A Work of Artifice (Part 2)

When I told Cecile about the situation concerning Beverley, Angelica and the mayor, her reaction was much as I'd anticipated. A mother with fire in her eyes, wanting to protect her baby. She was gearing up to a confrontation with Angelica, but I blocked her way.

"No, Cecile. I don't put my foot down often, but I need to stop you doing something you'll regret."

"I need to talk to her," she said through clenched teeth. I'd not seen her so angry in a long time.

"You will, my love. But not until you've calmed down and have it clear in your mind how you can best proceed."

She glared at me, so I continued. "Remember how you felt when Rowan returned to the village? How worried you were that he was going to leave again? Angelica is his wife and he loves her. Do you really want to put your brother in a position where he has to choose between the two of you?"

"But Angelica is in the wrong."

"Doesn't matter. It will still affect your relationship with Rowan."

"So what are you saying? I can't leave things as they are."

"You won't. We won't. You didn't see how this affected Beverley."

Cecile's paw went to her mouth. "What am I like? I need to see her."

"Fine. But leave it a while. She is intent on finishing her painting; it is a good distraction for her."

After nodding slowly, she fixed me with a gaze. "I'm so angry, Jack. What should I do?"

I had already thought about this. "First of all, remember the Bake Off and how you felt about Rudolph Patissier. How you regretted your hasty action. You have to force yourself to calm down so that you're in control when you speak to Angelica."

Cecile looked away. The incident of supposed "un-Sylvanian behaviour" was still an embarrassment to her; I hated bringing up the subject but she had to realise that she was capable of acting contrary to her best interests. She sighed and turned back to me.

"You're right Jack. It wouldn't help anyone if I started shouting and saying unforgivable things."

I relaxed. "Good. We have to think about what Angelica was trying to do. She may not even realise how this has affected Beverley. In fact, until she came to realise the consequences of her actions, Beverley probably thought she was being the saviour of the Melting."

"Then you don't think Angelica was simply being manipulative?"

I shook my head. "Like you, she's a strong woman. And maybe she also needs to better consider the consequences of her actions before she implements them."

"You think I'm a strong woman?"

I had to laugh. "Like that was ever in doubt."

There was a hint of a smile about Cecile's lips. A good sign she was calming down. She adopted an earnest expression. "I still need to talk to her. Soon."

"I know. But remember that they're coming to lunch tomorrow. Sleep on it. Maybe that will give you some insight on how to proceed. To let Angelica know how all this has affected our daughter."

Cecile reached out and squeezed my paw. "Thank you, Jack. Now leave me so I can make our tea, then I really must go and give Beverley a hug."

Giving her a sideways glance as I left the room, an involuntary deep sigh escaped my lips. I wondered what tomorrow would bring.

o 0 O 0 o

A sunny morning revealed a much-changed Cecile. She was back to the serene, in-control rabbit that most people see. She bustled around the house, making preparations for the meal alongside other jobs each of which she seemed to complete within minutes. Such tasks alone would have taken me half a day to do.

Almost magically, everything was done and Cecile was relaxing with a glass of lime and mint cordial when the Ivory family arrived.

Beverley greeted Aster with a hug and they disappeared up to her room. Brendan informed Figwort that Orton had set up a board game for the three of them to play, and ushered him out too. As Eliza and Merlin were kindly looking after Russell, that left four adults remaining. But not for long.

Cecile smiled sweetly at Angelica. "Would you give me a hand in the kitchen, dear? I'm sure Jackson and Rowan can entertain themselves for a short while."

I shot a concerned look at her, but she simply smiled and blew me a tiny kiss. I watched the two women disappear through the door. And there was a definite silence when they left, broken by Rowan.

"Beverley?"

I swung around to meet his amused face. "You know?"

"'Course I know. Angelica told me all about it."

I sat down beside him. "And?"

"Well, I wish she'd told me before she did it. Then I could've advised her to think again." He nodded towards the door. "I'm surprised Cecile wasn't spitting feathers, knocking down our door. She does know all that happened, doesn't she?"

"Oh yes. Although I only found out from Beverley yesterday. I told Cecile when she came home."

"Wow." He blinked. "She seems oddly calm. Emphasis on the word 'oddly'."

"You're not filling me with confidence, Rowan. I thought I'd defused the situation."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"Nothing. I expect Cecile has a more mature outlook than back in the day when I benefited from her beetroot bubble bath."

I imagined Rudolph Patissier with an icing crown and I wasn't too sure.

"Angelica doesn't mean any harm you know," said Rowan. "It's just that sometimes she gets an idea in her mind, only sees the positives, and runs with it. I guess that smattering of unpredictability is what attracted me to her. You know how I like a touch of adventure in my life."

"I get that. But sometimes the negatives..."

"...need to be appreciated. And when they can affect people you care about..."

"...or anyone else."

"Yeah, sure. Anyone else. But no-one wants to hurt family."

"Beverley only realised the consequences yesterday."

"Poor kid." Rowan peered again at the open living room door.

Through it, I heard the front door open and close. Cecile briefly popped her head into the room.

"Angelica's had to run a short errand. She should be back before lunch is ready."

And with that, Rowan and I were alone again.

"Now what?" I said.

"Nothing to spoil in the oven, I hope."

o 0 O 0 o

(To be continued...)