Wicked Fairy Tales: Radiant Beauty

The silence that followed, after her stomach protests, did nothing to stifle her embarrassment, this was one of those few times were she wished, the earth would simply open up and swallow her whole. However, the fates did not feel inclined to oblige her. Lucy was so focused on her own shame that she didn't notice the muffled rumbling.

Unexpectedly, the beast burst into laughter, not simple laughter but laughter that comes from deep within the belly, the kind that one can't stop no matter how hard they try. The sound caught Lucy's attention as she looked at the Beast, for though she recognized the sound she did not expect to hear it, coming from the Beast.

Despite the sound, being odd, it somehow, felt right for him to laugh. His laughter filled something in the manor that was missing before. The Beast was bent over with laughter, when he looked at her she felt herself blush, and this simply made the Beast roar with more laughter. Though this only fueled her embarrassment, she did not interrupt the Beast, giving him the chance to enjoy the moment. It would be awhile, before the Beast would finally manage to get control himself, wiping away the tears of joy that had sprung forth while he had laughed.

"My apologies my lady," he said as he caught his breath, "I could not help myself, for someone so small you must have quite the appetite."

"Yes, well could you perhaps show me the way to the kitchen and I will quiet down my stomach."

"There is no need for that my lady, we stand in the dining room and you are now mistress of Black Hill, you need only close your eyes and imagine the meal in your mind's eye, then when you open your eyes the meal will appear on the table before us."

Lucy was about to argue with his statement, telling him that was impossible. However, she stood in the Mansion of the Beast that was in the middle of nowhere, talking to said Beast. There was also the undeniable magical fire that roared in the fireplace.

Yet that was his magic she didn't have any magic of her own, then a thought struck her but what if it wasn't his magic either, what if it was the houses magic. However, that was impossible a building couldn't posses magic, than again there were magical items and tools.

Lucy's thoughts began to chase themselves in this vain as her mind argued different theories with herself. Abruptly, she was pulled from her thoughts as a rough pad pressed itself to her forehead.

"I can see your mind running a mile a minute," said the Beast, "and I can feel myself getting dizzy just watching you do so. Stop trying to analyze how it works and just try." He turned her to look at the table that was some paces before them. "Close your eyes."

Lucy did as he asked.

"Now just imagine a meal you have had before, picture it in your mind and remember the sights, sounds, the smells."

Lucy could see the image forming in her mind at his words, the meal she imagined before her was like one of the dinners her mother had prepared, whenever they had important guess to impress. Soups, salads, roasted pig or a beautiful cooked turkey, she could even smell the butter from the rolls their cook would make. The rosemary, parsley, pepper, and dozen others spices all filled her mind as well as her nose. She could hear the sizzling of the meat; hear the clattering of the utensils, and the pop from a bottle of wine being open and the gurgle of the liquid as it's poured into a glass.

"You can open your eyes now."

Lucy opened her eyes and was amazed to see, that the dining room was no longer dark, but teeming with light. The dining room looked exactly like her mother's dining room. Even down to the intricate design of the silverware, and true to the Beasts word all of the food she had envisioned in her mind was laid out on the table before them.

Still not quite able to believe, what she is seeing, she said, "How did you do this?"

The Beast made a sound, that may have resembled a snort. "It is not I, but you, as I said before you are now mistress of Black Hill. You will learn what that means soon enough, come sit and enjoy your meal."

Lucy's hunger convinced her to sit down. Without further argument, she loaded her plate with food, taking the time to savor the flavors of her past. She was focused on enjoying her meal that it took her a moment to realize that the Beast wasn't eating. He sat only a few seats away on her left and he simply watched her as she ate, which made things rather awkward. She suddenly found herself very self-conscious as she ate.

"Aren't you going to eat," she asked.

"I have already eaten," he replied.

Lucy was trying to think of what else to say, when a sudden thought struck her and she put her fork down and took a sip of her wine before she asked, "So, how long will the poison take to kill me."

"Excuse me?"

"Well I did come to die in my father's stead; I guess I should be grateful of the hospitality, as well as appreciative that I will not die a painful death."

"I believe, that I stated earlier that you are mistress of this manor, how can you be mistress if you are dead.

"But, what-"

"I guess I'll have to speak plainly, because the idea seems to be flying over your head. I do not intend to kill you. I have other plans for you. Now, if you have finished with your meal?"

Lucy took a quick glance at her plate but decided she had enough, "Yes, thank you"

"Very well," said the Beast as he stood and picked up one of the candelabra's from the table "Follow me"

Lucy does as she is told and followed him through the darkened halls of the manor, the Beast body blocked off some of the light of the candle so she wasn't able to get a good look at all that lay within the manor but what she did see, she knew had to be made of excellent quality. After some time, they made their way up some stairs and down a hall or two before they stood at a large wooden door. The Beast stood to one side before turning to her.

"Before, I usher you inside, please press your palm against the wood, then close your eyes like you did in the dining room and imagine, how you would like the room to be."

Lucy hesitated for moment, before she placed her hand on the door flattening her palm against it; she shut her eyes and imagined the room as the Beast told her. For the last few years, she had to live in a very spartan bedroom and before that, she lived in a rather lush room, so in her mind she found a way to blend both styles the utility of the Spartan and the luxury of the Lush.

She heard the squeak of the doors hinges as the door fell away from her palm, Lucy lowered her hand and opened her eyes. The room was exactly as she imagined it, there were candles everywhere, and at the center of the room was a rather large comfortable looking bed. While at either side of the bed was a large window to allow the light to shine through, at the opposite side of the window on her right lay a large writing desk that held everything she would need, on the other side of the window of her left stood a loom with yarns already interwoven within the framework. At the foot of the bed lay a settee, the most interesting thing of the room was that the room was the color yellow. It wasn't just one color of yellow but all of the different hues of yellow possible.

Lucy is in awe of the room, that she didn't realize that she had already stepped into the room. She turned to look at the Beast, and nearly burst into laughter. The Beast stood by the door his face was one of astonishment; it seemed the Beast didn't realize that there were so many different shades of yellow. She watched the Beast collected himself before he looked to her.

"Is the room to your liking, my lady?"

"It is, thank you my-" When she saw him scowled she remembered his last rebuke, "Beast."

"Very well, tomorrow I will reveal the rest of the manor to you. For now, I will take my leave of you. Good night mistress."

The Beast closed her door to her room before he left. Lucy lay back on the bed and sighed with pleasure, it was a comfortable bed. Yet despite her comfort, Lucy couldn't help but think about the master of the manor. The Beast was indeed a beast; there was no denying his monstrous form, but he wasn't a monster. In some ways, he reminded her of their old family dog Gaston. Gaston was a rather large dog and many who did not know Gaston thought him dangerous for those who did know him, knew him to be a gentle giant. Lucy knew that she should still be wary of him, but so far, his actions gave her hope for the future.

The Beast was true to his word. The next day after breakfast, he showed her around the manor and grounds. However, his tour was not as informative as she had hoped it would be. Though his information about the garden was meticulous, his knowledge about the manor was lacking. Some rooms he didn't even know what they were used for. Luckily for him her mother had been training her to run her own home someday. Therefore, she was able to inform him of some of the uses of the rooms unknown to him.

There tour came to an end at the top of the main stairs. "I will leave you, we will convene at dinner."

"but we haven't finished the tour" Lucy said as she made another mark on the book she was carrying. She had been taking notes as he guided her; she even drew up a floor plan, so she knew that they had not visited the entire manor. "We haven't been to the second floor of the west wing."

The Beast spoke softly, "the second floor of the west wing is forbidden to you,"

"Why?"

The Beast didn't reply to her question he lowered his himself until his gaze bore into hers before he spoke, "don't go into the west wing."

Though he spoke calmly, Lucy knew a threat when she heard one; she looked away from his gaze "I understand."

"Good, I will see you at dinner."

Dinner was a recreation of the previous evening; he had her close her eyes and imagine the meal she wanted to eat before her. When she opened them, the food was ready and waiting on the table this time she imagined a much simpler meal than the previous evening. She felt like she had wasted all that food for nothing. Even though the meal was smaller, the beast once again did not eat.

"I guess I shouldn't have imagined enough food for three people. I can't eat it all and it would be a waste to simply throw it away."

"You don't need to worry about that; the food that is left uneaten will be put to good use."

"How though, as far as I can see you have no pets and unless the servants are invisible I don't see how all this food is put to good use."

"The meal that went unfinished last night went to feeding a widow who has recently lost her man. She has three children to feed and the little money she makes as a washerwoman would not be enough to keep a roof over her head and food on the table.

Last night she was on the brink of tears because she knew not how she would feed her little ones, when suddenly all of the food from your previous meal appeared at her table, with a card that read complements from the mistress of Black Hill Manor."

Lucy simply looked at the beast her spoon raised halfway to her mouth.

"What?"

"You gave the food to those in need, not many lords or lady's ever put though into helping others less fortunate."

"Let us say, I know the value of food."

"If you know its value, then why aren't you eating?"

"You are very persistent, my Lady, you must have been a terror for your parents."

"My father wasn't around much, he had to travel a lot for his work, but he never despaired of my character my mother on the other hand, found me difficult. She wanted another perfect little girl who would do as she wished, whenever she wished, just like my sisters. I preferred to be out and about with my brothers."

"How many siblings do you have," the Beast asked as she took a sib of her wine.

"I have three brothers and two sisters."

"Just hearing the way you say that, tells me you still prefer your brothers to your sisters."

Lucy laughed slightly, "Honestly, I can't deny that."

"Why don't you like your sisters?"

At this question, Lucy sighed. "My mother wanted daughters more than she wanted sons, so when she did have daughters, she gave them practically all of her attention. You would think this would be a good thing. However, mother treated her daughters more like living dolls than actual children."

"Did that include you?"

"Yes that did include me, but I was always a bit of a tomboy, so I didn't like sitting around and being pretty like my sisters did. When my mother realized that, I wasn't going to be a compliant little doll, she focused all of her attention on my sisters. She had the house staff, comply to my sisters every whim."

"It sounds like your sisters were spoiled rotten."

"It is not my place to say," replied Lucy before taking another bite of her meal.

"You talk about having a staff, but both you and your father show evidence of wearing simple homespun clothing, and neither of you carries with you the arrogance that so many with wealth demonstrate. Did your family fall on hard times?"

"Lucy held her napkin in front of her mouth before she spoke, we did. It began around the time my mother died."

"I am sorry for your loss,"

"Thank you, it has been several years now and though we didn't get along as well as we could have. I still miss her. Losing her was the beginning of our downfall. We were so busy with our grief that we didn't notice, that were having financial difficulties. My father had made several investments yet somehow it was one disaster after another.

A Ship that held one of my father's investments was lost at sea, another investment floundered, one investment was stolen by a charlatan who had fooled several men including my father's business compatriots that had suggested the investment to him. One investment quite literally blew up, caused a fire that nearly burned down half a village. In the end my father sold whatever he had left to purchase another home one that would house, my siblings and I and our father. We had to let go of so many things."

"It sounds like you miss the wealth; my home must be a welcome turn for you."

Lucy locked eyes with the Beast as she raised her glass and took another drink of wine. She placed her glass back on the table before she spoke, her gaze never leaving his. "I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss the wealth, it did make some things easier, but what I miss most was the staff. Those people were part of my family as much as my family actually is. I don't know how to explain this to you, other than to say that almost all that I know, I learned from them and all that they taught me, has helped to live in my new environment. But I miss seeing those people and talking to them laughing with them, like I did practically every day since the moment I could walk."

The room was silent for a moment before the Beast spoke. "Though, I share my blood with you, you are a stranger to me. Yet those who share nothing with me are my family, for they care for me, as strongly as I care for them-Roman Black. I do understand your meaning Lucy."

"What happened to your family?"

"They left this world quite some time ago," the Beast said softly. "Now that I have heard about your sisters why don't you talk to me about your brothers?"

Lucy knows that he redirecting the conversation because he did not wish to talk about the people he had called family. She wanted to know more she wanted to ask but she knew that she wouldn't get an answer. Not yet, anyways, so she did as he asked and talked about her family and her life with wealth and her life without it. She ate and spoke until it was time for bed.

True to his word, the Beast allowed her to adjust the castle to just the way she like it. She spent several days on this task. She opened up the windows and aired out the rooms, she did some dusting, along with some polishing, and she worked to breathe life into the rooms that had been neglected for so long. The chores were familiar to her and she appreciated the work. The work also gave her the perfect excuse to learn the Beasts schedule. When she finished the last of the rooms, she knew that the beast like to take a walk out in the garden before the sun started to set. With the manor rearranged to her liking, Lucy spent her spare time in the library; this was a secret pleasure of her that she never really revealed to her family but she loved to read. There was another reason why she didn't reveal this secret of herself to her family, She didn't want her siblings seeing her wear her glasses. Her sisters would be cruel about it; her brothers would joke about how feminine they made her look. She was damned either way.

One evening Lucy was so immersed in her book, the she didn't notice the beasts approach until some instinctual part of her made a shiver run down her spin and her heart race. Though she knew that this was a foolish reaction seeing how her host had thus far had treated her with nothing but kindness. However, she couldn't stop her fear, it was a fear born from being in the prescience of a large predatory creature.

Lucy was sitting in one of the two chairs that sat before the fireplace, for it was her only source of light since the sun had gone down. Lucy looked up from her book and looked behind her to look for the Beast, but there is nothing there for her to see. She turned back thinking that perhaps she had misread her feelings. She nearly jumped out of her chair for the Beast was sitting in the Chair opposite from her.

"My apologies I didn't mean to frighten you," the beast stated in his calm rumbling voice.

"I sincerely doubt that, seeing as you came in on cat feet, just to sit on that chair." She said arching an eyebrow.

Though she couldn't really read his face Lucy had a sense that he was smiling though the expression on his face never changed.

"So, that book you are reading must be really interesting, if you didn't notice me until now."

"It is actually," she said smiling, "It's an adventure story with a dastardly villain, a dashing hero a damsel in distress and some rather ludicrous events."

The Beast looked at her with an odd look on his face.

"What?"

"I thought women these days, were all about being equal with or even greater than men, isn't that why most of the newer heroines are able to do things without the help of men."

"I see you have read the works of Anita Hamilton."

"From the look on your face, you rather dislike her work."

"Don't misunderstand me, I do not disagree that a woman is in many ways more capable than men. However, the way she presents her stories and characters are unrealistic, not only that but her main character was likable at first, then she became unlikable. Like that scene where she becomes distraught over the fact that her fiancé is not the man she thought he was, so she sleeps with the other man, despite knowing that he is a devious wretch. That was the beginning of the end for me; I have not bothered to pick up, anymore of her works."

"Well if you disagree with her work, who do you prefer to read?

"The works of Dina Evans, her character dynamics are always interesting. Her Heroines are strong and independent and her male characters can sometimes be bossy and overbearing, but you can see that they really care for the heroine."

"If you prefer that author's style of work, why are you reading a story with a damsel in distress?"

"These types of stories, where the ones I read when I first began to learn to read, there was a young washer woman in our house, who had me read them to her while she worked. Whenever, I got stuck on a word or didn't know she would tell me to write it down and to look it up in the dictionary later." Lucy couldn't help but smile at her memory.

"Is it-" said the beast claiming her attention once more. "Could you-" the beast was halting in his speech as though he couldn't quite figure the right words to say. Lucy even noticed that he seemed to be squirming in his chair almost as if he was shy.