A Beast Sees No Beauty

Chapter Twenty-Three

LuLu grumbled from her spot on the porch, disappointed and aggravated at being woken up so early in the morning. Not only that, but that boy never wrote back to her - or perhaps he never saw her letter. She honestly couldn't tell. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't going to be good enough for the Chambers family.

Even still, LuLu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as Vincent helped Juliet out of the carriage. Sure, she knew the boy had feelings for the pretty lady, but she never expected him to be... Polite, even kind to her. Then there was the smile Juliet gave him, and her arm wrapped around his own as the two began their journey towards the front of the house. LuLu didn't know if they ignored her or if they never saw her, but Juliet did not seem surprised when she looked up and smiled at the older woman.

"LuLu! Oh, I missed you so!" Juliet pulled Vincent to match her faster pace before releasing his arm to hug LuLu. The other woman squinted her eyes at the faint bruising still left on parts of Juliet's face but made no comment. If it was serious enough then Vincent will surely say something to her.

"Alright child, you were well missed by the other girls too. Why don't you run along and see everyone inside? I'll make sure the boys get all your stuff back in your room and I'll get everything unpacked." Juliet pulled away with a grin, giving LuLu a perfect view of her almost healed face before she rushed back into the house.

Vincent gave LuLu a smirk before giving her a small hug himself, but the woman responded by smacking the back of his head. She gave him a pointed glare before she dared to say a word.

"What's the meaning of this? First, you don't respond to my letter, and now that girls running around with bruising on her face. So help me, Vincent, if I find out you laid one finger on her I'll-"

"I would never! I can't believe you would accuse me of such an atrocity!" Vincent pulled away with the most offended look on his face as if he was forced to eat the most disgusting creation of inedible food. "Do you honestly think I would do such a thing? Act like my father?"

LuLu sighed and shook her head, lifted her hand to rub her wrinkled forehead before patting Vincent's arm. She knew he hadn't done anything to harm the girl, but it was still a fear that managed to ebb its way through her mind. LuLu would forever be afraid that Vincent would make a turn for the worst and become like his father. "No, I don't think you could even if you wanted to. But I do want to know who did."

Vincent gave a brief synopsis of events, talking in hushed tones to avoid any prying ears from listening in. He tried to gauge LuLu's reaction as he spoke, but she remained emotionless. "It's a mess. A deal's been struck to avoid court and to keep Juliet away from the newspapers. Right now, Harris Jones is locked away in an asylum, but I don't know how long it'll last. He could just show up one day - he could do something much worse than what he's already done."

LuLu shook her head and pat Vincent on the back. "You can't worry about that now. Soon you'll be worrying about day after day, hour by hour, and it'll just drive you mad. You have to move on and think about other things... Like the bet I won."

Vincent couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face. He shook his head and guided the older woman inside, sighing aloud. "Of course you wouldn't forget such details."

LuLu gave him a sly grin but did not comment. The two made it quite clear that they bonded with each other over this trip. It was no secret in the household that Vincent McCoy planned to return with Mabelle with a wife, and here he is with only the woman he left with weeks ago in July. Gossip was bound to spread soon, but they would have a brief moment of peace before it got out of hand.

"Yes, you won your bet you old croon, and she even knows everything. Clever little chit figured it out all on her own," Vincent exhaled and rubbed his forehead, a mixture of exhaustion and excitement battling it out inside him. He could only handle one of the two feelings at the moment. "I've... I've even agreed to hold a party for her. She deserves to do something fun after recent events. Of course, I have only mere acquaintances here, but Juliet has a large family and surely they must desire to see her-"

"You plan to invite the girl's family here? To stay with the man that's kidnapped her?" LuLu couldn't wrap her head around the idea of all seven of Juliet's siblings, seven very angry sisters and brothers, staying in the house, and even dining and dancing like nothing in the world is wrong. "Is that a good idea? Surely something bad will happen. Her brother-"

"I plan to let her go... After the party that is." Vincent had entertained the idea once or twice, but saying it out loud only strengthened his resolve. He couldn't claim to love her while also holding her captive, the two couldn't coincide. It was the right thing to do after all. He had no true claim to her.

"My, my, my, you have fallen in love. Putting down your pride to do what is right, even if it's hard." Vincent ignored LuLu as some of the stronger men came outside to grab bags and travel trunks from the carriage. He took the time to assist them, heaving trunks down and letting the other men carry them inside. Working always gave himself time to think clearly, and a clear head is exactly what he wanted.

He was going to let Juliet go. He was going to send her home to her father, but he didn't want to lose her entirely. He had to find some way to convince the older man to let him visit her sometimes. He had to prove himself likable and trustworthy, then perhaps he could properly stay with Juliet. In time, her father may come to understand that Vincent was simply lonely, he needed someone intelligent enough to tell him off sometimes and to put him in his place when he needed it.

Juliet was that person. She was excellent at making him fall off his high horse. Vincent just needed to prove to her father that he was a changed man. He would do everything possible to make him see that.

"LuLu!" Vincent caught the woman's attention before she walked off, still standing on top of the carriage and a good distance away from the woman who was prepared to walk off. When she turned to face him - with a lifted brow, he was sure but the distance was far too great for him to tell such a detail - Vincent knew she could hear despite the distance. "We need to hire a dressmaker for Juliet. Besides an outfit for the party, she needs new clothes in general. Can you find someone?"

LuLu sighed and nodded, exaggerating the movements so Vincent could see her from his far away, elevated position. She could manage that. It wouldn't be too hard for her to find someone in the town, though the gossip was bound to follow them for the next generation.

"Stupid boy." LuLu shook her head and entered the home, but immediately began to smile upon seeing Juliet talking with the others about what the city was like. She exaggerated everything, using her arms to tell the story of how large the buildings were. Gasps of awe surrounded her.

LuLu watched for a moment before heading towards the kitchens to help with dinner. She was too old to hear such stories. Too old to dream. She was far more content just doing her job for her remaining days.

Juliet couldn't keep the grin off her face when she heard the gasps from her little audience. "You mean those buildings were bigger than the plantation?"

"Bigger! Imagine five plantations stacked one on top of another!" She met their eyes of wonder, loving the attention she had while she described everything they wanted to hear. From the height of the buildings, to the type of people she met, and the food she ate. All the little details she kept to herself was now being broadcasted to anyone who would listen.

"It sounds like you had fun Miss Chambers, but you must be tired," Viola stood beside her children, giving them all a soft look promising more stories later. Juliet wanted to talk some more but knew Viola was right. She was exhausted from the journey.

"Yes, I think I'll go lay down before supper." There were groans and quiet complaints, but no one stopped her as she climbed the stairs and went for her room. She entered the space with little thought, curling up under the covers without even taking her shoes off.

The idea of Vincent not being beside her, or collecting her from their shared space for dinner was disheartening. She was going to miss their quiet intimate moments.