Chapter 13 (Loveday De Noir)

I had never slept as well as I did last night. Of course, compared to the last couple of nights, its no wonder I had such a good night in my soft, comfortable bed. The accommodations for the last couple of nights had been horrendous. The company had been... I stopped myself from thinking about the De Noirs, especially one specific De Noir boy.

After my kidnapping, Uncle and I decided it was best if I stayed in the house. Unfortunately, that meant no gardens, or no trips on Etoile. Though I missed the freedom of going outside, I understood the urgency. The De Noir clan would want me dead at this point, and I rather enjoyed life too much to cut it short now. I realize now that such thoughts a week ago would have been ridicules, and yet this was no laughing matter now, no matter how much I wanted to laugh this all off as a bad joke. Greeaat, this stupid curse is changing so much, at least in my life. But, of course, when I tried to talk about the curse with Uncle, he rebuked me sternly.

"There is no such... curse, on this valley," Uncle was almost angry, "Do you understand?" I stared at him, or, more correctly, glared at him.

"You have to be kidding me. All the parts of the curse are coming true! You cannot just ignore i-" I was actually begging with my Uncle; I could not remember the last time I had begged!

"I can and I will, it is all a bunch of talk, a reason to explain the failed crops, to give the De Noirs a reason to hurt this family more than they already have!" his voice was rising with every word. My brow wrinkled at the last part. How had the De Noirs already hurt us? Besides the obvious.

"Uncle, the failed crops, the reason animals are so scarce in the forest, the house is falling down, and -" I was not giving up on this; he had to listen to me. Didn't he see how important this all was? Men could be so obstinate.

"Enough! I am through with this conversation," he swept out of the room before I could reply. I narrowed my eyes at his retreating figure and a little puff of air escaped my lips. Whatever, why should I care if my Uncle decides to ignore everything. Damn pride. It is his choice and I refuse to waste energy worrying about it.

When I saw him later, though, he seemed to have forgotten of our conversation completely. I glared at him quizzingly for a moment before I chose to say no more about it: I did not want him mad at me again, especially so soon after I came home. All the same, I would not surrender. This was an argument for another time.

After our heated 'conversation', I took refuge in the kitchen. I was not in the mood to do lessons, though I was sure Miss Bennet was out talking to Digweed; they seemed overly fond of each other now-a-days. I rolled my eyes.

Today, Marmaduke was working on cream-puffs. I asked him if there was a special occasion.

"Do I need a special occasion to create cream-puffs?" He asked. I laughed, and closed my eyes, capturing this moment in my mind. With all that was going on, I wanted to remember the good times, the calm times.

"Of course not, I only thought, since your going to the trouble of making them-"

"Little Princess, I enjoy cooking and baking, making cream-puffs. To me, everyday is special enough to make cream-puffs or some other desert. Tomorrow, I think we shall have stargazer pie with strawberries, unless you think we need a special occasion to eat that as well," he teased lightly. I raised my eyebrows, "Good," he stated. I sat down on the bench, stretching my legs out in front of me, ignoring the multitude of wrinkles being created.

Marmaduke spoiled us (me) way too much, but I was not complaining. At least here, I could eat whatever I wanted when I wanted; without being looked down upon, that is. I did not care what other people thought of me, but in London, ladies were always meant to be stick thin. I laughed remembering the time I ate almost an entire cake. How long was I 'shunned?' Probably about a week or something: heaven. Here, Miss Bennet still scolded me for eating too much, but I was not obese, so why did it matter. I saw absolutely no point in starving myself for some pointless social reason.

"Marmaduke," I asked after a few moments, "Who is Loveday?" The whole kitchen froze. Marmaduke actually did a little weird turn, resulting in his disappearance and reappearance on top of the stove. I gave an inward laugh; how long since he had last done that? If his balance wasn't so good, he would have fallen off.

"How do you know that name?" Marmaduke asked in a falsely cheery voice. He seemed to gather enough control to pop back down to the ground, and he continued to cut carrots for tonights dinner, "Your Uncle did not mention her, I am sure," his cutting seemed to be slower, less steady.

"Nope," I replied, hiding my confusion, but letting my amusement show through a bit, "I just heard the name around."

"Around where?" he muttered, before turning his attention back to me, "The name Loveday has not been mentioned in this household in-

"Over ten years," I guessed. I picked a loose thread from my black-blue dress.

"You met her, didn't you," he whispered, stoping his pretense of making dinner and turned to look at me. His knife had been cutting the same carrot even when there was nothing left to cut. I nodded my head, my eyes never leaving Marmaduke's; living in London society had taught me at least on valuable talent: reading the body language of others. He shifted his weight, as if wanting to make a run for it, but then settled back into the hells of his feet, swaying a bit. There was lengthily pause. I wanted an explanation, and I could practically see the gears in Marmaduke's head, trying to find a way out of telling me.

"Well, are you going to tell me, or should I ask Uncle?" With a swish of my skirt, I dramatically made as if to leave. I was startled, though only slightly, as he appeared in front of me with a slight Pop, and I backed up quickly into a pile of pots. We both ignored the clatter as copper and silver pots and pans tumbled down.

"Do not," he glanced over his shoulder, as if expecting to see Uncle in the door frame. Sighing, he continued, "I will tell you everything, but first, sit down." I sat down, occupying my previous seat. I arranged my dress around myself (not that I really care if it gets even more rumpled), and, once I was comfortable, he continued, "Do not interrupt me or I will not finish my story," he warned, "Where to begin? Well, no place like the beginning.

"Sir Benjamin always loved going into the forest, despite his father's warnings of the De Noir clan who controlled most of the forest. He would often ride for hours, disappearing at dawn, and coming home at dusk. It was soon apparent why, he was courting a young woman, Loveday, who seemed to live in the village, but spent quite a bit of time in the forest.

"They seemed perfect for each other, and indeed, anyone who saw them would say they were meant to be. The couple were madly in love, almost inseparable. You could tell by looking in their eyes when they were without each other, that they were dying to see each other again, and you could see when they were together, how they could not be happier. They were the sun and moon to each other, and, one day, not unexpectedly, Sir Benjamin had proposed to Loveday. No one in the Merryweather family had met Loveday's family, but for some reason, no one cared. Everyone was too charmed by her wit, too happy for Sir Benjamin.

"That winter, two events occurred to test them and change their lives. Sir Edward Merryweather, Sir Benjamin's father, got deathly ill of an unknown disease. At the same time, an uproar occurred at the De Noir castle. They did not know what, but they could tell Coeur De Noir was unhappy. The forest seemed to be teeming with more De Noir men than normal. On Sir Edward's deathbed, he wished to see Sir Benjamin and Loveday one last time, for they were the future of Moonacre Manor. Years before, Sir Edward's only other son had left Moonacre, never to be heard from again, until you, Beka. Of course, Sir Benjamin went out immediately in search of his bride-to-be. Instead of finding her in their normal meeting spot, though, Sir Benjamin heard a loud shout from the forest, and immediately went in to find out what was the matter. He found Loveday being pursued by De Noir men. He helped her up onto his horse, and they rode away to the safety of Moonacre Manor.

"Loveday agreed to see Sir Edward one last time, and he died contently. Once they were alone once more, though, Loveday collapsed in tears, saying something about De Noir, and family. Sir Benjamin, not understanding a word she said comforted his love. As the new head of the Merryweather family, and owner of Moonacre Manor, he would do everything in his power to keep Loveday safe from the monsters of the De Noir clan. At this, Loveday pulled away, horrified. She told Sir Benjamin she had kept something vital from him, something she should have told him a long time ago. She told him her deepest secret, something she had hidden away from even him for years. She was a De Noir, Coeur De Noir's daughter. Sir Benjamin was appalled and shocked with this sudden information. Right after his father's death, he felt like the only person he could lean on was Loveday, and now she was no longer there: she was the enemies daughter.

"She tried to talk to him, to reason with him, but he was hurt. She loved him, and she felt their love could end the curse, but he would have none of it. It was a sad day for us a Moonacre Manor. She ran out crying. It seemed the Manor really died once she left," he sighed, "Sir Benjamin was almost never the same again, and no matter how much happiness was brought to the manor, this dark cloud is forever above it to those who remember." There were a few moments of silence. It seemed to stretch out for ages. I nodded absentmindedly, it all made sense. The De Noirs had hurt Uncle, in a way; but he hurt himself equally by not listening to Loveday. As for Loveday, I now understood some of her previous reactions to the mention of the De Noirs and the Merryweathers; she must feel like an outsider in both families, even her very own kin.

"Oh, Marmaduke, that is horrible. But there must be something we can do about it," Marmaduke smiled at me.

"If anyone can fix it, it is you," Marmaduke looked as if a slight weight had been lifted off his shoulders, the weight of the truth untold. At the same time, I felt an extra burden fall upon my back. Perhaps I was a moon princess, but still, even I could not fix every problem of this valley; people had to start standing up and facing their dilemma's themselves. I sighed... still...

"I am going to do it," I was determined to prove I could do this, for myself, for my family, for this valley, "I am going to save the valley, and bring Loveday and Uncle back together, they deserve to find love, and be together. They still love each other, I can feel it."

"Aye, love like that just does not go away over night."

Hey readers!

FINALLY! Chapter 13 has been posted and Chapter 14 is on its way!

I am SOOOOO sorry that it has taken me this much time to get back to my writing. I know it has only been a couple of weeks, but I know what it is like to want an update and it does not come for like a month or something. If you have read my profile, it tells you why I have neglected my writing, but I will say it again. Major writing block, and too much homework. The homework will probably continue to be a problem, but for every problem there is a solution.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really helped. It also helped motivate me into getting back onto my computer and write! I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story. I know this chapter is kinda boring, and i am sorry, but I am definitely putting in more action later.

Enjoy and I hope to update soon!

:)