Chapter One
"…Never was there a tale of more woe, than this of Juliet, and her Romeo."
Belle sighed happily as she shut the book. Coming to the end of one always made her sort of sad though…even though she'd read all of Shakespeare's works more than a dozen times. But no matter how many times she read 'Romeo Juliet', she would always think it to be the most romantic story in the world. But it was not her favorite story. She could no easier choose a favorite star in the heavens, Belle loved all books.
She tucked a lose strand of her brunette hair behind her ear, slid the book away and reached for another from the very large stack on the desk. It was another one of Shakespeare's, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. She opened it and was just beginning to read the opening lines when the front door burst open, followed by very loud… and rather annoying laughter. The owners were her two older sisters, Espoir and Paix.
"Oh look Es!" Paix said loudly, seeing Belle reading. "The little bookworm is reading again! What a great surprise!" Paix and Espoir, the French words for 'peace' and 'hope', which in Belle's opinion, did not suit her sisters one bit. Her name meant 'beauty' but that rather suited her, or so everyone in the village said.
It wasn't that Belle did not love her sisters; she just thought them to be rather boisterous, overly-flirtatious, loud, and obnoxious a great deal of the time. They teased her constantly, always calling her 'bookworm'. They thought that it was wrong for women to read and be smart. They both only cared for two things: courting men and marrying the men they had courted.
Espoir had succeeded in that; she was now married to the town's blacksmith, Jules. Their father had been pleased with the match. Paix was still unmarried, but had a great deal of suitors that she claimed were all in love with her. The thing that disturbed Belle about this was that neither of them ever loved any of the men. Everyone knew Espoir did not love Jules; she'd only married him for wealth to help her family. And Paix only cared about how handsome and wealthy anyone was too. Belle had a very different viewpoint on love-on life in general-then her sisters. She believed that you should marry for love, not wealth. And she didn't really care how handsome somebody was, intelligence, kindness, and strength of heart mattered more to her.
It was because of her intelligence, her quiet nature, and being rather shy that she was the town's favorite subject of gossip. Belle was a teacher at the local school, she taught children from the ages of four to seventeen, her own age. And everyday at the market she would hear bits and pieces of "Did you hear about Mademoiselle Jolet? She's turned down another suitor! Foolish girl she is! She's so peculiar despite how beautiful she is! All she does is read! Her nose is always stuck in a book! Why isn't she more like her sisters?" This would bother most women, but Belle chose to ignore it.
So as her sisters teased, she ignored them with the greatest of ease. She teased them too, in a more quiet fashion only.
"Good heavens Belle! Can't you do something else to occupy your time then read?" Espoir said the word 'read' as if it were a poisonous snake.
"I like to read." Belle shrugged simply and returned to the pages of the book. Her sisters both sighed agitatedly.
"You know the whole town is talking about you Belle," Paix began.
"Yes they're all saying that you spend far too much time reading and being at that school. It's not right for a woman to read so much." Espoir finished for her.
"I think it's very right. Why shouldn't women read? They have every right to read as much as they want to. Reading makes you smart, it helps you learn. Why leave all the learning to the men when they don't even use that right?" Belle asked them seriously. Espoir made an irritable 'tutting' noise and sat down in a chair next to her sister, Paix taking the sofa.
"My dear sister, I love you very much and I care for you. That's why I'm telling you to get your head out of the clouds and start paying more attention to things that matter!" Espoir grabbed the book and slammed it shut. Belle glared at her.
"Don't slam my books Espoir. I worked hard to buy them all." She said and snatched the book back. "And what things should I be paying more attention to?"
"Well you are almost eighteen." Paix said. "That's the proper age to be married you know."
"You are twenty and still unmarried." Belle pointed out. Paix flushed, her face turned the same color as her red hair.
"Well…that's different. At least I'm courting." She excused herself quickly.
"Yes Belle that is true." Espoir said matter-o-factly. "Every man in town would walk on broken glass for you and you refuse them all. You can't give any of them a chance can you?"
"None of them suit me." Belle shrugged again and stared down at her lap covered in light-blue poplin.
"Why I even hear you refused Gaston!" Espoir continued. "Gaston Cluseau! Why, he's the most handsome man in the entire town!" Paix nodded.
"And I hear he's got a certain fancy for you Belle. I think you should accept his courtship offer." Belle bit her lip angrily. She was so sick of this.
"And how do you know he's even offered it Paix?" she asked, trying to keep her cool.
"I hear things around town." Paix raised her eyebrows.
"Now tell us Belle, did he ask to court you?" Espoir asked eagerly. Belle didn't answer. "Come, come! I must know!"
It was all very unfortunately true. Gaston had asked to court her, and she had refused. Yes he was handsome, but he was also rude and dreadfully conceited. He boasted of his triumphs and cared nothing for the feelings of others. He had every woman in town wrapped around his finger, but a few miserable months ago he had cast his greedy eyes on Belle. He'd thought her to be the most beautiful girl in the whole town, just like every other man. He'd seen her coming home from the school and spoke to her the first time then. She immediately could not stand him. But she'd been polite and listened to him. So every day after that one, he practically followed her home. She began to dread going home. He'd been very straightforward with her and came on much too strongly for her liking. After going through that nightmare for what seemed like years, she started taking the longer route home so he couldn't find her.
Unfortunately, two days ago he caught her when she was leaving the library. That was when he had asked to court her, and when she very abruptly refused and went home as quickly as she could. And now it was the talk of the town of course.
"I told him no." she said bluntly.
"Because…" they urged.
"Because he's a conceited, arrogant, louse who only cares about money and beautiful women, plus while his head may be very attractive on the outside on the inside it is completely full of sawdust." She finished and stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room to prepare my lesson for tomorrow." Espoir and Paix heatedly called after her,
"Belle Jolet you come back here right now!" Espoir yelled.
"You aren't my mother Essie!" Belle yelled back and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. She dropped on to her bed angrily. Why did they think they could boss her around like that? Espoir acted like her mother when she was nothing like her mother had been. Belle had not ever known her mother in reality, but she pretended she did and she knew that her mother had not been like Espoir. She wished that her mother had not died every single day. She wanted to know what she was like, how she looked, how she sounded.
She stared up at the old wooden ceiling covered in cobwebs. Her room was old and small, crammed full of things. She needed to repaint it someday still. When she was little she had planned on painting it pink and yellow and orange and blue, all colors in the world. But now she didn't have time for that. She seemed to have grown up far too quickly. That was what her father told her anyway.
Belle's father Maurice had once been a very successful merchant. But after he broke his back falling off a horse, the task of traveling on one for weeks had became nearly impossible. He had retired and started inventing again, a passion he had always had. His inventions had one problem however. They never worked. He was the town's other favorite gossip subject. They thought he was insane, making all his odd inventions. If they weren't talking about Belle, they were talking about her father 'Crazy Old Maurice'.
Belle had always been Maurice's favorite. That was quite obvious. He loved all three of his daughters equally, but he and Belle had a very special relationship. She talked to him often, told him of her problems, and he told her of his. They both were rather quiet and shy, studious as well. Belle loved him deeply and would rather die then disappoint him. That was Espoir and Paix's job. He called her his beauty. She'd been named after her mother, Isabelle Francois. Belle had been her nickname, because she too was also a ravishing beauty. She sometimes thought he loved her most because she looked exactly like Isabelle Francois that was what he'd told her.
She spent a lot of nights dreaming about what her mother might have been like, she had an image in her mind, but it was cloudy. Instead of daydreaming about the subject she decided to go do something useful. As she got up she looked out her small window. The town was so small, so sheltered, so horribly isolated. She felt trapped in this provincial little place. She wanted to find someone who really understood her. She wanted out.