The House of Beardsley

Chapter Twenty-two

The next day I was excused from my chores and assigned to "take care of Master Eugene's pets". I had nearly forgot about them until then.

The room where he kept his pets was furthest room down the hall, where the study also was. I knocked on the door. 

"Come in, Miss Shuyan!"

His voice rang out loud and clear. I wondered how he knew it was me: we didn't see each other that morning.

I opened the door. I didn't know what type of room I was expecting, but certainly not what was before me.

Eugene sat on a divan, before a coffee table, and around him animals ran free—rabbits on the table, lizards on his body, and even the fish in the huge tanks around the room didn't seem at all restricted or caged. They all seemed to be enjoying their private sanctuary leisurely. And Eugene fit right in, with his easygoing demeanor.

Sitting there, and surrounded by animals, he looked like a prince right out of a fairy-tale, kind-hearted and handsome, hair wavy and pushed to one side. He raised his head and his bangs fell over his eyes like a curtain.

Then he smiled when our eyes met.

"How do you like this room, Miss Shuyan?"

I struggled to find words to describe it.

"It's—it's so different from all the other rooms. There's hardly any furniture, it's so spacious."

"It is."

I looked around at the animals running freely.

"You don't cage your pets, Master Eugene?"

"Whenever I come visit, I let them out," he explained. "They are always locked up, so I want to give them as much freedom as I can while I can."

"That's kind of you."

He laughed. "Thank you. Well, don't just stand, come sit here." He gestured to an armchair the color of apricot, made of such high quality brocade it seemed like a waste to use in a room of animals.

"Yes." I walked over to the armchair and sat down. Suddenly Eugene bent over to scoop up a black and white bunny on the table and then scooped it up into his arms like it was a treasure, and turned to me.

"Do you want to pet Snow-White?"

"Sure," I said. Instead of letting me pet it, though, he handed the whole rabbit to me. I stiffened when the rabbit was in my arms. It was soft, like a bundle of soft furs, and smelled like hay and animal feed, but not unpleasant. Her little nose twitched at she smelled me, but she didn't seem afraid.

"Her name is Snow-White?" I asked. "It's very cute: it suits her."

"Yes," Eugene said, leaning back on his seat and toying with a yellow chameleon or lizard of some sort that was on his shoulder. "She reminds me of you. The black spots on her ears are like your two buns, and she's small and always scurrying about."

I blushed. Was I like that?

"Oh, but Snow-White is actually a boy," he added.

"Huh?" I didn't know how to feel even more.

He laughed, seemingly pleased at my reaction. "I always name my rabbits after princesses, my lizards after fictional characters, and my horses after gods and goddesses. We don't keep horses anymore, though."

"Are you not afraid of horses?" I asked. He turned to look at me, a bit surprised, and then he smiled.

"I guess Tobias told you what happened." I gave a timid nod.