Gaston was awakened next morning by the insistent ache in his arm. He and Belle had had a wonderful evening, but by the time he returned home, his arm had been acting up and he was in a lot of pain – not that he would ever have let on. He'd drunk some whiskey before bed, which did the job of dulling the pain and letting him sleep, but now it was aching again.
He got up and was faced with the awkward task of getting dressed using only one arm. With a lot of difficulty, he finally managed to get into his clothes, but it was a major struggle. He realized he would have to ask LeFou to come by in the mornings and help him out until his arm healed. He grimaced. He could handle the pain, that was no problem, but he hated to be weak and crippled like this, having trouble with even such a simple task as getting dressed.
His thoughts were interrupted by a tapping at his door. Probably LeFou, he thought. Figured that he'd come by when Gaston was already done. "Come in," he called, ready to tell his friend to come earlier next time.
But to his pleasure, it was Belle who entered. She was carrying an armful of supplies, which she put on the table. "What's all that?" Gaston asked.
"I stopped by the doctor and got all the things you need to change your dressing," Belle told him. "I thought I could do it for you, so you don't have to get up. You need to rest. And…" She smiled. "I brought you some chicken soup."
"Really?" Gaston was delighted, but surprised. He had resigned himself to the idea that Belle just wasn't the domestic type. But although Belle didn't exactly love housework, and resented the idea that a woman's job was to slavishly wait on men hand and foot, she did have a warm, loving nature, and was happy to care for someone she loved who was sick or injured.
Belle sat on the side of the bed and carefully unwrapped the bandages on his arm. She peered at the wound. "Well, it looks much better than when you showed up bleeding yesterday. But it must hurt a lot," she said sympathetically.
Gaston debated which would be better: milking the sympathy angle by telling her he was in agony, or being brave and manly and heroic? He decided on the second option. "Oh, it's nothing to me," he assured her boastfully. "I'm tough enough to take it."
But he couldn't help flinching when she dabbed ointment on the wound, although she tried to be as gentle as she could. He gritted his teeth, determined not to show how much it hurt. She glanced at him with an understanding smile. "I'm almost done," she assured him. She gently wrapped his arm in clean bandages.
"You make a good nurse," he told her admiringly.
She smiled. "Thanks. Now, here, have this soup. I just made it." She brought the bowl to him. He held it in his right hand, but Belle could see him frown as he tried to figure out how to manage it, with his other arm wounded. "Here, let me help you," she said. She sat down next to him, took the spoon, spooned up some soup and brought it to his lips.
To have Belle sitting right on his bed, so close to him, looking so incredibly beautiful and so concerned as she lovingly fed him…Gaston was in heaven. There were some advantages to being crippled after all, he thought. "You know, a fellow could get used to this," he told her.
She laughed. "Don't get too used to it," she warned him playfully, giving him another spoonful. "I just thought you deserved a little coddling, since you're wounded."
"Hmmm," Gaston said, grinning. "I guess I'll just have to get wounded more often, then."
"You'd better not!" Belle admonished him. "I was worried enough about you this time, thank you very much!"
"You were?" he said, pleased to hear it.
She looked at him seriously, not joking now. "Yes. When you showed up bleeding so badly, and then collapsed…I was scared," she admitted.
He took her small, soft hand in his strong, calloused one. The mere touch of his hand sent a thrill through her. Just being with him made all her senses come alive.
"You should have known you couldn't get rid of me that easily," Gaston said. "Face it, you're stuck with me."
"I'm glad to hear it," she said softly, looking into his blue eyes. She cleared her throat, trying not to show the effect he had on her. "So…do you want me to read to you now?"
He shook his head. "Nah. Let's go out."
"But you're supposed to be resting!" she protested.
He sighed in frustration. "I know. But I can't just lie in bed all day, Belle. I'll go crazy! Let's at least take a walk. I promise I won't use the arm."
"Well…all right," Belle said. "I do have some books to return to the bookseller." She frowned. "That reminds me – I have to talk to him about what he said to you. He had no right to talk to you that way."
"Yeah, you tell him!" Gaston said cheerfully, enjoying the thought of someone else bearing the brunt of one of Belle's lectures for a change.
They headed outside, Gaston's good arm around Belle's shoulders. It felt great finally to be able to show her off and let the whole world see that she was his girl, instead of having to hold back and pretend they were just friends.
As they passed by the crowded marketplace, there was an immediate buzz of excited voices. Everyone was thrilled to see Gaston walking around and seemingly not as badly injured as feared, despite the bandage on his arm. Even more noteworthy was how cozy he and Belle seemed to be, just as Claude, Francois and LeFou had told them.
Monique, Cecile and Josette immediately rushed forward. "Belle! Is it true?" Monique said eagerly. "Are you and Gaston courting?"
Belle blushed. "Is everyone talking about it?" she asked, embarrassed.
"Of course!" proclaimed Josette. "Next to Gaston saving Hervé, that's the biggest news in town!"
"Well…yes, it is true," Belle said, smiling. "We're together now."
"Oh! I'm so happy for you!" Monique said, hugging her. In Belle's ear, she whispered, "Wednesday morning! You WILL be at my house, and you WILL tell us EVERYTHING!"
Belle giggled. "Okay," she promised.
The blonde triplets ignored Belle and looked beseechingly at Gaston. "Gaston," Bambi pleaded, "you can't really be serious about Belle! Say it isn't so!"
"It's so," Gaston said with a grin. "Sorry." They burst into tears and went off, sobbing.
"Well, we're on our way to the bookshop," Belle told her friends. "I'll see you at the sewing circle on Wednesday."
"All right. Congratulations!" said Cecile, smiling. Unlike the triplets, Belle's friends weren't jealous. They were already matched up with their own men, after all. (Josette had recently decided to allow Gerard, the blacksmith, to court her.)They were only too thrilled that "one of their own" had landed the biggest catch of all.
"I can't wait to hear the whole story!" Monique gushed as Belle and Gaston left.
"I'll bet I know what happened," Josette said importantly.
"Really?" asked Monique.
Josette nodded. "It's obvious, isn't it? Gaston took her to the dance, but he kept insisting they were only friends, remember? Belle must have been disappointed, and decided to give up on him. So she started seeing Hervé. But when Gaston saw her with another man, he got jealous, and realized he wanted her for himself! So that's when he finally made his move!"
"Oh, that makes sense! I'll bet you're right!" Cecile said.
"Well, we'll find out on Wednesday," Monique said, and the girls went back to their shopping.
As Belle and Gaston entered the bookshop, Monsieur Liseur looked up. "Oh, good morning, Belle, Gaston." He came over to Gaston a bit awkwardly. "Gaston…I know we've had our differences, but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving Hervé's life. He told me all about it. That was incredibly brave of you."
Gaston shrugged. "It's all right." Darn! He wanted to stay angry at the bookseller, but it was hard when the guy was thanking him and telling him he was brave.
"Monsieur Liseur, I need to talk to you," Belle said. "Did you tell Gaston to stay away from me? And that he could never make me happy?"
The bookseller looked embarrassed. "Well…yes."
Belle frowned. "You had no right to do that! It's up to me to decide who I want to spend time with and what will make me happy."
The bookseller sighed. "You're right," he admitted. "I guess I did overstep my bounds. But Belle, in my defense, you have to remember what was going on at the time. Only the night before, Gaston had threatened to hurt Hervé if he didn't leave town immediately! And the reason he gave was you: that you were 'his,' as though it was a crime for any other man to talk to you." He looked from Belle to Gaston helplessly. "Can you blame me for being concerned? I didn't want you to end up with a violent bully."
Belle softened a little. "Well…I guess I can understand that." She looked at Gaston and admitted, "I was pretty mad at you at the time, too, actually. I didn't forgive you till you explained and apologized. But Monsieur Liseur didn't hear that."
"Gaston apologized?" The bookseller was astonished. "No, I wasn't aware of that at all."
"But even so, you shouldn't have tried to make decisions for me," Belle admonished him. "In your own way, you were doing the exact same thing Gaston did! You told someone to stay away from me because you didn't want him courting me."
Monsieur Liseur looked startled. "I hadn't thought of it that way." He looked at the two of them. "I'm sorry I misjudged you, Gaston," he said sincerely. "I apologize to you both. Can you forgive a meddling old fool?"
Belle smiled. "Of course."
"It's okay," Gaston agreed. He hesitated, then admitted, "I shouldn't have said that to Hervé that night. It was a mistake."
"I guess we've all made some mistakes along the way," Belle said. "But everyone meant well." She was relieved that things were smoothed over now. She cared about both of these men, and didn't want bad feelings between them.
They all talked some more, and Belle chose some new books. By the time they left, she was feeling cheerful. Everything in her life seemed to suddenly be going perfectly.
That night, after dinner with Belle and her father, Gaston went to the tavern and had a fine evening telling the crowd of spellbound listeners the dramatic tale of how he had bravely fought off the wolves and rescued Hervé. It occurred to him that he owed Hervé thanks for enhancing his reputation and giving Gaston his most impressive feat yet. The villagers would be telling that story with awe and admiration for years to come.
Afterward, as he and LeFou walked home, the little man spoke up. "I'm really glad things worked out with you and Belle! She must have liked the poem, huh?"
"Of course – she loved it!" Gaston boasted. "I always knew it would work. Did you really think she'd want Hervé when she had someone like me?" Now that Gaston knew Belle truly loved him, his characteristic bravado had returned.
"Good point! She'd be crazy not to pick you!" LeFou agreed loyally. He knew all too well just how worried and desperate Gaston had been at the time, but he knew better than to bring it up. He understood how important Gaston's image was to him. Let Gaston pretend that he'd never doubted his success; inside, they both knew the truth.
"So," LeFou went on, "when's the wedding?"
"I haven't proposed to her yet," Gaston replied.
LeFou stopped short and stared at him. "You haven't? I figured you asked her last night."
"I was going to," Gaston admitted. "But you know how Belle is. She doesn't like to be pressured, she likes to make her own choices - all that stuff. So I realized I shouldn't propose to her the second we got back together. She'd feel like I was putting her on the spot, being pushy."
"So…when are you going to ask her?" LeFou asked.
Gaston grinned proudly. "I'm not! I'm just going to wait and let her bring it up, when she's ready." He looked very pleased with himself for coming up with such a brilliant idea. "She'll like that. It shows I respect her feelings, see?"
LeFou was confused. "Not proposing means you respect her feelings?" That made no sense to him at all. All the girls he knew were dying for a proposal. It was all they thought about.
Gaston nodded. "To Belle, it will. Trust me."
LeFou shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. You always know what you're doing."
"Damn straight I do," Gaston said confidently.
O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Three weeks later, Gaston rushed into Belle's home without knocking, eager to share his news. "Look!" he said proudly. He held up his healed arm, showing that it no longer had a bandage.
Belle was sitting on the couch with Raoul and Renaud, teaching them to read. She looked up, and her eyes lit up to see him fully recovered. "Oh, wonderful!" she said happily. "We're almost done here – I'll be free in a minute," she added, gesturing at the boys.
"No rush," Gaston replied, settling in an armchair to watch. It made him smile to see her sitting so cozily with the two little boys, talking to them in such a warm and motherly way. One day it would be their sons cuddling up to her, he thought with anticipation. He could see by the way she treated these two that she would be a great mother. He could hardly wait.
If she ever actually mentioned that she wanted to get married, that was, he added mentally with a frown. He told himself that it was only a matter of time; they were officially a couple, after all, and she had said she loved him. He was still determined to wait for her to bring up the subject. He wanted to prove to her that he wasn't being pushy anymore - that he respected her right to make her own decisions.
Still, he was getting impatient, even anxious. If it were up to him, she would have been his wife long ago. How long would he have to wait?
He tried to put the thought out of his mind, and watched her teaching the boys. "The…cat…sat…on…the…mat," Raoul read slowly.
"That was perfect!" Belle said, beaming at him. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Really?" The little boy looked delighted.
"You're both doing so well!" she went on. "You'll be reading as well as me soon! Then you can read all the stories in my fairy tale books all by yourself!"
Renaud looked worried. "But you'll still read to us sometimes, won't you, Belle? You do it better, with the voices and everything."
Belle hugged him. "Of course I'll still read to you, if you want me to. I love reading out loud. Especially to such good listeners!" They looked relieved. "Well, it's almost dinnertime – I'm sure your mama is waiting for you. I'll see you next week, okay?"
"Okay, Belle! Thanks!" The two little boys ran out the door.
Gaston watched them go. "They're reading great for little kids. You're good at teaching them."
"Thank you," Belle said. She smiled. "I love doing it. It's so exciting to see them really 'get it,' and then to see them get excited when they realize they're actually reading on their own. It's a wonderful feeling."
"You should be a teacher," Gaston suggested. "A real one, I mean."
"Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful?" Belle said with a dreamy sigh. "I wish I could!"
Gaston was puzzled. "Why not, then? If you love it so much?" He had always lived his life by a simple motto: "Want; take; have." He couldn't imagine wanting something and not doing whatever he had to to get it.
Belle looked surprised. "Really? But I haven't been to university, I don't have any training or experience…"
Gaston shook his head. "Belle, this is a tiny village. We're not nobles here. We don't expect our kids to learn Latin or history or fancy stuff like that. We have a one-room schoolhouse, and the kids just learn how to read a little, and how to add and subtract numbers so they know how much money they should get back when they buy something. That's all. You could do that easy."
Belle began to get hopeful. "I could do that…And I have been teaching Raoul and Renaud…But Gaston, wouldn't people mind that I'm not a real trained teacher? And isn't there already a teacher here?"
"Belle, let me tell you about our teachers," Gaston said, sitting next to her on the couch. "This isn't a job they want. People don't go to school for all those years to work in some little out-of-the-way place like Molyneaux. So basically, we get three kinds here. First, there's the guys just out of college, ready to teach for the first time. What they really want is to tutor some noble's sons, or to work in some posh boarding school. But they can't get that kind of job right off the bat. They're brand new and no one will hire them. So they come here for a couple of years just to get experience. They don't want to be here, and they can't wait to leave, and they look down at all of us like we're a bunch of stupid peasants. They don't care about the kids at all." Gaston scowled, remembering the teachers he'd had when he was young.
"Then there's the old guys, the ones who did teach in the city, but now they're too old and they've been let go. They come here for a year or two just to get a bit of extra money before retiring for good. They figure it's an easy job and they don't have to do any work. They don't care about the kids either. And the third kind are the ones who are so terrible that they've been fired from every other school they've worked at, and this is the only job they can get."
"That's awful," Belle said sympathetically. "The poor kids! They deserve better than that."
"That's what I'm saying," Gaston said. "The people here would love to have you as a teacher. We've always had all these outsiders. It would be great to have one of our own teaching the kids."
Belle felt a warm glow at the words "one of our own." It was true, she realized. She was part of the village now, someone who belonged.
"You know all the kids, and you care about them," Gaston went on. "You'd be so much better than the other ones we get."
Belle was thinking. "But what about the teacher who's already here?"
Gaston shrugged. "Monsieur Vieux? He's one of the old guys ready to retire. He's supposed to leave at the end of June anyway. We were going to be getting a new guy in September, but I think you should do it instead."
Belle began to get excited. "September…Oh, that would be perfect! It would give me time to read up on teaching methods, and figure out a lesson plan, and decide what books the children should read, and order copies for all of them…"
Gaston grinned at her enthusiasm. "See, I knew you'd be perfect for this!"
"But who would I talk to here about teaching in the school?" Belle asked. "Who would give me permission?"
"Town council. I'll mention it to them," Gaston said offhandedly. "It'll be easy. They'll be thrilled to have you."
Belle hugged him. "Oh, Gaston, thank you so much for doing this for me! You're wonderful!"
He kissed her tenderly and stroked her hair. "Anything to make my girl happy. You know that."
"Yes…" Belle said slowly. His girl. She was his girl, and that was fine…but when would she be his wife? she wondered. She was amazed that he hadn't proposed to her yet – they had been back together for three weeks already. Back when she didn't even like him, he had been all too insistent on her marrying him. But now that they were actually a couple, officially courting, and had declared their love for each other, he hadn't even brought the subject up at all. It was strange.
Gaston looked at her curiously. "Something wrong?"
"No, of course not," she assured him, and kissed him again. She knew he loved her – it was obvious in everything he said and did, even the way he looked at her. It was only a matter of time before he proposed, she assured herself.
O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
At the next sewing circle, Amelie came in full of excitement. "Guess what?" she burst out immediately without even saying hello. "LeFou proposed to me! We're getting married right after the New Year!"
The girls all shrieked joyfully and hugged her. "Congratulations!" Belle said to her.
"This is becoming an eventful winter for our group!" Cecile said, smiling. "First Monique got married, now you're getting married…What will we talk about once everyone is married off?"
"Babies, of course!" Josette said, giggling.
Amelie shared all the details of her proposal. Then Belle said, "I have some news too."
"Gaston proposed!" Monique guessed immediately.
Belle shook her head. "No…but he came up with a wonderful idea. He suggested that I become the town schoolteacher when Monsieur Vieux leaves next year."
"A teacher?" Josette asked. "Is that what you want to do?"
Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! I've loved teaching Cecile's boys. I think it would be wonderful to teach lots of children."
"Well, you'd be great at it, that's for sure," Cecile said. "I can't believe how well my two are reading now!"
"Thanks," Belle said appreciatively.
Monique smiled warmly at her. "It really is a great idea. I'm very happy for you, Belle."
Josette looked thoughtful. "So…is that why you haven't gotten married yet, Belle? You want to teach instead of getting married?"
"No, of course not!" Belle said. "I can be married and still teach!"
"Okay," Monique said. "In that case…spill! What exactly is going on with you and Gaston? I was sure you'd be married by now, knowing how impatient Gaston is."
Belle sighed. "Me too," she admitted. "To be honest, the reason we're not married yet is…he hasn't mentioned it at all. I don't know what's going on."
The girls looked surprised. "Hmm…" said Monique. "Did you say anything to him? You're usually pretty open and honest about things like that. Not sneaky like the rest of us!" she added with a giggle.
"I know I am," Belle acknowledged. "I did think of asking him about it straight out…but Gaston is such a proud man. I'm sure he thinks it's the man's place to propose. He would probably find it humiliating to have me be the one to propose to him – he'd feel that it's his job to do it. I'm all for equality, you know that…but I want to respect his feelings too. That's what a relationship is about: being considerate of the other person. I don't want to offend him, or make him feel like I'm trying to 'steal his thunder.'"
The girls considered this. Then Josette snapped her fingers. "I know! I bet he's planning something special!"
The girls all lit up at this. "Yes!" Monique agreed. "You know Gaston – he always has to do everything in the biggest, flashiest way. He probably has a proposal all planned out. Maybe a romantic outing, a proposal under the stars…"
"Christmas is coming," Amelie added eagerly. "I bet he asks you then. Maybe an engagement ring as a Christmas present…"
"You're right!" Belle said, her eyes widening. "I never thought of that!" It made perfect sense. Of course Gaston would want to propose in some dramatic, romantic way.
She smiled at her friends in relief. "Thanks, girls. I feel better now."
"That's what we're here for," Monique said cheerfully, and the talk turned to other topics.
O o o o o o o
The next few weeks passed in a happy blur for Belle. Now that Gaston's arm had healed, he was determined to make up for lost time and show Belle just why she'd been right to pick him over Hervé. Every day seemed to bring a new surprise or a fun outing.
It was December now, and the village was covered in snow. One Saturday, Gaston showed up at Belle's house with a huge sled. "Look! I nailed the boards together myself," he told her proudly. "I got Emile to make the runners for it."
"It's beautiful," Belle said admiringly.
"Come on, let's try it out!" Gaston said with a grin. With one hand, he easily hoisted the heavy sled onto his back. With the other, he grabbed Belle's hand and headed toward the big hill.
Belle laughed and hurried alongside him, enjoying his boyish enthusiasm. He was like an overgrown kid with a new toy.
At the top of the hill, Gaston waved at her to get on, then sat behind her, one arm around her, the other holding the rope to steer the sled. "You ready?" Belle nodded her, her eyes shining with anticipation.
Gaston leaned forward, shifting his weight, and the sled tipped forward and began to slide over the crisp white snow. It went faster and faster, until Belle felt as though they were flying. The wind blew her hair back, and the ground rushed toward them at dizzying speed. It was exhilarating. At the bottom of the hill, they plowed into a snowdrift, sending a spray of snow into the air.
"Let's do that again!" Belle said eagerly, her cheeks flushed red with the cold. Gaston laughed and kissed her. She was so much more fun than the other girls, he thought.
Of course, all the village children wanted rides on the marvelous sled, so they were soon joined by a crowd of small passengers. Neither of them minded. One day, we'll be doing this with our own kids, they were both thinking.
On other days, they went ice skating on the lake, or rode their horses through the hushed winter woods. Afterwards, they would go back to Belle's house for sandwiches and hot chocolate. Then they would snuggle on the couch in front of the fire, and Belle would read aloud exciting tales of heroes and adventures, dragons and monsters, brave knights and fair damsels.
Belle loved to sneak glances at Gaston as she read, to see him listening so intently, transported by the story. He was always happy to give his opinionated view of what he thought of the tale, or tell her what he would have done in the hero's situation, or recall adventures in his own life that were similar.
But it must be said that not all their reading sessions were so…productive. Sometimes, watching Belle read, Gaston couldn't keep his mind on the story. She just looked so beautiful as she read, so animated, her eyes sparkling. He would find himself marveling at at the glorious fact that she was really his at last, that she truly loved him, that he was actually allowed to touch her now, to kiss her…and when he thought of that, he simply couldn't resist. He would start out kissing her cheek, and at first she would giggle and try to keep reading. Then he would trail soft kisses all along the side of her neck, her shoulder, the hollow of her throat, her eyelids…and she would sigh with pleasure, and the book would slip, forgotten, from her fingers to the floor. And then she was in his arms, embracing him, and they were kissing passionately, and she lost all sense of time and place. There was only Gaston, her dear Gaston, his kisses filling her with rapture…
"Ahem." On one such occasion, the sound of a throat clearing broke the spell. "I hope I'm not interrupting," Maurice said.
Belle and Gaston instantly broke apart, looking like guilty children. "Papa!" Belle said, flustered. She smoothed her hair back. "We were just…reading." She quickly snatched the book off the floor.
"So I see," Maurice said in amusement.
Gaston stood up quickly. "Good evening, Maurice," he said respectfully.
"I…I'd better get dinner ready," Belle said, hurrying to the kitchen.
Maurice smiled. He was delighted to see his daughter so happy and so in love. It was obvious how much Gaston cared for her.
If only they would get married already! He wondered what on earth was taking them so long.
O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
The week before Christmas was the annual village Christmas party in the tavern. Belle was thrilled to be going this year. Last year, she and her father had only been in Molyneaux a few months, and she didn't know anyone. She felt awkward and shy about going to the party, so she had just stayed home and had a quiet evening with her father.
This year, she was with the man she loved, and was greeted by friends as soon as she entered. It was a fun evening of song and laughter.
At one point Gaston went over to the bar to get them drinks. LeFou said to him, "So? Proposed to Belle yet?"
Gaston pulled him aside to talk confidentially. "No, she hasn't mentioned it yet," he admitted.
LeFou looked exasperated. "Gaston, I'm going to be married before you are! That's just crazy!"
"I know!" Gaston conceded. "But I have to wait till she's ready."
"Just ask her, Gaston," LeFou urged.
Gaston set his jaw. "No," he said stubbornly. "She has to bring it up first."
LeFou sighed. Once Gaston got a plan into his head, it was impossible to shake him, even if it obviously wasn't working. He was as stubborn as a mule. "What if she never brings it up?" he pointed out.
"She will," Gaston said confidently. "On Christmas day, I'm going to take her on a romantic sleigh ride. That will definitely put her in the mood. She'll bring it up then. I'm sure of it."
LeFou shrugged. "If you say so." They took their drinks and went back to their dates.
O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o oo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
On Christmas morning, Gaston knocked on Belle's door bright and early. "Come in," she called.
"The tree looks great," Gaston said admiringly, entering the house.
"Thanks for cutting it down for us," Belle said.
"My pleasure. Maurice - here," Gaston said, handing Maurice a package. "Merry Christmas."
"Oh, thank you!" Maurice said, surprised to be getting a gift. He opened it to see a brand-new set of tools. "Why, thank you! I can certainly use these!"
"Gaston, I have something for you," Belle said, giving him his gift.
He opened it and let out a whistle. It was a shiny new rifle. "This is great, Belle! How did you know?"
Belle smiled. "I asked LeFou what you'd like," she admitted. "He said you've had your eye on this one for a long time."
"Thanks, it's perfect," he said, kissing her. "I have a present for you, too."
A ring? Belle thought hopefully. Maurice, who was thinking the same thing, excused himself to give them some privacy.
"Close your eyes," Gaston said, grinning. She did. "Okay, open them!"
She opened her eyes expectantly. She was disappointed to see that the package was too big to be a ring. She opened it. "Oh! The complete works of Moliére!" She tried not to look disappointed. It was a good present, even if it wasn't what she'd been hoping for.
"The bookseller said you'd like it," Gaston explained.
"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
"Now, come outside," Gaston said. "I have a surprise for you."
She went out curiously and gasped. Outside was a shiny red sleigh with a white horse. A driver held the reins. He waved at them.
"I hired it from Clermont-Ferrand," Gaston explained. "We have it for the whole day."
"Gaston, that's incredible!" Belle said with a gasp. "I can't believe you did this."
He grinned, enjoying her delight. "Come on." He helped her into the sleigh.
It was a beautiful day. The sleigh ride took them to Clermont-Ferrand, where they had lunch at the inn and spent the day strolling about and looking at the shops. Then the driver drove them home.
Riding through the twilight, the stars twinkling overhead, the snowy woods so hushed and still…it was all so romantic, Belle thought with a happy sigh. Gaston had wrapped a fur blanket around the two of them, and she snuggled up against him. "Happy?" he asked, smiling down at her.
"Yes," she said. "It's perfect. But…"
"But?"
"Nothing," she said with a sigh.
He brought her to her front door and kissed her goodnight. "I had a wonderful time, Gaston," she said. "Thank you."
Gaston looked at her. It had been such a romantic day. This was the perfect moment for a proposal, he had to admit. "Belle…" he began.
"Yes?" she said hopefully.
He opened his mouth, but stopped himself. No. As tempting as it was, he couldn't ask her now. He wanted her to bring it up. That was the whole point of his plan. That was why he'd been waiting all these endless weeks without saying anything! If he proposed now, it would ruin his whole big romantic gesture of letting her make the first move, proving that he truly respected her feelings and her need to make her own choices.
"I'm glad you had a good time," he said instead. He kissed her again. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"All right," she said, disappointed.
He lingered a moment, hoping she'd say something else, but she didn't. Finally he sighed. "Good night, Belle."
"Good night, Gaston."
Gaston lay in bed that night, thinking. He had been sure the sleigh ride would do the trick, that the romantic atmosphere would get Belle to admit she wanted to marry him. But she hadn't said a word, even though he knew she'd had a wonderful time.
LeFou was right. This was getting ridiculous. He was just going to have to come right out and ask her, disappointing though it was.
The next day, he went to her house, determined to ask her and get it over with. "Oh, Gaston," Belle said. "I'm glad you're here. I need to talk to you." She looked nervous.
Gaston was concerned. "What is it?"
"Come in and sit down." He sat on the couch, watching her curiously. He had never seen her so flustered. "Gaston…" She hesitated, twisting her hands together. "It's just…we've been together a month and a half already…and we obviously love each other…but you haven't…I mean…" She trailed off helplessly.
Gaston inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally! He raised an eyebrow. "What, Belle?" he asked innocently.
"Well…I was just wondering…a long time ago, you asked me to marry you. So…" She took a deep breath. "Does that proposal still stand?"
Gaston was about to grab her and kiss her and tell her "Of course!" But she looked so adorable – so embarrassed and shy and hopeful all at once – that he couldn't resist teasing her just a little bit.
"Hmmm…well, Belle, it has been a long time," he said mock-regretfully. "I think you may have missed your chance."
Belle's mouth dropped open. Then she made a face and lightly hit him on the arm. "Now who's playing hard to get?"
Gaston grinned. "Well…" he said, enjoying the moment. "I might be persuaded to marry you…if…"
"If what?"
"If you massage my feet."
Belle laughed. "You never give up, do you?"
"Never," Gaston said with a grin.
Belle smiled. "I'll tell you what. I'll massage your feet if you massage mine."
Gaston looked down at her shapely legs and small feet. "Ooh, now there's an idea…"
He would be only too happy to fondle and caress any portion of her anatomy that she wanted. He rubbed his hands together. "Okay, you've got a deal! Let's get married."
"Uh-uh. Not so fast," Belle said, turning the tables on him. "That's your idea of a romantic proposal? 'Let's get married'?" She shook her head disapprovingly. "You're not exactly sweeping me off my feet here, buddy."
"Oh, right. You want it like in your books." Gaston gave an exaggerated, long-suffering sigh. "All right. You want romantic? You got it." He got down on one knee, took her hand in one of his, put his other hand over his heart, then proclaimed melodramatically, "Belle, your eyes are like stars. Your lips are like cherries. Your skin is like cream. Your hair is like...like...oh, I don't know, like something brown that looks nice!" He made a face. "Belle, this is hard! Can't I just give you some antlers or something?"
Belle crossed her arms. "Keep going," she said, trying to sound stern, but she couldn't suppress a smile.
"All right, then," Gaston said. He cleared his throat. "Belle, my angel, my darling, my cupcake, my crème brulee…marry me, and make me the happiest man on the face of the earth!"
Belle giggled. "Okay, I have to admit, that was good," she said, smiling. "Romeo couldn't have done it better."
"No one proposes like Gaston!" he bragged. He stood up. "So, Belle, what'll it be? Is it 'yes,' or is it "OH, YES!"
"OH, YES!" Belle said, laughing.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Finally! I thought you'd never bringup getting married!"
Belle frowned. "Me? I only brought it up because it was taking forever for you to propose! What took you so long? Don't you want to marry me?"
"You were waiting for me?" Gaston said, his eyes widening. He shook his head. "Damn!"
"What?" Belle said in confusion.
Gaston sighed in exasperation. "Belle, I wanted to ask you to marry me the day I told you the poem! But I thought you wouldn't like that. I thought you'd think it was too soon and I was being pushy. So I thought, if I waited and let you bring it up, when you were ready, you would like that better. I know you like to make your own choices, and not be pressured, and everything. I wanted to show you I was respecting your feelings. I thought it was what you'd want." He sighed. "Wrong move, huh?"
"Oh, Gaston." He was so dear, she thought. She kissed him. "Thank you. It was a lovely thought."
"Didn't work, though," he pointed out.
Belle smiled. "The only reason I didn't say anything sooner was that I thought you wouldn't like it. I know how proud you are. I thought you'd feel that it was the man's job to propose. I was trying to respect your feelings!"
"So in other words…we could have been married weeks ago!" Gaston said. He shook his head. "What a waste!"
"Well, at least we both meant well," Belle said. "We were trying to make each other happy. I'll tell you what…from now on, let's just be honest with each other. If you want to tell me something, just tell me. Don't worry about how I'll react. After all, what's the worst that could happen?"
Gaston thought about it. "You'll get mad and we'll have a big fight."
"True," Belle admitted, laughing. "But it wouldn't be the first time."
"No," Gaston agreed, grinning.
"I'm sure we'll have a lot of arguments, knowing us," Belle said. "But like you said, it keeps things interesting! The important thing is…I love you, and I want to marry you."
He kissed her. Then he jumped up. "Hey! Come here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door.
"Gaston, where are we going?" Belle asked in confusion.
"You'll see." To her surprise, he led her to the church.
"Gaston! We're not getting married right now, are we?" Belle asked in a panic. "I'm not even wearing a nice dress!"
He laughed. "Of course not! Our wedding's going to be the biggest, fanciest one this town's ever seen." He went inside and started pulling the ropes that rang the church bells.
The villagers came running, looking worried. Aside from calling people to services, the church bells were only rung in an emergency. "What's going on?" people cried.
Gaston stood on top of the church steps with his arm around Belle. "I'm glad you're all here," he proclaimed. "I have an important announcement to make. Belle and I are getting married!"
The crowd cheered. "Finally!" Monique whispered to her friends.
"Congratulations!" LeFou called. "Three cheers for Belle and Gaston!" The villagers cheered again. The cheers grew even louder when Gaston kissed Belle, showing off for the crowd.
Then he raised his hand. The crowd quieted down.
"And, while you're all here…I also want to announce that starting in September, Belle is going to be the new village schoolteacher." He smiled at her fondly. "She's the smartest girl in town, and we all know she reads better than anyone else in the whole village. She's already taught Emile and Cecile's boys to read, hasn't she, Emile?"
"Yes, it's true," Emile said, nodding.
"I think it's time we had one of our own teaching our kids, instead of all these outsiders," Gaston went on. "What do you say?"
The villagers cheered again. "Hooray for Belle!"
"And to celebrate…everyone's invited to the tavern," Gaston said. "Drinks are on me!"
The cheers for that announcement were the loudest of all. Then everyone headed off toward the tavern, ready for a party.
Gaston turned to Belle. "I just realized…we forgot to tell your father," he said, looking guilty. "Think he'll mind?"
Belle laughed. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled. He's probably been waiting for this as long as we have!"
He took her hand. "Let's go back to your house and tell him. Then we can all go to the tavern together."
"That sounds wonderful," Belle said, and they went to tell Maurice the good news.