Before Beauty by Brittany Fichter Read Free Book Online Page B

walk to the back door of the house.
Whispers and gasps went up as they walked. In addition to all her
other woes, Isa miserably admitted to herself that wearing the
silken slippers had been a bad idea as she struggled towards the
door. After a few slow steps, Raoul stiffly offered her his arm.
Silently, everyone watched them leave.
    Isa’s mind was spinning. They
should have begun the ceremonial dance by now. She felt as if she
were stepping out of one of her daydreams, and into a nightmare. As
they sat on the garden’s low stone wall, she realized she didn’t
want to hear what he had to say.
    “ Isabelle, we’ve been apart for
some time now,” Raoul began slowly, his gentle voice strained. Isa
nodded silently, staring at him with fear knocking her heart about
in her chest.
    “ You know my father took me along
so I would learn about how other chancellors and governors lived.
He says that living here can sometimes blind us to the traditions
that people of our station must carry on. It is too easy to get
wrapped up in what we desire for ourselves, and what we truly need
in order to best serve the people.”
    Isa nodded again. She had known
this, as he had written about it in one of his first
letters.
    “ We saw many other administrators
while we were gone. Eight, actually. Some lived like lords, and
others had little more than their people. But they all had had one
thing in common.” Raoul dropped his eyes the ground. He didn’t go
on.
    It took Isa a moment to realize
that he was talking about her. “Their wives,” she whispered. Raoul
nodded. Isa had to swallow hard before she could speak again. “So,
you are saying that I’m unfit to be a chancellor’s
wife.”
    “ Now wait–” he began to correct
her, but she held her hand up angrily.
    “ I can read and write, which is
more than you can say for many men in this wretched city. I can
figure the sums of the treasury better than you can! How is that an
unsuitable match for a chancellor? What more could you possibly
want?”
    “ I need a woman who could rule in
my stead if something happened!”
    “ No! No, what you mean is you want
a mindless ninny who can stand by your side without having to lean
on you for support! A flawless flirt who can charm visiting
politicians with her grace and allure! You want a woman without a
crooked hand or a lame foot!”
    “ Belle–”
    “ Don’t call me that!” She was
shouting now. “Just tell me one thing. Was this your idea or your
father’s?”
    He stared at her for a long moment
before softly answering. “It was my father’s wish for me to see how
others lived, but it was my choice to live like them. I want what’s
best for this city.”
    “ Then take what you want and go.”
Isa’s father was suddenly beside him. “But before you do, I want
you to know that neither you nor your father are ever welcome in my
mercantile or my house ever again.” Ansel wore a look of deep
hatred Isa had never seen before. “Men without honor have no place
in my home.”
    With a weak nod, Raoul looked
silently down at her hand. Isa realized what he wanted, and angry
tears spilled down her face as she yanked the ring off her hand and
shoved it at him. No words seemed to come to the young man as he
stared down at the silver band, so after a long moment, he simply
turned and walked out the back gate. Isa and her father sat in
silence for an immeasurable amount of time before she was finally
brave enough to speak.
    “ Is everyone still
inside?”
    “ No, your mother cleared them out
after I asked Chancellor Dupont what his son was up to.”
    Isa nodded, and before she knew
it, her father had drawn her close and held her tightly. She could
hold back no more, and before long, she realized she was wailing.
She’d felt pain before, like the day the prince had shoved her into
the way of the rearing horse. She’d felt grief when she’d realized
that she could no longer dance. She had felt sorrow when the other
children left her