Diana

"Damien!" She exclaimed, finally reaching the bottom of the staircase.

Her large intimidating voice was quite the opposite of its owner; a petite middle-aged redhead woman who couldn't be anything over 5"feet tall. Her large long sleeved dress of purple and yellow patterns could swallow her up, yet it did nothing to give her a fuller appearance.

She moved to Damien Jaeger, kissing him in greeting, "Oh, my princess is here!" She exclaimed, fingering Darcy who had just opened her eyes.

"She looks just like you, my boy." She added. I noticed that her voice had a hint of a French accent as she spoke but it was not as thick as the old maid who had welcomed us. She was obviously not a French native.

To relieve the tension of not yet being noticed, my eyes critically scanned the interior of the mansion; Furniture made of very hard wood and soft cushions of dark colours sat in the living room. By the bricked walls sat more scary looking statues and large flower vases with no traces of plants whatsoever. My eyes moved to the chandelier and I studied its teardrop diamonds, deciding that it was the only thing I admired in the mansion so far.

"Mélie." Diana called.

My head moved so swiftly to meet her that I was sure that it would have fallen if it wasn't attached to my neck, "Yes?"

She looked at me sternly and I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Come here!" She said, a smile suddenly appearing on her face. Her hands opened to welcome me for a hug.

"You are just as beautiful as he said you were." Diana whispered into my ear.

I blushed at her compliment as we parted the embrace, "Thank you."

"Merci." She said, "It means thanks in French"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, "Merci."

She smiled, "Want me to teach you?"

"I'd love that!"

"This way." Diana said, turning to the stairs once again, "You must be tired. Go freshen up and come down to dinner."

"What do you think?" Damien Jaeger asked as we followed Diana behind.

"What do I think?"

"About Diana, of course."

"I think..." I said and puffed a breath, "I think she's charming!"

"Told you that you'll like her." Damien Jaeger said, "I'm never wrong, you know." He added, teasingly.

"Whatever!"

"Mommy, is that a dog?!" Darcy asked, pointing at yet another statue just above the staircase.

"It's not a dog sweetie, it's a…" I halted , trying to figure out myself, what the heck that was.

"Any ideas, Damien Jaeger?" I asked.

"You should ask Diana this one."

"What? I thought you knew it all?!" I said, teasingly.

"Okay, I'll tell you. It's a Dragon-snake-fish!" He said, feigning such hyperbolic seriousness and I burst into laughter.

"Don't believe him Darcy!"
~

It was 8 pm on the dinner table. Unlike Damien Jaeger's, this dinner table was much smaller and therefore, We sat very close to each other. I surveyed the meal as the old maid dropped them on the table only to return to the kitchen to get some more.

"Ever tried French meals?" Diana asked, "Aside from Fgrench toasts and french fries and french breads of course."

I chuckled, "Well in that case, I guess not!"

"To truly appreciate French meals, it is important to consume it in the right order." She continued, "Une entree (appetiser), le plat principal (Main dish) and finishing off with cheese or dessert of course!"

"We start with soup." She added with such excitement as though she was trying it out for the first time ever.

Over the course of dinner, she chatted about her love for Paris and how she had lived here since her early age of 18 being married to an old man that she did not love, "The house belongs to him." She said.

"I didn't like it a single bit before but I slowly started to love it!" She added, "And now, I can't imagine living anywhere else, you know!"

I simply smiled, not knowing what to say. I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't fancy the gothic mansion. Eventually, I thought, I might grow to like it myself.

"Hmmmm, this tastes amazing!" I exclaimed, munching into my meal.

"That is Cassoulet!" She said, "Made from sausage, beans, and meat that is slow-cooked all together."

"Suzanne makes the best homemade dishes! She added, referring to her old maid who had prepared our meal.

My eyes moved to Damien Jaeger who had been quiet the entire time, staring at Diana and I with an amazed expression on his face.

"What happened?" I asked him, curiously.

"Seems to be a little jealous of our togetherness, I suspect!" Diana said so comically that I laughed.

Damien Jaeger chuckled, "Why would I be jealous when I have my princess right here with me?" He said, gesturing to Darcy who was sitting on his thighs, "And unlike my Queen, my princess doesn't fancy being loyal to anyone else."

"Between me and you," Diana whispered, drawing close to Damien Jaeger as if she was about to share some hot gossip, "Your princess will pick your queen over you anytime!"

"Isn't that right, little one?" She asked, turning to Darcy who was cluelessly munching off her plate.

Little Darcy swallowed as if she had a rock in her mouth and parted her lips as if she was about to say something serious, "I want chocolate, grandma."

Diana laughed and passed Darcy a bowl of hot chocolate without complaining. "So," She said, turning to me, "How did you 2 meet?"

My cheeks heated up and I eyed Damien Jaeger, unable to answer the question myself. It was not your typical American lovers story, nor was it a dramatic meet cute.

"I'll tell you all about it, Diana." Damien Jaeger said, "Now's not the right time."

"Ah, a little awkward?" Diana exclaimed, already having a faint idea about what went down.

"In that case," She said, changing the subject, "Mélie. You should tell me about yourself."

"Oh." I exclaimed silently, having been caught off guard. I wouldn't mind at this instance, telling her about the one night stand experience with Damien Jaeger instead.

Damien Jaeger seemed to have noticed my look of discomfort, "Diana, I don't think she…"

"It's fine, Damien." I cut in. Even though I did not tell him about my past, I was sure that his little investigations did.