Devastation: A Beauty and the Beast Novel (16 page)

“I’m not in charge of what Bryn chooses to
do.”

“He says if she stops working, she stops
being paid. Why is it you can stop working?”

I laughed. At her. At the question. At the
absurdity of the moment.

“Because I’m not paid.”

She eyed me for a moment then seemed to
decide I was telling the truth. With one last irritated glance at
Mr. Crow, she began to explain her presence.

“I’m making Bryn’s dress for the feast. I
rented a carriage for two hours to bring it to her for a fitting
because of the babe.”

I sighed and glanced at Mr. Crow again. This
time, we shared a calculating look. I didn’t want to encourage
either of my sisters to abuse Bryn’s position. Yet, I couldn’t
ignore Blye’s reasoning or her unspoken plea.

“A quarter of an hour should more than
suffice,” Mr. Crow said. “Miss Hovtel, I will leave you to show
your sisters to an appropriate room.”

Bryn and Blye shared an exuberant embrace
that made me feel hollow. I turned away and listened to them follow
me.

“If you’re not paid, why are you here?” Blye
asked as we passed the laundry.

“I’m here because Father is here, and I have
no money to see me elsewhere. Would either of you care to visit
Father?”

“I only have a quarter of an hour,” Bryn
said.

“And I must return to the shop as soon as
I’ve finished,” Blye said.

My face flushed with annoyance, but I said
nothing as I led them to one of the smaller sitting rooms near the
dining room. Egrit and Mrs. Palant had recently cleaned and aired
it. I lit several candles and drew the curtains closed while Blye
went to fetch the dress. Bryn closed the door and started
undressing.

“What is he like?” she asked.

“Who?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Lord Ruhall.” She stepped out of her dress
and stood before me in her underthings.

“You’ve met him. Don’t you recall what he’s
like?”

“That was when he was cursed. What is he
like now? Is he handsome?”

The door opened and closed quickly as Blye
stepped in with a sturdy, large bag.

“Who is handsome?” she asked as she set the
bag on a lounge. She opened it and pulled out a pretty, lavender
dress with a hint of lace trim.

“Lord Ruhall,” Bryn said. Then she studied
the dress Blye held out for her. “Isn’t there more lace?”

“Not for the price you paid,” Blye said.
Bryn took the dress with a scowl and began to slip into it.

“Why would a married woman care about the
handsomeness of a man?” I asked, watching the pair of them.

“Don’t be dull, Benella,” Bryn said. She
laced up the front of her dress and adjusted the panel there. The
clever design would allow the dress to grow with her.

“I wonder how many high ladies he’s invited
to the feast,” Blye said. She tugged here and there and stood back
to eye the dress critically.

“It’s a feast for the local community. Why
would he invite high ladies?”

“To start looking for a wife, of course.
He’s wasted enough of his life because of the enchantment and needs
an heir for the estate,” Blye said as someone knocked on the
door.

I went to open it and found Otta in the
hall.

“Mr. Crow sent me to tell you the quarter
hour is up.”

I smiled at the girl and gave her hair a
gentle tug.

“And you should be in the schoolroom.”

“Yes, Miss.” She scampered off.

I closed the door and turned to face my
sisters. Blye was already closing her bag, and Bryn was undressing.
It didn’t take her too long to change back into her normal
dress.

“See if Benella can hang it for you until
you leave tonight,” Blye said as Bryn carefully laid her dress over
the lounge.

“There is a spare room at the top of the
stairs,” I said to Bryn. “You can hang it in the wardrobe
there.”

“Good.” She picked her dress back up and
draped it over her arm. “I might need to leave it until just before
the feast, so I can change at the last minute.”

As I opened the door and stepped from the
room, I heard a strange commotion, like the frantic rearrangement
of furniture.

“Surely you’re not working feast day,” Blye
said.

Bryn’s reply escaped my attention as I
hurried my steps to the end of the hall that opened to the front
entry. The noise from the right almost covered Mr. Crow’s arrival
from my left. He glanced nervously toward the sounds then at
me.

“Lord Ruhall, wait,” Tam said distantly.

“Mr. Crow, see to my sisters,” I said, just
as something crashed. I lifted my skirts and dashed toward the
sound.

I found Alec in the dining room. Several
chairs lay in a broken heap already. Tam stood guard over the
undamaged seats. But Alec wasn’t eyeing those anymore. He was
eyeing the stack of fine glazed plates at his side.

Mrs. Palant knelt near the fireplace, a
forgotten bucket of dirty scrub water beside her as she stared at
Lord Ruhall in shock.

I snatched up the bucket and hoisted the
contents through the air in the general direction of Alec. The grey
water doused him, just as he moved for the plates. The silence was
immediate. Soot chunks stuck to his cheeks and forehead and
littered his once white shirt.

His dark, angry eyes found me. His jaw
remained locked, and his fists clenched as our gazes held.

“Mrs. Palant,” I said calmly. “I apologize
for the mess I’ve made on the floor. Would you fetch some rags so I
can clean it?”

She said nothing, only rushed from the room.
Under Tam’s watchful and anxious presence, I approached Alec.

“This is unacceptable and beneath you,” I
said.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. I narrowed
mine in return and leaned in so only he could hear me.

“I shall lock my door at night if you choose
to lose control again.” When I pulled back, his eyes were closed.
He shook with his rage.

I looked at Tam.

“Lord Ruhall has sat behind his desk for too
long. He needs fresh air and exercise, an abundance of it. And I
have just the task. I need pillar stands for the feast. I thought
tree trunks about this high would be just the thing,” I said,
leveling my hand to the height of my chest. “Make sure the limbs
are thick and that Lord Ruhall does all the chopping.”

When I finished speaking, Alec opened his
eyes and left the room. Tam hurried after him.

Beside the door, I noticed a crumpled piece
of paper on the floor. Another note from Rose based on Alec’s
reaction. I picked it up and straightened it as Bryn walked into
the room.

“I just saw Lord Ruhall. It looked as if
someone had dumped ash water on him.”

Her words barely registered. They certainly
weren’t important. Nor was Mr. Crow’s response.

“Mrs. Rouflyn, please return to your duties
in the kitchen.”

My heart continued to sink as I reread the
brief message.

It is plain to see you cannot manage the
estate alone. To continue as you are, a man, you must wed by winter
solstice. Choose your bride with care. ~Rose

I crushed the note once more, truly feeling
Alec’s anger. She was punishing him because of my help? Help she’d
instigated. The longer I stood there, the more I seethed. She’d
played her game long enough.

“Mr. Crow, I have business in the Water and
will return before dinner.”

“Yes, Miss. Is everything in order?” he
said, glancing at my hand.

“I’m not certain,” I said, giving him the
honesty he deserved. “If Lord Ruhall returns before I do and asks
for me, say nothing of my leaving. We cannot give Rose more reason
to doubt him.”

Mr. Crow nodded.

Chapter 8

Ila had said that Rose wasn’t often at the
Whispering Sisters. Yet, I had nowhere else to look for her. Well
after the hour when the Sisters opened their doors to customers, I
approached the back door. The guard who stood there let me through.
Ila waited within. But she wasn’t dressed in her veil, and smoke no
longer clogged the air.

“Benella,” she said warmly. When she stepped
toward me to impart a hug, I eagerly accepted it.

“I’m not yet ready to show you your dress,”
she said, releasing me.

“I wish I were here for a fitting. I’m here
for Rose. Aryana. Whatever we’re to call her now.”

“She’s not here.”

“Then, I’ll wait and hope she returns.”

Ila nodded and started to lead me down the
familiar hallway.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

She smiled at me over her shoulder.

“The men? Their numbers continued to dwindle
until they stopped completely.”

“How long will you stay?”

“At least until the feast. I want to see you
wear your dress.”

We went to the room where my father used to
teach the women. A lounge and chairs now adorned the room. We’d
only settled when the door flew open.

“Now, you want to talk to me?” Rose said,
striding into the room. She wore a displeased expression, and she
did not look old in either form or face. Seeing her so, angered me.
It brought back the misery I’d suffered and continued to
suffer.

“Silence didn’t achieve the result I’d
wanted,” I said as Ila stood and left the room.

“And what result would that be?”

“For you to go away. You’re punishing Lord
Ruhall because of my help. That hardly seems just. If I leave, will
you withdraw your demand?”

“Not at all. Your help proved that he cannot
hope to manage his affairs on his own. Whether you remain or not,
he needs a wife. Actually, if you leave, I shall be forced to move
up the deadline to the feast. We wouldn’t want him failing.”

“Ha. I think you do want him to fail. You
continue to punish him though he has paid for his past failings.
Withdraw your edict.”

“No. It remains. He has several months to
woo his future bride. That is not a punishment; that is a kindness.
Request that I change my mind again, and I will choose his bride
for him and see them wed this night.”

“Hateful woman,” I said, standing. “I hope
never to see you again.”

The hurt that crossed her features was
almost laughable. Did she think I would thank her for her cruel
meddling?

When I reached the door, she spoke
quietly.

“Thank you for talking to Ila. She was upset
to think you might hold her to blame for anything that has
transpired.”

“Unlike you, I don’t punish the innocent,” I
said without turning.

“When have I punished an innocent?”

With a scoff, I faced her.

“You’ve confessed that your manipulations
brought me to the estate where I met with many manners of ill-use,
disregard, and danger. The final event was your refusal to let the
estate come to my aid, allowing the baker to nearly rape me. Was my
time there not punishment? For surely I suffered more so than the
enchanted beings of the estate who had the freedom to frolic and
fuck without consequence or care during the duration of their
stay.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and her face
flushed. “You would see no one punished. Instead, you label the
guilty as innocent and let them carry on with their crimes.”

I left, slamming the door behind me. My
visit accomplished nothing but angering us both. I strode through
the halls with clenched fists. Ila stood by the back door, waiting
for me. Sympathy softened her features.

“Do you still wish me to attend the feast as
your guest?”

I exhaled slowly and gave her a weak
smile.

“I do. You are welcome to stay the night as
well.”

* * * *

A dozen candle stands were now scattered
throughout the ballroom. Large, and thicker than my waist, they
would work beautifully to hold the pillars the candle maker would
bring. But it worried me that Alec had felled them so quickly. I
hadn’t been gone long. Two hours, perhaps. The purpose of the task
had been to allow him to vent his anger in a suitable manner. That
he had completed the chore in such a small amount of time could
mean that Tam had helped him. Or...Alec was still very angry.

Whisking out of the ballroom, I went in
search of Alec. I found him in his study. He sat behind the desk
and stared at his arithmetic book. He still wore his soot stained
shirt, but his jacket and neckcloth were missing. Sweat dampened
hair stuck to his forehead.

“The stands are very nice. Thank you,” I
said from the doorway.

He didn’t look up, and the furrow in his
brow did not ease in the slightest. I felt pity and sorrow for him.
I wished Rose would leave him alone. He’d suffered through so much,
already. And the injustice of her latest decision only added
more.

“I saw the letter from Rose.”

His jaw clenched and the grip on the book
tightened.

“I’m sorry, Alec. I went to her to see if
she would rescind her edict. She would not.”

His gaze remained locked on the pages.

“There is time,” I said, trying to console
him.

He threw the book aside and rose from his
chair to stalk toward me, his temper unsubdued by the recent hard
labor. When he reached me, his expression shifted through emotions
too quickly for me to attempt to understand his precise mood. He
was angry, but more. Frustrated. Desperate. Weary. It all flashed
in his gaze.

“Time for what? For you to change your
mind?”

I swallowed hard and looked away. He still
wanted me as his wife. Though I’d told him I didn’t trust him to
love me, which still held true, there was much more.

“Alec, the idea of marrying anyone upsets
me. I cannot endure what the baker—”

He pulled me into his arms and hushed me.
Cautious of his turbulent mood, I allowed it for a brief moment
before I pulled away.

“You’re spending too much time in here,” I
said. He was too active a man to remain sitting and studying for so
long. He needed to moderate his pursuits to include activity each
day. It might help with his temper.