but his silence was confirmation enough.
"I will go, Papa. You are needed here," I said.
"Certainly not," Papa said, loudly. "I will go."
"She must go! This is all her fault!" Rowena cried.
"Her fault! She did not ask me for the rose! It was I who cut it from the vine. I will not give my daughter over to that monster!" Papa roared, leaping up from his chair.
Rowena and Thomasina stared at him in shock. He had never before raised his voice at them, and I was every bit as astonished as they were. I curled my hand tightly around the rose stem and felt a sharp pain as one of the thorns pierced my palm. I gasped, and Papa turned to look at me.
"I will go," he repeated. Thomasina made a sound of protest and he rounded on her. "Silence! How dare you even suggest that your sister should go in my place! She will remain here where she belongs and I will pay the price for my own folly!" Trembling, he strode from the sitting room into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
There was a stunned silence for several moments, my sisters and I staring at Papa's door. I felt a warm trickle in my hand and looked down to see the blood flowing from the puncture wound caused by the rose's thorn. I gazed numbly at the red stain, starting as the blood dripped from my palm and onto my ink-stained apron.
"If you dare let him go…" Rowena said, her voice soft but menacing. Her back was to me, and I could see the tension in her shoulders.
"Do you honestly think I will if it is in my power to stop him?" I hissed, keeping my voice low lest Papa hear.
Thomasina turned and looked at me with a withering, scornful gaze. "Who will miss you? We cannot do without Papa."
"You care nothing for Papa," I said, jumping up from my stool and facing her. "You care only about yourselves! You want Papa to stay so that he can continue to supply you with satins for gowns and a generous dowry so that you can marry yourselves off to some poor, unsuspecting fool of a local lord. But I will go to this beast, and I will do it because I love Papa and will not allow him to sacrifice his life for mine!"
Rowena strode over to me and drew her hand back, slapping me hard across the face. "How dare you speak to us like that, you filthy, pathetic nothing. I almost feel sorry for this beast," she spat.
She and Thomasina strode over to the ladder, clambering up it and out of my sight. The fury I had felt rushed out of my body, and I raised my uninjured hand to my stinging cheek. I began to weep silently, staring at Papa's door. He had already lost his wife. How unfair that he would now also have to lose his daughter, for there was not the slightest chance that I would allow him to return to the beast. It did not matter what happened to me; I would not allow the beast to imprison or murder my father. I loved Papa more than any other being in the world, and I would gladly trade my life for his.
I stood staring at his door for some time before finally climbing up to the loft. I dropped the rose upon my work table, where it created a startling contrast against the parchment it landed upon, and then I fell into my bed. There was no rest for me that night as I stared at the ceiling and plotted how I would go about leaving the cottage without my father's notice.
Chapter 7: Preparations
The more I thought about it, the worse an idea it seemed. I had become very accustomed to the silence and isolation over the years, and the prospect of an addition to the castle's population--whether that addition turned out to be the plain man or his daughter--had the servants in an uproar. Had I allowed them, they would have cleaned the castle from top to bottom, but I absolutely forbade it. Of course I knew enough to understand that it was important to make the castle inviting in the hopes of winning over the maiden, but I refused to go as far as to compromise my own comfort. My servants and the maiden, if she came, would have to content themselves with order and beauty in her chamber and
"I will go, Papa. You are needed here," I said.
"Certainly not," Papa said, loudly. "I will go."
"She must go! This is all her fault!" Rowena cried.
"Her fault! She did not ask me for the rose! It was I who cut it from the vine. I will not give my daughter over to that monster!" Papa roared, leaping up from his chair.
Rowena and Thomasina stared at him in shock. He had never before raised his voice at them, and I was every bit as astonished as they were. I curled my hand tightly around the rose stem and felt a sharp pain as one of the thorns pierced my palm. I gasped, and Papa turned to look at me.
"I will go," he repeated. Thomasina made a sound of protest and he rounded on her. "Silence! How dare you even suggest that your sister should go in my place! She will remain here where she belongs and I will pay the price for my own folly!" Trembling, he strode from the sitting room into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
There was a stunned silence for several moments, my sisters and I staring at Papa's door. I felt a warm trickle in my hand and looked down to see the blood flowing from the puncture wound caused by the rose's thorn. I gazed numbly at the red stain, starting as the blood dripped from my palm and onto my ink-stained apron.
"If you dare let him go…" Rowena said, her voice soft but menacing. Her back was to me, and I could see the tension in her shoulders.
"Do you honestly think I will if it is in my power to stop him?" I hissed, keeping my voice low lest Papa hear.
Thomasina turned and looked at me with a withering, scornful gaze. "Who will miss you? We cannot do without Papa."
"You care nothing for Papa," I said, jumping up from my stool and facing her. "You care only about yourselves! You want Papa to stay so that he can continue to supply you with satins for gowns and a generous dowry so that you can marry yourselves off to some poor, unsuspecting fool of a local lord. But I will go to this beast, and I will do it because I love Papa and will not allow him to sacrifice his life for mine!"
Rowena strode over to me and drew her hand back, slapping me hard across the face. "How dare you speak to us like that, you filthy, pathetic nothing. I almost feel sorry for this beast," she spat.
She and Thomasina strode over to the ladder, clambering up it and out of my sight. The fury I had felt rushed out of my body, and I raised my uninjured hand to my stinging cheek. I began to weep silently, staring at Papa's door. He had already lost his wife. How unfair that he would now also have to lose his daughter, for there was not the slightest chance that I would allow him to return to the beast. It did not matter what happened to me; I would not allow the beast to imprison or murder my father. I loved Papa more than any other being in the world, and I would gladly trade my life for his.
I stood staring at his door for some time before finally climbing up to the loft. I dropped the rose upon my work table, where it created a startling contrast against the parchment it landed upon, and then I fell into my bed. There was no rest for me that night as I stared at the ceiling and plotted how I would go about leaving the cottage without my father's notice.
Chapter 7: Preparations
The more I thought about it, the worse an idea it seemed. I had become very accustomed to the silence and isolation over the years, and the prospect of an addition to the castle's population--whether that addition turned out to be the plain man or his daughter--had the servants in an uproar. Had I allowed them, they would have cleaned the castle from top to bottom, but I absolutely forbade it. Of course I knew enough to understand that it was important to make the castle inviting in the hopes of winning over the maiden, but I refused to go as far as to compromise my own comfort. My servants and the maiden, if she came, would have to content themselves with order and beauty in her chamber and
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