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Chapter 10- Wonderment

What was it about her that bothered me? I was pretty agitated at the fact that she withheld so much from me. It's never been a problem for me to find out more about the women I am interested in. I don't know if she's taking me for a fool but some things were just not adding up. The way she kissed that gentleman goodbye her first day at University seemed like it could have been none other than a father who dearly loved their daughter. But who am I to assume when, my own father wouldn't have nearly shown me such affection. My faithful servants on the other hand probably showed me more warmth than my own old man.

The terror on her face made me feel sick to my stomach. She was soaked and scared, and I didn't add anything but more fear and pain. Is this how my mother felt? Sad, then wet, then dead? I picked up a nearby tea-cup and launched it across the room. The fragile ornament shattered in a million pieces as it met the wall to its demise. I buried my face in my hands.

"I am just like my father!" I gritted through my teeth regretably.

Well I am done with her! I couldn't take the image of a hurt Belle once more. As I looked out the balcony to the grim dark sky, fists clenched as I reviewed the frustrating day in my head. To forget Belle would be hard to do though. It was times like these that I wish I had the convenience of Aurora.

I lit a cigar and blew the smoke out to the direction of the open balcony. I sat in a chair lounging in it, one arm behind my head, the position I seem to naturally fall into when lounging around. Looking at the stars as I puffed away, I am reminded by a pair of the most beautiful innocent eyes I had ever seen. It was getting harder and harder to forget about her.

As I looked to my left arm that was holding the cigar, my sleeve had raised enough to expose the tattoo below my inner elbow- a rose in monochromatic hues of grey and black.

My symbol to signal those that work at LeGume Taverns that I get free entry, anonymity, women at my disposal, and liquor on the house.

The tattoo quickly reminded me that I had other ways to get my mind off of things that were weighing me down.

The rain looked like it had subsided a bit. I noted the drizzle and decided I could venture for I knew of a sure fire way I could get my mind off of Belle. I got up from my chair pulling the white shirt off of me. I changed into another lose-fitting long sleeved shirt, black pants, and dark brown boots. The most important item I then pulled out from my closet was my dark grey cloak. It hid my face perfectly. When I entered the tavern you could never see my face for the shadow of the hood did justice in keeping my anonymity.

I pulled a signaling rope that was next to a shelf. I was fastening the buttons on my cloak, as I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in Lumiere," I called.

"You rang master." Lumiere appeared. He was a bit younger than my father, and much older than me. He was my most faithful servant. He had been there for me at times much more than my own father. He didn't always agree with me and my ways, but he always had my back.

"Get out my private carriage and take me to LeGume Tavern- now." I commanded. Lumiere nodded. "I'll be down there in two minutes," I stated and with that he turned his heel.

Being royal has its perks as I've said many times before. Lumiere is my personal servant and body-guard. All aristocrats usually have a discreet one at the University. My father has given him one of the best servant quarters in the building. Apparently Lumiere said he shares it with the personal servant to the Prince of Wales.

As I opened the door to the carriage, I noted the muddy ground. It must have been hard for Belle to venture out in in the rain. I began to feel very apologetic for the strain I had caused her. Trying to pry out information out of her and taunting her drenched yet delectable body simultaneously, might not have been conducted in the most appropriate of times. I hoped in a way that she ok, dry, and warm now. I shook my head, reminding myself to stop thinking of her. "Let her be, and now let me be sane" I thought to myself. The way to the LeGume Tavern was a 15 minute carriage ride. When we got to the entrance, Lumiere parked the carriage in front to let me out.

"I'll park the carriage around in the back so no one will notice. I will wait till you are ready to return Master," he stated. I nodded in approval.

The large man standing at the front gate looked perplexed to see me, for he probably couldn't make out a face given the intense dark shadow that shielded my identity. I held out my left arm and raised the sleeve. He nodded, realizing I was none other than a frequent customer of the Tavern, when he saw the rose. He quickly opened the doors to the tavern.

It was a fiery view. There were beautiful women flirting with men everywhere, filling their empty cups, and lighting their cigars. Two men behind the bar pouring drinks to the gentleman that were seated near. I looked around the room, smiling. My shirt sleeve was still pushed up to unveil my tattoo. I wanted to make sure it was visible so people knew it was time to serve me.

A familiar beautiful red head came to me. We had screwed around a bit in the past. She led my arm to a table in the corner. It was my table- completely isolated and farther away from the other tables. She pulled out my chair and sat me down. She placed her hands on my shoulders as she gently kneaded my neck. It felt good to be given such attention and comfort.

"What will it be love? The usual?" she asked as she smiled.

"Yes the usual Katerina. One stiff scotch please. Actually make it a double. Where is the owner today?" I asked.

"He's here love, in the office interviewing another fair lady," she started. "Boss gave orders not to trouble him but I'm sure he will be out in a moment love," she finished.

I looked around the tavern to find the usual beauties I was accustomed to and a few new faces as well. As Katerina brought me back my drink, I observed the scene from the shadows thinking about what venture I would want to get into tonight.

Looking around the room, I noted there was a group of men seated at a table nearer to the bar fondling one of the barmaids. She looked like she was loving it as she poured their empty cups with malted whiskey and flirtatiously batting her eye lashes. One of the men grabbed her buttocks as she jumped playfully. She then sat on the lap of one of the men, pouring the malted whiskey down his throat as he grabbed her tight around the waist. Was she really enjoying all this, I pondered.

To think how some women could succumb to such a role. I had no complaints for I was here to enjoy the show as well, but I couldn't help but admire how they could do such a demeaning role with a smile on their face. The way they are able to convince the rest of us so, left me baffled all the time.

All of a sudden my large dark-haired friend caught my eye. I noticed Gaston; anyone could a mile away, and with him was the fairest maiden I had seen in the history of this Tavern. To my shock and scorn, it was Belle.

"Belle?" I heard myself out loud.

Luckily the Tavern was plenty loud enough for no one to hear me.

It looked like Gaston was giving Belle a tour of the tavern. He introduced her to the two bar tenders. Both of them smiled, and as Belle and Gaston walked past them, I could see the younger one checking out Belle from behind. I could feel my self-getting hot in anger, and brought my cup to my lips to sip the scotch in an effort to cool down. To my disdain instead of calming me down I felt the scotch fueling my anger more.

Gaston pointed to the trays and the cups. He showed her around the room to the tables. I could see the men from their chairs sipping their concoctions slowly eyeing Belle as if they were undressing her with their eyes. I slammed my cup at the table loud enough to get the attention of Gaston. He looked at my direction, and I could see Belle following his gaze. There was no way she would know it was me, due to the efficiency of my cloak, but Gaston knew who I was right away. I saw Gaston place both hands on Belle's shoulders giving her orders. She nodded in return and I saw her lowering her head retracting back behind the curtains to where I assumed the kitchen was.

As soon as she was gone out of sight, I held out a cigar and like magic Katerina appeared with match and lit my cigar.

"There you go love," she whispered as she smilingly went on her way to another table.

I saw Gaston gloating as he approached my table. He took a chair from another table and slammed it across from mine backwards, and firmly sat down.

"Wouldn't think I'd be seeing you here today. You've stopped coming here for a while. Thought Aurora was keeping you warm enough at night. Did you hunger for something else?" he asked he snapped his fingers. He signaled a barmaid who quickly went to the bar and came back to our table with a large mug of ale for Gaston.

"I did hunger for something else but she's hard to get through," I snickered as I brought my cup to my lips. Gaston began drinking out of his mug still looking at me puzzled. As he placed the mug on the table about half of its contents were already gone.

"Can I get you something here my friend," he asked me as looked around the tavern trying to find someone to suffice my assumingly large appetite.

"Yeah, and you know who that something, or should I say someone that is," I pressed on.

Gaston looked at me perplexed. "Katerina?"

"No, that brunette you were talking to before she disappeared. Where did she go?"

Gaston looked behind him, noting the direction of my gaze.

"That was Belle, the one that rejected me at the dance remember," he stated with a sigh as he gulped from his mug not making eye contact.

"Are you and her…" I pressed on hinting that I was inquiring if she had sparked an interest him.

"No I'm afraid. She's here only on business."

"Business? What's a noble girl like her doing here for business?" I asked.

Gaston responded with a smirk and a soft low chuckle. "I can't really say," he chided.

"Why the fuck not?" I pressed on.

"Because I promised."

"Since when have you been so ethical and forthcoming," I chuckled as I leaned back in my chair finishing the last bit of scotch. I slammed down my glass.

Gaston snapped his fingers again, and a gleaming Katerina came with another cold glass of scotch. I nodded and smiled, but I knew she couldn't see my thankful face.

"I want her Gaston. I want only her to serve me," I demanded.

"Belle doesn't want to work the floor Adam, and quite frankly I wouldn't want her too. She's too timid and conservative!" he boomed. "I'd lose my customers in an instant if she were to tend to them!"

"I'm not the rest of your customers. I want only her, and only I get her. She will only serve me every time I come into this Tavern. She is my personal barmaid," I restated.

"She's not going to do all those tricks you like Adam. She's not going to go into the West Wing and lay with you, sit on your lap, light your cigars, and massage your neck. She just wants to do dishes in the kitchen. I told her it doesn't pay enough as a barmaid, but she couldn't bear to take on the position as a Barmaid to work the floor. You won't be satisfied. She's odd. She wants to be here yet doesn't want to. In my opinion when you want to work in a place like this, some things got to give," he finished as he snapped his fingers for more to drink.

"Why do you give a fuck about this Belle?" I pretended to fume. Truthfully, I was partly jealous, that Belle seemed to have confided more in an oaf like Gaston than me. "And why on earth does she want to work here?" I inquired loudly.

All of a sudden, like a flash of lightning illuminating the sky, I the revelation of true Belle came to mind. I couldn't believe it didn't come to me sooner. I blamed it on the scotch.

"She's poor," I said out loud. I could see Gaston's reaction, a simple frown which answered revelation, as he crossed his arms across his broad chest.

"Why does she hide it?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you if you attended a University where mostly the rich and infamous go," he chuckled. "She's odd Adam. She's beautiful and carries herself like a noble, but at the end of the day she's the odd girl out," he stated as he took a gulp from his mug.

"Take my advice, associate with more maidens like Aurora and less like Belle, otherwise your father will never accept you," he stated.

"I don't give a fuck about my father," I said through gritted teeth as I took a gulp of scotch.

"Yes you do my friend," he chuckled, "you thirst for his acceptance."

"I despise him Gaston. I would do anything to get under his skin for what he did to my mother," I retorted. My fingers combed the left side of my hair. I could feel myself getting a bit warmer. The scotch was beginning to work its magic.

"I can tell the way your inquiring about her than you are more than interested in her than I even was at the dance. When I saw her for the first time, I saw a body. When I see you seeing her, I get worried for her, "Gaston stated.

"You can't see the expression on my face Gaston, but if you could, it would reveal me being very interested with her. I'm quite taken by her. I've been running into her in class and around the dormitory. I can't escape her and it excites me, honestly. My desire for her was unexpected, and since I've seen her I've never been more jilted by any other woman. There is something about her, and I can't put my finger on it," I stated as I threw back the rest of my scotch.

"She's not the kind of woman that easily opens up, "Gaston pressed on.

"Yeah but I could teach her," I chided with a smirk.

"Fine Adam, do whatever the fuck you want to do with her. But let me remind you, I let you come into this tavern free and keep your identity under lock and key for your own social sake. That's a pretty big favor. If I were to give Belle to you as your own personal barmaid you will have to pay," demanded Gaston.

"I don't give a fuck. I'll pay you whatever it is you want. Just make sure half of the profits go to her as well, until I say otherwise," I stated in agreement.

Gaston nodded, "It's a deal then. Wait here my friend."

I saw Gaston, stride to the back of the bar and disappear behind curtain to where I assume the kitchen and crew resided. I looked around the tavern killing time. I saw Katerina looking in my direction noticing my glass was dry, but I didn't signal her. From now on I wanted my libations to come from the hands of the fairest girl at the tavern- and that was, and will always be Belle.

I saw Gaston finally reappear this time with Belle. He exchanged a few words with her, and as he placed a hand on her shoulder the other hand pointed in my direction as she followed his gaze. A look of apprehension appeared across her face. She looked down and then up at Gaston and nodded. She walked to my direction. Her red skirt brushed against the wooden floor, as her short sleeve blouse gave way to accentuate every womanly feature of her torso. She came to my table and stopped just across of it, where I was sitting. Her eyes were that of a frightened child seeing a monster. The rest of her face tried to force a pleasant smile but it was of no avail.

"Monsieur Gaston LeGume has asked me to be your personal barmaid," she stated softly looking down the whole time.

"He did, did he?" I chided. I hope with my appearance completely shielded in the cloak it would also aid in convincing her that my voice was not so familiar. I had changed my tone to be a bit lower to aid in its discretion.

"How do you feel about that?" I asked her calmly.

She seemed to not notice my voice. I didn't know if that bothered me or made me feel relieved.

"I suppose its fine, as long as," her voice trailed off.

"Sorry I couldn't hear what you just said," I pressed on. I could tell my tone was laced with a bit of annoyance. I couldn't help it. Patience I tried to say to myself.

"Monsieur LeGume's instructions were clear. To only serve you and to not ask who are because you've been a longtime friend of the family and you wish to keep your identity a secret."

"I'm glad you understand our bargain," I approved.

Belle began to lean the left side of her body against the empty chair holding her balance by placing her right hand on top of the table. I noted her appearance just hours before, drenched, cold, and as if she was troubled. A part of me felt sorry for her current state. Her hands were shaking, and I could tell as she respectively tucked the wild strand behind her ear she was nervous. I began to feel remorseful

"Why don't you have a seat and continue on," I encouraged as I motioned to the chair.

She looked at me and the chair perplexed probably by my gesture, but sat.

"I'm not sure if it's proper for the personal barmaid to sit at the table of her customer," she replied slowly still looking down.

"True. Normally barmaids are seated on the laps of their customers," I retorted as I swung an arm behind my head chuckling.

Belle's eyes widened as she looked on, mouth wide open horrified at my remark.

"Relax. Part of the bargain is I won't touch you… unless of course we both feel otherwise." There I go taunting her again. I really need to stop doing that to her.

I could see her turn white as she tensed up moving her back away from the chair.

"I give the tavern money for having you as my personal barmaid. So as long as you please me, this tavern gets well-funded, you get paid quite well, and the owner of this Tavern will be quite content. Understood?"

She nodded. She looked on to my direction squinting her eyes a bit. The darkness of my table kept me well hidden and luckily guarded my true feelings from her or the rest of the people at this tavern.

"You seem like you want to say something."

"Well it's just that. How do I know it's you when you enter into the Tavern," Belle asked.

"So you're agreeing to the position I assume," I chided with a smirk.

"Well, I'm still not so sure. But don't you think it's best that I get every question I have answered for before I accept? " she asked.

"Honest answer and I couldn't agree more," I swiftly replied. "Well to answer your question, I'll always have my cloak on. That I can assure you, and I enter by revealing a tattoo on my arm. This is my entry ticket," I stated as I showed her my arm and the rose emblem on it.

She looked at it, as if she was admiring the art work of the symbol. I read her face, as she was reading my arm, wondering what she was thinking of it.

"It's actually quite alluring," she confirmed.

"So do you agree to the position, my lovely damsel?" I inquired.

She placed both of her hands on her lap folded as she looked up. I could tell she looked very worried. I felt terrible she was in this position, but if it was money that she wanted, from such a place like this at that, I wanted to be the only one that could take care of her and give her what she needed. I could guard her from the hungry eyes and the rough hands of vile men this way.

"In just my small time here already, I have heard so many…things about you when I was in the kitchen just now, and I would be lying if I didn't say that… you frighten me. From what I hear about you, you are…frightening."

I boomed with laughter, "What is that frightens you? Come tell me the rumors that have spread about me throughout this tavern." I pressed on leaning closer.

Belle leaned back against the chair carefully calculating her words before saying them out loud I could tell.

"They say that you're rough with all the women. That you've gotten to at least 3 brawls in the tavern a year since you've stepped foot into this town. They say you drink until you get in an angry state, sometimes occurring late until dawn, yell at everyone and you've taken almost every barmaid here to the West Wing where…" she trailed off.

"All sorts of tantalizing escapades occur?" I stated in an effort to finish her thoughts trying hard not to laugh.

She rolled her eyes in disdain. "I could never, do those things with you!"

"I see, "I stated.

"And if that wouldn't please you then I don't want to be your personal barmaid. I don't want to disappoint you and feel the wrath of Monsieur Gaston LeGume for not treating his favorite customer to the best of my ability."

"I understand. If you don't mind, could you take a moment to hear my terms? I would like to tell you what I want from your service."

"Okay," she replied.

"Firstly, you only serve me and no one else. If I ask you for a drink you give it to me. If I ask you to talk to me, you keep me company. If I prefer a more comfortable room I will ask for you to get me one of the rooms in the West Wing. You will keep me company there, but I will not touch you. Lastly, and most importantly, you never ask me who I am nor ask anyone else in this Tavern about my identity. Those are my terms. Do you agree?"

"You will not touch me," she pressed on.

"Yes," I replied annoyingly.

"I agree to the terms," Belle replied as she looked up sadly. To see her in the role she had to be in a place neither I nor her could've ever imagined seemed to be so daunting.

"Good."

"So people here know who you are?"

"Just Monsieur Gaston LeGume," I replied.

"And the women…. You've lain with?" she asked.

I chuckled, "well of course I don't keep my cloak on during the act!"

She looked at me still puzzled.

"I blindfold them."

She gasped.

"And afterwards to seal any kind of big-mouthed woman, I pay them off very nicely, or else," I ended.

"Or else what?" she pressed on fearfully.

"You don't want to know," I replied. Belle looked up in shock. "Now if you would be so kind, my glass is dry. Another glass of scotch would do the job just about now," I dismissed hoping to deflect answering her question.

Belle nodded and got up. She began to push her chair in.

"Wait. What is your name?" I wanted to make it seem like I was truly meeting her for the first time and convince her of that as well, just in case there was any doubt. I was also curious if she would change her name as some of the barmaids at this tavern readily do.

She paused in her tracks, back facing me. I looked on waiting for her response.

She turned her head only and replied "Arabella." With that she continued her way to the bar leaving me in wonderment yet again. Was that her real name? Was Belle a nickname? Was Belle even her real name? I put my arms behind my back and crossed my feet placing them on the table. Discovering Belle was going to be quite a ride.

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