The elaborate brass door knocker on the front doors of the Villenueve manor was in the shape of a lion adorned by roses. It was an interesting design. The lion was an animal favoured by Adam's family and the manor had plenty of lion motifs throughout. The roses, however, were entirely the touch of Adam's mother. Elise Villenueve had been very fond of gardening and favoured roses in particular. The Villenueve manor was surrounded by rose bushes. The door knocker was a fitting compromise between Olivier and Elise Villeneuve.
Belle had used that door knocker countless times since she was a child, but now as she stood before it she paused for a few moments. Those past two days had been quite difficult for everyone.
Three hunters from the village had been killed by the beast. Two of them were found in the woods in a condition no one dared speak of, and the third had made it as far as the manor before perishing.
And then Adam had been attacked. Belle had visited him the day after it happened, and it hadn't been a pretty sight. The wolf - the beast - had left deep claw marks in him. Without Madame Potts and Lumiere's quick actions, he surely would have been killed as well.
Belle took a deep breath and reached her hand up to use the knocker. Even from outside she could hear the dull echo of it through the main entrance.
After a minute the door opened.
"Good morning, Lumie-," Belle started saying, but stopped once she realised it wasn't Lumiere or even Madame Potts that had opened the door. "Adam?"
"Good morning, Mademoiselle," Adam said with a lopsided smile.
Belle stared at him in shock before shaking out of it. She had seen Adam just the day previously and he had still been recovering in bed. She could recall seeing his bloodstained clothes in a bin, and Adam barely being awake, but now he was standing before her like he hadn't just nearly been killed.
"You look well," she said, still very caught off guard by his appearance. He still looked very tired, his hair was unkempt, and he was in need of a shave. But he didn't look to be standing with any difficulty and he seemed to be in good spirits.
"I'm surprised, too, believe me," he said, opening the door wider for her and moving aside to let her in. "Yesterday I felt like I was on death's door, now I just have a terrible headache."
"Are you healing well?" Belle asked, following him inside the manor. He shut the door behind her.
"Remarkably well. The wounds from the other night are closed now, I don't think the wolf scratched me as deeply as we first thought. Would you like some tea?"
She followed him into the drawing room, where both Madame Potts and Lumiere already were. Lumiere looked like he was in a good mood, but Madame Potts seemed uncharacteristically glum. Belle gave her an encouraging smile when they greeted each other. She knew that Madame Potts had essentially raised Adam after his mother had passed, she was likely still very concerned about the attack even now that he was healing well.
Not to mention the hunter who had died just outside of the kitchen. Belle repressed a shudder at the thought. The three men who had passed weren't men she knew beyond a few brief words here and there over the years. They were all a decent amount older than her and mostly kept to themselves. Two of them were married and had children they had left behind. Even without knowing them, her heart broke for them and their families. And she was afraid knowing that the beast hadn't been killed that night.
Gaston had locked himself in his home the entire day after the full moon and refused to see anyone. As far as Belle was aware, even now he was only speaking to his friend LeGume. He clearly was distraught over the death of three of his fellow hunters and angry that he hadn't managed to kill the wolf. Belle tried not to think about the night Gaston had come to her with his werewolf story.
She sat next to Adam and drank tea and ate biscuits with the three occupants of the manor. Madame Potts wasn't very talkative, but Lumiere was the type of man who could always talk enough for a room full of people. Madame Potts quickly finished her tea and left to busy herself with housework.
"Lumiere," Adam said as he stirred sugar into his tea. "Why don't you take the day off? Go and visit Mademoiselle Laurent and her family?"
"Are you sure, Monsieur?" Lumiere asked, eyebrows raised. "I don't think you should be left alone, if you understand."
"I feel fine, don't you worry about me."
Belle bit her lip. Adam did seem to be in good health, but he was still recovering from the attack.
"Maybe I will go visit the Laurents after the doctor comes," Lumiere conceded. Adam nodded in agreement.
The village only had one doctor, Cadenza de Garderobe. He and his wife were part of the rare few who had moved to the village as adults, whereas most of the inhabitants had been born there and never left. Doctor de Garderobe and his wife had lived in Paris for many years before deciding to retire to the country for a more laid back lifestyle, and they were lucky to have him.
"Is your head still bothering you?" asked Lumiere.
"Yes, but the tea helps," Adam answered, taking a drink from his cup.
"I'm glad."
Belle couldn't help but watch Adam. It was almost strange how well he seemed. He had almost died and now he was casually drinking tea. Yet there was still visible exhaustion in his blue eyes.
"It's remarkable, really. I still ache, but the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was just yesterday morning."
"You'll be dancing again by the end of the week," Lumiere joked.
"I don't know about dancing," Adam laughed. "Not if I can help it."
"You better dance at my wedding, I'll be disappointed if you sit the entire day."
"Fine, I'll agree to one dance. Consider it part of your wedding gift."
"If you're in this good of a mood, maybe you're well enough to shave," Belle said with a small smirk. Lumiere laughed.
"What, you don't think it suits me?" Adam asked, brushing a hand across his stubble. It did suit him, but Belle wouldn't tell him that.
"Maybe a comb through your hair wouldn't hurt, either," Lumiere said.
"Have you brushed your teeth?" asked Belle.
"Alright, that's enough from you two," Adam chuckled. He shook his head in faux annoyance.
There was a light rapping on the door of the drawing room before Madame Potts entered with the doctor in tow. Lumiere stood to leave with a quick nod at Adam.
"Monsieur Villenueve, I hear you're feeling much better this morning!" greeted Dr. de Garderobe.
As Belle stood to follow Lumiere, she felt Adam's hand loosely pull at hers. She turned to look down at him with questioning eyes.
"Sorry," he said softly, dropping his hand. "Will you wait for the doctor to leave?"
"Of course," Belle nodded. She gave him a reassuring smile before leaving.
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"You and Mademoiselle Beaumont seem to be very good friends," Dr. de Garderobe commented. Cadenza de Garderobe was a very friendly man, which was a comforting quality in a doctor.
"We were close as children, yes," said Adam.
"Would you like to stay here or would you prefer to return to your room?" he asked.
"I'm fine in here," Adam said, standing and moving away from the sitting area. Cadenza seemed alarmed as Adam stood, but relaxed when he saw that he did it with no difficulty.
"Madame Potts told me that your wounds have already closed."
"They have," Adam said, shifting off his vest and dropping it onto the couch. "I'm still being careful in case they re-open, but so far I haven't had any trouble." He unbuttoned his shirt and dropped that onto the couch beside his vest. He almost smiled thinking about how cross Madame Potts would be if she knew he wasn't folding his clothes.
"Fascinating," remarked Cadenza, moving closer to examine the wounds on Adam's sides. The claw marks on both sides of his torso were distinct and still red, but they had not healed enough that Adam was no longer bandaging them. "I've never seen animal attack wounds heal this quickly."
"Have you seen many wolf attacks?"
Cadenza nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "When my wife and I began our journey away from the city I began seeing more and more wildlife encounters. Wolf attacks are often the most brutal."
"I suppose the cuts weren't as deep as they appeared the other night?" Adam suggested. "I could just bleed very easily, making it appear much worse."
"Perhaps," Cadenza said, though he didn't seem to totally agree. "I remember bandaging these cuts, and I recall them being much worse than this. Your wounds already look like they're past the scabbing stage, that shouldn't be possible even with a shallower cut."
Adam felt nervous at how confused Cadenza looked. Baffling a doctor could never be a good sign.
"I'd like to look at the claw marks on your leg, if you wouldn't mind."
"Certainly," Adam said. He quickly put his shirt back on while leaving the vest for later. He sat down on the edge of the couch and began rolling up his pant leg. "It's more or less the same."
"Fascinating," Cadenza repeated, crouching down to look at the wounds on Adam's leg. He stood again and nodded to Adam to indicate that he could redress, which Adam did. "I'm not sure what to make of this. I've never seen wounds such as these heal at such a great rate. You may just be a very quick healer. Have you ever been injured like this before?"
"I don't recall ever having been injured," Adam said, thinking back. "I wasn't a very outgoing child, I mostly kept to myself and to my books. I've never broken a bone and I've barely sustained any scrapes."
"And how are you feeling internally?" the doctor asked, taking a seat at the couch across from Adam. "Any aches and pains?"
"I've had a headache since yesterday. The areas where the wounds are are still sore, though bearable. I've been walking today without much trouble besides fatigue."
"Good, that's good," Cadenza nodded. "Well, if you're this well I don't know if there's anything else I can do for you today. I came here expecting you to still be bedridden and in need of a bandage redressing."
"Believe me, Doctor, I'm just as confused as you are," Adam smiled wryly. "However grateful."
"Well, maybe God decided to show you some kindness," Cadenza offered.
"I wish he would have shown some of that kindness to those poor hunters," Adam said, glancing away from Cadenza and toward the window. He had a clear view of the taller trees in the woods from the drawing room. The sight of the woods alone sent a chill down his spine.
"He does have a plan for all of us," Cadenza said as he rose from his seat. "Sometimes we may not understand it, and sometimes it may not be fair, but in your case it would seem that He isn't finished with you yet."
"I'll walk you to the door," Adam offered, standing as well. He decided not to respond to Cadenza's talk of faith. It had been one of his late father's favourite subjects and Adam preferred to avoid it.
"Thank you, Monsieur," Cadenza smiled.
Adam walked the doctor downstairs and to the front entrance, where they bid each other goodbye and Cadenza wished that Adam would continue to recover speedily. Cadenza instructed him to get plenty of rest and not to strain himself before turning to walk outside.
He turned from the front doors once they had closed to see Madame Potts standing by one of the nearby doors. She was smiling curiously at him.
"What?" he asked, perhaps too suspiciously.
Madame Potts chuckled. "I was just thinking about how eager you were to open the door this morning, even though that's Lumiere's job."
Adam felt his face grow hot. "I was eager to show my childhood friend how well I had healed since yesterday. She seemed very concerned about my well-being."
"Oh, I'm sure," Madame Potts said teasingly. "She stayed at your bedside the entire day and even read to you. I'm glad you have such a dear friend here."
He huffed at her. "And where is my friend now?"
"The library, of course."
"I think that you and Mademoiselle Laurent would get along swimmingly," Adam said as he walked past Madame Potts.
"I've met her, she's a delight!" Madame Potts said behind him with a laugh.
Adam shook his head in annoyance even though she could no longer see him as he headed toward the library.
The library, like the rose garden that wrapped around the manor, had been one of Adam's mother's additions to the home. She had a great love for literature that she had passed down to her son. Adam liked to think that most of his traits had been from her, although he couldn't pretend that he didn't look a lot like his father.
Ever since he and Belle had become friends she had spent a great deal of time in the library. They had spent many afternoons there as youths not speaking and simply sitting side by side and reading.
Belle was too busy walking down a shelf and reading the book titles to notice that Adam had entered. The late morning sun was streaming in through the windows and it made her long green skirt and matching hair ribbon glow like emerald.
Adam cleared his throat as he moved further into the room to alert her to his presence. Belle jumped slightly at the unexpected sound and then laughed.
"How did it go with the doctor?" she asked. She already had two books in her arms.
"It went fine," Adam said, easily crossing the room and standing at her side. "He left early because I've healed enough that there's nothing more for him to do."
"You were bleeding so much just the day before," Belle said, worrying her lip.
"And I'm no longer bleeding," he reassured her. She seemed to relax at that. He smiled down at her. "I see that you've helped yourself to my library."
"You told me I could have free reign," she said in a sing-song voice.
"That I did," he grinned. "Just promise you won't clean us out."
"I don't think anyone could read this many books in one lifetime," she said, gazing around the large room.
"If anyone could, it's you."
"I'm not sure if I could manage the ones written in Greek."
Adam clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward. "I'll tell you a secret: no one has ever read those. My father bought them to seem more impressive whenever we had guests stay over."
"Really?" she asked incredulously, turning to face him again.
"Really. Although, I don't think a single one of his relatives cared if he could read Greek or not. He was all about putting on a show even if the only one paying attention to it was himself."
"Do you miss him?" she asked quietly.
Adam straightened up. "I don't know. I know that sounds awful."
"It doesn't," she shook her head.
"I suppose I feel as though I'd already lost him. He was never much of a father to begin with, and when my mother passed away..." Adam swallower. "He was never the same after that. He became so distant that he was barely here. I didn't miss him for a single second while I was living in London."
Belle was the only one he had ever spoken so candidly with. Even Madame Potts, who was more of a parent to him than his father had ever been. Belle, even with her own loving and supportive father, understood his complicated feelings better than anyone ever had.
"You can still miss the man he was in your childhood, even if that man is long gone now."
Adam nodded. "I feel like I have already mourned him. He never even wrote to me after I left. It was as if he was already gone."
Belle held his hand. It was an unusual gesture for them regularly, but one that had been happening often lately.
"I just know that your mother would have been proud of the man you are today."
Adam swallowed again, pushing his rising emotions back down. As much as he trusted Belle, he still didn't want to be getting teary eyed around her. "Thank you, Belle. You're a good friend."
"Well, I'm proud of you, too."
He couldn't help but pull her into a hug, which she returned as best as she could while still holding two books in one of her arms. It felt as though they had crossed some line in their friendship, but neither of them were concerned with that now.