THE MERCHANT'S DAUGHTER -Chapter 10 (Patreon)

CHAPTER TEN:

By the next day, Beauty had resigned herself to the schedule of events they would share in everyday. She’d already made headway on her first piece of embroidery but she was concerned that she may finish it too quickly –and thus finishing pieces in this manner then run out of supplies before she would run out of time in her captivity.

She made up her mind to slow her pace and to attempt more complicated scenes after this one which merely displayed a vase of flowers upon a tabletop.

Later into the afternoon, there was a knock on Beauty’s door which startled her out of her reverie of stitching a particularly complicated piece of a dragon wrapped around the walls of a castle overlooking a village in the background. She cleared her throat, after recovering herself from being startled, and called out: “Who is it?”

There was a pause from the other end of the door before: “That’s an absurd question if I’ve heard one.”

She shook her head at the mistake. “Well…” She thought of an excuse, “What if it wasn’t you and I simply opened the door? Then you would also call me absurd for doing so.”

Again, his voice did not answer right away. “Might you open the door to me now?”

“A moment.” She stood and stored away her embroidery in the small basket beside her chair and went to the door.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted her captor on the other side.

“Good afternoon Beauty,” he replied; bowing his head to her respectfully. “Might I come in?”

“Propriety states that you shouldn’t have asked me that,” she told him in a bit of a curious tone, “However, yes you may come in.”

“Forgive me,” he mumbled as he came through the now free doorway, “but how is it that in asking you politely whether I might enter, it is considered against propriety?” He turned to face her; his caramel eyes fixing her with a stare of inquisitiveness.

“This is my personal chamber. One should never ask to enter it but instead wait for an invitation,” she explained.

“That is twisted logic,” he retorted.

It was here she noticed he was carrying a small box made of a material she could not quite place upon first glance.

“How so?” Beauty asked in reference to his statement.

“Should I not make it known if I wish to enter by asking politely whether I might do so?”

“That therein lies the…the slight against propriety. It shows a forwardness that is impolite due to the fact that you are asking to enter a woman’s personal chambers. Were it another room or were you another woman the slight would be less, however still a slight.”

He grumbled something and shook his head a little.

She decided to change the subject. “I see you’ve brought something?”

“Ah yes.” He looked down at the box in his paws then looked back up at her. “Well, I was…” He cleared his throat. “That is, I mean to say… Well…”

“Yes?” she murmured; to encourage him to speak more directly without fumbling around over words.

The Beast looked at her as he straightened up some. “I went through the closets of all of the rooms to see whether I could locate you new garments,” he began, “And—”

“You were looking to find me new clothes?” she interrupted in surprise. The look on his face at being interrupted made her look down and apologize. He’d looked rather startled. “And?” she plied; wanting him to go on with his story.

“And well, I located a few items that would be of…use so I will see to it that they are washed properly. But I…” he paused here as he looked again at the box. “I found this garment which was a little finer than the others and I had hoped… I had wondered whether it might fit appropriately and if so, then I wished for you to also keep it within your personal wardrobe. I do believe it to be befitting a woman of your station…”

She frowned here. “My station? Beg your pardon?”

“A young woman such as yourself who is used to such luxuries should have something of that caliber within her personal property amongst her belongings.”

This made her frown deepen.

“Have I said something that displeases you? Are you upset that I have only brought one dress of finery with me?”

“Don’t be absurd,” she retorted. “However yes I am a little displeased at your assumption that I require such things.”

“You are a merchant’s daughter, are you not?”

“I was.”

“Was.” He pondered that for half a beat. “Well in your life before this you no doubt owned nothing but gowns.”

“You are again mistaken,” she retorted.

“Enlighten me on how so,” he shot back with a frown of disapproval and slight frustration.

“Before this I lived upon a farm. It was before that that I owned more refined clothing.”

“Then I am right,” he put in.

“Not quite,” she continued on, “I may have owned those luxuries but they were not all I owned. So you are mistaken,” she concluded.

The two stood in a bit of a tense silence between them for some time.

“Thank you,” he began rather slowly as though it were hard for him to utter the words, “for enlightening me upon your past a little.” He bowed his head.

She curtsied just slightly in response. She would speak of it more if he would seem interested and if it weren’t somewhat painful to recall in the first place.

“Thank you,” she began, “for considering what I might be used to and attempting to accommodate. Ehm…”

She looked at the box again with hesitation. “I suppose I ought to at least see it,” she mumbled after a moment.

“I shall leave it here for you to try on.”

“How kind,” she muttered as he paused before laying it on top of the chest at the foot of the bed nearby. She felt grateful she’d drawn the curtains around it; feeling for some reason shy that he might see the place she slept. It had to be the pressures of propriety and decorum influencing her mind so. She knew full well he was aware of what the bed looked like –it being his castle and all.

“I should much like to see how it becomes you,” he stated as he righted himself and turned around. “Do wear it and accompany me in the conservatory before dinner.” He was already walking to the door and she felt as though he left little room for her protestations. So she merely nodded her head respectfully as he left.

Then, she turned to the box. With a careful hand, she opened it up and realized that the material of the box itself seemed to be a combination of leather and metal and appeared to be the perfect size (and probably weight as well) to be used to carry garments of finery.

The gown inside was definitely one of finery. It was the colour of port –not much different than that she’d seen her father drink when he had other merchants over to their mansion for a fine dinner. Its accents around the waist were of a fabric designed with various colours of brown and red and the bodice had slight beading in similar respects. It was soft and made of heavy material and Beauty knew it was even finer than anything she had ever worn in her entire life.

At first she sought to keep it in its box and place it away in her wardrobe to be forgotten however after a short moment she decided to try it on. After all, it wasn’t as though trying it on gave consequence.

It took her awhile to get into the thing due to it being laced up in the back but eventually she resorted to holding it somewhat closed behind her back before she went to the mirror of her room and took a look. It would fit her perfectly, no doubt, if it were laced. And did it ever look becoming on her both in figure and in its rich colour against her features. But it did not make her feel proud as it would her sisters. Instead she felt an odd sense of satisfaction that she would not wear it.

Beauty put the garment away carefully and placed it into her wardrobe as originally decided then changed back into the simpler frock she had been wearing earlier upon his unexpected arrival.

She resumed embroidery for another hour before she deemed it time to make her way to the conservatory.

Though her feet barely made a sound as she entered, his voice still spoke up,

“I was beginning to wonder whether I had made a mistake in asking you to wear the dress,” his deep voice proclaimed, “as I did not foresee it to take so long to properly assemble yourself into.”

Beauty had kept walking until she was in sight of him and as he looked up she secretly relished the look of surprise on his face as he beheld what garment she was actually wearing.

“The gown... Was there... Did it not fit properly? I was sure...”

“No,” she spoke up, “The gown fit just fine.”

A look of mild confusion crossed his eyes before he resumed a calm demeanor. “If it fit, then why aren’t you wearing it milady?”

“I did not wish to wear it.”

Again a bit of some emotion passed over his countenance but he conquered it quickly and asked, “I asked that you would. Why would you not wish to wear it?”

“I did not deem it appropriate.”

He stared back at her and she could almost see him trying to assemble his next words carefully. She was happy to have frustrated him. “What, might I so kindly ask, was deemed inappropriate in this instance? Is there something else of propriety I am besides unaware of?”

“It has nothing to do with propriety and everything to do with my desire not to wear such a thing,” she told him.

His mouth opened, revealing his canines as he went to speak but remained momentarily mute. He closed his mouth and took a breath through the nostrils. “How is it that you come not to desire to do so?” His words were measured as was his tone but she could tell she was wearing him down.

“Simply on the basis that I do not wish to wear it,” Beauty replied calmly.

His brows knit together ever so slightly and she could see one paw clenching.

“Are you upset Emi— Beast?” she asked.

“I am a little...frustrated admittedly,” he told her in a tone that sounded less harsh than she’d anticipated.

“Why?”

Here his breath could be heard raggedly for just a moment before he replied a little unsteadily, “I wished for you to wear it to dinner and yet now you have not and will not explain why except to say that you made a decision that you did not wish to wear it. It is leaving me... confused.”

Here her own brows joined. “I do not see the issue of concern. Forgive me but we are only having dinner as we have every evening upon our terms. I do not see why the frock I wear now cannot be worn to such an occasion.”

“And I do not see,” he began; words coming out of his mouth before he had a chance to think them over, “why the dress I brought you could not have been worn likewise.”

The two fixed their gazes upon the other with an intensity that they could both feel building between them.

Then Beauty spoke, “As I stated previous, I did not wish to wear the gown. I am not fond of it.”

“What displeases you? The colour? The style?”

“The fineness of it,” she replied. “It is too fine for my tastes.”

She could see his brows knit together at this as his mouth became once more slightly ajar in momentary speechlessness. “How can something be considered too fine for a lady’s tastes?” he scoffed.

“Not all ladies appreciate and value fineries. You’d do well to note this, dear Beast in case you end up meeting another lady besides myself. This knowledge may prove useful in your correspondence with the woman.”

“Are you suggesting,” he began, “that I would not be able to successfully converse with a lady otherwise?” His voice growled slightly as he concluded his sentence.

“On the contrary I do believe you’ll do splendidly milord,” she responded, “I simply wished to convey my thoughts upon the matter. Do forgive me for my forwardness. It was rude of me.” She bowed her head gently in apology and humbleness.

He felt he had no choice but to accept her apology and so he bowed his head to her in acknowledgement.

The two walked onward for a few moments in silence through the rows of foliage in the conservatory.

“Who cares for these plants?”

“I do,” he replied, “As I do everything in this castle and its grounds.”

“And you do not tire of it?” She could not imagine how much work would need to be done in an estate such as this. Her own family could barely keep up with the chores of their small cottage.

“I find the work is considerably less than it was when I first lived at this castle. Much needed to be done then. Now it has lessened with time and constant vigilance...”

They continued to walk on in silence. Beauty was of the opinion that he’d simply grown lazier with time. If the state of the dining room was any indication, she felt her thoughts to be true. “Perhaps there is less to upkeep because you have chosen less to concern yourself with...”

His brows pinched together a little at that. After a moment he found her words to be the truth. He’d learned what was important and what was not and had adjusted his routine as such.

Yet the manner in which Beauty had made the suggestion did not sound at all to be one of observational thought. To his ears, as he recalled her tone of voice, she sounded somewhat disdainful. He was quite sure he was not fond of that.

“As a merchant’s daughter no doubt you’ve not needed to work a considerable amount in your life,” he remarked with some reservation. “Not to mention, one of your specific...talents would surely not be subjected to many challenges...”

“As a matter of fact,” she retorted, “the last year and a half of my life has not been an easy one. Beg your pardon...” she muttered.

He frowned as he heard her words and in such defensiveness.

“I am sure what I have endured in that time would be much to your surprise and incomprehension. Therefore I shan’t bore you.”

“Very well,” he muttered; on edge by the tone she was yet still taking with him. She certainly didn’t seem to like him and she disguised it with plainer and kinder words within manners. It frustrated him.

“Shall we...proceed to dinner?” he offered softly after several moments of tense silence.

“Certainly,” she agreed softly.

The next couple of days between the two remained just as tense. Beauty continually tested him and The Beast politely tried to avoid his frustration with her; both knowing that he could not be so forward to a lady (as she kept reminding him time and time again) and he did not wish for her to use her magical properties against him or to escape his castle never to be seen again.

So the two remained stuck in their routine together: meals with one another encompassed by awkward and mostly forced conversation, then in between Beauty would embroider or stare out the window of her room. At least once a day, Beast would allow her to accompany him out onto the grounds of the castle or to another room within it. It led to a rather dull existence each day but both knew that without trust and respect of one another, this is what they were resigned to.