Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long. I've been chipping away at this chapter for quite a bit. My lovely friend who edits my work is unfortunately busy all summer so I am left to do it by myself. Hopefully I didn't miss too much! As always I'll ask for reviews. Thank you kind readers!
"What are you doing here?" asked Maurice, alarmed.
He cocked his head slightly and I realized that he was more curious than angry. If I was smart I could use this to my advantage and not get in trouble.
"We were looking for Belle," said LeFou before I could speak.
I was glad he was being honest. Surprisingly, LeFou said exactly what I would have.
"She's not here," muttered Maurice, still puzzled.
"I'm sorry, sir," I said, dipping my head, "It's just, I'm investigating Gaston's disappearance. We realized Belle had disappeared as well and thought if we looked inside here we could find something that tells us where Belle had gone."
"Gaston didn't return to the village with the rest of the hunters!?" Maurice exclaimed.
I really hoped that Maurice would forget that we were trespassing in his house if he was distracted by some other strange occurrence.
"Everybody knows that," said LeFou.
"I had no idea," whispered Maurice, "These past few days have been a little hectic, with the wedding and all. I haven't even met the groom in person yet! I've barely talked to my daughter, and now I've come to gather some of our things and take them to the castle."
"What wedding?" I asked.
"Castle!?" questioned LeFou. He took a step forward and lost his balance, grabbing at the air. He landed awkwardly on the sofa and quickly got back up.
"I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Please sit down," said Maurice, gesturing to the sofa.
LeFou sat down hard, bouncing up a little bit after.
I smiled on the inside, realizing that Maurice had indeed forgotten that he had not invited us in himself. For a brief moment I wondered if he really was that crazy, but pushed the thought aside. Belle had revealed the beast he spoke of was real, so he really was just a quirky old man.
"Well a few nights ago, Belle summoned me to the castle that had had the beast. No idea what happened to it, but she told me that the prince living there had proposed to her. She said he meant to ask for my blessing, but was flustered and forgot. I trust her, though. I asked about the beast and the cursed objects and Belle promised she would explain it to me, but she's been so busy lately. I've come back here to gather a few things and then will stay at the castle until the wedding. As soon as I come back she'll explain it all," Maurice explained.
"Belle is marrying a prince?" I asked, confused. I had never heard of any prince living around here.
"Yes, I've been trying to wrap my head around it myself," Maurice sympathized.
"Is the beast gone?" LeFou piped up.
"I suppose so, but I've no idea," replied Maurice, "If you two are so curious, why don't you come with me to the castle to find out? I'm sure Belle won't mind."
I was touched at how kind this man was, especially to LeFou, considering LeFou clearly had wanted Maurice thrown in the asylum. Perhaps he didn't remember. LeFou shifted on the couch, clearly uncomfortable.
"I'll pass," LeFou finally muttered.
"Well, if you're sure," said Maurice, shrugging.
"I think I would like to go with you," I said, a little nervously.
I needed to find out what happened to Gaston. I wished LeFou would come, but I figured his feelings on Maurice and Belle were mixed. I couldn't blame him, and I was still slightly annoyed that he wouldn't tell me what his part was in Gaston's scheme to marry Belle. He knew I knew he had helped, but he wouldn't speak of it. Whatever it was, it clearly had something to do with Maurice. He might have felt that he should wait until I ask him, but to be honest I had the feeling it was something he would have to tell me himself.
I just felt that there would be some information that I could learn from LeFou, some clue that I could be missing. If only he would tell me! Still, if I went to the castle, I would probably learn almost everything. The key to this entire investigation is Belle, and I was sure to find her.
"Alright, I just need to grab a few things and then I'm making my way back to the castle. You can sit on the back of the wagon, there's plenty of room," Maurice stated.
He left the room to go track down his belongings, and I was left alone with LeFou.
"Gosh, what luck!" he said to me.
"It was really kind of him to invite us to go with him," I replied.
"Yeah, I guess," LeFou muttered, "Adelaide, please be careful. If Belle's there, and if she did something with Gaston missing, just, just don't get hurt."
"I'll be okay," I almost whispered, surprised at his words, "I need to find out the truth. That's what I promised you."
"Oh, good luck," said LeFou quickly.
Before he said anything else he stood up and walked out the door. I was slightly alarmed at his suddenness, but since he wasn't coming I suppose there was no reason for him to stay.
After Maurice gathered his things, he led me to his wagon and off we went to the castle.
While riding through the forest to get there, I reviewed possible scenarios for what might have happened to Gaston.
1. The beast killed Gaston.
My main problem with this theory is that it doesn't explain what happened to the beast.
2. Gaston killed the beast and was held hostage by the enchanted objects.
I haven't mentioned this one to anyone yet, but for right now I think it's the most likely. When I think about it, the enchanted objects obviously had something against the men coming in the castle. Odds were, they tried to protect the beast, and if Gaston did kill the beast and they got a hold of him, who knows what would have happened. I need to find out what happened to the objects, though, as from what Maurice said they seemed to have disappeared.
3. Gaston (whether he killed the beast or not) was murdered.
Perhaps the enchanted objects murdered him for killing the beast. Maybe one of the men in the village was jealous and decided to sneak off and kill Gaston, knowing the beast would be the perfect cover. Perhaps Belle herself killed him. Her motive would have been revenge for Gaston's scheme to have her marry him. However, Belle didn't strike me as a person whose heart would be so easily filled with revenge. Could Maurice have killed him? I don't think so. It was suspicious that both disappeared after that night, but I suppose it was excused. I would find out soon enough how much this theory holds.
4. Gaston left of his own accord.
Gaston, so ashamed that Belle refused him, decided to leave the town forever and start over somewhere else. He theoretically could have failed at killing the beast as well, and was too ashamed to admit it to the town. Or maybe he killed the beast and went to a neighboring town with its pelt to make a name for himself. I would think Gaston would have told somebody, like LeFou, if this had been his plan. Still, sometimes people do unexpected things and nobody can really explain why.
"You seem deep in thought," Maurice said to me.
"What? Oh, sorry. I'm just thinking about what happened to Gaston," I admitted.
"I wish I could help," he said genuinely.
I had no doubt that Maurice was being honest. I threw out any thoughts of Maurice having a hand in Gaston's disappearance. There was no way this old man meant any harm to anyone.
"You're helping out a lot, taking me here," I told him with a smile.
"It's no trouble. I'm wondering what's going on, myself," he said, "Look, the castle is just up ahead."
My jaw dropped. The castle was the most beautiful piece of architecture I've ever seen in my life. It sat at the top of a little mountain, with a moat all around it. I could hardly take it in. It seemed to be taken from a picture in a storybook.
"It's gorgeous," I said.
"Oh, it's beautiful," agreed Maurice, "I'll drop you off near the front while I take care of the wagon."
He dropped me off and I stood in front of the huge doors. I took the knocker and pounded it against them. A very round man opened the door and smiled genially at me, although looked slightly flustered that I was there. In the strangest way, he reminded me of the clock my father has in his study.
He cleared his throat.
"And what can I do for you?" he asked. His accent sounded English.
"Oh, hello, I came here with Maurice," I explained quickly.
"Whatever for?" the man replied with that same pinched voice.
"Ah, Cogsworth, let her come in," said somebody else.
The speaker had a heavy French accent, which is something very strange to say considering that everybody around speaks French with a French accent, but I've no other way to describe it. This man stepped forward, revealing himself to be tall with a large nose. He was vaguely attractive, much more so than the round man, but his smile implied that he was overall much more charismatic.
"Absolutely not," replied the pudgier man. I had the feeling he only wasn't letting me in because the man wanted to.
"Don't be silly, come in, come in," said the taller man.
He ushered me inside while the other fumed.
"I am Lumiere, and my fellow gentleman here is Cogsworth. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
He kissed my hand, causing me to blush. I'm sure he did that to all the young ladies who came to the castle, but it wasn't something that happened to me every day.
"I'm Adelaide," I replied, of course awkwardly. No matter what I do, it all seems to come out awkwardly.
"Yes, yes," said Cogsworth, "now, what is your business here? Belle's father said nothing of bringing a guest."
"Cogsworth, you're being rude! She's our guest. Surely by now you must know to be kind to those who come to our door," Lumiere pointed out.
"Did I send her away? I think not!" Cogsworth huffed. "But we can't just let any Tom, Dick, or Stanley come in our castle. Not everyone can be trusted."
"Ah, but her name is Adelaide."
"The point is, we need to find out the reason why they come to the castle. We're not a hotel," replied Cogsworth, becoming exasperated.
From what I could tell, this wasn't the first time (and I doubted that it would be the last time) that these two had this conversation. I carefully watched them, trying to figure out what information I could gain from each. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a word in with all their arguing, so all I could do was watch.
"What is going on here? Who is this?" an overweight woman with kind eyes asked, approaching the entryway. She also had an English accent.
"This is Adelaide, of course," replied Lumiere, "She came with Belle's father."
"Hello, my dear, I'm Mrs. Potts," she greeted me, shaking my hand.
"Nice to meet you," I said, smiling.
"What brings you here?" she asked me.
"You see? Ask them what they want," muttered Cogsworth, sending Lumiere a death glare.
"I was only being polite," Lumiere answered.
"Hush, you two. Let her speak," said Mrs. Potts, slightly crossly.
I smiled gratefully, glad somebody could save me from the two arguing servants. Not that I didn't find them entertaining, but there was a very specific reason I was here, and it wasn't to dilly dally around a castle.
"I'm here to find out what happened to one of our townsmen," I explained.
"Why do you need to come here to find that out?" asked Cogsworth.
"Because this is the last place he's been seen."
My statement was met with silence. The three of them looked at each other, not sure what to say. I couldn't quite figure them out. Was it possible they knew where Gaston was? Perhaps they had some connection with the enchanted objects.
Honestly, I couldn't figure this castle out. Wasn't it supposed to have enchanted objects? For a moment I wondered if the men had simply drunk too much before coming here. But all of them see the same thing? No that didn't make sense. Besides, how did that explain the magic mirror?
"Ah, I see you've met Adelaide," said Maurice, coming in the door.
"Maurice, so glad you've returned," said Mrs. Potts warmly.
"Yes, it's very nice not having to be thrown in the dungeon when I come here," said Maurice, laughing.
Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts all laughed with him, but slightly awkwardly. I paid little attention to them, however, as I was more focused on Maurice's statement. He had been thrown in the dungeon? I struggled to remember the rumor I heard around town about Maurice raving about a beast. Wasn't there something about it locking Belle away? I couldn't remember anything about Maurice being locked away, but maybe he had escaped.
"Belle is very busy, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind sparing a minute to see you," said Mrs. Potts.
"Ah, yes, but could she see Adelaide as well? She came to speak with Belle," Maurice explained.
"I'm not sure there would be time for that," said Cogsworth stiffly.
"Are you sure?" asked Maurice.
I was really glad he was speaking up for me, as I found the three servants slightly intimidating. I'm not entirely sure servants is even the right word to describe them, as I knew very little about castles. Honestly, what I knew about castles came from bedtime stories my parents would tell me as a little girl. Besides that I had no idea what to expect, especially since there was no demon furniture in sight.
"I'm sorry, dear," said Mrs. Potts, "but Cogsworth is right. There's simply no time for her to speak with you. She barely has time to see her father. Your trip here might have been in vain."
"Please, I must speak with her. It's very important," I urged the kind woman, but she shook her head.
"If I may," said Lumiere, cutting in, "Belle would have some time tomorrow to speak with you, when she's done with the floral arrangements. You could stay overnight, and then tomorrow you can speak with her."
Cogsworth was shaking his head 'no' at Lumiere the entire time he spoke.
"That would be lovely," I said, accepting his offer.
"Oh my," breathed Cogsworth, before quickly regaining his composure.
"It's settled, then," said Maurice, satisfied.
Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth glanced urgently at each other.
"I'll get a room ready," said Mrs. Potts finally, leaving.
"Oh, and I'll go see my daughter quickly. Good luck to you, Adelaide," said Maurice, leaving me behind with the two servants.
"Actually," I said, a little quietly, but they both looked up at me, "If I could speak with you two, I might be able to find out something."
"Of course you m—" Lumiere started, but was cut off by Cogsworth kicking him in the shin and whispering urgently in his ear. "Er, that might not be a good idea," Lumiere said instead.
"I haven't got very many questions," I insisted. Normally I hated forcing people to talk to me when they don't want to, but the entire investigation was up to me. I couldn't let LeFou down, or the town, or ever myself. More than anything right now I wanted to find out what in the world happened to Gaston.
"I'm sorry, I just won't allow it," Cogsworth stated.
Lumiere shrugged, sympathetic, but not enough to help. I needed to say something to get them to talk, but what? Persistence on its own wouldn't be enough. I had to think. What would they be willing to let me do?
"Would you be willing to show me around the castle?" I asked the two.
"Ah, yes, of course," said Lumiere, "right this way."
He took my arm and led me down the hallway to the left of the entryway.
"Lumiere," called Cogsworth, "Get back here! I'll show her around, as I know everything about the castle."
I felt a little bit smug that they were doing exactly what I wanted them to do. All I would have to do would be to trick them into talking, or at least open them up to talking to me a little more. Forget my shyness, I was on a mission.
"Oh, I'd love to hear about the castle from both of you," I gushed.
"Very well, then," said Cogsworth, "But we'll go the other way."
"But Cogsworth, this side is much more interesting, we should start there," said Lumiere.
"No, no. I will not have it, we must go the other way."
They began arguing, for a moment forgetting me. That moment gave me an idea.
"I'd love to go the way that shows us the enchanted objects," I told the two.
They both shut up and turned to me, alarmed.
"Eh-en-enchanted objects?" Cogsworth finally spit out, struggling to maintain his composure.
"Yeah, the villagers talked all about them. They said this castle was enchanted. When the men came they were attacked by the furniture, apparently. I thought it'd be neat to see them," I said, guessing that I would not have the privilege of seeing them.
"There are no enchanted objects here," Cogsworth insisted.
"I think she knows," muttered Lumiere, glancing at Cogsworth.
I was slightly surprised that Lumiere had figured out what I was getting at, but hopefully it opened a door for me.
"What happened to them?" I asked them.
"Is this part of your investigation?" asked Lumiere with a smile.
"Yeah," I admitted.
Cogsworth loudly sighed.
"Alright," the pudgy man said, "We can talk in the sitting room."
The two men led me to the little room as I tried to muffle a smile. My plan had worked! I was quite proud of the fact, but unfortunately had nobody to tell it to.
They gestured for me to sit across from them and we got started.
"Alright, so what happened to the enchanted objects? We can start there," I stated.
"This might be hard to believe," started Cogsworth.
"Actually, perhaps not, if you believe in enchanted objects," Lumiere interrupted.
"Yes, yes. As I was saying, oh. I don't know where to start," muttered Cogsworth.
"We can start from the beginning," suggested Lumiere, "Our castle and all its inhabitants were cursed, and now we are no longer cursed. It is as simple as a man and a woman-"
"Were the enchanted objects part of the curse?" I asked, cutting him off.
"They were the curse. We were all turned into the objects around this castle," Lumiere continued explaining.
"You were the enchanted objects?"
"Quite frankly, yes," affirmed Cogsworth.
"Well, why were you cursed? You must've done something horrid," I said.
For a moment I wondered if I really was safe here. Surprisingly, I wished LeFou were here with me. I was slowly beginning to realize that he did in fact make me feel very safe. It's not like a common villager would be any help here, but I still wished I wasn't alone. I could imagine LeFou somehow tripping over something in this room, or saying something without thinking, or just simply making a fool or himself. The thought made me feel a little bit better, although I'm not sure why.
"We did nothing, thank you very much," said Cogsworth, quite offended.
"It was our master," explained Lumiere, "On a cold winter's night he turned away an old beggar woman. She turned out to be an enchantress and turned him into a beast and cursed the entire castle to turn into the objects in the castle itself."
"That doesn't seem fair to the servants," I said.
"That's what I've said all along," muttered Cogsworth, then paused and admitted, "He was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. In part, the staff of this castle helped him to become that way. We were to blame."
As he spoke, I couldn't help but focus on the detail mentioned earlier about the beast. Their master had been turned into a beast? Could this be—was this the very same beast that Gaston vowed to kill to protect our village?
"When your master was the beast, was he dangerous? Would he have attacked our village?" I asked.
"I knew you would ask about that," said Lumiere, "but no. He wasn't dangerous at all. Had he ever attacked the village before? No."
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to offend you," I said, "It's just, Gaston told us that it was dangerous. That's why he led a hunting party to the castle to kill the beast and protect our village. Most of the men went. When they came back they wouldn't talk about it, but then they started mentioning enchanted objects."
"Oh, those horrid townspeople. We gave them a good fright," said Cogsworth stuffily.
"So that was you?" I asked.
"Quite certainly, yes," said Cogsworth, adjusting his glasses.
"What about Maurice? Didn't he say something about being thrown in a dungeon? And he went raving on about a how a beast had Belle locked away in a castle, but the town just thought he was crazy," I said.
"You're a very bright girl," said Lumiere, winking at me, "Maurice came to the castle one night seeking shelter, and we—"
"You," corrected Cogsworth.
"We," insisted Lumiere, "Let him in. The master was quite upset, you see, and then threw him in the dungeon."
"I thought you said the beast wasn't dangerous?"
"He's not, he just has a bit of a temper," defended Cogsworth.
"How did Belle come, then?" I asked.
Unfortunately, my question wasn't answered.
"Your room is ready, Miss Adelaide," said Mrs. Potts, entering our room. The discussion had halted.
"Thank you," I said kindly.
I couldn't help but notice that both Lumiere and Cogsworth slouched back a little and sighed. I had been a little hard on them with the questioning, but I hadn't realized I had put them on edge. I felt a little bit guilty, but not enough to do anything. I had a job to do, and I would get it done.
Mrs. Potts led me down the same hallway to the prepared room. I sort of wished that I could see more of the castle, or explore, but I couldn't risk getting in trouble and being thrown out. Besides, I'm sure that Lumiere and Cogsworth would be glad to finish the tour we never really started.
"Mama! Mama!" a very young boy called, running down the hallway.
"Chip! What in the world are you doing running inside!?" Mrs. Potts scolded.
"Oh, sorry. Belle asked me to come get you," Chip explained, "Who's she?"
"Where are your manners?" demanded Mrs. Potts.
"Oh sorry," muttered Chip, then turned to me. "Who are you?"
"Never you mind," muttered Mrs. Potts, shaking her head.
"I'm Adelaide," I said kindly, "I'm here to see Belle."
"Oh," the boy said, eyeing me.
I couldn't help but smile at him. Mrs. Potts sent him off and led me into the room they had been kind enough to provide for me.
I entered the room and saw a desk, complete with an inkwell and paper. I thought of my journal, and how I had been neglecting it lately. I could easily paste more pages into it when I get back home.
"May I use those?" I asked Mrs. Potts.
"Yes, of course dear," she said, smiling, "You can have dinner with the servants later, and tomorrow you can meet with Belle. Would you care for some tea?"
"No, thanks. I can wait until dinner."
"Alright, I'll leave you to your business," she said kindly.
I longed to ask her more about the castle, who she was, how she knew Belle, or if she knew anything about Gaston's disappearance. It seemed to me that I've got more questions than answers. Still, I knew I could find out the truth here. The secret of Gaston's disappearance lies within this castle, I just knew it.
Currently, I'm sitting in my room journaling, knowing Mrs. Potts will call soon. Tonight I will find out all I can from the servants. I'm considering writing a letter to LeFou, but I don't think there's much of a point. If all goes as planned, I'll be back by tomorrow evening.
I never told my parents of my plans! It had only just occurred to me. I hope they won't worry too much, or that LeFou had some sense to tell them I'd gone. Still, knowing LeFou, they probably have no idea. What do they even think of LeFou? Oh well, that would be something to worry about when I got back.
For some reason I keep thinking of those silly girls, the triplets, from the village. What were they doing in Gaston's house the day I was there? It seems like such a silly detail to remember. I'm sure I'll find out eventually. Nothing stays secret in our little provincial town for long. I couldn't get the one girl's words out of my head. It was very funny what she had said, very funny indeed.
"I can't believe he needs proof that something strange happened. What proof does the officer need? We're paying him."
