The Beast's Bride (12 page)

Switching out of her outer dress, Pippa adjusted her chemise as Belle helped her into the ballgown. As Belle laced the sides, Pippa smoothed the skirts and considered it. Her gown was not nearly as ornate as Belle's—her neckline was a plain, deep vee that allowed the cut of her chemise to mask the swell of her breasts, and the sleeves were tight all the way down to her wrists. A puff of white chemise billowed out at the end, a decorative choice, she had learned over days of dressing in strange gowns, and the skirts fell simply to the floor in a heavy sweep of fabric. Not ornate like Belle's, but that was fine with Pippa. She didn't want to be the center of attention anyhow.

"What about your hair?" Belle asked.

Pippa shrugged. She normally pulled it into a loose braid and tried to forget about it. "Just a bun, I suppose. Something simple."

With Belle's help, they had Pippa's dark hair pulled into a smooth knot at the base of her skull, and she looked very elegant. Plain, next to the vibrant and glowing Belle, but elegant.
Not
a hideous ugly stepsister, just a plain one
, Pippa mused.

With their clothing and hair made beautiful, there was nothing else to do but head to the party. Ignoring the nervous knot in her stomach, Pippa gave Belle a faint smile and followed her lead as they headed to the ballroom. "Is the beast on his way?"

"I certainly hope so," Belle said cheerfully. "Everyone will be sorely disappointed if they don't get to see the beast at least once before leaving."

That disturbed Pippa. It made him sound like a sideshow, and that's not what they were here for. "He's a nice man, Belle," Pippa said gently. "You should try spending time with him."

"No, he's not a man at all," Belle said to her sister. "You keep forgetting that. He's a monster."

Pippa had to bite back her retort. "He's not that at all. You'd know that if you didn't run away screaming every time you saw him."

7Belle gave an unhappy sniff. "Pippy, you defend him so much, why don't you marry the beast?"

I would if I could
, she thought, and then was surprised at herself. Would she really? Marry the beast? The beast, who was cursed to dwell in this lonely castle with weird servants and no company? Who delighted in nothing more than spending the afternoon with her? Who kissed like a starving man and stared at her with hunger when she stood in front of the fire?

Okay, yeah, she'd marry him.

But that wasn't even an option for her, so she couldn't think about it. So all she said was, "Be fair, Belle."

They entered the ballroom and Pippa was surprised at the crush of bodies squeezed into the long hall, the room overwarm. Hay—or rushes, as she’d been told—had been spread on the floor and people moved back and forth in their village finery. No one was dressed more spectacularly than Belle, but others wore floral wreaths and ribbons and wool dresses dyed in bright colors.

Everyone looked as if they were having a truly exciting time, and all eyes turned to them when they entered the room.

It was unnerving.

Pippa hesitated. Belle surged forward, extending her hands and calling out greetings to everyone. She was genuinely excited for the party, and it was evident on her radiant face. Pippa followed behind a few steps, quietly nodding and smiling to those that greeted her, and she did her best to avoid eye contact, afraid they'd see her as a fraud. That someone would figure out she wasn't the real Philippa and then she'd have to explain herself and why she was there.

But no one did.

Pippa made it to the far side of the ball room, noticing that the decorations had been taken care of. Roses of a deep red hue dotted the tables along the walls, and the wild, thorny stems had been left in. They twined into decorative leafy vines and curled up wooden columns, making the room seem as if it were an extension of that wild, disturbing garden outside. On the walls hung the castle's lion banners in that same vibrant blood red. At the far end of the room, an ornate throne sat, empty.

Of course—it was for the beast.
Duncan
, she reminded herself, feeling guilty that she'd think of him that way. He wasn't really a beast to her, not anymore. Belle's words had just polluted her thoughts.

7The room was oddly quiet; Pippa kept expecting to hear the sounds of music, but all she heard were strains of muted, hushed conversation. As if everyone was waiting for something, and she knew exactly what that was. She hovered close to the beast's empty throne, waiting. He'd need a friend when he arrived, and she meant to be at his side.

A few minutes later, the room went completely still, the whispers dying away to nothing.

Pippa looked up and saw people beginning to part from the doors, and she knew without a doubt that Duncan had arrived. A moment later, the crowd shifted, parting like the Red Sea.

Duncan strode forward, looking fearsome and magnificent as people cowered and trembled in his wake. He wore a majestic cloak made of the finest purple and trimmed with white ermine fur. The cloak’s tie was taut across his shoulders, and his jerkin was made of ornately tooled leather. The white sleeves of his shirt fluttered as he walked, and she couldn't help but stare at him. He looked magnificent. And she felt so incredibly proud of him for stalking out amongst the gossiping, wide-eyed villagers in their finery and putting them all to shame. The room was utterly silent except for the too-loud
clop clop
of his hooves on the floors.

His golden cat-eyes scanned the room until he saw her. Then, he bared his teeth in another one of his smiles and began to make a bee-line for her. Pippa felt her cheeks flush with excitement. He looked so good. So handsome. So powerful. When he came to her side, he took her hand in his paw and lifted it to his lips. "You look ravishing," he said in a low voice that was almost a purr.

Pippa smiled at him. "I could say the same for you. You clean up nice."

But he continued to regard her as if she was the only one in the room, her hand still in his paw. And for a moment, it felt right and natural to be at his side.

"You are missing something, I think," he commented in a low voice, ignoring the wide-eyed stares of the partygoers and the utter silence of the room. It was as if the two of them were in there alone.

"Oh?"

He reached out with his free hand and pulled one of the twining roses from a nearby vine, then snapped the stem. As she stood there, he lifted one paw and carefully set the flower behind her ear. "You still outshine its beauty," he murmured.

Heat flushed through Pippa, and she reached out and touched the flower, feeling a blush warm her cheeks. The room felt all too hot at the moment, but she wouldn't leave for anything.

7And as he sat in his throne, Pippa turned to the rest of the partygoers. People stood in shock, staring at the beast as if he were a monstrosity. Jaws hung open, as if the viewers could scarcely believe their eyes. There was fear in every gaze—fear, and loathing, and apprehension.

In everyone’s eyes except for Belle's. To Pippa's surprise, Belle was giving her an appraising, thoughtful look. She wondered what was going through Belle's head.

But the partygoers began to mingle once more, and the conversations began to rise again.

Belle swept through the room, radiating sheer enjoyment at being the center of attention, and the beast was forgotten for the moment as the party began again.

"Well," Pippa said, glancing to her side at him in his throne. "I think that went well."

"Aye," he said after a moment. "They're frightened of me, though. You saw the looks in their eyes."

"Yes, but no one ran away screaming, no one pissed themselves in fear, and everyone's still enjoying themselves." She glanced down at him, at the heavy, decadent cloak on his shoulders.

"Nice threads, by the way."

"Threads?"

"Clothes. You look very civilized tonight. Did you trim your mane?" She teased, reaching out to ruffle it…and then stopped. She shouldn't be so familiar with him. He wasn't hers.

"You tease me," he said in that low, grumbly voice she was beginning to adore. "We both know that you outshine the stars in the night sky this evening."

Oh wow. Pippa's mouth went dry. "I…thank you."

He lifted her hand to his lips again. "I find that I enjoy the sight of you at my side. Very much."

And she enjoyed being there, which would lead to nothing but trouble in the end.

~~***~~

The night wore on, and Pippa realized that while she'd initially thought the partygoers had accepted Duncan's presence, she’d been wrong. There was a semi-circle radius around Duncan's throne that remained completely empty, as if everyone were afraid to approach. People avoided eye contact with him. They still talked in hushed whispers, and every time he so much as twitched, someone jumped.

7It made Pippa's heart ache, just a little. So she stayed at his side, keeping him company with conversation and observances.

Belle, meanwhile, was like a golden butterfly. She flitted in and out of the crowd, loving the attention that her exquisite gown got her. Not that she needed the gown—she was by far the most beautiful woman in the room, and she knew it, flirting and giggling with every man over the age of twelve and under the age of eighty. She charmed them all.

Until she got bored. And then she came to Pippa and complained. "Pippy, people are just standing around." She stuck out her lower lip in a sultry pout that would have made most men weak in the knees.

"Well, what about music? Or dancing?"

She shook her head, appalled at the thought. "The musicians here have pig heads and they won't wear the hoods."

"Oh. I hadn't realized there were musicians." She hadn't seen them yet, but shuddered at the thought of pig-headed men. Ick. Pippa thought for a moment. "Perhaps a party game?"

Belle brightened. "A party game? What kind?"

Pippa raised her hands. "Don't look at me. The only one I know is Seven Minutes in Heaven or Spin the Bottle."

"Bottle?"

"Never mind." They probably didn't have bottles here.

"What is Seven Minutes in Heaven?"

"Um, it's a game that teenagers play. Someone gets picked and they pick someone to go spend seven minutes in the makeout closet with. Or something. It's been a few years since I've played something like that." Like ten years.

Belle's eyes gleamed with a wicked spark. "I think I like the sound of this game."

Oh dear. That cunning look on Belle's face made her concerned. Then again, this might be the perfect time to get Belle and Duncan together. "Perfect, then," Pippa said and made her voice sugary sweet. "But the rules state that everyone in the room has to play. Everyone."

"Oh." Belle's horrified gaze went to the beast. "Oh. I don't know if people will like that."

Pippa shrugged. "Your game."

"And what does one do in the closet?" Her eyes were shrewd.

"Whatever you can do in seven minutes."

7"Let's play," Belle said impulsively. She and Pippa hashed out the rules for a few minutes, discussing how to set it up. They decided that everyone would stand along the edges of the wall and one person would be blindfolded to start the game (this would be Belle, of course). She would select someone, and that person would pick who they wished to go into the 'closet' with.

The selected person would return, and then be blindfolded and select the next person that way. It bastardized the rules a bit, but Belle seemed excited by it.

And this way, Pippa thought, there was a chance of Duncan being selected by a blindfolded person. She gave him a thumbs up as she moved back to his side.

Belle clapped her hands loudly, raising them above her head to get everyone's attention. "We are going to play a game, everyone! A kissing game."

There were hoots and hollers of excitement, and some uneasy glances in the beast's direction.

"I need everyone to move along the walls of the room," Belle explained. "And we'll get a blindfold."

The rules were explained as a long red sash (in Duncan's family colors) was produced. Belle was blindfolded, and she wandered the room, waiting to select the first person. Out of the corner of her eye, Pippa noticed the tension setting into Duncan's broad shoulders. He was oddly…anxious about this. Her heart ached for him as Belle's outstretched hands moved right past him and towards a young, handsome village boy about Belle's age. Her hands grasped his jerkin, and then she patted his chest. "I choose you."

The blindfold was removed, and Belle gave a little squeal of excitement at the sight of the person she'd tapped. "Henry! You're first. Who do you pick to spend your seven heavenly minutes with?"

The boy named Henry reached out and took Belle's hand in his, then kissed the back of it. "I choose our lovely hostess!"

Naturally.

Right away, Pippa could see this would be a mistake, judging by the fake modesty that Belle exuded. She pressed a hand to her cheek as if shocked by this decision, all the while leading Henry towards the doors that had been designated as the 'closet' area.

The ballroom had no closet, of course, so they'd improvised and shut off an adjoining room.

Pippa suspected that, once upon a time, it was meant to be a sitting room of some kind, but now it was empty of everything except for the curtains hanging over the windows.

7Belle disappeared inside the room, and the doors shut behind them.

Long, uncomfortable minutes passed as someone near the door counted aloud, a smirk on his face. The ballroom was full of titters and low conversation. Then, when Pippa was getting antsy, someone knocked on the door and Belle and Henry emerged. Belle's hair was mussed, her face flushed. She smiled brightly and wobbled as she left the room, clearly having been thoroughly kissed. Henry looked rather proud of himself as he accepted the blindfold and began to move about the room.

A moment later, Henry paused in front of a giggling woman, who grabbed her gray-haired husband by the arm and they disappeared into the closet. Pippa relaxed a little at that. It was cute, and they looked like they were having fun. When they emerged, the husband moved about the room, blindfolded, and picked the next person—another village boy.