stock in those things," Tracy tsked, "they can be fun sometimes, but don't get yourself worked up over them. I'm sure Mr. Crowley isn't going anywhere."