It wasn't very ladylike, the way Belle was perched on the edge of the large table, swinging her legs back and forth, while the kitchen staff bustled about, preparing the menu Belle had decided on at the last minute. Mrs Lucas, otherwise known as Granny, was waving a ladle about like she was conducting an orchestra, savagely barking out orders to her troops. None of the kitchen staff minded. It was Granny's way. She had always been the same. Belle had learnt at a young age, not to run through the kitchen, when Granny was in full swing with her ladle. Several times, she'd been clipped up the side of the head, warned that the kitchen was nowhere a young lady should be playing. Though that had never stopped Belle and Ruby, and the other children, doing it. Especially, when the floor of the kitchen had been moped and they could slide from one side of the kitchen to the other. That was until Granny caught them and hauled them out by the scruff of their neck.
Belle smiled at the memory, her eyes on Granny, who was watching over one of the young servant girls, dicing up a bundle of carrots with a large knife. The girl was young, probably no older than fourteen. Granny had already made the girl throw away a pile of chopped carrots, because the young girl had chopped them wrong. It looked as though the young girl was still raw from the telling off, sniffling into her sleeve from time to time, secretly eyeing Granny out of the corner of her eye. Belle wanted to go over and reassure the girl that Granny was a pussy cat really, but was wary of the ladle in Granny's hands.
"Belle!" Ruby called her in a hushed voice.
Turning her head to see Ruby, popping her head around the edge of the door, Belle hopped off the large table and hurried over to her, asking when she was closer. "What is it?"
"He's here." Ruby said, giving Belle a pointed look.
"Bugger." Belle murmured under her breath.
"Lady Belle!" Granny admonished, causing the two of them to look to Granny. "A lady, such as yourself, should not be using such language."
Belle felt her cheeks flush. "Sorry, Granny."
Slipping her hand into Belle's, Ruby tugged Belle out of the kitchen and into the hallway, which was surprisingly cooler. Ruby motioned for Belle to precede her down the hallway. Letting out a weary breath, she took the lead, slightly lifting her skirt of her dress up as she walked, heading to the foyer to greet their visitor.
She already knew the topics of conversation: hunting, self-appreciation, hunting, more self-appreciation, which was followed by a small show of him proving how strong he was. None of which, interested Belle. Hunting down poor defenceless animals, in the name of sport, had never fascinated her. Nor hearing him regale, how he had wrestled a stag with his bare hands and had bested the animal by snapping its neck. The head of this poor stag hung in the entryway of Gaston's parent's manor. When she had seen it on their only visit to Gaston's home, looming over her, Belle had wanted to cry at the sight of the poor thing.
A hand grabbed her elbow from behind, hauling her back to a stop. Ruby came to stand in front of her, stroking back the loose strains of hair, tucking the ends into the bun at the back of Belle's head. Belle gazed off to the side, waiting for Ruby to finish making sure her appearance was perfect.
"Try and at least talk to him." Ruby instructed. "Remember his last visit, when your answers had been either 'yes' or 'no'? Let's not have a repeat performance. I don't think your father is much in the mood for it."
Belle pressed her lips into a thin line before she answered. "No, I don't think he is either."
Her father worried. Worried what the future had install for his only daughter. He used to be a confident man, but he had lost his certainty the day Belle's mother died. Though her father had carried on, burying down his feelings, it had been obvious to anyone that her father had been heartbroken. Her parents had had a conventional marriage – an arrangement made in their early teens, married a few weeks after her mother's sixteenth birthday. The year her mother died, would've marked the thirteenth year of their union. Nonetheless, six years later, her father's grief had not eased a day since that fateful day. She had a caught him several times over the years, conversing with her mother as he sat alone in front of the fire in the study, nursing a glass of brandy in his hand. Belle could only pray to God, begging to experience a tenth of the fondness, the love, her parents had shared for one another.
"Come on." Ruby grabbed her elbow and escorted Belle out of the refuge the hallway offered and into the foyer.
The footman bowed his head to Gaston as the gentleman entered the foyer, holding the door open until Gaston was clear of the door and closed it silently, remaining stood with his back to the wall, staring at the wall opposing him. The grin on Gaston's face made Belle grimace. He was dressed in his usual attire – a red tailored coat with a long tail that touched the back of his calves, a gold waistcoat with a lucrative pattern, a white linen shirt and tan coloured trousers. His knee high boots were a deep luscious dark brown, polished to a gleaming shine, which Belle determined was so he could see his own reflection in them. A lot of the men, Belle had met, never wore something that was so… eye catching, but then it was Gaston.
"French," Gaston gave her father an overly exaggerate bow. "I hope you are well."
"I am, I am. Yourself?" Maurice bowed his head slightly, acknowledging Gaston's theatrical bow.
Gaston smugly smiled, nodding his head to the side, whilst he placed his hand across his chest. "I am feeling much better, now that I've crossed the threshold into your home."
Glancing back at Ruby, who had dropped back a few steps behind her, Belle shared a look with her friend, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Ruby shook her head and gestured for her to look ahead. She let out a deep sigh as she returned her attention to her father and Gaston, who were conversing with one another.
"No doubt, Belle will feel the same way, once she knows you've arrived." Her father said, holding onto the lapels of his coat, his left thumb unconsciously rubbing the material.
"I'm very aware that Lord Saffroy has arrived, papa." Belle said to announce her arrival.
Gaston grinned from ear to ear, his eyes already ogling and envisioning how she looked underneath her dress, as he crossed an arm across his stomach and bowed to her, keeping his gaze on her the whole time. "My Lady Belle, I am so pleased to see you."
"As am I you, my Lord." She gave him a short curtsy, a bob of her head, swallowing the acidic taste in her mouth.
"I've thought of nothing else, but you, since my last visit." Gaston shared with her, leisurely clasping his hands behind his back.
Maurice swivelled to face her, smiling. "You hear that, Belle?"
"I do, papa." She kindly returned her father's smile, wondering how she could possibly excuse herself from the situation.
"I know I've just arrived, but I'd like very much to take you for a walk in the gardens, my Lady." Gaston wasn't looking at her as he said, he was saying it to her father, whose eyes beamed with the possibilities of them taking a walk in the gardens together.
Her father held an open hand out to her, sweeping the suggestion straight to his daughter to answer. Her mouth opened ready with a retort, posed on the tip of her tongue, but etiquette demanded she should accept his offer. Belle quickly closed her mouth, considering what options were available to her.
"My Lady, you still haven't pick out a gown for this evening." Ruby interjected.
"Yes!" Belle whipped round to smile at Ruby and then back to the astonished faces of her father and Gaston. "I haven't picked out my gown. If, my lord, would permit me, I shall hasten upstairs to make my selection and come and find you, so we can take a walk in the gardens."
Gaston was dumbstruck with his mouth hanging open. Her father bounced his gaze from Belle to Gaston, back to Belle and then to Ruby. Taking advantage, Belle gathered up her skirt, making it easier for her to run up the stairs, and dashed to the stairs.
"I won't be long, I promise." Belle waved a hand at her father. "I know my father would love to hear about your latest hunting conquest."
Blinking his eyes, Gaston finally closed his mouth, moving his gaze from Belle to her father, who was following Belle and Ruby up the stairs with his gaze. The pair hitched their skirts higher at the top of the stairs, breaking out into a sprint, getting as far as they could from the grand staircase before her father called her back. They bounced into each other as they ran, giggling at their naughtiness.
They mutually slowed their pace and Ruby commented to Belle. "Your father is going to be furious with you, when he realises."
"Wouldn't be the first time." Belle smiled wickedly at her friend.
When they reached the door of Belle's chambers, Belle pushed forward and opened the door, holding it open for her friend as Ruby followed her inside. They exchanged the door between them and Ruby closed it, while Belle hurried her step to throw herself onto bed, landing flat on her back. 'Safe.', she thought to herself, fanning out her arms to feel the softness of the bed linens. The child in her, wanted to crawl under her bedsheets and remain there for the rest of the day, feigning illness or women issues, so her father and Gaston would leave her alone. If there had been enough space under her bed, like there had been when she was little, she would have squeezed underneath it, hiding herself away from the evitable.
"Do you have a dress in mind for tonight?" Ruby queried opening the door that led to Belle's dressing room.
Belle folded her right arm over her face, covering her eyes. "Ooooh…" She flopped her arm back onto the bed. "Maybe I could feign illness and eat my dinner in my room tonight."
"Belle, which dress?" Ruby raised her voice to be hear in the other room.
"You know I haven't groomed Phillipe in a while." She commented, ignoring Ruby's question.
Ruby poked her head around the door. "Your horse isn't going anywhere and if you've forgotten, you have a Stablemaster, who tends to his needs." She held out a blue gown for Belle to inspect. "This dress?"
Belle raised her head off of the bed and shook her head. "No."
Disappearing back behind the door, Ruby said. "Belle, at some point, you're going to have to accept that Gaston is going to ask for her hand marriage. Your father will, of course, accept his offer and you'll be married possibly before the autumn."
"Thanks, Ruby. That's exactly what I want to hear." She said sarcastically, sitting up to sit on the end of her bed.
"Honey, if I could help you dodge the bullet, I would." Ruby told her before her head appeared around the corner of the door. "But I don't think your father or Granny would allow it. Plus," She paused for effect. "I don't want to marry him, either."
Rolling her eyes, Belle fell back onto the bed, covering her face with both of her hands. "I hate my life. Why couldn't I have been born common? Or poor? Anything but a lady."
"We all have trials and tribulations, Belle. Don't think for one second, that anyone lesser than you, has it any easier than you." Ruby came back into the room, carrying a gold gown, the skirt and sleeves embroidered with roses, the neck line dipping enough to show an ample amount of her bosom. "You just get the luxury of food in your belly, wine in your glass, a roaring fire and lots and lots of books to read." She smiled after her books comment.
"I know I should really be grateful." Belle sat up again, clutching her hands in her lap, playing with the edge of her thumbnail.
"I don't envy you, Belle, but it's always been your role in life to marry a Lord and give him an heir." Ruby said, laying the gown out onto bed behind Belle, and then asked. "Up or down?"
"Up." Was Belle's response to how she wanted her hair.
Ruby went back to the dressing room, saying over her shoulder. "It could be worse."
"How so?" She asked, while regretting she asked at the same time.
"Well," Ruby perched herself up against the doorframe. "Gaston could be fat, old and stink."
Belle gave Ruby a pointed look. "Sounds very appealing right now."
Ruby threw her head back and laughed as she carried on into the dressing room, while at the same time, there was a sharp knock at Belle's door before the door opened and one of the maids stuck her head around the door. Seeing Belle was decent, the maid came into the room and closed the door behind her. The young woman curtsied, bowing her head, as Ruby walked out of the dressing room into Belle's chambers, to see who had knocked the door.
"M' Lady, two men on horses are approaching the house." The young woman told her in a hurry.
"Two men?" Belle questioned shifting off the end of the bed to stand on her feet.
Ruby walked towards the young maid, asking. "Right now?"
"Yes, M' Lady." The young maid nodded her head at Ruby.
Belle and Ruby locked their gazes on each other, leaving the young maid to look between them, waiting for either one of them to give her an instruction. Ruby was the first to respond to the news, pushing her brow up her forehead. Framing her hips with her hands, Belle let her gaze momentarily go to the closed door, struggling to contain the excitement building low in her gut. The young maid frowned at the two ladies, unsure of the protocol.
Clasping her hands behind her back, Ruby sashayed passed the young maid, edging her way towards the door. Belle narrowed her gaze on her friend, fully aware of what her friend was about to do. There had always been a one-upmanship between them. Who was faster, who could climb the highest, who could hold their breath the longest. No matter what it was, there had always been a competition between them. And right now, the competition was who could get to the front of the house the quickest, to see the strangers riding up to the house.
She took a step and it was like someone had shot a pistol, signalling the start of the race, as Ruby raced to the door. Belle sprinted across her bedroom, knocking the young maid out of her way, and met with Ruby at the door, throwing herself at her friend, and fought with her to open the door. The young maid stood back, perplexed by their madness, whilst they struggled to get the door open, pushing and shoving each other. Belle managed to get a hand on the door handle and twisted it, pulling open the door, but Ruby slammed the door close with her shoulder, shoving Belle out of the way. There was a small cry of 'Ruby' as Belle was forced back from the door. Ruby grinned over her shoulder at Belle, whilst she yanked open the bedroom door and made a break out into the hallway. Gathering her skirt, Belle raced after her, their feet pounding down the hallway as they competed to get to the window at the end of the hallway.
Ruby got to the window first and pressed her face up against the glass, looking for the two men approaching the house. Gasping for breath, Belle slowed her pace and moseyed up to the window, coming to stand beside her friend, giving her an evil look, while she tried to catch her breath.
"You cheated." She told Ruby breathless.
Ruby pointed a finger to the glass, indicating to something outside. "Look."
"What?" Belle asked, all but forgotten about the two men.
Struggling to see, Belle barged Ruby aside, crooking her neck to see where Ruby had pointed. Outside the front of the house were two men, one of them was still sat on his horse, while the other was standing beside his horse, squatting down so the tails of his coat touched the ground, doing… something to himself. From their angle, they could not see what he was doing, but it looked quite peculiar from behind.
"What's he doing?" Whispered Ruby.
Belle lifted her brow at the question. "I have no idea."
The other man threw his leg over the horse and slipped off its back, landing gracefully beside it, pausing to pat the creature's neck. The man walked around the horse of the other man and seemed to stop in his tracks, once he saw what the other man was doing. His head shook as he collected the reins of the other man's horse and walked away, with the horses following obediently behind him. The other man straightened his legs and walked a few steps before he slightly squatted again, and carried on walking, trailing after the other man and the horses.
"Come on." Belle instructed and pushed herself away from the window.
Traipsing back down the hallway at a hurried pace, the two glanced at each other, both with questioning looks, and made their way back to the grand staircase. As they neared the landing for the grand staircase, Belle could hear voices floating up from the foyer below.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, I was not expecting your arrival." She heard her father say.
"No, no, Lord French, it is I who is at fault, coming to your home without an invitation." A strange accented voice said.
Leaning over the banister, hungry to feed her curiosity, Belle looked down at the foyer to see the two men being greeted by her father and Gaston. One of the men, who Belle had seen squatting outside, was standing a few step back from the other man, a painful grimace on his face. She decided, he was probably handsome, when he wasn't pulling faces. His clothes were… interesting - he wore a royal purple overcoat, with a maroon waistcoat, a white shirt with a high collar and purple cravat. His attire was very flamboyant.
"If we hadn't had a bother with our carriage, I wouldn't have been forced to come to your home unannounced, Lord French, to which I offer my apologies." The man told her father, lightly gesturing with his hands.
From her angle, Belle could see that the man was slightly shorter than her father, thinner too. He wore a black overcoat, a gold pattern stitched onto the lapels and cuffs of his coat, a dark red waistcoat reminding of red roses in the gardens, a white shirt with a high collar, which disappeared into his hair at the back of his neck, and a red cravat. His hair was swept to the side, short but a good length to run your fingers through and pull. Belle's eyes widened at her thought, never before considering such a thing about man, and turned her face away from Ruby's gaze, feeling the rush of a blush colour her cheeks. Though, her gaze remained on the stranger below, intrigued by what other thoughts this man could conjure in her.
Her father shook his head. "It's no bother at all, my Lord. I'm more than happy to welcome you both into my home."
Ruby tugged at Belle's elbow, wanting to go down to the foyer, but Belle held onto the banister, enthralled by the man below as he said. "Thank you, Lord French, I greatly appreciate this kindness and hope I can return your kindness in the future."
"French, maybe the two gentleman would care for a drink." Gaston suggested into her father's ear.
"Yes, I'm sure they would." Her father agreed with a nod to Gaston and said to the two men. "We'll be having dinner soon, but if you'd like to follow us to the drawing room, my Lord, I could offer you a refreshment before dining."
"Sounds most agreeable, doesn't it, Jefferson?" The man turned to the other man.
The flamboyantly dressed man, Jefferson, nodded his head. "Yes, my Lord."
Bolting up straight, Belle gathered her dress, while the men below retired back to the drawing room, and hurried back down the hallway to her chambers. She could hear Ruby's pounding footsteps, following her closely down the hallway. They busted through the door to her chambers together, startling the young maid, who had remained in her room. Belle twisted herself, trying in vain to reach the clips at the back of her dress, as she crossed the room to where Ruby had laid her dress onto the bed.
Closing the door, Ruby ordered the young maid. "Lottie, go into Lady Belle's dressing room and get me gold silk shoes, with the gold buckle!"
"Yes, Miss Lucas." Lottie bobbed her head at Ruby and hurried into the dressing room.
"Ruby, help me!" Belle was struggling to reach the back of her dress.
"I'm coming." Ruby muttered as she seamlessly hurried over to Belle, her hands reaching out for Belle's dress.
Belle swung round, putting her back to Ruby, fidgeting as she said. "He had a strange accent, did he not?"
"His friend is rather peculiar. Whatever was he doing outside?" Ruby asked, easily unhooking the clasps at the back of Belle's dress.
The dress grew gradually looser and when the last clasp was unhooked, fell soundlessly down Belle's body, pooling into a heap at her feet. She hopped out of the puddle of her dress, tugging at the bust of her corset, adjusting herself, as Ruby picked up the other dress from the bed.
"Did you catch what the other man's name was?" Belle asked, steadying herself with a hand on Ruby's shoulder, stepping into the dress that Ruby held open for her.
Ruby shook her head, saying. "No, just his friend was called Jefferson." She stooped lower, making it easier for Belle to step her other leg into the dress. "He was… very eye catching."
She chuckled, whilst Ruby slid the dress up Belle's body. "Are we talking about his clothes or his handsome face?"
"His clothes." Ruby balked at Belle's question.
"Miss Lucas, did you mean these?" Lottie questioned from the doorway to the dressing room.
Snapping her gaze to Lottie, she nodded her head, while Belle fed her arms into the short sleeves of the dress. "Yes, bring them here."
"The other one looked very regal." Belle remarked, adjusting the sleeves on her shoulders.
"Very skinny." Ruby commented, shifting round to back of Belle to fast the clasps of the dress.
"I wouldn't say skinny…" Her gaze travelled up to the ceiling as she pondered over it. "Lean, I think is a better word."
"Lottie, help Lady Belle with changing her shoes." Ruby gathered her skirt and hurried to the dressing room.
Belle huffed a breath, sitting down onto the edge of her bed, saying down to Lottie, who had dropped to her knees at her feet. "It's not like anyone sees my shoes."
Lottie smirked, whilst she lifted Belle's skirt to find her feet and lifted her right foot to remove the shoe, replacing it with the reciprocating shoe. Hearing Ruby's dress swishing back into the room, Belle looked to her friend, seeing a hairbrush and the jewelled butterfly clip in Ruby's hands. Her gaze was held by the clip, a momento she had taken of her mother's. It was normally saved for special occasions. Belle breathed in unsteadily, hit with a wave of fresh grief and guilt.
"Hey," Ruby said to gain Belle's attention as she laid the items on the bed and then put her hand on Belle's shoulder, offering comfort. "None of that. She wouldn't want that."
"No." Belle dropped her gaze to her hands, playing with the edge of her thumbnail.
Lottie clambered up from the floor, clutching Belle's discard shoes in her hands, and tore away at a blistering pace to return the shoes to the dressing room. Stepping round Belle, her hand remaining on Belle's shoulder, Ruby bent down, forcing herself into Belle's gaze. She didn't say anything. She waited until Belle lifted her eyes to her face and grinned a toothy smile at her friend. Belle couldn't help but snort.
"Come on, let's do your hair." Ruby hooked her thumb, gesturing for Belle to get up.
Belle stood, voicing her thoughts. "I wonder if he reads."
"Who?" Ruby turned Belle by her arms and started to remove the pins holding her hair.
"The regal looking one." She clarified, leaning her head to see Ruby over her shoulder.
Ruby forcefully turned Belle's head forward. "Most gentlemen read."
Belle glared Ruby over her shoulder. "You know what I meant."
"Nobody" Ruby forced her head straight again, mumbling through the pins in her mouth. "Reads like you."
Her lip poured as she conceded Ruby was right. "It would be nice to meet a gentleman who did. At least then we could converse about something, instead of nothing."
"Oh, I don't know." Ruby started to brush through Belle's hair, drawing her long brown curls back into Ruby's hand. "I know Gaston's rendition of his last hunt, always makes your heart thump widely."
Belle scoffed. "Oh, of course." She said sarcastically. "The anticipation is becoming too much. I don't know whether I can contain my excitement much longer."
"Here." Ruby handed the brush to Belle, who took it.
"Will that be all, Miss Lucas?" Lottie asked, standing dutifully by the dressing room doorway.
"No, that'll be all. Thank you, Lottie." Ruby replied to Lottie as she tightly twisted Belle's hair into a ponytail and then folded it, pressed it into the back of Belle's head, securing it with the butterfly clip.
Belle touched her fingers to the hair behind her, feeling the tension in her hair, threatening to pull itself out of her scalp. "I'd say he was younger than papa, but definitely older than me."
"Which one?" Ruby asked, seeking clarification, as she pinned some of the loose strains.
"The regal one." Belle stated, feeling that it should've been obvious.
"You like him then?" Her friend questioned, but before she had even finished her question, Belle had sprung round, her face twisted in disgust.
"NO!" Belle exclaimed, definitely a little bit too loudly.
Ruby spun her back by her shoulders, adjusting the loose ends of Belle's hair, fanning out above the butterfly clip. "It's just an observation." Belle could hear Ruby was grinning. "It being the fourth time, you mentioned him."
"No, it wasn't!" She refused to accept the truth.
She didn't like him, to like something there had to be a familiarity with the subject. And she knew nothing about him. Intrigued, yes. The stranger was intriguing. He said they had a bother with their carriage - Where were they heading? Where had they come from? Was his hair as soft as it looked? What business had brought them here? She was only curious. This sort of occurrence had never happened before. Normally people were invited or wrote requesting to stay with them. It was unheard of, for someone of substance to drop in unannounced. It was only natural that she wanted to know more, anyone would given the circumstances.
Belle pushed her thoughts aside and turned her head to ask Ruby. "Are you done?"
"Nearly." Ruby tugged at a piece of hair before Belle felt a pin slide into her hair. "Done."
Lifting her skirt, Belle strode purposefully to the door of her chambers and opened the door, glimpsing at Ruby before she exited her room. Ruby closed the door, hurrying a couple of steps to catch up with Belle. She glimpsed back at her friend, not liking the knot of guilt tightening in her gut. Her tone had been short and curt. She had never spoken to her friend like that before and she felt terrible.
At the landing of the grand staircase, Belle halted, catching Ruby's arm and her friend by surprise, as she begged. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to be short with you."
"Nothing to forgive." Ruby tenderly placed her hand on top of Belle's, smiling warmly.
"Promise?" She asked, squeezing Ruby's arm.
Ruby returned the squeeze. "Promise." She nodded her head to the stairs. "Come on, you need to find out who they are, so you can tell me later."
They smiled at each other and swiftly followed the landing to the top of the grand staircase, and descended the stairs together. Turning left at the bottom of the stairs, Belle led the way to the drawing room, hearing their conversation filter out into the hallway. She entered, peeping around the edge of the door, wanting to see them before they became aware of her.
Her father was sitting in his usual armchair, near the fireplace, a glass of brandy cradled in his hand. Opposite her father, queerly leaning on the arm of the chair was the one called, Jefferson, who seemed to be favouring his left side. She frowned, regarding him as very odd. Moving her gaze, she avoided Gaston, standing perched against the fireplace, his chest puffed out, arm laid across the mantle, boring them to death with the tale of how he bested a stag with his bare hands. Belle blew out a breath, tired of hearing the tale.
Stood by one of the french windows, which led out onto the courtyard, the other man had his back to the room, admiring the scene framed by a windowpane. He sipped from his brandy and lowered his arm, swirling the contents of his glass. Belle took a step, sucking in her bottom lip to bite it, stemming the hunger she felt, at the sight of him licking the taste of the pain brandy from his lips. His brow twitched and then his head turned, their gazes met. Many wouldn't have classed him as handsome, but Belle was breathless as he held her gaze.
"Ah!" Her father got up from his armchair. "My Lord, If I may, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Belle."
His dark brown eyes appeared endless, she could feel herself getting lost in them, captured by the darkness in them. She wanted to follow the curve of his thin nose, tracing it down to the peak. His lips, thin and showing the perfect amount of flesh, looked inviting and tasty. The tips of his ears stuck out ever so slightly, elvish looking, her fingers itched to touch them, following the edge of his ear round to the lobe. The twitch of the left side of his lips, quivering into half a smile caught her off balance.
"It is my honour, Lady French." His brogue made her hitch a breath, while he bowed, lowering his gaze for a second.
"Belle, this is the Earl of the Frontlands, Lord Gold." Was the introduction.
Curtsying to him, Belle dipped her gaze down, picking a random spot on the large rug, and as she straightened, she raised her gaze to meet his, finding his sly smile had broadened, while she had averted her gaze. She was barely aware of Jefferson standing, a whispered groan under his breath as he stood. Whilst they gazed at one another, her insides were melting into s warm pool, centring deep inside of her, threatening to spill, if she didn't clamp her thighs together.
"Mister Mandermer, my daughter, Belle."
Jefferson waved his hand showily in front of him as he bent to bow at her, smiling at her. "My lady."
Lord Gold lifted his glass to his lips, eyeing her over the curve of the glass, and drank his brandy. In her chest, her heart raced, pounding faster than Phillipe could gallop. The glass lowered, revealing his face, his mouth. She held her breath, staring at the pink tip of his tongue, tentatively dipping out to run along his top lip.
Cough
Waking from her daze, Belle looked to her father, though she had difficulties to keep her gaze from going back to Lord Gold, and watched her father bulge his eyes at her, firmly nodding his head towards their guests. She followed his nod to Jefferson and on to Lord Gold, who was grinning most like a Cheshire Cat. There was a sharp poke in her back, forcing her to take a step forward into the room. Whipping her head round, she was confronted by Ruby, mouthing 'say something' to her. Belle frowned and turned back to the other occupants of the room, all of whom were looking expectantly at her.
'Bugger.', she thought and said aloud. "My apologies, my Lord," Belle stooped into a curtsy. "I was not aware, we would be receiving visitors this evening."
"Lord Gold and Mister Mandermer have had some trouble with their carriage." Her father explained. "I've invited them to stay with us until their carriage is repaired." Maurice smiled pleasantly at Lord Gold, who acknowledged this with a curt nod of his head.
Her gaze drifted to Lord Gold. He was spying into his glass, rotating what was left of his brandy in the glass. Then he blinked and opened his eyes, revealing he had moved his gaze to her. She tore her eyes away from him, bothered greatly by the intensity of his gaze. The contact of her thighs pressed so tightly, giving her a delightful amount of friction, made the rest of skin tingle.
"My Lady Belle, I was reminiscing about the time, I wrestled that large stag with my bare hands." Gaston informed her. "You remember the stag? His head hangs in the entryway at home, remember?"
She pulled a smile at him. "Of course, my Lord."
Gaston opened his mouth to continue his story, when Belle felt light touch to her arm and looked back to Ruby, telling her. "They're ready to serve."
'Thank God', Belle looked up to the ceiling, halfheartedly signing the cross over her chest, and turned to the room to make the announcement. "Mrs Lucas is ready to serve, papa."
"Wonderful." Her father held his arms out, telling them how glorious Granny's cooking was, while Belle took the chance to escape the room, to escape Lord Gold's gaze.
On exiting the room, Belle placed her hands on her face, her cheeks were on fire. Ruby was giving her a strange look, whilst she put a guiding arm around Belle, escorting her to the dining room. The squirming in her gut gradually died down, leaving a dull ache in its stead. She'd never experience anything so intense. Was this what they meant? Was this love at first sight? Or was this the mortal sin of lust he had evoked in her?