As those doe eyes shot wide and she blinked at him in surprise, Henry knew that he had her, that he had ensnared her with his polite logic. Yet, he didn't feel particularly victorious. As she stared at him from amidst wild and raggedy locks of strawberry-blonde thatch, he couldn't help but feel that he had somehow hurt her feelings.
He cleared his thought.
"Come," he suggested and waved toward her bed. "I believe a lady's maid will be with you shortly to help you ready for bed. You'll have just enough time to read your letter before she arrives."
He watched as she glanced at the mantelpiece and then back at him. She appeared awkward.
Taking the hint, Henry moved a step back toward the door.
"I shall allow you your privacy, Lady Henderson."
"Belle."
He caught the beseeching, vulnerable look in her eye but tried to harden himself against it. His role would be a thousand times more difficult if he caved every time she looked his way.
"Lady Henderson," he repeated firmly. "Goodnight, my lady."
And, before he could become enchanted any further, Henry bowed himself from her rooms, shut the door firmly behind him, and then sunk his weight against the hallway wall.
The stone was cold against the back of his neck, which was rousing and helpful. Then the frigid sensation seeped through his clothes and into his back. A shiver ran up his spine.
Just what in all of the Lord Almighty's green earth,Henry thought,have I managed to get myself into here?
7
It took a long time for Belle to fall asleep that night. She remained awake for so long that she witnessed the first eerie light of the sun turn the skies outside to soft charcoal before finally falling into slumber.
She wasn't nervous. Nor was she scared to sleep in a castle so far away from home. She had slept in stranger places than this, outside in the nearby meadows in the summer with only the stars for a blanket. If she could face the wrath of wild wolves and foxes, she could certainly handle the dim quiet of a fortified estate.
What kept her awake was not fear but a peculiar sort of energy.
Upon Henry's leavetaking that night, Belle had been left alone for little more than a few moments. In his place had appeared Coira, a woman who might still be considered young if not for her occupation as a manual maid. Her skin had been smooth and her eyes kind, but grey had streaked her hair, and there was a stiffness to her shoulders that reminded Belle of her mother. A toiling life had absorbed the glow of youth, as her mother always said.
Coira, however, appeared to be enjoying her early old age without question. She had smiled and greeted Belle warmly. She had helped her to get undressed, which was very strange, and then respectfully aided Belle through a bath ignoring all blushes and awkwardness. She had then helped her into a nightgown that was so soft upon the skin that Belle had to look down at herself to be assured she was actually wearing it. The lacy ends brushed the tops of her feet, and Coira had commented on how well it suited her. The woman turned down the sheets of Belle's bed, saw to the fire, and arranged for some bread and salted butter to be brought to the bedside, along with a cup of warm milk. Then she combed Belle's hair until it shone like spun silk.
All the while, she had referred to Belle as Lady Henderson.
It had been so strange an affair that Belle had been left on edge and buzzing with energy, as if a swarm of bees had found a home in her belly and were racing up and down her limbs for fun. Her thoughts had not been concrete, but they had whirled well enough to keep her conscious. And the bed was so soft that every time she leaned back, Belle felt as if she were being swallowed whole.
By the time she fell asleep, her body had been exhausted to the point where daybreak failed to wake her. Instead, it was Coira's arrival that saw her awoken with a startling cry.
"Mistress!"
The word was like a whip crack through the room, alarming Belle fully awake. She launched herself upright, braced her hands behind her, and swung to look in all directions.
What had happened? Was there a badger in the house again?
Wait, where in the world was she?
"Mistress, are you hurt? What are you doing down there?"
As memories of the previous day started to filter back into her mind, Belle pushed back a riotous cloud of hair and realized she was looking at the edge of a large bed and the legs of a small table.
She was on the floor.
Vaguely, she recalled finally escaping the mattress above in the morning and taking a cushion and blanket to the floor with her. The boards had been more reminiscent of her bed back home, and she had easily dropped off.
"Er..."
