Reddest Rose

Chapter Eleven

The wedding feast lasted for nearly a week, and for that Belle would forever be grateful. It gave her time to view the castle in a new light - full of life. The villagers returned when she and the Beast - Adam - took a carriage and Phillipe into the square to entice them. He was a marvelous story teller, and soon their ballroom was filled with joyful guests. Only two people did not enjoy themselves. Laura and Pauline. Her sisters were pale and expressionless as she and Adam exchanged their vows, even more so when Adam was crowned as the reigning monarch he had always been. Laura in particular was tight lipped and red-eyed. Belle had been the one to tell her of Gaston's death, and she appeared to take in in stride. She cried, she mourned, and she moved on.

For several months she and Adam lived quite contentedly in the castle. It seemed that when the curse was lifted, their home was transformed. Gone was the grime and the dust and the gargoyles with their hideous fangs and membranous wings. The walls were now pristine stone, polished to gleam in the sun. Borders of gold and balconies of the purest white marble stood out, and the gardens were even bursting with life and color. She learned they had a bee keeper, who had been transformed into a rather unhappy hive, and Cogsworth was the head butler. Lumiere tended to the maids more than he should have, but kept the hundreds of lights and torches throughout the castle burning without smolder or smoke. Mrs. Potts ruled in the kitchen like a war general, but was always happy and willing to share a nice, warm cup of tea. Chip was the liveliest stable boy she'd ever met, but when she inquired after his father she was met with somber faces.

Apparently broken furniture stayed broken.

Eventually Belle grew tired of traveling into town for the sole purpose of visiting her family and, not long before their child was set to arrive, she and Adam invited her father and sisters to live with her. Pauline fell into a happy routine in the castle. She was given gowns and shoes, and a room bigger than twice what Laura's had previously been. She took the carriage to town several times a week to visit with her friends but seemed happier still with the women tasked with being Belle's 'ladies-in-waiting'. They took care of her mending and plaiting her hair. They drew her baths and readied things for the baby. Two of them had been forks once, and blushed every time they looked at her. Belle did her best not to notice.

Some weeks into the arrival of her sisters, she felt a pain twist in her lower back. Mrs. Potts was convinced the baby would be arriving shortly, and confined her to bed. She'd grown large enough that traversing the gardens and tending to Phillipe was exhausting; it was nice to relax for a time. Mrs. Potts drew her a warm bath and scented it with lavender soap, promising to have someone bring her a fresh towel. Belle slid into the soothing water and sighed happily as the pains she'd been feeling faded away.

The door clicked open, and two familiar faces peered in. Laura was wearing a dress of the deepest reds, its bodice so tight it was a wonder she could breathe. Pauline's hair was loose and her cheeks pink. She twisted a handkerchief anxiously as they walked in. Laura's arms were burdened with towels. "Enjoying your bath?" Laura asked with a smile that didn't meet her eyes. "Your maid said we should bring you some fresh towels." Belle frowned when her sister dropped them on the floor just inside the doorway.

"Um, yes, thank you. Her name is Mrs. Potts, you know," Belle ran her fingers through her dark hair and wondered why Pauline looked so nervous. She sat up in the bath when her eldest sister turned and locked the bedroom door, then approached the tub. "Laura, are you all right?"

Her sister swirled the frothy bubbles of the bath with her fingertips, then shook the water onto the floor. "It's all your fault, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Belle looked between her sisters and didn't like the expression on either face.

"Everything. Gaston could have given me a life. Now I'm living on your charity. You think you're so much better than either of us..." And her sister was on her.