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“Follow the hall on your right to your chambers. You will find everything you require there.”
Bewildered, she glanced to her right. When she looked back again, the beast’s silhouette was gone. She was on her own. Were there truly no servants? That was unheard of, for a castle this size.
Seeing no other option, she started down the hall without direction, figuring she’d have to try several rooms to find the correct one.
The castle interior was awe-inspiring in its luxury, with white marble stairs and high ceilings, gold-leaf accents, and intricate baroque design. As she continued along the deep red carpet, something strange happened. Candle sconces on the wall flamed to life, lighting the corridor. When she reached a vestibule where the corridor split into three, the candles in the middle path lit up. They were directing her.
The castle was indeed enchanted. Perhaps the beast was some kind of warlock.
She passed endless galleries and alcoves and grand staircases, but avoided straying from the lit candles, afraid of invoking the beast’s rage or becoming lost. The candles extinguished themselves outside a door with a gilded handle in the shape of a swan. She turned the handle and gingerly stepped inside.
The chambers glowed with light from a roaring fire in a hearth and sconces on the walls. The room was decorated with the same baroque gold-leaf furniture, white marble, rich velvets, and oil paintings as the rest of the castle. Thick, richly embroidered rugs lay over the floors, and the four-poster bed was decked in purple and gold silks. The bed was larger than her entire room back home at the cottage.
Amelie stood in the middle of the chambers, amazed. She ran her fingertips over a white fur blanket on the armchair by the fire, feeling out of place and grubby in her traveling cloak and boots.
A mahogany grandfather clock tolled. Only one hour remained before dinnertime in the Great Hall. A fresh wave of nerves crashed over her as she tried to imagine dining with the brute. The problem was that she could not imagine it. What did he expect from her, exactly?
To distract herself, she considered the clothes she’d brought, which she’d stuffed hurriedly into her satchel without care or concern. All she had was a cotton dress, a plain blouse, and trews. Hardly fit for a Great Hall.
She shrugged off her cloak, hanging it from a hook by the door, before crossing the room to place her satchel on a gilded console. Only then did she notice the dress laid out on the bed.
As she drew closer, her eyes widened at its beauty.
The gown was violet silk, the bodice embroidered with silver thread, and the crinoline skirts voluminous. The bust was inlaid with delicate chiffon and the long sleeves flared slightly at the cuffs. A pair of heeled shoes sat on the floor, in her size.
She’d never seen such beautiful clothes. A merchant brought handmade garments from Port Hyacinth to the village markets occasionally, but they were plain and simple compared to this dress. Where would a beast procure such finery? It was foreign, surely.
Before dressing, she would need to wash, because she was filthy from the ride. A washroom lay through an archway in her chambers, warmed by a hearth of its own. An ivory clawfoot tub sat in the middle of the room, along with basins and stools and various soaps, toiletries, and combs. The one thing the washroom didn’t have, nor the chambers now she thought of it, was a mirror. Not a single one.
Amelie ran a bath, the water gushing hot and steamy through the golden taps. As pleasant as the hot water felt on her sore muscles, she did not soak in the tub for long. She feared being late for dinner, almost as much as she feared going to dinner at all.
After drying with a fluffy towel, she quickly combed her hair, brushed her teeth, and then returned to the chambers to dress.
Without assistance, it proved difficult. She managed to step into the dress just fine, but she couldn’t reach the pearl buttons running down the back. The bodice, too, was impossible to tie on her own.
The clock chimed. She had fifteen minutes before presenting herself at the Great Hall.
He’d warned her not to be late. What would happen if she simply didn’t go down? Would he storm up here and fetch her? Would she be punished?
“Oh, how does this dress work?” she cried out in frustration.
The buttons down her back flew closed and the bodice compressed her middle, the laces pulled tight, forcing Amelie to draw a deep and sudden breath. She whirled around, half expecting someone to have appeared in the room with her. A servant, perhaps.
But there was no one. More magic, she supposed. The thought was a little unsettling—not knowing how the enchantments operated or when they would appear. She felt watched, and she narrowed her eyes at every corner and crevice of the room.
Wary of the time, she slipped on the shoes and stumbled into the hallway, unused to the slender heel of the slipper. The sconces lit up again, this time in a different direction, and she followed them. Her nerves reached fever pitch, making her shiver as she walked.
Then, the tantalizing scents of savory food reached her nostrils. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she’d scarcely eaten that day. The possibility that he’d poisoned her food occurred to her. Did she dare accept his hospitality? Did she even have a choice?
The Great Hall was the size of a temple, and several times grander. The only movement inside the hall was the thousands of candles glimmering from crystal chandeliers hung from the distant ceiling.
It was only as she stood in the arched entrance, gazing into the hall, that she remembered the silver rose. She’d been in such a hurry that she forgot to bring it for protection. After her encounter with the raiders, she chided herself for being so careless.
A clock tolled in the corridor, signaling eight o’clock. It was too late to go back for the rose. She’d have to dine unarmed.
Amelie squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself to have courage. She hadn’t come all this way just to flee now. For better or worse, her fate lay within this hall.
Heart pounding, she opened her eyes and stepped inside.
