Hidden Beauty

Chapter 24

The fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth, and he had gotten his paws on a good book from the library, but Theo wasn't interested in either of those things as he looked out the window. The rain had shifted to snow again, layering the castle grounds and washing the world in a coat of white. Mable and Maddie were down in the back courtyard, both struggling to push a large, rotund snowball into the desired position. From his vantage point, six stories up, he could see they had already rolled out the head and midsection of what was going to be a very tall, intimidating snowman.

Mable laughed and gave the snowball one more, energetic push. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, tucked under a thick wool cap. He could barely see her face, hidden as it was by the gray scarf she wore and from his view this high up, but he could just make out the pink in her cheeks from the cold. After a few weeks in her company, he was willing to bet her normally hazel eyes had softened to a pale green, a color they turned only when she was happy.

They seemed to be turning that color a lot around him lately, and he found that intriguing.

Heels clicked on the wood floor behind him, and he turned slightly to see Labelle striding into the room, a tray of snacks in her hands. His childhood friend was dressed more casually than normal, her Housekeeper's uniform traded in for a soft lavender sweater and navy slacks.

"Lunch already?" he asked.

Labelle placed the tray on a small table near the bookshelves, busying herself with arranging the sandwiches and tea just so. He watched her, amused. She only gave such attention to detail when she wanted to speak with him, but wasn't sure how to approach the subject.

"I thought you might want a little something to eat." She finally replied, handing him a plate. Her dark eyes followed his gaze out the window, and she grinned when she saw Maddie and Mable working to keep the midsection of the snowman in place. "Ah, so that is where she has gotten to. I do hope she's warm enough, I wouldn't want her to catch another cold."

Theo didn't ask who "she" was. There was only one woman whose health would put that fretful tone in Labelle's voice. "She's fine. Lune will probably pull them in a few more minutes." He snorted. "Besides, if jumping in a frozen pond didn't make her ill, I doubt an hour or two outside will."

"There may be some truth to that." Labelle laughed. "I do hope Lune lets them finish the snow-beast first. They're working so hard at it, it would be a waste for them not to finish."

"Snow-beast?" He peered thoughtfully at the lump of snow that woman and girl were sculpting. "Is that what that is?"

Labelle's lips curved wickedly. "That size and shape? What else would it be?"

"Should I be insulted?"

"If it ends up looking like you, I suppose you should be flattered."

Theo grinned. He was in a better mood than he had been in years, and it felt good to return to the back-and-forth teasing that he and Labelle had indulged in since they were children.

Or at least it did, until Labelle turned to give him a piercing stare that he knew all too well would lead to trouble, usually for him.

"Some of my girls noticed the ballroom, yesterday."

Theo had no idea what to make of this comment. "Did they?" He attempted. With the ballroom restoring itself, the theater room appearing...it still amazed him, how eagerly the castle would shift itself to respond to Mable's desires.