Chapter 27
I had been playing the piano in the main room for half an hour when B. showed up. She sat down and listened to me play the song I had wrote for her. After I finished the song, I turned to talk to her. "Do you know my name like my sister says you do?" she asked before I could even say hello. "If your name is Isabella then yes if it is not then no I do not know your name. I saw the name on the door next to the tea room that you are always in so I think it is your name but I did not wish to call you by it just in case it was not your name," I tell her. "It is my name but I have never liked it. I did not like the fact that it meant beauty and that when people saw me that was all they would think it is only right that her name means beauty since she is a beauty. I grew so feed up with the name I wanted to change it to something else anything thing did not mean beauty," she said.
"Well it is a shame since if you look like the girl in the portrait that I think you might look like then you were a beauty and will be a beauty again one day. Well once I find out how to free you that is," I tell her. "Well that is nice of you to say that but I did not like looking like a beauty," she said. "There is more to you than just a beauty for you are smart you should, when I find the way to free you, to show people that just because someone is a beauty that they are more than a pretty face. Show them that you are smart, funny, a great painter, even a strong willed woman. Prove to them that you are more than what they see," I tell her and I can tell that she would be blushing if she was human how I wish she was so that I could see that blush.
"Thank you for those kind words but I do not know if I am any of those things. I might not be dumb but not all that smart. I do not know about being funny ether, for I do not tend to make people laugh often. A great painter I just started to paint so I do not know if I am that good yet. I am stubborn but I do not know if that makes me a strong willed woman," she said. At this, I got up, went to sit next to her on the couch and put my hand on her shoulder, and said, "B. you are smart you have quoted some of my favorite plays since I arrived here. As for funny, you can make me laugh at times without even trying and yet you have not noticed have you. You just started painting and yet your work is better than the work of some painters from the city that people call brilliant artist. Strong willed women are stubborn and do not back down when questioned, and you do not back down often. It seems to me that you do notice these things about yourself, and it took someone that does not know you that well to see these things about yourself," I told her.
"I do not see what you see but I will take your word about it," she said as she leaned in to me and I fought the urge to hug and hold her close to me. She leaned in closer until I had no choice but to hug her and I did not mind. We stayed that way until I realized that she had fallen asleep and I feel asleep as well. As I fell asleep, I heard someone, I think Alice, say, "Jackson look they are falling asleep look at them he will break the spell soon. I have to start planning the wedding now or I might not be done when it is needed to be done." A man laughed and said, "Sweetheart I know you want to plan their wedding but please you know you have it planed out already so do not go and tell me that you need to plan you just need an outlet to channel your energy right now. Now come and let them sleep," that must have been Jackson.
When I woke up I found B. still asleep and I looked at the clock, saw that it was past noon, I looked at the window, saw sunshine, and tried to get up with our waking B. but she woke up. "So sorry I do not know why I fell asleep on you," she said as she moved away. "I did not mind I feel asleep as well. I was just going to go and tend to the horses then come in and eat. Have you been sleeping well for if not then you do need to sleep well tonight since my family will come tomorrow and I know they wish to meet you," I tell her. "I did not sleep well last night. I have been worried that your family might not like me and then what will you do stay here and try to free me or leave with you family," she said this all while looking at the floor. I sat back down and pulled her into a hug I did not even think about it before I did so.
"They will like you and even if they did not I would stay I could not leave you here. You deserve to be freed so you can meet your family that is not here in the castle. I will not leave not just because of that I could not live with myself knowing I walked away from someone that I could have helped, and I would go crazy knowing that I left you here as a beast to die I heard what Mr. Beast said about how you would die if I left. You are too nice for that to happen to and I will not have your life end because of me," I tell her as I hold her in my arms hugging her tightly to me. "You are a good man Josh you deserve someone just as good I would not hold it against you if you did leave me here as a beast. I can release you from staying here with me yes I would die but you can leave and return to your family if you wished," she said. "I will stay until I have freed you as I said I will not leave you here as a beast," I tell her.
She was sitting there in my arms and she then hug me back and curled up next to me and I could tell she was fighting back tears and I knew that I had to make sure she got a good night sleep but did not know how to do so. We sat there and when my stomach growled she laughed and said, "Sorry I did not mean to keep you Twilight Queen and Storm Cloud need to be tended to and you need to eat as well. Go eat then go to your horses," she said as she got up. "Join me for lunch then?" I asked her. "Yes, I will join you," she said. I would normally eat in my room but today I ate in the main dining room with her. When I finished I went to tend to my horses and could not quite thinking about B. I knew I had to free her soon or she might not be herself when I do free her. After I finished I went in I went straight to the piano hopping that B. would come and talk again. She did not come and I was upset that she did not come for I had wished to talk to her.
At supper she still did not show and I went to her tearoom and found her there painting. "Sorry I did not show up for supper but I thought I would paint something for your family to take with them as a gift. Come look and tell me what you think," she said. So I went to see what she had painted and saw me on Twilight Queen riding in the garden. I could not believe the detail she had painted and how well the painting was it made me look like a king returning home from a long ride in the town. "Wow, it is amazing they will fight for it all of them will want it in their home. You might need to paint more for them but not all the same. So that they would not fight for it," I told her. so that night I stayed with her as she painted and helped her pick which one would go to which family member by the time midnight came she was done and we said good night like all ways she asking me to marry her and me saying no when I wished to say yes.