Page 4 of Isabelle and the Beast

“How many people are here?” I ask.

“Sixteen,” Lionel replies. “Well, seventeen now that you’re here.”

“So, there are fifteen servants?”

“Employees, yes,” he replies. “Three cooks, two footmen, four cleaning women, one hairdresser—although she hasn’t had anything to do these past months, two sewists?—”

“Sewists?” I interrupt. “Why do you need them?”

Lionel shrugs. “You never know when you’ll need a new evening gown or tuxedo. Then Brigette, the housekeeper, and I am the butler.”

“I see.” But I don’t, really. This feels very Victorian England to me, and while I enjoy watchingPride and Prejudiceevery now and then, I’m not familiar with the hierarchy at play.

I do some quick calculations in my head. “But wait. That’s only fourteen. You said there are fifteen workers here.”

Lionel looks at me over his shoulder, eyes bright. “You’re a sharp one.”

I shrug a shoulder, and the corner of his lips tug up in a smile. “The fifteenth person is Theodore.”

“Who’s—”

“Here we are,” Lionel says brightly, opening a door to our right. “The Lily Room.” He stands next to the door, holding it open for me to enter.

I step into the room, but it’s still too dark to see anything.

“Is there a light I can turn on?” I ask. “Adam isn’t here, so he won’t mind, right?”

“Yes.” Lionel reaches for a switch on the wall, and the room lights up from a chandelier hanging on the ceiling.

This room is every teenage girl’s dream come true. The walls are painted a light lavender, and the bedspread has purple lilies all over it. There’s a canopy over the gigantic bed, and all the furniture is painted white. A few floral paintings line the walls, a white vanity stands in the corner, and lavender curtains frame the giant windows. I turn in a circle, taking in my surroundings, my mouth wide open in awe. “This. Is. Amazing.”

“Agreed.” Lionel has a smile on his face, but his eyes are sad.

“Whose room is this?” I ask.

He tilts his head but doesn’t answer my question. “Brigette will be here soon to get you ready for dinner.” He bows his head and leaves the room.

Okay, first of all, why is everyone being so weird? And second, why does Brigette need to “get me ready” for dinner?

And third, what the heck am I supposed to do for the next few hours?

I sit on the bed, bouncing a few times for good measure. The mattress feels like a cloud. Too bad I’m not staying overnight.But that’s for the best, especially since I have a shift at The Cheesecake Factory tomorrow afternoon. Not that I’d really be disappointed to miss it. The other girls who work with me are…well, they remind me of the mean girls in high school. I’ve never really “fit in” with the crowd. Who wants to hang out with the weird girl who bursts into “Do Re Mi” fromThe Sound of Music?

Thankfully, Jen Park did. We met in high school. She was the tech-obsessed nerd, I was the theater nerd, and we bonded over being too weird for the cool kids. And after college, we found an apartment together in LA and have been pretty much inseparable.

I shoot her a text message, knowing she’s waiting for all my updates on this adventure.

Me

I’m here in the castle. He’s making me wait for dinner in this gorgeous bedroom, but I’m kind of creeped out.

Jen BFF

OMG what is he like? Is he just as handsome in real life as he is in the movies??

My fingers hover over the keyboard. How in the world do I explain the transformation of Adam Stone from sleek and suave British spy to mountain man?

A text comes in from my dad before I can respond to Jen.

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