Read The Beast for Free Online Page B

guided her out of her chair and to the small dance floor. Belle caught sight of her father. He was beaming. For just a moment, she wondered what he was thinking. Gastone turned her so that she faced him.
    Belle subconsciously touched her hair. Part of it was clipped up in a bundle of curls that dangled around her face. The rest sat loose, cascading in ringlets and waves past her shoulders and nearly to her waist. Her mother’s watch necklace, embossed with a rose, rested on her chest. Belle’s dress was one of her nicest, one she reserved for special occasions.
    Gastone held his arms out, waiting for Belle to step into them. She took a deep breath and moved into position. Belle’s red and green dress hugged her frame—and she could feel the heat of his hand through the fabric as they waited for the change in music.
    Gastone moved with its cue. Belle followed, letting him guide her about the floor. It was slow and gentle. Gastone had the grace of a lord’s son. His eyes trailed along her face, causing a blush to rise into her cheeks.
    The way he looked at her—the way they danced together—it was new, but somehow familiar. Like she’d known they would dance together her whole life. Too soon, the song came to an end.
    “Gastone, that is not how you dance with a woman,” Jack said as they stepped apart.
    Raising an eyebrow at him, Gastone smiled boldly. “Does the Yank think he can do better?”
    “Absolutely!” Jack pushed to his feet, tossing his napkin aside and walked around the table. He met Gastone’s challenging stare as they past one another. “Ladies love to dance. They dance often and with nearly anyone who offers. The key is to give them a dance they’ll remember.”
    He pulled Belle into his arms, not bothering too much with posture. He leaned over to look at Jean. “Give us something fast.”
    “Oh!” Henri jumped over to the piano, tinkered with some dials and started cranking.
    When he finished, a set of dual violins, displayed in a glass compartment at the top of the piano, came to life. Their bows scraped along their strings, fiddling out a tune to get toes tapping. Jean picked up the song, and soon Jack was twirling Belle around the floor.
    They laughed and smiled, moving through the fast steps. Delano and Nicolas started clapping to the rhythm, which the whole room picked up. Jack’s style was nothing like Gastone’s. He didn’t hesitate to throw an arm around her waist or to spin her so fast, she’d fall without him. The dance ended with a flourish, leaving her flushed and breathless.
    “Wonderful! Just wonderful.” Henri came over as Jack and Belle bowed to one another. He grabbed her by the shoulders and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’d say now was a good time for presents, wouldn’t you?”
    “I would.” Belle put a hand to her stomach, trying to catch her breath, and laughed. “Better now, before Jack does me in!”
    They moved into the parlor, which was done up in ribbons and evergreens. A large tree sat in the corner, decorated to the fullest and bundled by presents. Belle sat on the loveseat as the Hunters found spots around the room.
    The great clock above the fireplace ticked to the next hour. Many oversized gears ornamenting the hearth danced, their teeth rocking together. Puffs of steam issued forth as the gears movement reached the brass bells above the clock.
Ding. Dang. Dong.
The sound moved through and around her. Belle sighed; that sound was home.
    “Wonderful!” Henri entered last, heading straight for the hearth. “Our timing is impeccable.”
    As the last bell tolled, a hidden compartment above the mantel opened. A thin arm, holding a delicate teacup and saucer perturbed. Likewise, out came a pitcher. The arm tilted, pouring dark coffee into the flowered porcelain. Steam rolled into the air as Henri reached over to accept the hot beverage.
    “Wonderful. Wonderful,” he mumbled to himself and inhaled the steam. “Would anyone else care for a