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Chapter 12: Entertaining

When they returned home, Rita pulled the jar of mice out of the basket and carried them

inside to the kitchen. Wolfgang followed with the basket whilst Johann put away the car. Upon

entering the kitchen, Rita looked around for Gustav. She spotted him by the range and waved

him over.

"Gustav, we'll be having guests for dinner tonight. Do you think you could whip up

something suitable to welcome our little friends here?"

Gustav nodded, "Of course, Your Grace. I'll prepare them a feast to remember." The fat

stoat leaned his face in close to the jar. "Greetings, and welcome to Belmont Manor. I trust your

stay will be quite exciting."

"Thank you, Gustav. I'm sure our guests will remember your hospitality the rest of their

lives." Rita lifted the jar to her face to address the mice, who were wet and shivering and still

wearing expressions of fear. "Let's locate Bootsy and see what we can do about getting you

cleaned up before dinner."

Rita trotted out of the kitchen and back into the entryway. There was one quickest way to

find Boots. Rita set the jar on the stone floor then stood and clapped her hands twice sharply.

"Boots!"

After a few seconds, heavy clomping began to echo from down the right corridor to the

sitting room, and Boots strode into the entryway.

He bowed low to Rita, "Yes, Mistress?"

Rita crouched to pick up the jar and showed it to Boots, "We're having guests for dinner,

Boots, but sadly, they've fallen into a bit of a pickle." She paused.

Boots smiled indulgently, "Very amusing, Mistress."

"Thank you, Bootsy. However, we can't be so uncivil as to not allow our guests a chance

to clean up before dinner. Run a bath for us, would you, Bootsy? And fetch something for our

guests to float on."

Boots bowed again, "Right away, Mistress."

He headed up the curving stairs, and Rita followed him. They split ways as Boots

headed to the bathroom and Rita stepped into her bedroom. She set the mice on the dresser

whilst she replaced her hat in the closet and then pulled off the pale blue dress. She collected

the mice and marched to the bathroom, which was located at the middle of the long hall. The

hall itself was carpeted with a thin carpet patterned with intricate swirling and twisting red

branches on a golden background. The ceiling and walls were painted carmine, and the doors

to the rooms were thick oak with bronze handles.

Rita entered the bathroom, where, in the corner to the right of the door, a large, white

porcelain tub with bronze feet was being filled with warm water. The bathroom also contained a

walk-in shower with a transparent glass door at the far end and a sink, a toilet, and a bidet,

which were also made of white porcelain with bronze fixtures, on the wall to the left of the door.

The floor and walls were white marble, and the ceiling was painted gold and imbedded with

several circular light fixtures that filled the room with a warm, vibrant glow. Rita inhaled the

sweet aroma of lilac-scented shampoo and hand soap that permeated the room.

Rita unscrewed the lid on the jar and held it so that there was a small crescent-shaped

opening. She stepped over to the sink and inverted the jar. The mice squeaked in surprise as

they tumbled to the new bottom. Rita allowed all of the pungent liquid to drain into the sink

before righting the jar, causing the mice to tumble again.

"Go ahead and remove your clothes," Rita instructed. "I'm afraid we don't have anything

else for you to wear to dinner, but I'll see what Boots can do about washing yours."

The mother mouse glared at Rita defiantly, "Why should we do anything you ask us?"

she shouted.

Rita smiled calmly, "You're certainly welcome to keep wearing your wet, dirty clothes,

but I think you'll feel better in your own clean fur after our bath."

The father put his hands on his wife's shoulders and murmured in her ear. She turned to

glare at him but then removed her t-shirt, and the rest of the family followed suit.

Shortly, Boots returned and shut off the water. He was carrying the bottom of a

rectangular plastic container such as may be used for carryout.

"Will this work, Mistress?" he asked, holding out the container.

"That should do nicely. Thank you, Boots. I'll let you know if I need anything."

Rita took the container, and Boots bowed and left the room. Rita placed the container on

the edge of the sink and tilted the jar on its side with the opening over the container.

"Leave your clothes and hop in here. This will be your boat for while we bathe."

The mice filed out into the container, and Rita carried it over to the tub and carefully set it

on the water. The container glided out onto the smooth, warm pool. Satisfied, Rita smiled. She

climbed into the tub herself and slid down until the water was just below the top of her

shoulders.

"I do enjoy a nice bath. How about you folks?"

"It's not much of a bath when you're in a carryout container floating on top of it," the

mother mouse complained.

Rita plucked her out of the container and dunked her under the water. The mouse

struggled to escape from her grip, but Rita held her tightly near the bottom of the tub.

"Diane!" The father cried. He looked pleadingly at Rita, "Oh please, bring her back up,

Your Grace."

Rita smiled reassuringly, "I'm just making sure she gets to enjoy the water as long as

possible."

After a few more seconds, Rita pulled the mouse back out of the water. The mouse

gasped for breath.

Rita grinned toothily, "Did you get to enjoy the bath as long as you liked, or would you

like to go for another dip?"

"That's enough!" the mouse gasped.

"I'm glad you're satisfied." Rita placed her back in the container. "I suppose you'll all

need a bit of a rinse off before you suds up," Rita remarked. She picked up the father by his tail,

"Hold your breath."

She quickly dunked him, pulled him back up, and replaced him in the container. She

repeated the procedure with each of the children. When all of the mice had been rinsed, she

retrieved the lilac-scented shampoo from the bronze rack hooked over the side of the tub. She

squeezed a small amount out into one corner of the container.

"Lather up, and I'll rinse you again at the end," she instructed.

The mice obeyed and began rubbing the sweetly scented liquid into their fur. When they

all looked like cotton balls, Rita took them one by one and dunked them to rinse them off. She

then dunked her own head and stood up, causing a wave that sent the container skimming

across the water. The water was to her knees, so she only lathered herself down as far before

dipping back down under the water to rinse off. Once she was rinsed, she settled back into a

reclining position so that the water was only a short distance from her chin. She lifted her left leg

and nudged the container back towards her from the far end of the tub.

"Now that we're all cleaned up, we can have a little chat. First, please remind me of all of

your names. I'm afraid I can't quite remember which belonged to whom."

The father mouse pointed to himself and his wife, "Jacob and Diane." He pointed to the

two older children, "Josh and Nicole." Finally, he pointed to the smaller children, "Suzie and

Timothy."

"Thank you, I think I've got them now. So what do you two do?"

"I'm a programmer. Right now, I'm working to improve algorithms to predict consumer

buying behavior," Jacob replied.

"How interesting, and you, Diane?"

"I have four small children; that's my job," she answered grumpily.

Rita nodded, "A very important job indeed. One can hardly overemphasize the

importance of proper parenting for raising a polite and productive next generation, and I can tell

from your children's behavior that you're doing a marvelous job."

Diane's sour expression shifted to a half-smile, "Thank you."

Rita went on, "What do you think of my home so far? Lovely, yes? Aren't you glad you

decided to pay a visit after all?"

Diane scowled at her again, "Considering we've only seen most of it through a pickle jar-

"

Jacob cut her off, "What my wife means is that she'd love a full tour of your magnificent

home, Your Grace."

Rita clapped her hands, "That's a wonderful idea!"

She stood up and climbed out of the tub. She plucked the container out as well and

placed it on the floor beside her. Boots had left two fresh towels hanging on the bronze rack

attached to the wall adjacent to the tub, and Rita gave the smaller towel to the mice and began

wiping herself down with the other. When she had removed most of the water, she clapped her

hands sharply twice.

"Bootsy!"

There were a few quick thumping steps from the hall, and Boots stepped into the room.

"Blow dryer, Bootsy."

He nodded and walked across the room to retrieve the blow dryer from the glass and

bronze cabinet located between the tub and the shower. Rita turned and raised her arms, legs,

or tail as necessary while Boots dried her fur with the hot air. Rita then took the blow dryer and

turned it on the mice until they looked dry. She handed it back to Boots.

"Thank you, Bootsy. Please prepare one of the bedrooms for our guests." Rita glanced

at the diminutive folks and around the bathroom of too large appliances. "And do you think you

could find some way to help our guests access the facilities? Maybe some type of steps or

ladders. Get Howard and Edgar to help. I'm going to show our guests around the house."

"I'll see what I can do, Mistress." Boots replaced the blow dryer and left the room.

She turned back to the mice. "You can continue to ride in the container for now. I'll see if

I can find you something nicer in a minute."

She lifted them and carried them back to the bedroom. She placed the container on the

dresser and began going through the drawers to find a new transport for the mice. She found a

small, decorated jewelry box with a padded bottom. She dumped the jewelry into the drawer

and placed it next to the container.

"I'll carry you in this."

The mice climbed out of the container and into the box, parents lifting the children to

each other over the high sides. Once the mice were all comfortably arranged in the box, Rita

lifted it in both hands and held it in front of her chest.

"Perfect, now let's start your tour." She trotted out into the hall and into the room next to

hers. "Most of the rooms up here are just bedrooms, not very interesting, but this is my personal

study."

The walls of the cozy room were lined with full walnut bookshelves except surrounding

the one window at the far end of the room where the dark brown paint was visible. Next to the

window, a comfy chair with green cushions and walnut arm and legs was paired with a tall lamp

with a silvery base and a white shade. The floor was covered with soft green carpet.

"What's your favorite genre to read?" Jacob asked politely.

"Horror. Yours?"

"I like science fiction or sometimes a good mystery."

"Mysteries can be fun, but I find science fiction novels to be either boring or implausible."

"And horror novels are plausible?"

"Maybe not the monsters, but the darkness inside each of us that they represent is real

enough."

"Hmm," he sounded unconvinced.

"We'll have time to discuss literature later if you like. Let's continue with your tour."

Rita carried the mice down through the entry hall and into the sitting room. Two light blue

sofas and matching armchairs were arranged in a rough rectangle. The walls were light yellow,

and the floor was covered with royal blue carpet. There was a fireplace on the left side of the far

wall, which also had a doorway to the next room. The room was illuminated by a silver

chandelier with inverted candelabra bulbs.

"This is the sitting room. We'll have cocktails here before dinner," Rita explained.

She carried them through the doorway in the back into the living room with its dark

cream carpet, crimson and gold wallpaper, pink and gold furniture, crystal chandelier, and

carved ceiling. A fireplace was located opposite the fireplace in the sitting room.

"This is the living room," she noted as she carried them through to another doorway on

the far side.

They passed through the door and entered a large room with a ceiling composed of

glass pains in silver flames. The far wall was also composed mostly of windows. The room

contained more bookshelves, a few maple chairs and a square maple card table, a small brass

mirror telescope at the middle of the windowed wall, a grand pianoforte on the left side, and two

fishtail palms by the near wall. The floor was varnished pine, and the other walls were painted

white. The room was filled with the afternoon sun, but several lights in cylindrical silver fixtures

were distributed across the ceiling as well.

"This is the conservatory. It can also serve as a ballroom."

"Do you hold many balls?" Jacob asked.

"Not these days."

She carried them through another doorway on the same wall they had entered through

into the dining room, which contained a long oak table with oak chairs. The floor of this room

was also varnished pine while the walls were painted a warm orange. A golden chandelier hung

over the center of the table.

"This is the dining room where we'll be having dinner, and through the far door is the

kitchen. All that leaves is the basement, but I don't think you'd like it down there so close to

dinner," she finished.

"Is it very musty or something?" Jacob asked.

"Something like that. Anyway, let's go back to the sitting room, and I'll see if I can get

someone to bring us a bottle of wine."

She carried the mice back through to the sitting room. Edgar, a pine marten in a black

bow tie and black shirt collar, was pacing around the room, trying to look busy.

"Edgar, make yourself useful and fetch a bottle of pinot noir and some fruit juice for us.

Tell the kitchen we'll need the small cups we brought back from the picnic."

"Yes, Your Grace!" He bobbed his head and hurried out of the room.

Rita set the box on one of the light blue chairs and sat on the couch to the right.

"So what did you think?"

"Your house is very lovely as you said," Jacob answered politely.

Rita smiled pleasantly, "I'm glad you think so. I take it then you're glad you decided to

pay me a visit rather than whatever you were going to do the rest of the day."

"Go home to meet my mother," Diane reminded tartly.

Rita shifted her eyes to give her a withering stare, "Come now, you don't really plan to

keep up that lie. Think about the example you're setting for your children and be honest."

"I'm less concerned about that than putting them into the hands of some random

psycho!" Diane squeaked back angrily. "You said you were the Duchess, but did you expect us

to take you on your word?! And even though it seems you were telling the truth, you still haven't

told us what your intentions are! Are we staying for dinner? Overnight? What? Not to mention

how you've treated us! Kidnapped us and nearly drowned the little ones and me! And now you

want to preach about honesty?!"

Rita narrowed her eyes and replied softly, "Just as I told you, I wanted to convince you of

your vulnerability, but none of you have been in the slightest danger since we met. As for my

intentions, I intend for you to be my guests for a little while, perhaps a day or two, no more, and

then I'll send you on your way. And if Jacob's boss asks him where he's been, I'll clear

everything up."

"And that's it?" she asked suspiciously.

"That's it."

Jacob had been looking terribly embarrassed throughout the exchange. He added, "The

truth is we weren't planning to leave until tomorrow morning, Your Grace, but like Diane said,

you could have been lying about who you were. We didn't think it wise to take the risk."

Rita gave him an understanding smile, "Thank you for your honesty, Jacob. I know it

must be difficult making those kinds of decisions, especially when you have four children to

protect, so I forgive you."

"Thank you, Your Grace," he breathed, sounding immensely relieved.

There was a soft cough from the door, and Rita turned to see Edgar returned with the

drinks and cups on a silver tray. She motioned for him to enter.

"You may serve the drinks now, Edgar. Wine for me and the larger two and juice for the

smaller four."

Edgar hurried across the room and started pouring out the drinks. He had considerable

trouble with the mice's small cups, spilling all over the tray.

"Edgar, stop!" Rita commanded. "Before you get wine all over the carpet, go back and

get a pair of straws to transfer with, and clean off the tray while you're at it."

Edgar left, and Rita smiled apologetically at the mice, "Not the most competent of my

servants. But his father was a good employee, and he desperately needed the job. I try to find

him tasks where he can't hurt himself."

After a few more minutes, Edgar returned with the addition of the straws.

Rita held out her hands, "I'll take care of that, Edgar. Run along and see if Boots has

figured out a solution for helping our guests get where they need to be."

Edgar handed her the tray then dashed off. Rita used the straws to dispense into the

small cups by using her index finger to seal the top of the straw after dipping into the respective

bottles. She then filled her own glass with the pinot noir and placed the tray on the floor out of

the way.

Rita took a sip of the wine before addressing the mice again, "So how long have you

been staying in the area?"

"Almost a week," Jacob answered.

"Have you been paying attention to the news at all?"

"A little."

"Then I assume you've heard of the dreadful murder we had in Maplesburg just last

week."

"Yes, a bit."

Rita shook her head, trying to look distressed despite her inner glee, "It's just awful what

they did to that poor rabbit. He was only fourteen, you know, not so many years older than your

oldest, I suppose. Did you hear what they got from the coroner's report this morning? How his

limbs had be-

"Please! Not in front of the children!" Diane cried, trying to cover Suzie's ears.

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to traumatize the poor dears."

Diane glared at her, but Jacob waved his hand dismissively, "I'm sure it's nothing they

haven't heard on tv, but let's change to a less gruesome subject anyway."

"Alright, since you're visiting, where are you visiting from?"

"Hillsboro."

"Quite a bit to the South then. If you were trying to escape the heat, you picked the

wrong week. It's been sweltering."

"Yes, we've mostly stayed to the woods until today to avoid the sun, but it's a lovely

area, well worth the trip."

"I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Where we met today is actually part of the Belmont Estate,

so in a way, you've been visiting me the whole time without my knowing."

Jacob frowned concernedly, "If we've been trespassing, I apologize. We didn't-"

"Oh no, my residents are welcome to rent houses to whomever they like so long as they

realize that they'll be responsible for any damage done."

"That's a relief, and I promise you we haven't caused any damage or left any trash."

Rita smiled, "I didn't assume that you did. Like I said earlier, you seem a very charming

family overall."

They sat sipping their drinks for several more minutes. Rita drank hers slowly but

encouraged the mice to imbibe, frequently topping off their cups. At length, Diane and especially

Jacob began to seem quite relaxed.

"You know, when you first shoved us in that jar, I was sure you were going to let us

suffocate just how you described," Jacob divulged.

"Oh dear, you must have been terribly frightened then."

He nodded, "Petrified. And then even after the wolverine punched holes in the top, Diane

had put it into my head that you weren't really the Duchess, so I thought you were going to take

us to some dark cellar and cut us into little pieces like they did with that rabbit."

"Jacob!" Diane elbowed him.

"Oops, sorry, kids." He put an arm around Timothy's back. "But it turned out we were

worried about nothing. You really were the Duchess, and you've been very hospitable." He

shook his head wryly, "To think we went for a picnic and bumped into a duchess. My colleagues

will hardly believe it."

Rita smiled kindly, "The pleasure is all mine. It's not that often that I get to have such

pleasant company. Most of the nobility are quite intolerable."

Jacob blinked, "Are they really?"

"Well, you know the reputation foxes have, I'm sure. To put it lightly, they don't tend to

be the most sociable."

"You must be the exception then."

Rita beamed, "I'm glad you think so." Rita gulped the last of her wine. "Edgar still hasn't

come back to report on Boots' solution. If you don't mind waiting here, I'll go look for him myself.

Do you want any more wine or juice before I go?"

Jacob shook his head, "I think we've had enough, and we'll be fine while you're gone."

"Okay, but don't wander off, I'd hate to find out that Boots accidentally tromped on one of

you."

Rita trotted out of the room and up the stairs. She found Edgar sulking outside of her

bedroom.

"Edgar, what are you doing? Did you locate Boots?"

The pine marten nodded.

"You were supposed to come report back to me. Do you know where he is now?"

Edgar jerked his head at the bedroom across the hall.

Rita tried to remain patient with the sullen pine marten, "I'll talk to him myself, go back to

the sitting room and try to entertain our guests. Be nice!"

Edgar shuffled off down the stairs, and Rita stepped into the room he'd indicated. Boots

was busy making the bed.

"Sorry to disturb you Boots, but did you figure out a solution for our guests?"

"Yes, Mistress." Boots pulled a makeshift rope ladder constructed from match sticks and

twine from his jacket pocket.

Rita nodded approvingly, "Excellent work, Bootsy. Fix those around for our guests'

convenience. Did you get any help from Howard and Edgar?"

"Howard helped. Edgar, uh," he pulled a snarled mess of twine out of his other jacket

pocket.

Rita sighed. "I'd better get back to our guests before he manages to make them equally

confused. Good work again, Boots."

She trotted out of the room and back down to the sitting room.

"If you think about it, we're all just worm food in the end," Edgar was muttering gloomily.

"I don't know why people make such a big deal about how we used to eat each other. I'd rather

be eaten by an eagle than a bunch of writhing worms."

"Edgar! I said to be nice!" Rita rebuked.

"It's okay," said Jacob. "He was just, uh, putting things into perspective."

Rita looked at Edgar sharply, "Go find some way not to be a nuisance."

He got up and shuffled out of the room.

Rita looked apologetically at the mice, "Sorry about that. He's in one of his moods. It's

almost time for dinner, so why don't I take you to wash up and then to the dining room?"

"Okay," Jacob answered.

Rita carried them up to the bathroom. Boots had attached the rope ladders to the sink

and toilet with masking tape. Rita set the box on the floor.

"Let's see if you can use the sink without my help."

The mice climbed out of the box, glanced up at the rope ladder, and then scurried up to

the sink. Jacob pushed the handle to turn on the cold water, and then he and Diane helped the

children reach the running water. The mice rubbed their hands on the lilac-scented bar soap

and rinsed them again. Jacob pulled the handle to turn the water off, and finally, they climbed

back down the ladder. Rita nodded, satisfied. She washed her own hands whilst the mice

climbed back into the box and then carried them down through the kitchen to the dining room.

Rita sat at one end of the table, and the mice spread out at the other places on that end.

Gustav and the other kitchen staff had prepared a five-course meal to honor their guests. First,

there was fresh, crusty bread and an assortment of cheeses, which the mice partook in

enthusiastically. The second course was creamy potato soup whilst the third was mushroom

pasty. The main course for the mice was a seasoned squash medley with sides of wax beans

and braised beet, and for Rita, it was a fillet of mutton with sides of wax beans and a baked

potato. Finally, dessert was peach pie. The mice ate the expertly prepared dishes heartily. At

the end of the meal, Gustav emerged into the dining room.

"Was everything to your liking?" he inquired, turning to each of them with a confident

smile.

"Everything was wonderful as ever, Gustav," Rita complimented.

The mice nodded in enthusiastic agreement. "It was fantastic," added Diane. "I wish I

could eat here every night."

The plump stoat bowed graciously, "I'm delighted to hear it was to your satisfaction."

Kitchen staff came to remove the dessert plates, and Gustav returned to the kitchen with

them.

Jacob rubbed his bloated stomach, "Oof, I don't think I could have eaten another bite!"

Rita smirked; the mice were now so round that they resembled furry billiard balls with

arms and legs. "I'm pleased that you enjoyed your dinner. Well worth the trip, I hope."

Jacob chuckled, "Hahaha, I'd ride all the way from Hillsboro in a pickle jar to have a meal

like that again."

Rita giggled, "Heeheeheehee, in that case, mail yourself over anytime you like."

The mice were feeling quite drowsy after the large meal. Rita helped them into the

jewelry box and transported them back to the chair in the sitting room.

"You've all certainly had a busy day today. With your permission, I'd like to read the

children a bedtime story, and then you can all turn in early," Rita suggested.

"Please do," Jacob replied. "I'm sure they'll enjoy it."

Rita went up to her private study and returned with a book of fairy tales. Rita set the

book on the opposite chair then collected the children from the mice's chair. She placed Josh

and Timothy on her right shoulder and Nicole and Suzie on her left shoulder. She carefully

walked back to the opposite chair and sat down gently to avoid disturbing the mice from their

perch. She grabbed the book and flipped through until she found the page she wanted.

"This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood," Rita began. "Once there was a little white

rabbit who always wore a hooded red cloak. (Her mother tried to get her to wear different

clothes occasionally of course, but she was a very stubborn child.) Because of this, she was

known to all as Little Red Riding Hood."

"One day, her mother asked her to take a basket of blueberry muffins to her

grandmother, who was ill, and so Little Red Riding Hood set off through the forest to deliver the

muffins. On that same day, a wolf was also taking a stroll through the forest, and he couldn't

help but smell the sweet and delicious scent of the fresh muffins. He approached Little Red

Riding Hood and asked her if he might sample one of the muffins, but Little Red Riding Hood

was a very ill-mannered child."

"'Go get your own muffins, Fleabag!' she shouted. 'These are for my grandmother who's

ill.'"

"The wolf was taken aback but remained calm. 'I'm sorry if I startled you, Miss,' he said.

'I understand if you can't spare any of your muffins, and I'm sorry to hear about your

grandmother.'"

"Little Red Riding Hood kicked him in the shin by way of response and dashed off down

the path. The wolf was shocked by this uncivil behavior, but he still felt sorry for the sick elderly

rabbit, especially if her caretaker was this unpleasant child. So he took a shortcut through the

woods and arrived at her grandmother's house first. He knocked on the door and was answered

by a bent, old white rabbit with a cane."

"'Hello, Madam,' he greeted. 'I heard that you were ill and thought I'd offer to prepare

you a hearty meal to help put you back on your feet. What do you say I bring it over about six

this evening?'"

"The old rabbit just glared at the wolf, and then, taking up her cane, she screeched,

'Away with you, you filthy creature!' And she whacked the wolf with her cane."

"The wolf started to back away from the mad rabbit, but she pursued him, swinging her

cane violently. Finally, the wolf had had enough, and he snatched away the cane and bolted the

rabbit down on the spot. However, then he heard Little Red Riding Hood approaching, so he ran

into the house to hide. Unfortunately, there were no hiding spots large enough for the wolf. In

desperation, he tried to pull on some of the old rabbit's clothes, which were also much too small,

and climbed into her bed to use the covers to hide most of his body."

"When Little Red Riding Hood entered, she realized right away that it was the wolf from

before. (She would have had to be blind to not tell a wolf from a rabbit.)"

"'You beast!' she shouted. 'I said you couldn't have any of these muffins!' And then she

began hurling the muffins across the room at the wolf."

"The wolf was so upset to see such delicious food go to waste that he leapt out of bed

and gobbled up Little Red Riding Hood too. Then he took the remaining muffins home to have

for dessert, and they were just as tasty as he had hoped. The end."

"What about the woodsman?" squeaked Josh.

"Who?"

"The woodsman who saves Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother by cutting them

out of the wolf with his ax."

"Dear me, that would certainly be a gruesome end to the story, and it would completely

spoil the moral. You see, Josh, Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother were very rude,

and that's why they got eaten. The moral of the story is to always be polite."

"Are you going to gobble us up?" squeaked Suzie.

Rita scooped the tiny mouse off of her shoulder and held her in front of her face, "Now

why would you ask a question like that, Sweetie?"

"You're big and scary, like the wolf."

"I'm sorry I frighten you, Sweetie. But do you really think I would want to gobble you up

when I have so much good food like we just had at dinner?"

"I don't know," Suzie murmured.

Rita smiled patiently, "Well, I'll let you think it over."

She set aside the book and returned the children to their parents. The mice climbed

back into the box, and Rita carried them up to the bedroom Boots had prepared across the hall

from hers. Boots had taped one of the rope ladders to the end of the bed, and Rita set the box

next to the ladder on top of the bed. The mice walked sleepily to the head of the bed and

snuggled under the blankets where they were pulled back from the pillows. The bed was

comically large for the mice, making the pillows superfluous.

"Don't hesitate to come get me if there's anything you need," Rita instructed.

"Goodnight, Your Grace," Jacob called as she turned to leave the room.

She turned her head to glance back, "Sleep tight." She exited the room, flipping the light

off on the way.

After brushing her teeth, Rita proceeded to her own room. Rita collected her copy of

Frankenstein, which she was rereading, from the top of her dresser, crawled into bed, and

turned on the reading lamp that hung over the middle of her bed from a copper and frosted

glass fixture that was screwed into the wall. She propped one of the fluffy pink pillows against

the carved walnut headboard and settled down to read. She had been reading for around an

hour when she heard a small squeak from beside her bed. She peered over the edge of the

high bed and saw Suzie shuffling her feet on the floor.

"Do you need something, Sweetie?" Rita asked.

Suzie squeaked something in reply, but Rita had a hard time making it out.

"I'm having a hard time hearing you all the way down there, Suzie."

Rita scooted to the edge of the bed, pushed down the covers, and draped her long,

bushy tail over the edge. The tip of her tail brushed against the floor.

"Grab on, and I'll pull you up," Rita instructed.

Suzie grabbed onto her tail fur, and Rita easily lifted the tiny mouse up onto the bed.

"Now what was it you wanted?" Rita asked kindly.

Suzie looked at her feet and shuffled them on the blanket, "I wanted to say sorry," she

squeaked.

"Sorry for what, Sweetie?"

Suzie looked up at her, "For saying you were going to gobble us up. That was mean."

Rita scooped the tiny mouse up to hold her in front of her face, "And you crept all the

way through this big, dark, scary house just to apologize. I'd say you're a very brave mouse,

Suzie."

Suzie smiled, "I am?"

Rita nodded solemnly, "Yes, you are. I wish I had such a brave mouse to protect me

during the night."

Suzie puffed herself up, "I'll protect you, Miss Rita."

Rita grinned, "Will you? I feel safer already. Thank you, Suzie." She placed Suzie on the

pillow next to her. "I'm going to do a little more reading. You keep an eye out."

"Right." Suzie sat up staring out at the bedroom door.

Rita went back to reading. After a few minutes, she glanced back at Suzie. The mouse's

head and eyelids were drooping. Rita smiled and continued reading. When she had finished the

chapter she was on, she closed the book and glanced back at the tiny mouse: she was curled

into a ball on the pillow, her side rising and falling gently. Rita carefully slipped the book to the

side of the bed where it would be out of the way and readjusted her pillow. Next, she turned out

the light and waited for her eyes to adjust. When she could see by the moonlight filtering in

through the window, she scooted down until the blankets were to her shoulders. Then she

gently scooped up the tiny mouse and nestled her beneath her lower jaw. Suzie stirred slightly,

and Rita stroked her with one finger until she settled back to sleep. Finally, Rita lay down the

rest of the way and pulled the blankets up so that Suzie was nestled between the blankets and

her jaw. Rita breathed deeply before drifting into contented sleep.

* * *

Rita was awoken the next morning by frantic squeaking.

"Your Grace! Your Grace, wake up!" shouted Diane. "Suzie is missing! We looked all

around our room and the bathroom and didn't see her anywhere."

"Diane, don't worry," Rita attempted to mollify her. "Suzie is safe; she spent the night

with me." She scooped the tiny mouse out from under her chin and held her up to show Diane.

Suzie uncurled and blinked sleepily. She looked down at Diane, "Mommy? What's the

matter?"

Diane gawked at her daughter, "I-I'm sorry, Your Grace. I don't know what got into her."

Rita smiled reassuringly, "It was no problem. She wanted to apologize, and I asked her

to stay so that she wouldn't have to wander through the dark house again. Besides, it was kind

of nice having a little neck warmer." She stroked Suzie with her index finger, "You were

comfortable, weren't you, Sweetie?"

Suzie nodded, "Your fur is soft, Miss Rita."

Rita smiled warmly. Cupping the mouse securely in her hands, she crawled out of bed

then leaned down to place her by her mother.

"There you go, Diane; she's safe and sound." She stood back up.

Diane looked up at her, her expression conflicted, "Your Grace, I-I think I should

apologize too."

"Oh? What for?"

Diane's expression turned to one of embarrassment, "I think I misjudged you, Your

Grace. When we first met, I was wary because of your being a fox, and when you kidnapped us,

I was convinced that you were just as cruel and untrustworthy as the stereotype goes. But now I

see that you never meant us any harm, so I apologize for my hostility up to this point."

Rita smiled warmly, "Apology accepted, Diane, and I'm sorry if my methods were a bit

too vigorous at times. I hope we can be friends."

The mouse returned a slight smile, "I'd like that."

"Well," Rita piped, clapping her hands together. "I'm hungry. What do you say we collect

the rest of your family and go see what Gustav has prepared for breakfast?"

They crossed the hall to the mice's room where the rest of the family was still searching

for Suzie.

"I found her!" called Diane. "She was sleeping with the Duchess; she's fine."

"Oh, what a relief!" Jacob gasped. He raced over to lift Suzie under the arms. "You had

us worried sick, young lady. You should know better than to disappear like that!"

"Sorry," Suzie muttered.

"It's really my fault," Rita put in. "I could have brought her back to you last night, but I

decided to have her stay instead. I'm sorry you were worried."

Jacob looked up at her, slightly embarrassed, "No apology necessary, Your Grace.

Thank you for keeping our daughter safe."

Rita picked the jewelry box up off of the bed and set it on the floor. "Now that we're all

together, let's head down to breakfast. I assume you folks are hungry."

"Starving!" Timothy squeaked from across the room.

Rita turned her head to beam at him, "Well, then let's go see what Gustav has for us."

Gustav had prepared poached eggs, ham, coffee, and biscuits, which were brought out

shortly after Rita and company entered the dining room. Rita spread her biscuit with blackberry

jam and took a bite of the sweet and savory pastry. She washed it down with a gulp of hot

coffee with cream and sugar and paused to observe the mice tucking into their breakfast.

Timothy had already managed to cover his whiskers with yoke, and Jacob was struggling with

the oversized jar of jam. She thought back to when they had met on the sunny hill yesterday at

lunchtime. She'd been delighted to find a new set of toys, but she found now that she didn't

have any desire to torment them further. Instead, the idea of refraining from disillusioning the

mice of their rosy view of her had growing appeal. Even the suspicious Diane had apologized

for 'misjudging' her; Rita smirked at the notion. Killing them now would certainly have its own

flavor of irony, but it was a flavor she had tasted many times before. Allowing them to leave

believing they had never been in any danger but had merely spent a pleasant day with the,

perhaps eccentric, but kindly Duchess would provide a brand-new flavor or irony. My own loyal

fans to whom I am above reproach. Rita ate a bite of the salty ham and savory egg before

addressing her guests.

"After breakfast, I suppose we should return you folks to your cabin so that you can

check out and Jacob can return to work. However, if all or some of you ever want to visit again,

don't hesitate to call, and I'll be delighted to accommodate you again."

"Thank you, Your Grace," replied Jacob. "We've had a terrific visit, and if I didn't need to

go back to work, I'm sure we'd love to stay longer. But I promise we'll make every effort to take

you up on your offer to visit again."

"I don't want to go home yet!" squeaked Timothy.

"Me neither! I want to stay with Miss Rita longer," Suzie added.

Jacob frowned, "I'm sorry, kids, but that's the way it is. Besides, we can't impose on the

Duchess' hospitality any longer."

Rita contemplated the two tiny mice, "Actually, if it's acceptable for you, I wouldn't mind

keeping the little ones a few more days. Then I'll have one of the staff drive them home, so you

won't need to come back to get them."

Jacob looked skeptically at Diane before turning back to Rita, "That's very kind of you,

Your Grace, but we can't burden you that way. Like I said, we'll make every effort-" Diane

nudged him and whispered in his ear; he looked at her, surprised, and turned back to Rita,

"Diane says we should let them stay if that's what you all want. I don't want to impose on you if

you're just being polite, but-"

"It's no imposition at all! I'll be delighted to have them. Count Dubois is visiting tomorrow,

a real bore, I'd appreciate some company to liven things up."

Jacob glanced from Timothy to Suzie, "Is that what you want, kids? To stay here with the

Duchess a few days while we go home? You'll have to promise to behave and do what she tells

you."

The two mice bobbed their heads rapidly, "We'll behave, promise," said Suzie.

Jacob looked to Timothy, "Tim?"

"I'll behave too," he answered.

Jacob turned back to Rita, "I guess it's settled then. Thank you again, Your Grace. Don't

hesitate to send them home early if they're too much trouble."

"I'm sure they won't be. Let me take down your address."

Gustav got Rita a scrap of paper and pen, and she recorded the mice's address. They

finished breakfast. Then Johann brought the car to the front, and Rita carried them out in the

jewelry box. They rode slowly down the private drive with Rita holding the box up to the window,

so the mice could tell Johann where to stop.

"This is the place," Jacob stated.

Johann stopped the car, and Rita climbed out and set the box on the ground. Diane and

Jacob hugged and kissed Timothy and Suzie and then climbed out of the box with Nicole and

Josh and started into the woods.

"Have a safe trip!" Rita called. "I promise I'll take good care of your babies."

"Good-bye, Your Grace," Jacob and Diane both called back with a wave.

"I'm not a baby," huffed Timothy.

Rita smirked, "I know Timothy, but to your parents, you're still their baby." She lifted the

box. "Let's go back to the house."

Johann drove them back to the manor. Rita dug out a pack of playing cards, and the

three of them spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon playing Go Fish, War, and Old

Maid with Edgar in the sunny conservatory. Around two, Rita carried them up to their room for a

nap. When she came back downstairs, she found Boots and Howard, a white ferret wearing a

black tie and jacket, having a conversation in the entryway.

"It's not your place to say who Mistress does or doesn't spare," Boots was scolding the

ferret.

"What's this now?" Rita interrupted.

Both of them started at the sound of her voice and turned to look at her guiltily.

"We were talking about how you let the mice go," Boots admitted. "It's very unusual for

you, but I know you have your reasons."

"Reasons like she's going soft," Howard scoffed. "First, she decides to let them go, and

now she's babysitting two of them." He sneered at Rita and went on in a mocking tone, "Maybe

you'd like to open an orphanage next, Your Grace."

Rita clenched her fists and gave them both a hard stare. "I don't need to explain my

reasons to either of you," she growled softly. "But if you think I've gone soft, Howard, we can

discuss it downstairs this evening."

The ferret's nose went white as he blanched. "Th-that won't be necessary, Y-Your

Grace. I take it back. I'm sorry; I won't question your decisions again."

"Let's hope so," she murmured dangerously. She took a deep breath and blew it out.

"Right," she went on casually. "I have an errand for you, Howard." She handed him a crumpled

piece of paper. "These are Timothy and Suzie's measurements. I want you to go buy them each

a nice outfit to wear when Old Dullbois is here."

"Yes, Your Grace." He uncrumpled the paper, glanced at it, shoved it into his right jacket

pocket, and hurried out the front door.

She watched Howard go then turned to Boots, "As for you, Boots-"

"I'm sorry, Mistress, I was just trying to defend you."

"I heard, Boots. Think nothing more of it. As I was about to say, after all of that walking

yesterday, I could use a nice foot massage."

Boots grinned and nodded fawningly, "Of course, Mistress."

Rita gestured with her head toward the right corridor and the living room. "This way,

Bootsy." She trotted to the living room, and Boots followed close behind.