Though her curtains blocked a considerable amount of light, plunging her chambers into darkness, there was an aura of light surrounding the curtains, allowing her to see the outlines of the furniture in her room. Belle lay on her side, clutching the pillow underneath her head, her legs slightly drawn up, distantly gazing at the wall in front of her. Sleep had eluded her. She had tossed and turned, grunted, thrown a pillow off the bed, tossed and turned some more, catching small snippets of sleep. It had still been dark outside, when she had given up on trying to sleep and laid there, staring at the wall.
He haunted her. Whenever she closed her eyes, he was there, waiting for her with his sly smile. How could a man's smile have so much power over her? It was only two lips, two pieces of flesh and muscle, contorting and contracting themselves into what was recognised as a facial expression. There was no mystery behind it. Everyone had the capability to do it and each one was unique to its owner. Yet, the smile that belonged to him, fascinated her. She had covertly watched him as he had conversed across the table with Mr Mandermer, smiling from time to time. The dimples, which formed in his cheeks, were the first indication he was about to smile. Then slowly, purposefully, the corners of his mouth would draw themselves out, pushing back his cheeks before his top lip would lift, revealing his teeth.
His other smile, the one that bothered her the most, was what she could only describe as an impish grin. It was very similar to his normal smile, to his kind smile. Except this one, only drew back one side of his mouth, the left side, and when his teeth were revealed, it darkened his smile, causing the rest of his face to become menacing. It should've startled her, which was probably its intent, but it didn't. If anything, she wanted to trace it with her fingertip, following the line of his lips, the natural crease in his cheek and the touch the dip in his cheek. And that was exactly what she did, whenever she had closed her eyes, relinquishing herself to sleep, but instead, she had surrendered herself to the cruelty of her imagination.
Taking in a steadying breath, her heart raced as she recalled the dream of him, stood before her, smiling that smile, which made her insides quiver. Lord Gold wouldn't say anything, didn't move, while his eyes intently watched her as she softly touched the tip of her finger to his face, following the edge of his lower lip. She'd flick her gaze up to meet his eyes, seeing acceptance and kindness in eyes, with something else loitering in the darkness of his eyes. It wouldn't frighten her. It would stoke the fire of her curiosity, pushing her on to explore more of him, whilst her finger mapped the curve of the fold in his cheek, down from his nose to where it faded out by his chin. When she'd move her finger to the dimple in his cheek, his hand would capture hers and direct her finger to his mouth. He'd take the whole of her finger into his mouth, sealing his lips around it. Between that and the hunger in his dark eyes, she'd blow out a breath, feeling hot from the heat of his gaze. His tongue would graze delightfully about her finger as he deliberately withdrew it. Much like in her dream, Belle bit hard into her lower lip, firmly pressing her thighs together, enjoying a wave of pleasure from her core.
Turning her face into her pillow, Belle let out a frustrated groan, wanting to understand how he had done this to her. She had met many gentlemen in her life, through balls they had attended or when her father had visited the capital on business. Lord Gold was no different to any of those men: he had a head, two arms, two hands, two legs and two feet. There was nothing about him that put him above anyone else, apart from his title, and she had met Dukes and Marquesses, so it wasn't his title and it narked her to consider it. Status wasn't what made a man, something Gaston did not understand. No, it wasn't that, she was sure of it.
Belle rolled onto her back, her gaze on the ceiling above her four posted bed. A slow smile spread her lips as what happened at dinner came to the forefront of her mind. She'd entered the dining room before anyone else as etiquette directed her to do. Wrangling back a sense of control over herself, Belle had rounded the table to the head of the table, waving a pointed finger as she berated herself on her poor behaviour. Her mother would've been appalled, if she had known what thoughts were going through her daughter's head. She had taken in a breath, steadying herself, whilst she had pulled out her chair from the table and stepped in front of it, ready to be seated.
His footsteps had clicked on the floorboards as he had sauntered in the dining room, hands clasped behind his back, appearing very noble. Slowly his eyes had taken in the room, passing from the paintings, to the ornaments on the large sideboard, to the large mirror above the fireplace behind her, and then to her. Lord Gold's chest had swelled under his coat before coolly deflating. He had smiled 'that' smile at her, whilst circling the table, striding to the seat to her right.
Politely, Lord Gold had bent his head forward. "My Lady."
She'd bashfully smiled at him, imprinting his smile to memory, while the others came into the room. Gaston had proceeded her father and Mr Mandermer into the room and stopped dead, when he had seen Lord Gold in his usual spot at the table. His chin had jutted out, defiant, as he moved to claim the seat on her left side.
He had reached his hand out, to take possession of the seat, when Lord Gold had said. "I believe, you're mistaken, sir, you should take a seat closer to Lord French."
"I beg your pardon!" Gaston had spat. "I always sit beside Lady Belle."
Lord Gold had explained his point, whilst Belle's attention had bounced between them. "Yes, but given the circumstances, you being of lesser title, you should relinquish your seat to your superior."
"You have a seat!" Gaston had flung his hand angrily through the air.
Tipping his head to the side, admiring the chair in front of him, Lord Gold's lips had formed into an impish grin as he brought his gaze up to meet Gaston's, laying his hand possessively on the chair, claiming the spot at her side. Out of the corner of her eye, Gaston had recoiled his head back, straining the muscles in his neck. She had never seen Gaston so insulted by someone. Normally, his air of arrogance was so thick, he wasn't able to see anything but his own reflection. How Lord Gold had managed, to get through the dense fog of Gaston's arrogance, was a mystery all on its own.
"He's referring to me." Mr Mandermer had said, appearing next to Gaston, placing his hand on top of the chair to claim it.
"Err… Wha…" Gaston had looked from Mr Mandermer to Lord Gold. "You can't be serious? I'm Baron Saffroy!"
Nudging his head to the side, Lord Gold's grin had grown, revealing the glint of a gold tooth. "So you've said."
Gaston had whirled round to face her father. "French, are you seriously not going to say anything? This is your house!"
"It is my house, Saffroy, but etiquette is etiquette." Her father had said, standing at the head of the table, waiting to take his seat.
"Besides that, I think the Lady would appreciate an evening of stimulating conversation." Lord Gold had added, making Mr Mandermer snigger, but under Lord Gold's breath, Belle had heard him say. "Rather than listening to your trivial hunting stories."
"Let's sit down, I'm hungry." Her father had suggested, encouraging everyone to take their seats with a wave of his hand.
She had swept her hands down the back of her skirts, preparing to take her seat, and had peeped at Gaston. His brow was stooped heavily over his eyes, darkening them, as he had stared openly at Lord Gold, a look of hatred in his eyes. Belle lowered herself to sit, sure they'd be hearing about Gaston's outrage on every foreseeable visit. Just as her backside was about to make contact with the chair, she had felt the chair be pushed forward, taking her off her feet and pushing her closer to the table. Alarmed, Belle had peered over her shoulder, finding Lord Gold behind her, smiling kindly at her.
Belle covered her eyes with her arm, in a hopeless attempt, to block out the image of his smile, whilst she muttered under her breath. "God pray tell; why does this man provoke me?"
She didn't know why she was trying to converse with God. He hadn't thought it prudent to answer her questions in the past. Even when she had visited the small chapel on the estate, beseeching him on her knees, to know why he had to take her mother from her, why it couldn't have been her instead. No amount of worship had made a difference to her plight. He hadn't answered her then, so he most certainly wasn't going to answer her now.
The sound of the door handle creaking as it was turned, caught Belle's attention. Lifting her arm from her face, she was barely able to make out the door opening and closing, emitting a figure into her room. Her heart thumped and her groin clenched at the thought it was him. She should scream, alert the household to the intrude in her room, in her thoughts, but she bit her lower lip at the thought of him coming to her. Maybe, it wasn't one sided. He wasn't able to resist his thoughts anymore and had come to seek her out, to confess his illicit thoughts, desiring her to cleanse him of these images that had plagued his dreams.
Bright light flooded the room. after one of the curtains was flung back, revealing it was Ruby, who had entered her room, coming to wake her and help her prepare for the day. Ashamed of her daydream, Belle smothered her face with her hands, the burn of her embarrassment hot to the palm of her hands. She heard Ruby draw the opposing curtain, allowing more light into the room.
Ruby wafted a hand at the curtain, removing a crease from the fabric, and turned to move onto the next set of curtains, saying in a raised voice. "Come on, sleepyhead! Time to get up!"
"I'm awake." Belle's voice was muffled behind her hands.
"That's unusual for you." Ruby commented as she pulled open the next set of curtains. "I was devising new ways of waking you up as I came upstairs."
Belle removed her hands from her face and dropped them onto the bed. "I haven't really slept."
"It took a while for some of the younger maids to fall asleep." She grinned over her shoulder as she grasped the edge of the curtain, saying. "Granny stormed into their room and threatened them with her ladle, if they didn't shut up and go to sleep." Ruby threw the curtain aside, drawing the last curtain. "Thankfully, they stayed quiet and went to sleep, allowing the rest of us to go to sleep."
"How terrible for everyone." Belle remarked, throwing back the covers to climb out of bed.
Ruby shrugged off Belle's comment as she grabbed the bedcovers and started making the bed. "Didn't bother me. I'd snuck out to meet Peter. I just hadn't expected everyone to still be up, when I came back."
Belle shook her head, whilst she was helping Ruby, pulling the bedcovers taught on her side. "If Granny catches you again, Peter is going to end up in her meat pies."
"I was careful." Ruby said, smoothing a hand over the bed.
Giving Ruby a knowing look, Belle picked up her hairbrush from the bedside and ran the sharp pins through her hair. "I know exactly, what your careful entails. One day, you'll be announcing you're with child and Granny will be demanding my father's rifle."
"Once, he's got enough money and a place of his own, it'll be fine." Ruby stated, smiling, but Belle could see, Ruby was saying it more for her own benefit than Belle's.
As Belle flicked her hair over her shoulder, chasing the knots out of her hair, Ruby finished making the bed and started towards the dressing room, asking. "Any preference on what you want to wear today?"
"Not really." Belle followed Ruby with her gaze, skimming her hand down her hair as she brushed it.
Stopping in the doorway to the dressing room, Ruby laid her hand on the wall of the doorway, probing Belle. "Blue, red, yellow…?" Belle shrugged her shoulders. "You're not being helpful."
"Sorry, but whatever you choose will be fine." Belle braced a smile at her friend.
Ruby smiled. "A red dress, because it's the favourite colour of your suitor."
"Ha!" Belle barked a sarcastic laugh.
"I'll pick you a blue dress since I know he dislikes it." Ruby's smile became sinister as she backed away into the dressing room and disappeared into the room.
Putting her hairbrush onto the bedside, next to her book, Belle gathered the hem of her nightdress and pulled it up and over her head, shaking it out to fold it and stuff under the covers of her bed. The room wasn't cold with the early morning sunshine, coming in through the windows. Nevertheless, Belle shivered, goosebumping the skin on the backs of her arms. Crossing her arms, trying to conserve some warmth, Belle rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms, encouraging the bumps to go, while she walked around the bed to sit at the foot of it. Her thumb unintentionally grazed the side of breast, making her jolt and bite her lower lip at the sensation. An image of Lord Gold stroking his fingers along the path of her thumb leapt to mind. She closed her eyes, repeating the action, finely stroking the tip of her thumb up her breast, visualising it was him, stood behind her, caressing her as his lips kiss wet open mouth kisses to her neck.
Ruby came out of the dress room with Belle's undergarments and a blue dress in her arms, a pair of shoes hooked on her fingers. "The men were sitting down for breakfast as I was coming up."
Startled, Belle flung her arms away and whirled round to face her bed, smoothing out the creases in the covers. "Are they? Bit early for papa, isn't it?"
"From what I overheard, your father's going to ride out with Lord Gold, taking some of the men to fetch their carriage and their belongings." Ruby dumped the contents of her arms onto the bed and the shoes to the floor, oblivious to Belle and her embarrassment.
"Is Mr Mandermer not going?" Belle inquired, trying not to think of Lord Gold's hands.
Ruby's brow creased in thought. "I don't think, he's going. Sounded like he wanted to remain here."
"At least, that'll give me some company other than Gaston's." Belle supposed.
"I'm not too sure, Mr Mandermer could protect you from Gaston, he doesn't seem that… sort. You know, for conflict." Ruby said, picking up the corset from the pile of clothes.
Belle turned round and held her arms out of the way, allowing Ruby to wrap the corset around her. "Nothing wrong with that. A gentleman shouldn't need to resort to violence."
"You ought to tell Gaston that." Ruby joked and said. "Hold that there."
Placing her hand on the corset, Belle adjusted her breasts in the cups of the corset, while Ruby began the long task of lacing the flaps of the corset. She hated this bit of getting dressed. Not because of the restrictiveness of the corset, but because it took so long to put the damn thing on in the morning. It was the best part of the day, when she came to bed and Ruby unlaced her. Though, last night had been… different.
Naughtily, she had pictured it was Lord Gold plucking the lashes of lace, freeing her from her constraints as Ruby had removed it. His long thin fingers would have made light work of it, stood close behind her, swamping her with his oaky fragrance with a hint of citrus. She'd smelt it, when she had been entertaining them, playing the piano in the drawing room, while they had enjoyed glass a brandy. He had stood behind her, listening to her play. Belle hadn't been certain about how close he had been standing to her, but she could only imagine it had been close, since the smell of him had been so strong, like it had been at dinner. Whilst she had played, she had silently begged for him to touch her, to lay a finger on her shoulder, just so she could feel the plainest of his touches.
"I don't think Lord Gold is coming back with them." Ruby interrupted her musing.
"What?" Belle twirled to face Ruby. "Where's he going?"
Ruby rolled her eyes and spun Belle back round, telling her. "They were talking about him going to Bolster."
"Bolster? Isn't there a cotton factory there?" Belle posed her questions to Ruby, twisting her head to see her.
Ruby continued to weave the laces through the corset as she answered. "Yes, I think so."
"That's a few hours ride from here." Belle surmised, turning her head to face forward.
"Probably why they're all up." Ruby's hand was cold on her skin. "Breathe in."
Belle sucked in a breath, narrowing her stomach, and held it, whilst Ruby tugged and yanked the lashes of lace, gradually tightening the corset. Wrenched backwards a few times, she anchored herself by wrapping her arms around a post of the four posted bed. She had gotten so caught up in Lord Gold, she had forgotten that he had a life, outside of the four walls of her father's house. Which did nothing more than to add to the mystery of him and drive her to want to know more about him.
"There we go." Ruby touched Belle's shoulder, signalling the corset was done. "Sit down and I'll put your stockings on."
Belle did as she was instructed, whilst Ruby carefully picked up to two silk stockings and knelt on the floor, as Belle pondered. "I wonder what business Lord Gold has in Bolster."
"That's the fifth time, you've mentioned him." Ruby grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"I'm just curious." Belle stated, giving Ruby a pointed look.
Ruby tipped her head to the side, thinking. "Maybe he's got business at the factory or he's visiting someone…" Gathering one of the stockings in her hands, preparing to feed it onto Belle's foot, Ruby enquired. "Doesn't Lady Griffiths and her daughter live near Bolster?"
"I believe so, why?" Belle positioned her foot ready for Ruby.
Her shoulder raised and fell as Ruby suggested. "Maybe he's visiting Lady Griffiths or her daughter."
The idea repulsed her. Lord Gold couldn't be interested in them. Lady Griffiths was old, too old, for him. She was well beyond the age of bearing children, her youthful looks were hidden behind long, deep lines of age, and was so preoccupied with her pet dog, wedged under her arm all the time, she had no time for anyone, including her own daughter. On the occasions, they had met, Belle had found it difficult to remain polite as the woman would rudely talk to her dog instead. At the bequest of her father, she had bitten her tongue, being the perfect ideal of a young lady. And if it was Lady Griffiths's daughter, then she would bore him, if she was brutally honest. Miss Griffiths was not hard on the eye, but she wasn't well read and was very obnoxious. If she was suited to anyone, she should be matched with Gaston, but his vanity wouldn't allow him to accept a bride so plain.
"God forbid!" Belle exclaimed.
Ruby chuckled as she worked the first stocking up Belle's left leg. "I take it you disapprove of the match."
"Disapprove?" Belle handed a garter to Ruby, so she could secure the stocking around Belle's thigh.
"She does have a lucrative estate, which would mean she would offer a sizable dowry for her daughter." Ruby speculated, fastening the garter.
"I heavily doubt, Lord Gold, would need to consider someone's fortune or dowry before he married." Belle told Ruby, readying the next garter, whilst Ruby gathered the other stocking in her hands.
Ruby smirked. "We have assumed one thing, Belle."
"What?" She bit.
Looking up at Belle, crooking one of her fine eyebrows, Ruby threw a low blow into Belle's gut. "That Lord Gold isn't married."
"He…" She murmured, about to repeat what Ruby had said, needing to hear it from her own lips.
Belle hadn't even considered that to be a possibility. He was older than she, handsome enough, seemed to be wealthy. There was no obvious reason why he wouldn't have taken a wife or that his parents hadn't arranged his joining with another. She scowled at the thought, jealous that there could possibly be a woman in his life, one he shared his life with, touched, kissed and shared a bed. The garter in her hands twisted easily as she wrung the life out of it. She didn't want to think about him being with another.
"He could be." Ruby held the stocking to Belle's thigh, keeping it taut, and took the garter from Belle to secure it.
'Foolish girl', she chided herself, tightly pressing her lips into a thin line, clenching her small hands into fists, while Ruby put on her shoes. Closing her eyes, Belle couldn't believe how much she invested herself into Lord Gold and she didn't even know one thing about him. He was a stranger. Apart from polite conversation at the dinner table, what did she really know about him? Nothing. He hadn't shared anything private with her. Hadn't even suggested he was married or… Belle sucked in a breath at the thought, if he had children! This stranger had put a spell on her and invaded her thoughts and dreams, and she had foolishly let him!
Ruby climbed to her feet and grabbed the petticoat from the bed, and brunched the fabric up in her hands, as she said to Belle. "You've got a sour look on your face this morning."
"Thanks, Rubes." Belle scoffed. "I love you too."
"It's not my fault you look like that." Ruby asserted, hooking the petticoat over Belle's head. "What kept you up anyway? Were you thinking about your mother again?"
"I'm always thinking about my mother." Belle confessed, slipping her arms, one by one, into the petticoat, and pulled it down to cover the corset.
Ruby's shoulders slumped. "Sorry," She wrapped her arms around Belle and brought her closer, hugging her as she rested her head against Belle's. "I know you're always thinking about her."
It was probably a main point in their friendship that had brought the two girls closer. Ruby had been an infant, when her mother and father had been murdered. They'd been travelling back from the capital, collecting a shipment for her father, and it had gotten late. Nobody knew, why they didn't stop at the last inn they passed. Maybe they wanted to get home as soon as they could, to see Ruby, or they thought they could make it, or naively thought nothing would happen to them. The highwaymen had ambushed them, taking her father's shipment and the other supplies they had with them. The heroic notion was Ruby's father had fought to protect her mother and their cargo, and that was the story, Ruby chose to believe. However, the stories Belle had read about highwaymen, was they had probably killed her father straight away and had their way with her mother before slitting her throat. She didn't tell Ruby about these stories. Ignorance was blessing in Ruby's case.
"I'm hungry." Belle proclaimed, pulling back in Ruby's embrace. "Let's finish getting dress and get to breakfast."
"Okay." Ruby smiled sadly.
Turning to collect the dress from the bed, Ruby gathered the dress onto her arm and then held the skirt open for Belle. She slipped her arms through first, finding the sleeves of the dress, then dipped her head inside the skirt, navigating her way through to the other side. Ruby aided Belle, feeding the dress over her, helping it to slip down the petticoat. Belle grabbed at the sides of the dress, twisting and adjusting the fitment, until it sat comfortable on her. Stepping around Belle, Ruby skilfully hooked the clasps of the dress, fastening Belle into the dress.
"You better watch it, while your father's out, you know Gaston's going to try and get you alone, so he can propose to you." Ruby advised her as she hooked the last clasp.
Belle stepped to half turn, saying to Ruby. "Hence why you and Mr Mandermer are going to be my main sources of company today."
Ruby quirked an eyebrow. "Why don't we just tell Granny, he inappropriately touched you, then she can beat him with a ladle?"
"As much as that might be a satisfying sight… I really wouldn't want to get Granny into trouble." She said, grinning at the image of Granny beating Gaston with her ladle.
"You could always tell your father or Lord Gold, I'm sure it'll be just as satisfying to watch them beat him." Ruby shrugged a shoulders and then asked. "Up or down?"
Belle frowned at the image of Lord Gold beating Gaston. "Down."
"Come on then." Ruby grasped Belle's hand and led her to the door. "Let's see what trouble we can get into today."
Following obediently, Belle waited for Ruby to open the door to her chambers and went through the door after her, closing the door behind her. They fell into step together, Ruby slightly behind her, heading to the grand staircase. It was at the landing for the grand staircase, she heard his distinct brogue floating up from the foyer below. Her breath hitched, catching her off guard, and placed her hand on her chest as an ache developed deep in her belly.
At the top of the stairs, she observed her father and Lord Gold talking in the foyer, as her father changed from his shoes to his riding boots. He was stood near her father, who was sat on one of the benches, either side of the front door. His hands were clasped behind his back, allowing her to see, he was playing with the signet ring on his right little finger. She let her lips form into a small smile, contemplating if it was a nervous or impatient habit. Placing her hand on the banister, Belle began the descent down the stairs, taking a breath to calm herself. Seeing those hands in the flesh was increasing the ache in her belly. She squeezed her lips together and bit into her lower lip, vainly trying to distract herself from the need for him, for his touch, growing inside of her.
His head slanted down as though he was listening for a sound, but other than her father talking, there were no other sounds. Her shoes were cushioned by the red carpet, dampening the sounds of her steps. He couldn't possibly hear her panted breath from where he stood, it was impossible. But he must have heard something, perking his attention, because he stepped round to face her, a smile promptly on his face. The aching in her belly exploded, pulsing a wave through her, sending a hot heat throughout her body.
"Good morning, my Lady." Lord Gold courteously nodded his head to her.
Halfway down the stairs, she bobbed into a curtsy, saying to him. "Morning, my Lord."
She was surprised, she had managed to sound normal and not invited him up her chambers, as he climbed some of the steps to offer his hand to her. "If I may…"
"Course." Belle held her breath as she laid her hand into his open hand, staring at his thumb, when it gently met the knuckles of her fingers.
They came down the rest of the stairs together, Belle was eagerly minding their joined hands, resisting the urge to grasp his hand in hers. His hand was soft and firm, light bumps from callouses on the palm of his hand. Whenever a gentleman had offered his hand to her, their hands were always soft, never working a hard day in their life. A weak frown formed as she mused through the things that Lord Gold could do, which would cause him to hands of a working man.
"There you go, my Lady." Lord Gold let go of her hand and politely smiled.
Belle immediately missed his touch, the warmth of his hand, the gentle way he had held her hand, the tingle she felt from the contact of his skin. The child in her, wanted to pout and stamp her foot, demanding he give his hand back to her. The young woman in her, desired to jump him, knocking him down onto the floor and making him put his hands on her. While last of all, the lady in her, discreetly regarded him, biding her time until the opportunity presented itself, where he would touch her again. Three parts of her were all striving to be the dominant, while she helplessly watched him take a step away from her, putting a small space between them.
"Did you sleep well, my dear?" Her father asked, standing up from the bench.
"Fine, papa. You?" Belle lifted the front of her skirt, walking to stand near her father, receding away from her thoughts.
Her father held his hands out, titling his head to the side, as he proclaimed. "I always sleep well with a full belly and plenty of brandy." Then he waved a hand to Lord Gold. "Although, Lord Gold was saying, he didn't sleep very well last night. Went on a tour of the gardens in the wee hours of the morning."
"Oh, no. I hope it wasn't your room!" She blurted out, not really knowing what she was saying, flabbergasted to find out she wasn't the only one awake last night.
He braced a strained smile, looking sheepish. "The bed was very comfortable. I think yesterday's activities and the business I've got today, were just playing heavily on my mind."
"We'll have make sure, he gets plenty of wine and brandy in him tonight, Belle, and he'll sleep like a baby." Her father boasted, pulling Belle into his side.
"That's not always the answer, papa." Belle admonished.
"No, but it works. Does it not, my Lord?" Her father squeezed her into his side, smiling at Lord Gold.
"That it does, Lord French." He agreed, though Belle didn't see it in his eyes.
"Anyway, my dear, we better be off, otherwise it'll be nightfall before Lord Gold gets back." Her father pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Belle smiled at him, peering at Lord Gold, who averted his gaze from her. "Be careful, papa."
Her father smiled as he pivoted away from her, to go to the front door. "Always."
The footman opened the door, bowing respectfully to her father and stood dutifully, holding the door open. Moving her gaze from her father to Lord Gold, she found he had taken a couple of steps, closing the space.
"My Lady." Lord Gold bowed to her and followed her father through the open doorway.
Once they were through the door, the footman commenced with closing the door, and Belle waited until the door was finally closed before she moved. Wanting to savour every second, watching him talk to her father as they went to the horses, waiting for them outside. Her view narrowed with the impending closure of the door. She leaned, eager to keep sight of him, and thought for a second, he had turned to take one last look at her, but she couldn't be certain, only catching the movement of his coat before the door was ultimately pushed closed.