Once Upon a Dream

Chapter 31

Angelique started to run away from the tea area, but her mother caught her.

"Angelique! How dare you disobey me! You were forbidden to step away from Henri!" she shouted.

"But Mamon, I must hurry" said Angelique. 

"Would you like to tell me why?" said Agathe.

"Monsieur Leicester has peritonitis" said Angelique.

"All the more reason to let him be."

"But he wants me."

"He cannot have you. You are betrothed!"

"But peritonitis is very dangerous. He may be dying" said Angelique.

"One less man to worry about. He can no longer stand in our way" said Agathe. 

Newton was so mad that this woman was willing to let someone die for the sake of getting her way. 

"This has gone far enough. Far enough" he mumbled.

He marched up to Agathe with a fearless face. "Now just a minute, you short-tempered windbag!"

"You! Didn't I tell you to stay away from my daughters?" Agathe snapped.

"Never mind!" Newton snapped back. "I would like a word with the burgermeister."

"Oui, Monsieur?" said Claude, hoping for something good. 

"How would you like to have your son bedridden with peritonitis?" Newton asked.

"Henri? Ill with peritonitis?" said Claude.

"I see what you are doing, Monsieur. That is an entirely different matter" said Agathe. 

"Is it" said Newton.

"Entirely" Claude agreed.

"My partner Monsieur Leicester is no different than your own children. Now you let Angelique see him or I'll have Camille marry Henri" Newton threatened.

"Quoi?! A spare marry my son?! Utterly preposterous!" Claude bellowed. 

That response made Newton even angrier. "Must you treat Camille with such disrespect?"

"The wretch gets headaches when she hears a loud noise" said Agathe.

"Wretch? You realize your daughter has autism, eh?" said Newton. 

"You are wasting your time, monsieur. My daughter is betrothed for the sake of the families" said Agathe.

"Whatever you two are fighting over, can't you just forget it instead of making your children miserable?" said Newton. 

"That would be easier for Agathe. She forgets everything" said Claude.

Agathe scoffed. "So what if I forgot one of your many anniversaries?" 

Then the two parents started fighting again. 

"Angelique, run while you can" said Henri.

"No, monsieur Babineaux. I think I know how to calm your father now" said Newton.