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MORBID BITE
Chapter Fifteen: A New Era
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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The carriage swaged from side to side, the wheels spinning on the muddy road. The sun was just touching the sky and a spread of red and yellow submerged the fields. The rain had stopped, leaving the ground drenched in puddles of water that sparkled with the sun's light. A low mist lay across the fields and as Belle gazed out of the small confined window of the carriage a sense of sadness engulfed her. How could a new day be so beautiful? After the events of last night Belle could not ever see the darkness leaving.
Sébastien sat opposite her, papers piled beside him and his eyes reading over a letter that sat upon his lap. He had changed from his wet clothes as soon as they had reached the next village, the boarding house had been so peaceful that Belle's life had felt like a dream. All of Sébastien's clothing and belongings had been waiting for him at the loggings so Belle now wore a man's shirt and some old breeches that possessed holes in the most unfortunate places. A large ridding jacket lay loosely over her shoulders, warming her shivering body. Sébastien had called for a carriage as soon as Belle had been able to stand by herself. The owner of the boarding house had been barely asleep when they had arrived and his reluctance to lose two customers had been obvious but once Seb had placed two silver coins in his pocket the man had been more than accommodating to their every whim. She had not cared for the un-approving looks she had received when coming down in men's attire, her head had been far to lost for such trivial matters.
Sébastien looked up from his papers, studding Belle's face like he was still reading the pages of his books. A red rim ran around her eye lids and large dark circles sat under her eyes, giving her face a hallow dead appearance. She had not spoken, only a gently nod in answer to any question he put forwards. Belle life appeared to be draining from her body as the minuets passed, it was painful to witness. Placing a hand on her knee, Seb leaned forwards the letter on his lap falling to the floor.
"Belle?" he whispered, not wanting to shatter her.
She turned her face towards him the white of her eyes bloodshot as she held back the tears that she did not allow to drop. She said nothing, her cold stare fixed on Sébastien, not wavering for a moment.
The carriage leapt to the side and stopped. Seb glanced out the small window and leapt up his mind remembering what he had forgotten. A giant stately house stood looming above the carriage, its giant stone columns held up its triangular roof, the front doors were dwarfed by the height of the walls and as Sébastien climbed out of the carriage he felt like an ant among a giant.
Belle watched as he walked across the gravel road and up the mightily steps, the house was more of a castle than a home, it belittled the Lyon mansion and as Seb vanished among the columns the distance and loneliness settled in. A home was something so precious, she had had a chance of having a home but living in a house of this size would be like losing your identity. How could you make it your own? Forever wandering the halls like a lost thought trapped in the many corners of your mind. Such insignificance you would feel among the belongings that should comfort you, any person subject to that kind of life would possess a cold heart.
A sudden flurry of servants came trailing down the steps, cases and trunks in hand, they placed these travel cases up upon the carriage and once they ran out of room another appeared the carriage adapted to hold only luggage. Belle watched on with little interest her eyes following lazily the actions of the people who seemed to not notice her existence. It was only when Sébastien appeared again, his face slightly flushed and an amused smile again gracing his lips did Belle show a flicker of interest. He opened the carriage door – a whisk of cold air entering the cabin.
"Belle." He smiled and placed a hand on her knee for the second time that day, an action that felt right. "Sylvia has offered you some of her clothes, so you don't have to travel in my old battered rags." He waited for her to reply but her expression did not change, she simply looked up at the giant house. "It that alright?"
Belle nodded but did not move until Seb offered a hand and she was walking across towards the castle. Once inside the dust sheets and empty rooms confirmed her first thoughts about this home. Sylvia stood in front of a chest her gloved hands on top of a pile of dresses.
"You will have to choose I cannot see how any will suit your pale complexion, but they will have to do," she talked at a very fast place her eyes never resting on Belle, a black bruise the left side of her face that she had tried to hind underneath a layer of face concealer.
A small number of servants appeared from nowhere their wrinkled faces dull, Sylvia handed them on of the dresses and they led Belle towards one of the rooms. Belle guessed it was one of the smallest but that did not make it smaller than a house. The ladies had to dress her like a babe, her limbs were weak and stiff as they lifted them and placed the dress over her battered body. They worked in silence and their old stone like faces gave nothing to the already statuesque woman. It did not take long for Belle to be ready and the servants led her out of the room, Seb and Sylvia were whispering among one another, Seb's eyes showed a glimpse of worry that vanished as soon as he saw Belle.
"Enchanté, mademoiselle." He presented his hand which Belle took with a limp palm, no smile enchanting her face.
Sébastien led Belle to the carriage, Sylvia did not follow, but her voice could be heard it was slightly raised at her ladies saying something that Belle missed. The dress dug into her side and made her body hurt even more but she endured it finding it a comfort, the pain made the events real rather than an illusion. The carriage was cold as she got in the fabric of the seats holding none of her previous heat, Sébastien sat next to her his eyes trailed on her face.
Sylvia came rushing towards the carriage her face taught in an angry expression, she delicately got in with help from Seb. A young servant came hurrying after Sylvia a wicker basket that had a white velvet rim around the side, held tightly in her hands. The basket obviously had a heavy weight because the girl's face was slightly strained.
"Madame," the girl's voice was weak, and she handed the basket with such care that Belle showed a flash of interest.
"Will he sleep? I don't think I could stand it if he started crying before we got to the dorks. Maybe he should go with you." Sylvia pulled back the light silk blanket to reveal the angelic face of a sleeping baby, he tiny hands were above his head in small fists.
"He should sleep madame but if you wish for me to take him I will."
"Oh, well no, I should take him, here give him to me." Sylvia grabbed the basket and placed it beside her as if the baby was some new hat she had bought and wasn't quite sure whether or not she wanted it after all.
Belle watched the sleeping baby and wondered how such a beautiful innocent child could be born to such a conceited woman.
"I do not know what you are thinking," Sylvia said, her stare locked onto Belle's interest, "but he is my husband's child, not some other man's I am no whore." The word choice seemed to be directed at Belle. "I am a widow and my son is all I have left of my husband." Her fingers flickered across the baby's cheek a look of love disappearing in an instant.
Belle turned her gaze away from the baby and back out the small window, the giant house vanished into the distance, its echoing halls never again to entertain the number it had once possessed. Belle would never set eyes upon another place of that size again.
It was lunchtime by the time they reached the docks, it was full of people from every walk of life. The smell of fish, sewage and salt filled the air, making Sylvia gag into her gloved hand. The baby had been perfect up to that point, his huge blue eyes stared around himself in a daze, they were the Lyon eyes and as Belle stared at the tiny baby she wondered if that had been what Raoul had looked like when he had been a baby. The smell was overpowering and in contrast with the county air the baby began to cry. Sylvia looked at it like it was a piece of dynamite, she had no idea how to stop the build-up. Unable to bare the screaming Belle placed her hands into the basket and carefully cradled the baby in her arms. The angelic face soon reappeared, and the explosive red face vanished back into a pale pink. Belle rocked the inquisitive baby in her arms, Seb stared at Belle in admiration as a small smile tugged at Belle's stone lips.
The carriage came to an abrupt stop and Belle looked out the window a huge ship sat in the dock, her body the longest she had ever seen. A stream of well-dressed gentry filed onto the ship their arms interlaced in pairs. The carriage door opened, and the nurse maid appeared her hands grabbing for the baby, the basket in her hand. Belle realising, she could no longer hold this piece of new life, handed him over the young girl smiling as he stared at her with those oh so familiar eyes.
"Where are we going?" Belle's voice came out gravely like it had been dragged over a field of blades.
"Canada, it's a charming little place," Seb answered, his voice higher pitched that usual, "I thought it would be a start to a new life, after all it is the new world."
Belle nodded and stepped out into the fish smelling air. The people pushed around her making her feel like a bee lost among a wasp nest. The nursemaid was already vanishing into the swam, her blue bonnet lost among the black hats. A mixture of accents and languages surrounded her, and her mind was filled with new faces that in blurred the old ones she was trying so hard to forget.
"Belle." Seb grabbed a hold of her arm. "This way, we must hurry the ship is about to leave."
Sébastien led Belle like a horse towards the gangway. A crippling fear filled Belle, she had never left France, in fact her unprompted visit to Chartes had been the only time she had left Paris. The whole experience was foreign, and the feeling was able to drown out every other feeling but as soon as her feet touched on the wooden planks the voyage seemed right. Sylvia and Seb quickly made it to the ship their voice excited as they talked about Seb's homeland. In that moment Belle felt so apart from them that she stopped and stared back at the French port, she would miss her home, the memories it held and turning away she walked towards her new life.
A hand clapped on her shoulder and in a sudden flash of terror Belle thought it might me Nicholas caught up with her but as she turned a whole new surprise met her. Raoul stood before her, his perfect hurt eyes staring down at her in a way that no other man had ever looked at her, his clothes hung on his body oversized and unfitted. Belle collapsed right there and then on the wooden gangway. Raoul's breath was staggered and a bead of sweat fell from his hairline.
"Annabelle," he tenuously spoke into her ear, "Belle."
"Raoul." Belle ran her hands over his face and through his damp hair a look of disbelief covering her face. "How?"
"They killed the beast. But it saved me."
It was all he had to say for Belle understood, the curse had been broken and that's all that mattered, he had survived the torture they had intended but it had made him stronger.
"I'm so sorry, I left you." The realisation flooding over her in a tide of guilt.
"No. You weren't to know." He placed his hands on either side of her face a kissed her a warmth re-entered her soul and she placed her arms around his shoulders and allowed the kiss to deepen.
A man's hand grabbed Raoul's shoulder and a deep voice told him to leave as he held no ticket to board the ship, but Belle did not let him go and as the man became more adamant the small commotion made Seb turn back his eye's widening as he noticed Belle on the ground her arms around the man he believed to be dead. Running back Seb smiled at the slowly angering sailor handing him a handful of coins and explaining the confusion. Raoul stood up helping Belle to her feet and stared at Sébastien with judging look.
"Bonjour." Seb offered a hand which Raoul took with a fumbling unfamiliarity. "Listen, it seems I have just acquired you a ticket to Canada on this very ship, would you be happy to leave with us."
Raoul did not smile but he nodded and placed a friendly hand Seb's shoulder.
"Thank you, monsieur. I think I shall."
They carried on across the gangway and in a few moments the ship was sailing, the white water lapping at the hull. Belle looked back across the bay and shores of France vanished into the horizon, Raoul's arms holding her to his body the comfort of the man she loved, making her existence worth living and she would never let him go again. Belle left for a new era, never to look back again.
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OH MY GOD!! I have finished a book!!!!! AHHHHHH you have no idea how happy I am right now! OMG and it is officially a novella!!
Few now that excitement it over, what do you think? Was the ending okay? I was going to kill Raoul but I just couldn't I love him too much! Yes it was a happy ending!
Thank you so much, for reading it till the end!! Vote comment and please share
Thank you,
Alyx