coated the trees and weighed down the branches. It was beautiful and almost made her feel better about the dangers Henri was facing.
After Henri’s hunting party was well out of sight, Belle said au revoir to those who’d come out. She thanked them for their support and many assured her that Henri would reach Skjebne Port unharmed. Belle smiled at each one but rushed for the house the moment she was free.
“Belle.” Gastone blocked her path, stopping her just outside Henri’s workroom. “Have you thought on my proposal? Do you have an answer?”
Belle scrunched her eyebrows at him, affronted that he would bother her with this now when she was so worried about her father. “No, Gastone, I’ve been a bit preoccupied.”
She made to move around him, but he stepped once more in her way. “Wait, you actually have to think on it? You can’t be serious?”
“I most certainly am,” she said, bristling at his arrogance. “I will give you my answer when I am ready, but right now I want to make sure my père is safe.”
She gathered up her skirts and stepped around the stunned Hunter, but only made it a few paces.
“Belle, wait,” he said, holding the bridge of his nose. She paused to hear him out. “I apologize for my behavior just now. Thinking of the dangerous journey ahead of Henri prompted me to pay my own père a visit this morning.”
Belle’s arms relaxed as her anger quickly faded. Gastone’s father hated him. It was common knowledge, as the man did little to hide it. No matter what Gastone did, he would always be a failure in his father’s eyes.
“I told him that I’d made my regard for you known.” Gastone sighed. “He said I was a fool. A woman of your good character could never love the likes of me. That’s why I pushed you now. I didn’t want him to be right. But when you didn’t have an answer for me, I was afraid that he was.”
“Gastone. Your père is the fool, not you.” Belle came over and grabbed his arms, forcing him to look at her. “In your letter, you said that you wanted to be certain of your feelings for me before you made any declarations. I’ve only just learned that it was safe for me to see you in such a way. Like you, I need to take the time to know how I feel. Can you understand that?”
He looked down at her, a glimmer of hope twinkling in his brown eyes. “How long will I have to be patient?”
Belle turned toward the workroom. “It’ll be easier to think tonight when I know my père is closer to safety.”
“So tomorrow morning, then?”
She laughed. “Yes, tomorrow.”
But as Belle crossed the threshold into Henri’s workroom, she noticed the unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. Surely, that was not how the beginnings of love felt.
“There’s nothing to report, Belle,” Andre said as she appeared.
Henri’s workroom doubled as his workspace and the core of Hunter communications. Andre sat at a table, manning what they called the vox. Essentially, it was an over-sized Electro-Phonic Chip. While working his inventions, Henri could listen to their communications and speak to them if he needed to.
Andre had two large head-speakers attached to his ears that allowed him to listen privately. He twisted a dial on the vox, adjusting the signal. Andre had a knack for technology. One born out of necessity since he can’t always rely on Henri’s expertise to repair malfunctions in his prosthetics.
Jean wrapped his knuckles on one of the workbenches, grabbing Belle’s attention.
“Want to help us make bullets?” Jack asked for him.
She did need to pass the time somehow. “Okay.”
Belle took a spot along the table, choosing to paint the black crosses on the side of each bullet. Gastone and Jack filled the cylinders with gunpowder. Using his brute strength, Jean sealed them. She tried to let the men distract her with their political talk, but every now and then she still looked at Andre, watching for any sign of concern. Mostly, he just
After Henri’s hunting party was well out of sight, Belle said au revoir to those who’d come out. She thanked them for their support and many assured her that Henri would reach Skjebne Port unharmed. Belle smiled at each one but rushed for the house the moment she was free.
“Belle.” Gastone blocked her path, stopping her just outside Henri’s workroom. “Have you thought on my proposal? Do you have an answer?”
Belle scrunched her eyebrows at him, affronted that he would bother her with this now when she was so worried about her father. “No, Gastone, I’ve been a bit preoccupied.”
She made to move around him, but he stepped once more in her way. “Wait, you actually have to think on it? You can’t be serious?”
“I most certainly am,” she said, bristling at his arrogance. “I will give you my answer when I am ready, but right now I want to make sure my père is safe.”
She gathered up her skirts and stepped around the stunned Hunter, but only made it a few paces.
“Belle, wait,” he said, holding the bridge of his nose. She paused to hear him out. “I apologize for my behavior just now. Thinking of the dangerous journey ahead of Henri prompted me to pay my own père a visit this morning.”
Belle’s arms relaxed as her anger quickly faded. Gastone’s father hated him. It was common knowledge, as the man did little to hide it. No matter what Gastone did, he would always be a failure in his father’s eyes.
“I told him that I’d made my regard for you known.” Gastone sighed. “He said I was a fool. A woman of your good character could never love the likes of me. That’s why I pushed you now. I didn’t want him to be right. But when you didn’t have an answer for me, I was afraid that he was.”
“Gastone. Your père is the fool, not you.” Belle came over and grabbed his arms, forcing him to look at her. “In your letter, you said that you wanted to be certain of your feelings for me before you made any declarations. I’ve only just learned that it was safe for me to see you in such a way. Like you, I need to take the time to know how I feel. Can you understand that?”
He looked down at her, a glimmer of hope twinkling in his brown eyes. “How long will I have to be patient?”
Belle turned toward the workroom. “It’ll be easier to think tonight when I know my père is closer to safety.”
“So tomorrow morning, then?”
She laughed. “Yes, tomorrow.”
But as Belle crossed the threshold into Henri’s workroom, she noticed the unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. Surely, that was not how the beginnings of love felt.
“There’s nothing to report, Belle,” Andre said as she appeared.
Henri’s workroom doubled as his workspace and the core of Hunter communications. Andre sat at a table, manning what they called the vox. Essentially, it was an over-sized Electro-Phonic Chip. While working his inventions, Henri could listen to their communications and speak to them if he needed to.
Andre had two large head-speakers attached to his ears that allowed him to listen privately. He twisted a dial on the vox, adjusting the signal. Andre had a knack for technology. One born out of necessity since he can’t always rely on Henri’s expertise to repair malfunctions in his prosthetics.
Jean wrapped his knuckles on one of the workbenches, grabbing Belle’s attention.
“Want to help us make bullets?” Jack asked for him.
She did need to pass the time somehow. “Okay.”
Belle took a spot along the table, choosing to paint the black crosses on the side of each bullet. Gastone and Jack filled the cylinders with gunpowder. Using his brute strength, Jean sealed them. She tried to let the men distract her with their political talk, but every now and then she still looked at Andre, watching for any sign of concern. Mostly, he just
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