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agitated.
    “I’m not convinced I will be completely safe
once we start this. If I should die at the estate, I want you to
provide for my family.”
    He stopped pacing, and through the mist, I
saw him turn toward me fully.
    “You will not die.” Then he added softly,
“But I agree to your terms.”
    “Then one last thing,” I said, taking a
calming breath. He wouldn’t like this condition, but I wouldn’t
sway from it. “No more mist. I need to trust that you will not harm
me. I can’t trust what you keep hidden from me.”
    “If you see me, you will trust me less.”
    Chewing my lip for a moment, I struggled to
come up with a solution that would work for both of us.
    “What if you gave me a few hours each day
without the mist so I could know you better?”
    He grunted his agreement, but the mist
remained. I didn’t mind. Trust took time.
    “Go change,” he said abruptly.
    Or maybe time wasn’t something the beast
wanted to acknowledge. I stood reluctantly. I’d agreed to the
terms. The only concern that remained was his treatment of me. Yet,
even if something happened to me as a result of my folly, my father
and sisters would benefit from it.
    Without comment, he followed my slow
progress through the halls until we reached my door.
    “Pick what you like from the wardrobe. Your
own this time,” he said.
    Clothes? I’d thought he’d meant me to run
around naked.
    I slipped into my room and rushed to pull
open the wardrobe doors. Ruffled masses of pink horror filled the
space. I made a face as I pulled one out. Blye would love to wear
the dress I held. It laced up the front, and the layered skirt
would cover all my important parts, so I couldn’t complain.
    Sighing, I let my shirt fall to the floor
and tugged the dress over my head, lacing up the front. After
sliding my feet into the matching slippers, I opened the door and
turned for his inspection.
    “I’d expected a happier face,” he said with
a puzzled note.
    “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to wearing
anything so...fancy.” I had almost said feminine.
    “That’s the point. To provide you the things
you couldn’t have before.”
    “What if I liked the things I had before?
Well, except the lack of food. I like the food here,” I quickly
added, hoping I’d get breakfast soon.
    “If you could wear anything you wished,” he
asked slowly, “what would you wear?”
    I grinned and answered promptly.
    “Trousers and a sturdy shirt.”
    “Even indoors?” he asked.
    I nodded and wondered what he thought of my
preference. He didn’t leave me waiting long.
    “I would prefer you wear dresses, and in the
future, I will offer you options that you might find more appealing
than what you wear now. If you find you cannot adapt to them, we
will see if there isn’t perhaps some form of trouser I can
tolerate. I have no issue with the shirts by themselves.”
    His words cheered me.
    “Come, there is food waiting for you.”
    * * * *
    I spent the remainder of the day wandering
around the manor and asking the beast questions about various
rooms. Often he didn’t answer or told me it wasn’t my concern, but
he made an effort to clear the mist when he spoke to me, and his
growl faded as the day progressed.
    The next morning, an unruffled day dress
with no lace or other adornments waited hidden among several other
options in the wardrobe. The drab brown color made me smile as I
plucked it from its lace-bedecked companions.
    When I stepped from the room, the beast made
no comment. He followed me to the kitchen. Now, whenever I walked
into the room, some form of food waited for me on the table. At the
moment, eggs and thickly sliced bacon with mushrooms and cooked
tomatoes waited on the tray.
    “I never see you eat,” I said as I sat at
the chair. “When do you?”
    “After you sleep.”
    I watched his eyes when he answered and saw
them flick to the bacon.
    “That seems a long time to go without food.”
Picking up a piece of bacon, I held it