12 comments/ 10773 views/ 9 favorites Caervon's Belle Ch. 01 By: Faerie_Queene_31 :) The mansion on 39th street had always been considered haunted by the locals. It had belonged to an ancient and power family - The Caervon's. The Caervon's had lived there for centuries. A secretive and very reclusive family, they had rarely ventured amongst the locals and families that resided in the large town not far away. They had been a well thought of and liked family, even though it seemed as though they thought they were above such mortals as those that lived in the town. The parents -- Lord and Lady Caervon -- were both members of charitable organizations and seemed good natured, although quiet, when around others. Of children, they had three. Two boys and a girl. The eldest boy was fair and light, like his mother, but had his father's frozen demeanor when angered. His name was Ayden. He was being trained by his father to manage the estate. This, and maybe other reasons, was why the boy didn't seem to like the other children of the town, who would sometimes come and mingle with the Caervon children. The second boy was exactly opposite of his fair brother. While the latter was blond and had grey eyes; Luka, for that was his name, had hair so brown it was almost always considered black; his eyes dark green, which would turn darker when angry. And angry he was. Unlike his brother, his temper was explosive and often violent, although, to the Caervon servants' relief, not generally toward people themselves. The boys rarely smiled and on the rare occasion they did, it greatly startled those in immediate presence. The little girl, the youngest, was the angel of the family. She had midnight curls and eyes so blue, the servants' would say they were chips from the sky. She brought light and laughter to the house. There was no ebb to her smiles and her laughter flowed through the house, for no matter where you stood, you could hear it. Her name was Arielle. The Caervon children and the children from town were wont to frolic and play, as previously mentioned. Although, the Caervon boys didn't so much play, as observe. Arielle, however, as the curious and adventurous child, wandered freely with the other children her age. One in particular, another little girl named Belle. Now Belle, contrary to her name, was not as beautiful as Arielle. A sad fact, as many of the Caervon servants' observed. She came from a very poor family, one that could not feed their children so well as to keep them from looking underfed. She had lank hair - always pulled into a scruffy braid - of an indefinable brownish color, perhaps because she didn't get as many baths as she should, and eyes that were the blue of the ocean...and nearly as deep. The first day that Arielle had dragged Belle to the mansion, sent the whole house into a flutter. The servants' were certain that a dirty child, from a family so poor they had to beg for food, would not be very welcome as the best friend of their Arielle. And right they were. When the Lord and Lady of the mansion learned of this turn of events, they were not happy. Unfortunately for Lord and Lady Caervon, one of the family curses was extreme stubbornness. Arielle tried every trick. She begged, cajoled, cried, ranted, screamed, and wheedled. In the end, nothing worked. Arielle's parents would not let her have such a friend and Belle was sent out the door by the kindly housekeeper, who patted her on the back, gave her an apple and told her to never come to the house again. Arielle, however, was not to be defeated. She decided to punish her parents for their actions and despite many scoldings and outright yelling, did not speak or look at them. However, what most worried the inhabitants of the house was that Arielle did not smile. She did not laugh. She did not beg pastries from the cook or pester the maids. She sat and she brooded. The doctor was called, but she was not sick. She ignored even her brothers' attempts to bring her out of her misery. Finally, with much reluctance, Lord Caervon sent a man to bring the child Belle back to the manor. * But what could have inspired such devotion in such little time? The day Arielle met Belle was so bright and sunny that it drove even the most adventurous to the shade. It just so happened, that both Arielle and Belle had decided on the same bit of shade to seek cover under. In fact, whilst one was so absorbed in her thoughts of berries and the other with getting under the shade before she got sunburned, they smacked straight into each other. "What did you do that for?!" Arielle asked angrily, it was one of the few times she got angry -- when she was taken by surprise. Belle simply stared at her. She had never seen anyone as exquisite as Arielle. She reminded Belle of a little glass statuette that she had seen in a windowsill. Arielle stood there with her little white hands resting on her hips. She had a look of righteous indignation on her face. But Belle's stare was starting to unnerve her. "What?" She asked her mood suddenly shifting to nervousness. Belle bit her lip and looked down. "N-nothing." She stammered, almost in a whisper, "I'm sorry." Then she turned around and began to walk away. "Wait." Arielle ran up and walked beside her. Arielle had never seen anyone so...scruffy. Even the stable boy washed up a bit. She decided she would ask about it. "Why don't you take a bath?" She asked boldly. Belle looked up at her. "What's a...bath?" She asked still almost in a whisper. At this Arielle nearly tripped. "What's a -- but haven't you ever had one?" She gasped. "We don't have very much." Belle admitted bluntly. Arielle began to ask a question but was interrupted by a different voice, not friendly at all. "What do you think your doing?!" It was a little boy. A little, unfriendly boy, with sharp eyes and a sharp face. In fact, he seemed to be made up of angles. There were two other boys with him, standing by his sides. One was skinny and gangly, the other rather stout. None of them looked very happy to see the girls, who had apparently wandered onto their territory. "Who are you?" Arielle started. The question had been asked by Belle. But there was a tone in the voice that made Arielle shiver. The boy glared at Belle contemptuously. "I'm Beric and you're a stupid girl." He poked his finger at Belle. Arielle looked at Belle and was startled. Gone was the stammering girl and in her place was a little tomboy who didn't take crap from anyone, especially boys. Her teeth were bared, her legs braced, and her eyes narrowed. "Well, I think you're a stupid boy." She said, flicking her braid over her shoulder; she didn't seem the least bit afraid that these boys were starting to look angry and were advancing slowly. "You'll regret that, girl." Beric said and he and the two others began to walk toward them. Arielle, who had never been in this kind of argument before, started and walked backwards, but Belle simply raised her little fists and waited. The fact that Belle wasn't running seemed to put a seed of doubt in the boys' minds. She obviously couldn't win, but was still standing there. The reason for this, they seemed to surmise was that either she had backup somewhere or that she actually knew what she was doing. They stopped. Beric raised an eyebrow, but Belle didn't move. Arielle, for the first time, was jealous of another girl. Not because of beauty or possessions, but because of bravery. Beric shrugged and the boys moved off as though they didn't care that a girl had unnerved them or that they didn't mean to walk off anyway. But Arielle saw that the boy Beric's eyes were filled with retribution; one day they would pay. Perhaps, this does not seem like a very good reason for children to become friends. But to a child, and to Arielle, who had always been coddled and never shown the violent world, it was revolutionary. She immediately considered Belle her friend. And Belle who had never had a true friend, or a friend who was female, decided this was a fine plan. * Belle was very afraid of the mansion. She suffered Arielle to drag her there merely because, well, it was Arielle. But to go with someone she didn't know, who stared coldly at the hovel she lived in and sneered in disgust at her... well, that was an entirely different matter. But who could ignore a missive from the Great Lord of Caervon? So she went. When Belle walked into the mansion, she was filled with the feeling of uneasiness that she had when she had first been here. She stood in the parlor, with her hands clasped in front of her, beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. A door opened and she started, but when she looked, it was neither Lord Caervon -- who she feared- nor Arielle- who she actually wanted to see. It was Luka. Belle drew a ragged breath and straightened her shoulders. Boys she could deal with. She was never afraid of boys. After all, she had three brothers of her own. Three brothers who didn't care that she was girl; who treated her as if she were a boy. Luka stared at her for a moment, his green eyes unreadable, before sauntering forward. This caused Belle to narrow her eyes. In her experience, boys who had such a careless gait were obvious up to trouble. "You can sit down if you want." Luka said frowning. Belle lifted her chin. "I didn't want to dirty the chair." She told him. He stood looking at her, a furrow in his brow. Then, sighing, he walked over to a chair, picked it up, and set it down behind her. She watched this all in silent amazement and was taken completely by surprise when he pushed her into the chair. Sputtering, Belle pushed herself up, but before she could jump out of the seat in indignation, the door opened again. This time it was Lord Caervon. But he wasn't alone, either. Ayden was there, his grey eyes showing nothing when he looked her over. And Arielle was there as well. She grinned when she saw Belle, but abruptly sobered when her father looked at her. Lord Caervon surveyed Belle majestically, she thought, from his towering height. Not knowing what to do, she simply sat and looked at the floor. When Lord Caervon spoke his voice was soft, but deep and reverberating. "What is your name, child?" He asked her. Daring a peek, Belle looked up at him. He didn't seem angry... "Belle, milord." She half whispered. "Well, Belle," He said, and she dared another peek, this time he was half glancing at Arielle, who was bouncing on the balls of her toes waiting to drag Belle off for some adventures around the mansion, "As long as you behave with proper respect, you are allowed to come and go as you please, as a good friend of my daughter's." His lips twitched. "However," He said, and Belle's heart sank, "You should probably have a bath before you run around the house." Eyes wide, she glanced at Arielle and repeated her earlier asked question with trepidation. "What's a bath?" This time, Lord Caervon burst into real laughter, booming. And even the two boys grinned. Chuckling, Lord Caervon left a very confused Belle to the housekeeper. * And so, Belle became a regular visitor to the Caervon mansion. Over time, all the inhabitants grew so used to seeing the two girls together, that it was odd when they weren't. As the Caervon children grew, Belle grew as well. And not just in height. Arielle dragged Belle with her to her classes, learning sewing and French. With the care that the Caervon's spent on Belle, being fed more, she filled out. Being clean showed an almost pretty little girl with a mop of golden hair. Even the boys treated her with affection, as a second sister. Lady Caervon took pride in Belle's achievements as well as Arielle's. And Lord Caervon still found the girl amusing, although she could not figure out why. It was the best time of her life. * 10 years later. "Belle!" A voice shrieked and Belle swung around in time to see Arielle barrel into her. "Oof!" Belle felt the air leave her lungs. "What?" She asked when she got her breath back. Arielle sighed dramatically. She did a lot of things dramatically. In fact, she was just plain drama. Belle hid a smile. "Have you seen Lord Winston? He's so...dreamy." Arielle sighed again. It sometimes hurt to look at her. She was just too beautiful. Over the years she had become more and more magnificent. Her silky midnight curls reached her waist and her sky-eyes were framed by the longest eyelashes Belle had ever seen. Belle felt drab next to her. She sighed. "No, I haven't seen Lord Winston and although I'm sure he's dreamy, his mother is a witch." Belle said and continued walking. Arielle hurried after, as Belle knew she would. "I know, I know," She said pouting, "But still..." "Can you imagine having to spend your life with her evil eye watching over you?" Belle laughed. Several young men on the street looked around for the source of female laughter, but disappointed looked around again. "Where are we headed for anyways?" Arielle asked looking around. "Market. Mrs. Loveworth wants me to man the booth this afternoon whilst she's away." Belle had taken a job with a flower seller, a job her mother would have died for all those years ago. "Ugh," Arielle wrinkled her nose, "But it's so noisy and smelly and hot. Don't you get tired of it?" Belle glanced at her. "Only when Beric hangs around leering." She said. Beric had grown into every girl's fantasy man. He was extremely handsome, wealthy and charming. All of the local girls were fawning over him. He seemed to preen at the attention. Yet still he came over to her booth and lounged about, annoying her. Arielle wrinkled her nose again. "Poor Belle." She smiled slyly, "Maybe if you had married Mr. Woodward..." She laughed. Belle rolled her eyes. Mr. Woodward, a corpulent middle aged man who drank too much, had decided he needed a new wife. And that person should be Belle. Unfortunately for him, Belle had refused. Mr. Woodward had persisted, until Arielle, in a fit of giggles, had told Luka and he had exploded in anger. Gaping, they had watched Arielle's brother throw on a coat and storm out the door. An hour later, looking much calmer, Luka had returned and after giving Belle an indefinable look, had gone to the library. It turned out that whatever Luka had said to Mr. Woodward had had an extreme effect on the poor man and he had moved away from that part of town the next day. She had tried to talk to Luka about it, but he had shrugged her questions off angrily. He hardly talked to her, since she had turned eighteen. He had even snarled in rage at the dinner table when she had told the Caervon's that she had taken a job as a flower seller. Lord Caervon had silenced Luka with a look and Arielle's brother had spent the rest of the evening shooting her glares and sitting in sullen silence. Ayden was hardly even talking to her. Whenever he did, he would shoot Luka worried glances, as though the man was going to go into rage. It was beginning to irritate Belle that every time one of the Caervon's wanted to speak to her, they made sure that Luka wasn't in the room. Sometime soon, she was going to have to talk to him about it. "-- this afternoon?" Arielle was saying. Belle looked at her quickly to see Arielle looking back at her curiously. Arielle narrowed her eyes. "You weren't even listening to me were you?" She said. "Um," Belle said sheepishly, "Something about this afternoon?" Arielle sighed. "We were wondering if you're coming to the mansion this afternoon." We, meaning the Lord and Lady Caervon. Belle shrugged. "I don't know." She said. "I have a booth to run." * That evening, Belle walked up to the mansion. She had been bullied into accepting the Caervon's invitation by Arielle. As she walked up the drive, she noticed a carriage that wasn't the Caervon's. She groaned and debated whether she should just turn around and walk back home. But she had promised. So she continued up the great marble steps and into the house. After so many years of practically living there, she was completely comfortable with letting herself in. As she walked into the parlor, she could hear the voices murmuring from the other room. The Caervon's had guests. She hated it when they invited her at the same time as guests and they knew it. She was always looked down upon as practically a servant or else she was ignored altogether. Steeling herself she walked into the room at the same time that the housekeeper announced that dinner was ready. She breathed a sigh of relief. Walking alone into an already occupied room was the hardest as all the attention focused on you. She noticed Luka first, standing leaned up against a bookshelf, and he alone looked up when she entered the room. Ayden was standing next to a sofa, which held two girls, Arielle and another girl who Belle didn't know and who was so spectacularly pretty that Belle blinked. Lord and Lady Caervon had been conversing with another older couple, likely the parents of the very beautiful girl sitting on the sofa and...Beric, who was surveying Arielle with hooded eyes. Belle gaped at him for a few moments until he looked up and noticed her, giving her a wicked smile. "Ah," Lord Caervon said, looking up, "Glad you could join us for dinner, Belle." He introduced the strangers. Lord and Lady Ellingson and their children Rose and Beric. The Ellingsons nodded their heads at Belle and then promptly ignored her. After excusing herself, Arielle jumped up from the sofa and came to walk next to Belle as they walked into the dining room. "So," She whispered, "What do you think?" And nodded toward Beric and then to Rose and Ayden who were smiling at each other. Belle raised her eyebrows. Then wiggled them. Arielle smothered her giggles right before Luka grabbed Belle's arm and steered her toward a seat farther down the table, beside him. Glaring at him, Arielle took the other seat next to her and became absorbed in a conversation with Rose. Beric took the seat next to Ayden, across from Belle. Inwardly, she groaned. Now she would have to avoid his gaze while she ate. No wonder he hadn't been at market. He had been too busy getting ready for dinner with the Caervons'. "What's with the dinner parties?" She murmured to Luka. He raised his eyebrows and glanced pointedly at Rosa and Ayden. Ah, Belle thought, matchmaking. She made a face at Luka and his lips twitched. She looked up and met Beric's eyes and promptly looked back down. The entire dinner was a very stilted, uncomfortable affair. At least for Belle. It wasn't until they gathered in the family room that she relaxed slightly. Rose sat at the pianoforte and was plunking away at the keys, Ayden standing next to her. Arielle was speaking to Luka animatedly. And Beric, Belle looked around and nearly jumped out of her skin. Beric was standing right next to her. "Can I help you?" She asked tightly, softly. Beric grinned and circled around her, indicating some chairs. Sighing, she took one looking at Arielle for help. But Arielle was still absorbed in conversation. "So," Beric said leaning back against his chair and put his hands behind his head. "I should have realized this was where you spent all your childhood time." He glanced at Arielle and Luka then back at her. "What's you point?" She asked, looking at the books around her. Anything to distract her. "No point." He grinned, "Just making polite conversation." Belle looked back at him to catch him looking down the front of her dress. Flushing, she angled her body away, seeing his grin get wider. Thankfully, Luka noticed. His visage darkened and he glided over to Belle taking her elbow and angling her away from Beric. "Stay away from that, bast-" He cut off, "Man." He finished, tightly, angrily. Belle frowned at him. "I know how to take care of myself, Luka." She said, "Do you mind letting go of me? You're bruising my arm." Luka let go abruptly, looking icy. She shook her head and glancing around decided to attempt conversation. Caervon's Belle Ch. 01 "What is your problem?" She asked and then abruptly winced. She hadn't meant to ask that, but somehow it had come out anyway. Luka raised an eyebrow. Too late now. "You keep giving me strange looks. You snap every time one of your family member's talk to me. You don't like me working at the flower shop..." She looked at him helplessly. He was pursing his lips and glaring out the window. She could tell by the set of his shoulders that he was irritated. Finally, he looked back at her. The look in his eyes was unreadable, to her at least. "You can be really blind sometimes, you know that Belle?" * Belle walked toward her broken down family's home, lost in thought. Luka and she had always been on quite friendly terms. Now he had been acting strangely...possessive. As though she was his and no one else's. But that didn't make sense. Luka had never seemed to take much of an interest in her before. She had just been Arielle's friend. That was all. But now it seemed as though the whole family knew something...and she was being left out of the loop. It irritated her. And as she strode through the street, she resolved to drag whatever everyone was keeping from her, out of Arielle. To be continued... Caervon's Belle Ch. 02 The main market buzzed happily with villagers. Haggling and friendly banter resounded around the square; a square that was filled with booths and stands of all sorts of different things. A booth near the center seemed to catch everyone's attention. It was blindingly colorful, with all sorts of different flowers and plants. Belle stood at the booth, oblivious to the attention her stand was receiving. She was on break at the moment and the owner, Mrs. Lovesworth, was taking care of the steady flow of customers. It had been a week since the dinner party and Belle still hadn't talked to Arielle. This was due to the fact that the entire Caervon family had gone to their summer home for a week. Arielle had, according to the servants, begged and cajoled her parents to let Belle go, but this time her usually adoring parent's put their feet down. It was match-making season. And the eldest Caervon son was the target. Apparently Beric's little sister Rose was the potential match, so her family was staying at the summer home as well. Personally, Belle felt bad for Arielle if she had to be stuck with Beric as extended family. Belle hadn't been able to talk to the second son of the Caervon family either. Granted she did want to talk to Arielle first, but Luka was the second best choice. She had seen him before he had left, but he had given her his trademark angry look and had turned away. Belle gave a gloomy sigh, bringing Mrs. Lovesworth's attention to her. "Lovesickness isn't a fatal illness. Break time is over, dear." Mrs. Lovesworth snapped affectionally. Belle stood up before the full weight of the older woman's words hit her. "L-Lovesickness?" Belle stammered. "I don't know what you're talking about, Goodwife." Mrs. Lovesworth gave her a knowing look and then turned her attention to new customers. Belle thought of Luka and his ferocious temper. Lovesickness? Definitely not. * "Luka." Luka looked up from the book he was reading to meet his older brother's eyes. He sighed inwardly. From the look on Ayden's face, he was about to get a lecture. They had been at the summer home for a week. Arielle had spent the first three days in a mood because they hadn't brought Belle. Of course, since the princess hadn't gotten her way she had made it living hell for the rest of the family. The servants were on tenterhooks around her, ever since she had sent vases and books across her room in a fit of temper. After enduring it for three days, Luka had finally snapped and had an all-out shouting match with Arielle. Somehow Belle's name had popped up and since then Arielle and Luka hadn't spoken to each other. "You two are acting like children again." Ayden said, bringing Luka out of his thoughts. "It's not my fault she's a spoiled brat." Luka snapped angrily. He didn't want to have this conversation with Ayden, who knew far too well how Luka felt about Belle. Luka stood and walked to the far end of the room. Ayden regarded him with his cold grey eyes. From the frozen poker face that Ayden was showing, he was irritated. That had always been one of the huge differences between the two sons. Their tempers. People always seemed to wonder if they were even related. "You are way too transparent, Luka." Ayden said softly with no emotion in his voice. "If you're not careful, Belle herself is going to find out. Father is trying to keep her as far away as he possibly can without causing an all-out rebellion with Arielle." "I know." Luka muttered, running his hand through his hair. Belle was a peasant. Truly dirt poor. It was a miracle that she had come as far as she had, even so far as to get a respectable job; not that Luka approved of it, but it was better than other jobs. She was like a flower blooming in a mud pile full of weeds. If Arielle hadn't found her, she'd still be an unlearned, rack of bones; doubtlessly selling off her body to get money. Luka shook his head to clear the thought. Ayden regarded him for a moment and then arched his eyebrows in surprise as the library's door opened and Arielle came charging in, in her usual forthright style. Luka's shoulders tensed without turning. He could tell who it was from the foot stride. Arielle herself paused with a glance at Luka's tense frame and then stuck her nose in the air. Ayden sighed. He was the only mature one of the siblings. Arielle had felt the suffocating tense air almost immediately as she walked in. Considering the way Luka was standing, he had probably been getting a lecture from Ayden. Heading to the library wasn't Arielle's first choice of entertainment, but it was far better than socializing out with Beric. Arielle shuddered. Being around him gave her goosebumps and not the good kind. Guiltily, she was relieved that Beric saved most of his gaze for Belle. Thinking of Belle, Arielle's hackles rose. All of the siblings knew that Luka liked her. But Arielle refused to condone it. Luka was a noble. As much as Arielle didn't want to think about it, it was the truth. The most that Belle could be to Luka was a mistress. And Arielle wouldn't settle for that life for her best friend. With a parting glare at Luka's back, Arielle stomped of, reading material in hand. When they returned, she was going to wage war. Luka wasn't going to get Belle. Not while she was around. * A week and a half later, Arielle made due to her inner promise. Stalking into the village with a ferocious expression, not even the bravest suitor dared approach the fiery beauty. Belle was at her usual place in the booth and she looked up when a lull in the general buzz of conversation alerted her to what was coming. "Belle!" Arielle threw her arms around her best friend and then gave Mrs. Lovesworth puppy eyes. Mrs. Lovesworth chuckled and nodded. This event had happened once before and even Mrs. Lovesworth couldn't resist the effect of the young lady's carefully cultivated charm. Belle resigned herself to being dragged away from work. After ten years of dealing with Arielle's mannerisms, she knew it was futile to resist. "I have things to talk to you about." Arielle said abruptly. Belle nodded. "I'm not really surprised." Belle muttered. It soon became clear where Arielle was taking them. When they were still children and Arielle had forcibly dragged Belle along for hooky, they had found a pond that was hidden by a wooded area. It had become their haven from Beric and his ilk. "Well?" Belle asked when they had sat by the pond side for a few minutes. "Belle...you can't fall in love with Luka." Arielle said abruptly, and frowned at her best friend. A minute seemed to tick away as Belle processed Arielle's words. "WHAT?!" Several bird were startled from the trees by Belle's shout. "Why would-Why would you think I'd fall in love with that idiot?" Arielle stared at Belle's reaction. Things were worse than she had thought. Belle wouldn't have reacted to her words that way usually. "It's just as I said. Don't fall in love with him. Nothing good will come of it." Belle opened her mouth to protest when she heard shouting. Arielle alerted as well and frowned deeper. "The posse is after me. Think on what I said." Arielle said softly and then hurried out to meet her maids. Belle sat for a moment, half-frozen in shock. She hadn't had time to talk to Arielle about why the family was acting the way it way, Arielle's words had blown all thoughts out of Belle's mind. Fall in love with Luka...? Belle hugged her legs to her body. There had been a time when she had fantasized about the second Caervon son falling for her, but as she grew older she had tried to forcibly shove those feelings away; lock them in her heart. Was she that transparent? Clutching her head in her hands, it took her a moment to realize that the one person she didn't want to see right now was kneeling down and talking to her. "GAH!" Belle shouted for the second time. Luka stood up in surprise and stared down at her. Belle closed her eyes for a moment and then stood up. She couldn't tell if her heart was pounding because she had been startled or if it was because he had shown up. The stared at each other for a moment in silence until the awkwardness was too much to bear. "Um..." Luka ran a nervous hand through his hair and looked around, "Nice place." "Isn't it?" Belle smiled brightly, hoping he didn't notice her red cheeks and shaking hands. Banter came easily while surrounded by people. Small talk seemed to be the only thing that either of them could handle while they were alone. It seemed in joint agreement that they head back to the mansion. Luka adjusted his pace for Belle as they walked. "Did Arielle speak to you?" Luka asked in an icy tone. Belle nodded and his shoulders seemed to slump. "Um, she didn't say much though." Belle's said quickly, alarmed at the suddenly gloomy mood. Did he know what Arielle had been planning to say? If so, then why was he acting this way? A thought crossed Belle's mind but she shoved it away. Luca couldn't be in love with her. From the way he usually acted it was more likely that he hated her. A carriage thundered toward them on the road and Luka grabbed Belle's waist and dragged her to the side of the road. Belle bit her lip and wondered if Luka could feel her rapidly beating pulse. His mind seemed more occupied with the carriage, but she was extremely aware of his hand on her hip, fingers spanning her stomach. His chest was muscular and steady as she took advantage of the moment to lean into it. Arielle's warnings from before seemed to have melted from Belle's mind. The carriage passed without slowing. Luka's other hand came to rest on her waist as he gently pushed her away. Belle felt a twinge of disappointment. Always the gentleman. Always the older brother figure. * "Shit." Luka leaned up against his door, trying to tame the rampant heat in his groin. He had never been aroused so quickly from touching a woman so briefly. He could still smell the scent of her hair and her softness beneath his fingers. He shook away the thoughts of touching more of her softness and tried to think of other things. Like Arielle's obvious determination to keep both Luka and Belle away from each other. Not that they were trying to be together. But Arielle obviously was under the impression that the more time Luka and Belle spent together, the more the threat of romantic feelings. Too late, Luka thought bitterly. He knew the consequences of falling in love with Belle all too well, but it hadn't stopped his heart. He couldn't even give a definite reason to why he liked her. She was always grimy, followed his sister around far too docilely, wasn't even much of a beauty...even the thought of her made him slightly irritated. So why did he react like that? Why was she always forefront in his mind? * Somehow Belle had been invited to the ball that the Caervon's had decided to host. Though it wasn't so much 'somehow' as because of Arielle. Belle sighed. She hadn't really wanted to come, but Arielle seemed so enthusiastic that Belle hadn't had the nerve to put her foot down. Now she stood slightly behind a vase of flowers, holding her punch and watching the dancers. She had borrowed a dress from Arielle, but it was slightly ill-fitting and far too fancy for Belle's tastes. What was worse was that Beric was at the party. Belle had spent the first few hours avoiding him and his lecherous gaze. Arielle hadn't helped. She was in her element, surrounded by pretty men and dancing happily. Luka was also somewhere around, but ever since that day when they had walked to the mansion together, he had been avoiding her. She was of half a mind to give him a lecture, if she could pin him down long enough for him to listen. "---Caervon's daughter." Belle's ears perked up. Some old dowagers were grouped together and apparently gossiping. From Belle's vantage point, she could hear every word. "Indeed. I've heard that girl is quite...free, in her affections." "Did you hear about the urchin they took in? Not a penny to its name. I wonder at the wisdom of letting Lady Arielle socialize with such filth." "Mm, charity or not, taking in a dirty child from the streets is a bit much, especially with three well bred children of your own." Bella's shoulders tensed. Old gossipmongers. If she was higher bred she'd give them a good tongue lashing. "Eavesdropping is rude you know." A voice whispered in her ear. Bella's shoulder's tensed even more. Damn. Beric had found her. Without turning her head, she spoke just as softly. "Your parents didn't teach you the meaning of personal space did they?" She asked regarding the fact that his face was three inches from hers. He grinned slyly and indicated toward the dancers. "Care to dance...my lady?" Belle didn't miss the sarcasm. "No thanks. I'd rather dance with humans not swine." Beric's smile disappeared and his true evil face appeared. Before he could make a rebuttal someone slid up to them. Luka glared at Beric was barely concealed venom in his eyes. As usual, his fury showed freely on his face. Beric took a step back involuntarily, glancing at Luka's clenched fists. Luka looked away from the object of his fury and his gaze softened slightly. "May I have this dance?" He asked. Belle looked at the dance floor in apprehension. She didn't much like the thought of all those assessing and judging gazes. But she nodded all the same. Anything to get away from Beric. Instead of dragging her out onto the dance floor though, Luka led her outside. She shivered. The music drifted down into the courtyard where they were, but no one else was present because of the chill. "I guess we'll just have to dance in order to warm up." Luka said when he noticed her shivering. Hesitatingly, she placed her hand in his. A shiver ran down her spine when he placed his hand on the curve of her hip. Years of dance lessons allowed her to follow his lead smoothly as they slowly glided around the courtyard. Belle had never realized how erotic dancing was. Her breasts would brush his chest, fleetingly but enough to send nerves to her core. His breath fanned her ear and temple slightly and he moved his hand to the small of her back. Startled, she involuntarily arched her back, fully molding her body into his. They stopped moving and he rested his forehead against hers. Neither made a move to step away. All thought and reason had fled at physical touch. His hand was moving in circles at the small of her back, relaxing muscles she hadn't realized were tense. Involuntarily, she moaned in relief. As though the sound was a trigger, Luka's mouth came down hard against Belle's. Startled, she half pulled away, but Luka's hand gripped the back of her head, holding her in place. She gasped and he took advantage of the moment to take full control of her mouth, to plunder it without mercy. Belle began to melt into his embrace; her legs shook as his free hand cupped her breast, his thumb roughly sliding across her nipple. He broke free from her mouth and began to place light feathery kisses down her neck, sending shivers up her spine. "Belle?" Startled, Belle jerked away from Luka's arms. Arielle was looking for her. They were half hidden in the dark, but Arielle was already going to have a fit knowing they had danced. If she knew about the kiss... Luka was breathing hard and looking away. He had apparently come to the same conclusion. Jerking his head toward the mansion, he stalked off into the garden. Belle straightened her dress and rubbed her lips. They were swollen from kissing. "Belle?" Arielle called again. Belle took one last shaky look toward the garden and then headed toward the sound of Arielle's voice. She had a lot to think about. * Mm, yeah, sorry it took me so long to write the second chapter. v_v I didn't have time to just sit down and do it. Their relationship is kind of progressing slower than I wanted too. *shrugs* I'll try to keep updated quicker, anyways. ^-^;