When the Wolfbane Blooms

Chapter 2 - Wilderness of Horrors

Belle was in town the next morning when saw Adam Villenueve again. He didn't seem to have noticed her, and upon seeing the grim expression on his face she decided against calling out to him. He was headed towards the home of Monsieur D'Arque, and Belle knew all too well what that entailed.

"Is that Adam?" whispered her friend beside her. Her name was Fifi, although she was nicknamed Plumette after the large and colourful feathers she always wore in her hats.

"It is," Belle confirmed. "He's back in town to deal with his father's estate, I believe. I met him last night at Cogsworth's."

"He's grown handsome, hasn't he?" Plumette remarked with a grin, bumping against Belle's shoulders as they walked.

"Plumette, please." Belle rolled her eyes.

"I'm just observing! You know I only have eyes for Lumiere."

"You might think to keep some of your observations to yourself," she teased.

"I was thinking of you, actually. I haven't heard any news of Monsieur Villenueve being married, and I definitely didn't see a ring on his hand."

"Plumette!"

"You've always wanted to see the world, and look, here comes a handsome young rich man with no wife and no ties to this town. And you already like him! Or you did, when we were young. It seems like a good match to me."

Belle shook her head. "I'm not looking for a marriage for the sake of marriage, Plumette. If I get married, I want it to be for love."

Plumette smiled at her friend. "You don't think you could love Monsieur Villenueve?"

Belle felt her face grow warm. "I didn't say that. I just... it's been so many years, Plumette. And there's so much going on in town right now. I'm not focused on that at the moment."

"You might want to start considering it," Plumette said in a low voice as she noticed another man approaching them. "At least it would ward off men the likes of him."

The man was Gaston LeGume, one of the hunters from the village. He was well established in the village, as well as tall and handsome, but his narcissism and poor manners had kept him from being married. Gaston was too caught up in himself, however, to realise that it was his personality that kept him single.

"Mademoiselles Beaumont and Laurent!" Gaston greeted. "Fine morning, is it not?"

"Monsieur LeGume," Belle greeted with a polite smile. "It is a fine morning, indeed."

Belle and Plumette linked arms and started walking diagonally in the hopes that Gaston would get the hint that neither woman was in the mood to talk to him. Gaston did not get that hint.

"I heard you had to bury your sheep yesterday," Gaston said, addressing Belle. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Sheep, Monsieur LeGume?" Plumette asked. "Mademoiselle Beaumont and her father raise horses, not sheep."

"Ah, yes, horses. Of course," Gaston laughed. "Regardless of the species, I'm sorry you had to lose two of your livestock."

"Thank you, Monsieur," Belle said, giving him a tight-lipped smile. She had found that being cordial and short with Gaston was the best method of dealing with him. Too conversational and he would talk for hours, too impolite and he would take offence- and talk for hours anyway. "Luckily we still have several others, and the two we lost weren't our strongest."

"Good to hear it. And don't worry about the rest of your horses, I know that me and my men will find whatever beast has been causing all this trouble before long. We're right on its trail," he said confidently.