The hunter had almost caught up with the boy when suddenly a gray-haired woman in a purple dress and white apron came out of the pavilion.
"What's going on here?" she asked in surprise.
"Mommy! Mommy!" the boy rushed to her.
Gaston quickly stopped and gave one of his most charming smiles:
"Oh, ma'am, we're just playing catch-up. You have a marvelous son."
"Why did you call my son "little bastard"?"
- Oh... He just asked me to teach him swear words, and I didn't think twice and agreed. I'm sorry," the hunter stared at the boy who had hidden behind his mother and was now peeking out from behind her skirt, looking at the boy hard while maintaining that charm smile.
"Chip, is this true?" The woman turned indignantly to her son. "You asked him to teach you how to swear?"
While she wasn't looking, Gaston made a characteristic gesture with the edge of his palm across his throat, glaring at the boy. He understood the threat and replied:
"Yes, mom. I was just wondering..."
"What?! Swearing? Oh! Chip, we only just became human... We've been through so much for this, this is our second chance. And the first thing you do when you're a real boy is learn swear words? How could you do that? What about you?" she turned to the hunter. - Okay him, a silly child, but you, a grown man! - she shook her head.
"I really didn't think," Gaston raised his eyebrows and gave her an innocent look. " I remembered myself as a child and..."
"It's all right," the woman sighed, apparently overcome by his charm. "I haven't seen you yet, you're from town, too, aren't you?"
"Mom, it's-" Chip began, but Gaston cut him off.
"I'm a hunter, you mean, aren't I, kid?" The man reached out his hand and patted Chip on the cheek so hard that he stopped talking. Gaston realized that he wanted to say that he was Belle's husband, but somehow he knew that this woman could not know that.
"I've come to ask for the position of royal hunter. The best game will be on your table," he added haughtily, smiling radiantly.
"Oh, thank you, thank you," thanked the woman. "My name is Mrs. Potts, and I'm the housekeeper. We have a lot of worries about provisions right now. We've become human, so we need food and clothes now, too... But still, it's so good to be human."
"It's not easy being human," Gaston added suddenly thoughtful.
"Oh, you're right," laughed the housekeeper. "And a good person all the more so."
"I must go now," said the hunter, looking up at the darkening sky. "Can I give your boy a hug? Honestly, I want one of those someday! - he winked and Mrs. Potts smiled.
"Come on, Chip! " The housekeeper pushed her son into Gaston's open arms.
He hugged the boy tightly and whispered in his ear:
"If you blabber, you'll regret it."
Gaston opened his arms and, smiling broadly, waved to the servants of the castle. Then he walked quickly down the forest road to the village.
He picked up his knife and bow and with difficulty killed two ducks. His hands were trembling.
Then he leaned against a tree and squeezed his temples with his hands. Thinking is a dangerous thing, but sometimes it's good for him.
Come to think of it... How did the boy from the castle know the circumstances of his wedding? Monsieur D' arque hardly tells anyone anything. He rarely leaves the confines of the madhouse, and of course, he's not at all chatty. Belle could not say; she feared for her father.
So, the only thing left was Lefou. Lefou, of course, sometimes played the fool, but he was no fool at all. Gaston noticed that Lefou often said nasty things about him, as if by accident, but about really serious things his friend was silent as a dead man. Lefou knew what to say and where to say it.
Moreover, Lefou's very involvement in this whole affair was too much for him to look like an innocent sheep being forced by a more muscular pal to do something. Lefou had found Monsieur D' Arc, persuaded him to come, Lefou had guarded Belle's house, Lefou had gathered the crowd, Lefou had in the end talentedly warmed up the crowd to make everyone think Maurice was crazy. In fact, you could say Lefou pulled the whole thing off, and Gaston just stood by and then made another offer to Belle.
Why would Lefou set himself up like that?
But even so... Lefou would definitely start talking not in the castle, but in the tavern. Rumors would have spread through the town first, rather than showing up unexpectedly at the prince's little servant's house. And, in the name of all saintly things, why did that little bastard just call his wife by her first name? Why not "the prettiest girl" or something? It's not like he could have known her!
Gaston clenched his temples with his hands harder. It didn't make any sense. Unless...
Unless Belle had been at the castle before.
The man watched the butterfly fly from flower to flower, and his thoughts swirled and swirled.
Everything leaves its traces. Even a field mouse leaves a trail.
Belle had been at the Marquis's part-time, and she had a dress and a bracelet.
If Belle was at the castle, and it meant something to her, she had to have something left. A ring, a handkerchief, a wizened book from the castle's vast library. A vial of perfume or a dried rose from the garden. A note inviting her to dinner. Anything.
The hunter must see these footprints. If they were there, they can be found.
And then make a decision.
Gaston returned home, wondering what excuse to get Belle out. Chatter about the prince now seemed a small problem.
His wife had already put out the vegetables from the vegetable garden and turned at the sound of his footsteps and took the ducks.
"Gaston, I'd like to visit my father. I won't be long."
"Of course, Belle. Do you want me to come get you? It's getting dark."
"No, I won't be long. I'll just check on him and run back," she hugged him, seemingly as usual, but Gaston was already looking suspiciously at everything. Belle felt some strange excitement in Belle. And she was looking into his eyes strangely, as if trying to guess his thoughts.
When the door closed behind the girl, Gaston slid the latch shut. If Belle came back before he was done, she'd have to knock.
The man went into the bedroom, gutted the books, and then began pulling out the drawers of his wife's lingerie nightstand. Not that he liked doing it, but sometimes life itself makes you get dirty.
He carefully pulled out pantaloons and shirts, moving them on the bed so that he could put them back in the same order. He found a thin book with naked men and women hidden away. It said something like " anatom..." something in there. Gaston sighed. If it weren't for a great need, he wouldn't have gone through her things.
Next, he reached into the very corner of the drawer and pulled out a roll-up. Unfolding it, he found stunning lingerie with lace, embroidered roses and such. The man felt his heart beat harder as he pictured Belle in that combination. It looked like his wife had gone to that seamstress that girls ask for extra money to make something more interesting for dates. Yep, Belle probably wanted to surprise him, and he'd probably ruined the surprise for himself, you might say. But now was not the time for regrets.
There must be something! In the lowest drawer, Gaston finally came across something wrapped in a towel. It was some sort of strange mirror.
The hunter removed the towel and began to scrutinize the find. If it was Belle's mother's things, why wasn't it in that box of her belongings? Gaston had already searched that box. The mirror looked antique and expensive, it didn't look like the wooden hand mirror Belle used every day.
Separately, Chip's words and the mirror meant nothing. An accident. But together, the two accidents gave an answer, well, maybe not exactly an answer, but a guess.
Belle had been at the castle before.
Gaston stared unseeingly at his handsome face in the fancy mirror, and his blue eyes burned with a strange fire.