Marriage is Murder

Steven walked over to the cat who now sat hissing at any one who passed by her. Steven sat facing her not talking till she looked at him and spoke to him. Steven smiled " listen he brought you here because you and your kittens would have died out there, if you behave here you could live in the barn and catch the mice that live there" he said she sat down and looked at him then moved to her kittens and settled down " you promise not to scratch any one here " he asked " big like me or small " he added knowing the kids might get too close. She agreed and snuggled against her kittens and fell asleep . Steven moved from her and sat down in a comfortable high back chair to warm up a little. He saw Cassidy walk back down and moved to sit with him on his knee and rested against him.

" well looks like a white out , out side " she said leaning against him as he held her close.

"That is precisely what it is," Kate said, coming into the room, with a mug of wassail in her hand. "Lunch will be ready any minute. Angus says we should come to the dining room. The staff has gotten the kids and taken them already and have started feeding them. I guess its time for us to get some food. It smells like he's made some sort of vegetable soup. It smells wonderful."

A staff member came upstairs and very quietly knocked on Robert's door. "If you're going to knock, do it," Robert replied. The staff member found him pouring his potion into a bottle. The staff member told him about lunch. He went to Khaat and Brian's room and told them about lunch. Brian decided to let Khaat try to join them at the table. Robert apparated downstairs and Brian apparated Khaat downstairs to the dining room and helped her to a seat at the table.

"Its good to see you at the table again, my dear," her father said, sitting across the table from her.

Steven chuckled and stood up Cassidy in his arms as he carried her to the table and sat her down " smells wonderful " and I think that's not the kind of white out Cassidy had in mind for our wedding" he said looking t her as he sat down next to her at the table. Jack now bundled in a thick jumper and warm clothes came down and sat down in one hand he held a tissue the warm water helping a little but he still sneezed.

" Brian do you think Robert has any potion to stop colds " he asked his nose making him sound stuffed up as he sneezed again " I must catch colds like cats catch mice " he said and sneezed once more into his tissue as Jess walked in and sat down next to him giving him a hug as she drew off his temperature that had started to rise a little.

"Why don't you ask me?" Robert said. "This will help." He passed the potion bottle to Jess. "Standard dosing, Jess. It will cut the symptoms by about half. If he keeps it up today and tomorrow, he'll be done with it."

Angus delivered large soup bowls of minestrone with fresh crusty bread, caesar salad and for dessert a fresh chocolate cream pie. Khaat loved Angus's minestrone. It was so fresh that it reminded her of rainy nights in Tuscany when he had made it just for the pure comfort of it.

"What made you think of this?" Khaat asked him.

"Lousy weather? What goes better with being snowed in than a big kettle of comfort food? Besides, it'll make half the staff sleepy and that will help pass the time for them?"

"You sent a kettle to the barracks?"

"No."

"No?"

"I took it," he laughed.

Jess smiled and gave Jack a dose his nose slowly cleared and he breathed out " nice soup Angus " he said taking a bowl and then a spoonful and he smiled as he ate more . Jess tucked the bottle into her pocket knowing once he had eaten he would be sleepy and she would have to see him up to bed. Cassidy looked into her soup and then ate it finding she liked it too she looked at Steven then out the window at the driving snow out side.

" Robert that great hall can Steven and I use it please" she asked " I'd like to start the decorating of it \" she felt Steven touch her hand and she looked at him.

" I'll take care of that" he said and looked at Robert " if that's ok with you Robert with everything that's going on right now "

"Do as you like but the staff is already working on that. Fi did get your designs. She would have really shined as an event planner. I think you'll find she's got it all under control. But you do as you like," Robert said.

"You're stewing," Kate told them both. "I think you need to do whatever you think will stop this anxiety. If you want to take over, just ask Fi nicely and I'm sure she'll let you do as you like."

Khaat and Brian said nothing. They decided to let Kate and Robert deal with it. Personally, neither of them understood the exceptionally high nerves. They'd have understood if it had been a first for either of them. They understood wanting it right, but sometimes they appeared to be driven by their own panic rather than anything else. About that time, Dakota swiped a piece of bread from Abbey's plate.

"MINE!" she shouted at Abbey, who looked up confused and a bit stunned by finding her plate suddenly quite empty.

Steven looked at Robert and smiled " no we're fine I'm leaving it to Fiona " he saw Cassidy about to say something and looked at her so she nodded " I agree I think she will make a wonderful planner " he said taking her hand in his own " I'll find something for her to do till tomorrow " he said smiling at her as she too smiled back.

" You could teach me more wizard chess?" she asked and he nodded kissing her hand lightly.

" Of course but Khaat or Robert would be better at it than me " he said " but if it will take you mind off the wedding then I will " he said and felt her lean on him. Jack smiled along with Jess.

" that's good, because I know from experience Fiona has a wonderful sense of decoration and design " she said smiling at them.

"Dakota," Robert said to the child with a touch of firmness to his tone, "We do not do that. That's not nice." He put some strawberry jam on a slice and floated it to Abbey. Dakota's slice didn't even have butter on it. It was as dry as a bone. Dakota was angry now and she reached for Abbey's slice again.

"No," Angus tapped her little hand lightly. Dakota stuck out her bottom lip and she began to cry angrily.

"She wants the jam," Robert said. "She needs to learn she can't do bad things and get good things. She'll be fine." Abbey didn't even look at Dakota. She merely devoted herself to eating her bread and getting jam all over her face. When Robert had had enough of Dakota's angry screaming, he went over, picked her up out of her high chair and walked out of the room with her.

"Do you want me to take her?" Khaat asked her father as he began to walk out.

"No," he replied calmly, "We're just fine."

"That girl is hitting her terrible two's a bit early," Brian sighed. "She does have a whale of a temper."

Steven watched and looked at the twins and Fallon glad in one way it would be a while before they went through it with them Cassidy gave his hand a slight squeeze and smiled at him " don't even think it " she said and he chuckled " I know that look yeah they will go threw it but at different stages and both of us will be there to see them through it " she said. Steven could not help but chuckle at her as he pulled her close to him.

" Cassidy my love you for get I have already been through it once already" he said and looked at Khaat " I know Robert will make her understand that if she is good she gets good things and if shes not she won't" he said smiling " its part of her milestones , John was bad for it he would throw his toys around " he said and chuckled.

It was only a moment after Robert left with Dakota that a staff member went to Angus and handed him a parchment. Angus read it and began to frown slightly. He looked at the staff member. "Go tell Michael Tremaine at once," Angus said. "Have him go back and sort it out. I want him here. I'll tell Robert myself."

"I believe Mr. Tremaine is in the library," the worker said.

"Most likely," Angus said. "Find him. I want him on this now."

"Problem?" Brian asked.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Andrew Diamond did not get on the train to leave the school for the holiday break. The school reports he is not there either but they don't have a record of him leaving the grounds. We don't know where he is," Angus said.

"Let's not panic yet," Brian said. "Andrew is more streetwise than all of us put together. But your choice is correct. Michael can get onto school grounds and he can get into places on the street we'd never penetrate. The rest of us will wait for Michael's report. Telling Robert can wait for a few moments. Telling him now will change nothing. There is little any of the rest of us can do. We'll wait."