Chapter 23
As we were walking, I realized we were going to the room that I met her in that first night. I all so noticed that the walls had more paintings on the wall I stopped to look at one and realized that it was the garden that we talk in all the time. "Do you like the painting?" B. asked. "Yes is it the garden that we talk in everyday?" I ask. "Yes, I did take your suggestion and found something to do while you are tending to your two horses. I was shocked to find out that I was good at painting for I have never tried to paint before and I like it as well. So thank you for helping me find something to do," she says and she sounds happy to have found something to do that people can look at and see what she sees. "I did not do much I am sure you would have tried it sooner or later even if I had not brought it up," I tell her.
She is shaking her head and says, "You do not take credit even when you should. Come on and lets check on your family the letter should be there by now," and with that she walked off. We arrived and she walked to the couch that she was sitting on the night we might, she picked up a jar from the table and waved me over to her. Then she said some words in a language that I did not know as she poured the contents of the jar on the table. That was when I saw my house with roses all over and my family arriving then I heard my Father say "I do wish we could see Josh and know whether or not the dreams I have are true." Dreams? What dreams is he talking about? "Did you have one last night?" Ginny asked him. "Yes, he was walking Twilight Queen to the stable and waved at someone he saw. But I do not know who since the only person I saw there was the Lady Beast," he answered. I did that just yesterday, saw B., and waved to her while putting Twilight Queen away. "I think that they are true and he saw the Lady Beast and waved to her then finished with Twilight Queen away so that he can talk to her," Ginny said, while helping Maria and Amy with the little ones.
"Do you really think they are real Ginny?" asked Father. "Yes, I do think they are real and I think she sends them to you so that you can see him," she said. "Well let's get inside since it looks like it might rain," Mother said. They all went in and there on the table was a letter on stationary that I recognized as from the palace. "What is this? He has sent a letter to us know that he is okay there at the palace again," said Amy. "Not really it is from the Lady Beast inviting us to the palace to see Josh for his 24th birthday," said Father as he read the letter. "I want to go I do wish to see this palace that he lives in now since he is not a fan of fancy things. Maria remember when we tried to get him to wear velvet and he would not even leave his room in it he then when he did come out he had destroyed the outfit just to get out of wearing it," Amy said. "Yes, and not only that he then would hide if we were going to a party just to stay out of velvet and lace he hates wearing lace. Our Aunt Kathryn gave him a shirt with lace on it that was a lilac color and he would not even touch it she tried to get him to wear it and he looked at her and asked why did she want him to wear a ladies riding shirt," Maria laughed.
"She was shocked he had never said anything like that to anyone before and she thought that it was a nice shirt to get him but had not realized that he did not like fancy shirts or wearing lilac anything. But he was right on one thing it was a ladies riding shirt, she just had not realized it," Amy informed them. "She did get her way and forced him to wear it and that was when she realized that he had been right about it being a ladies shirt. She then let him get out of it and he ran up those stares so fast that we could barely see him," Alanna said. At this, everyone laughed so hard that most had tears in their eyes. "I think we should all go. Billy your little brother is coming to stay here in town till he can get a place of his own right?" asked Father. "Yes, he asked if Josh would mind if he stayed here till he can I said that Josh would not mind if he stayed here if he would tend to the animals since he was out of town right now he will be here by tomorrow. Why do you ask?" Billy asked Father. "Well he can look after all of our animals while we go to visit Josh at the palace and we can even pay him to do so to help him with the money to get his own house if he wishes," said Father.
"He would like that with all the animals he would have to take care of while we are gone," Billy said. "Good then we will leave in two days everyone start packing for a trip we will go and visit Josh for a few days and I wish to talk to this Lady Beast about when and if Josh will come home," Father said. "Father he will come home when and only when he frees her. Did Mr. Beast not tell you that when Josh had to go to live at the palace," Ginny asked. "Yes, he did but I just wanted to make sure there was no other way for him to come home," Father said. "There is one other way," said Mr. Beast as he walked in the door. "I cannot tell you how to free her but I can tell you this if he leaves before she is freed then she will die and so will all the servants and other residents of the palace," he said in a tone that made everyone look so sad.
"Well then I will not ask when he will come home just check in on how he has adjusted to living in a palace. Since he would not tell me if he was not happy there and you know that he is not good at lying to Ladies of any rank for the maids to the Governess that he had that gave him his studies even thought he would work ahead just to make them angry," said Father. "He did that because they treated him like he was stupid and did not know what he was doing. Mrs. Tucker would give him a worksheet and say, 'This should not take you more than a week, so get started and if you need help just ask,' he would be done in an hour. Then he would give her the worksheet and she would look at it and try to find something wrong in his work. She never did find any wrong in the work and then she would get mad that he was never wrong so he started working ahead and that just mad her madder," Amy told Father.
He smiled at this and said, "He always did have a stubborn streak in him. He is a lot like your Mother was when she was alive, and like your Stepmother as well, for that fact. That is one thing that drew me to you Mary you are stubborn and will not let anyone push you around and I do like that in a woman. Most try to get rid of the stubbornness in a women but I think it is good for a woman to be stubborn to help her family." Mary is smiling at this and gives him a kiss.
"Then you should like my Aunt. For she was as stubborn as a mule my father would tell me all the time how she would get in trouble because she would not do something she was asked to do by one of her Governess for her studies. He all so said she had a bit of a temper if she did not like what was going on or how someone was being treated she was not afraid to let you know," Mr. Beast said. "Well she has sent us a letter inviting us to visit Josh for a few days at the palace for his 24th birthday," Father informed him. "Then she must fill badly about taking him away from you that she wishes to let you to see him to let you know he is okay," he tills my family. "That is what I thought and all of us are going to see him in two days and be there for a few days," Father tells him. "You can come if you want," Mother told him. "Thank you but no this is for you to see Josh and even though I wish to meet my Aunt I wish to meet her after she is freed." As he said this image started to fade and then I saw just the tabletop and B. wiped away the bit of what was in the jar off the table.