A Beast Sees No Beauty

Chapter Fourteen

Juliet stared through the crack in the curtains as the sun began to rise. Vincent could be heard snoring a mere two meters away, but her mind was preoccupied with other details - like how she was sleeping on the floor like a dog. Her mouth twisted at the unsavory idea but soon disappeared as her mind wandered elsewhere.

It was quiet and peaceful. It was a perfect morning. She could hear the hustle and bustle of the streets below her, but she paid it no mind. SHe much preferred to pay attention to the sunlight filtering in and the highlight of dust floating through the air.

Slowly, Juliet rose and began shuffling around as quietly as possible. She knew Vincent was beginning to wake up when his snores became softer and his eyelids began to flutter. She paused for only a moment, allowing him to fall back into his dreams before fishing out her yellow robe and tying it around herself. Once she was sure it was fastened tightly, she tip-toed out of the room and down the stairs.

"I see you like to rise early as well," Juliet nearly screamed at Mr. Catherwood, who sat at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. "It'll be nice to have someone else to talk with." 

Jeremiah gestured for the girl to join him, watching as she soothed her robes and pat down her wild hairs. "I apologize for my appearance - I'm not used to the Northern etiquette yet, so I don't quite know if I should get dressed immediately after waking, or if I should wait until after breaking fast, or-"

"Please, you're a guest, do as you please when it comes to such things. What are your morning rituals? Perhaps we can try to make this transition as steady as possible." Jeremiah studied her as he sipped his coffee watching as she bit her lip and fiddled with her fingers. It was obvious that she hadn't quite settled in yet, and probably wouldn't for another week or so. That was to be expected, of course. He didn't expect a small-town girl to immediately conform to the Northern ideal of a well-adjusted woman.

"Well, I... I usually walk around the gardens every morning... like this. I know it sounds silly, but it's a habit I've had since I was a little girl and-"

"We have a little garden right there in the courtyard, as long as you don't mind some of our neighbors seeing you, then you may be my guest and have a little turn around the space." Juliet couldn't contain her excitement at the prospect. It had never crossed her mind that people in big cities like this would ever want to garden. She always thought they were too busy with their jobs, or too pre-occupied with the traffic and day-to-day life. It was a surprise, but a welcome one.

"A garden? Here? In the city? I-I didn't think anyone would... that isn't to say I have lower expectations - I'm just going to go and have my morning stroll now," Jeremiah laughed at her nervous mess of a sentence as he pointed in the direction of the courtyard.

"It's right through that door." He turned his attention back to the story he was reading as Juliet turned and made her way out the door and into the courtyard. He could instantly tell that she was going to have problems here. She was too trusting, too innocent. Vincent needs to keep a sharp eye on her at all times. At least he could trust her to manage walking about the gardens without getting into too much trouble.

But Vincent was less optimistic when it came to Juliet's safety. He was lying in bed, wide awake, and straining his ears to listen to their conversation. Once he heard the door open and close, he rose from his spot and left its comforts to move into the small living space spread out for them at the top of the stairs. He grabbed the nearest chair and moved over to the window overlooking the courtyard. From there, he could see Juliet stare in awe of the tiny, but magnificent garden space.

Without even realizing it, he made his morning ritual out of watching Juliet traverse through his garden, and it had followed him up here. It was odd and probably borderline creepy, but it was for her sake that he keep an eye on her.