Page 6 of Isabelle and the Beast

“My hair?” I pull at the brown strands I’ve curled into waves. “No, thank you.”

Brigette looks so disappointed that I want to give her something to do, but I also think this is all so WEIRD.

“Well, if you need anything, I’m just a ring away.” She motions at the bell hanging next to the door. And not an electric bell. An actual metal bell.

I repeat, what century am I in?

“Thank you so much,” I say, mustering up as much genuine gratitude as I can manage. They must not have a lot of visitors up here, and she must have been excited to have something to do. What can I have her do for me that doesn’t involve getting me dressed or made up? “Maybe you can just tell me a little bit about the castle?”

“Oh, certainly!” She smooths her skirts and smiles widely. I sit back on the bed and she settles into the seat at the vanity to tell the tale.

“The Stone family moved from England to the United States nearly twenty years ago. At the time, it was just Mr. and Mrs. Stone with their three boys. Adam is the eldest, and he was twelve years old. Henry was ten, and Peter was seven.”

I’ve heard about Adam’s brother, Henry, who is next to inherit his father’s company and recently got engaged, but I didn’t know about the younger brother. Brigette makes it sound like there are more siblings, but I wait and listen patiently.

“They settled in Silver Lake City, where Mr. Stone founded Stone Technologies, but his wife dearly missed their estate in the English countryside. So Mr. Stone had this home built, here in the hills of Brookhaven, and they would come here for an escape whenever possible. Mrs. Stone would come frequentlywith the four children, even if Mr. Stone was busy with business.”

“Four children?” I repeat.

“Ah, yes. Lily was born one year after the family moved here.” Brigette’s eyes light with the memory of her.

Aha. This is her room. And that explains the family picture I knocked over.

“The boys were so enamored with her. She was like their little doll.”

The image of the family is slowly coming together in my mind. But why was Adam so secretive when I asked about the picture?

“She won’t mind if I’m using her room?” I ask.

“No, of course not,” Brigette dismisses me quickly. “She hasn’t been here since…well…” She stands abruptly, her face pale. She shakes her head. “I’ve said too much. Let me know if you need any assistance in preparing for dinner.”

She curtsies quickly and scurries out of the room, making me wonder what secrets are hiding in the walls of this castle.

Chapter

Three

ADAM

Islam the door shut to my office, inhaling and exhaling to calm my nerves.

Isabelle is NOT what I expected.

Ididexpect a measure of beauty. Her older sisters, Catherine and Joanna, are famous models and are very well known in the entertainment industry for their incredible beauty. Granted, most anyone can look beautiful when they have a professional team of hairdressers and makeup artists.

Isabelle, however, is striking.

She doesn’t have the look of a model, but I prefer that. If anything, she has a “girl next door” look, if the “girl next door” is the stunning angel every boy in the neighborhood has a crush on. She’s beautiful without trying, something I haven’t seen much in the last few years. Aside from my sister, Lily, of course.

So, yes. I expected Isabelle to be beautiful like her sisters, but not to this degree. Beyond physical appearance, I expected Isabelle to have the personality of her sisters. When I’ve run into them in person, the words to describe them arevapidandshallow.

On the other hand, Isabelle is…perceptive.

Originally, I was just going to have her sit for a few minutes while I grilled her on her acting experience and made sure she wouldn’t ask any personal questions or get too afraid. Now I’m the one who’s backpedaling.

But I could see the wheels in her brain turning as she watched me, discovered my scar, and even analyzed the photo from my childhood. The one I currently hold in my hands. She noticed the difficulty with which I tried to take the picture from her grasp. She must know something is off with my eyesight, but I’m unsure if she can tell that I’m completely blind in my left eye. The doctor says my sight may return, but I know the truth. It’s gone.

With all those things combined, I changed the plans and told her to stay for dinner.

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