Page 59 of An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street
That brings to mind pampering images of cucumber slices covering my eyes and green goo spread across my face, which although a nice idea, it’s not exactly ideal timing. ‘I can have “me time” tomorrow,’ I say, knowing full well that Mondays aren’t conducive to free time. ‘We’re in the middle of the most ambitious thing I’ve ever done. I don’t need to soak in a candlelit bath full of rose petalsrightnow. I can be ready in five minutes flat. We had a fitting on Friday – we already know the dress is a perfect fit.’
The three of them share a knowing look with each other, and I have a feeling that this is a well-planned intervention and they all know something I don’t, and I have very little choice but to go along with it.
I feel like I’ve been kidnapped by some fairy-tale mafia as I’m ushered up the grand castle stairway, along a lavish hallway, and into a dressing room, where Sadie’s cousin, Scarlett, is wielding a hairbrush at me.
While Sadie adds a few final red rose embellishments to the skirt of the Belle dress, Scarlett sits me down at a dressing table and I look at my reflection in the mirror as she whizzes around me, smoothing my face with foundation which leaves my skin glowing, dusting on just the right amount of blusher which makes me look healthy and glowing, unlike when I try to do my own blusher, which usually makes me look like Ronald McDonald. Once my eyes are outlined in black and surrounded by metallic brown and grey eyeshadow, she starts on my hair. I’ve always thought it was too short to do much with, but Scarlett whips out curling tongs and manages to curl the straight part at the front into flattering tendrils and tease sections of it back to be held in place by red rose clips that match the roses Sadie’s using.
By the time she’s finished, and Sadie’s helped me into my dress, I look in the mirror and it’s like a short-haired Belle is looking back at me, and I’m surprised by the magic Sadie and Scarlett have managed to weave. I look like I belong in a fairy tale, and I have never looked like that before.
‘This way, my lady.’ Sadie does a mock bow as she opens the door and steps through it, ready to escort me to wherever we’re going next.
I slip my arm through hers and she leads me along the narrow corridors and back down the stairway to the main entrance hall, past a few curious glances from visitors as my ginormous yellow satin dress swishes along with me, and she stops at the doorway of the closed ballroom, takes out a key to unlock it and lets us in, but she doesn’t follow me.
‘Enjoy yourself, and don’t worry about a thing out here, we’ve got it covered.’ She backs out of the double doors and they shut with a click that sounds loud in the silence.
The bright lights from the chandeliers make it look even darker outside. The early evening light is fading as it filters through the windows. Grey-black clouds are hanging over the castle, heavy rain is hammering down onto the domed glass ceiling, and I’m alone in the empty ballroom, wondering what on earth is going on.
18
It doesn’t take long to find out. Within moments, there’s the click of another switch and the bright lights of the chandeliers dim to half-light. In the far corner of the ballroom, there’s a narrow staircase that leads to a balcony around the upper level, and someone up there moves, and at the top of the stairs in the corner, the Beast appears. Literally.
Darcy, wearing a blue velvet suit jacket, yellow satin waistcoat, black trousers, and aridiculouslyrealistic-looking Beast costume head, slowly descends the stairs with one hand behind his back, and I watch him while trying to make sure my mouth isn’t hanging open in surprise.
At the foot of the stairs, he bows. One arm across his chest, dipping the huge Beast head low, and I bow in return, and Iknowhe’s smiling as much as I am.
‘Sothat’swhy you ordered this dress for me.’ It’s not what I want to say, but it’s the most eloquent thing I can come up with on the spot. Of all the things I imagined Sadie and the others were up to, something like this never crossed my mind.
‘It honestly wasn’t,’ he says as he walks towards me. ‘I didn’t know if I was going to…’
‘…be able to find the courage?’ I finish for him when he struggles for a way to end the sentence. There are alotof people in the castle tonight. Even though he’s wearing a mask that fully covers his head, I can’t imagine Darcy is comfortable in this kind of crowd.
The huge Beast head nods.
‘You look phenomenal.’ I take a step towards him and reach out to run my fingers over the yellow-edged lapels on his blue suit jacket. It’s a perfect match for what the Beast is wearing in the ballroom scene from the animated movie, and it fits him like such a glove that I’m certain Sadie must’ve had a hand in making it.
I turn my hand around so my palm rests on his solid chest. ‘I thought they were being suspiciously vague about why this ballroom was closed off tonight. This is your doing?’ Of course it’s his doing. Even the ballroom floor is scattered with red rose petals. No one but Darcy would’ve thought of something like that.
‘Maybe.’ I can imagine his blue eyes winking at me. ‘You once said that you’ve always dreamed of a “tale as old as time” moment in a ballroom one day, and we’re in a ballroom, in a castle, and you’re wearing the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen. It seemed like a good time.’
‘I didn’t know they made masks that were so realistic.’ I lift my hand from his chest and stroke the face of the Beast mask, and look up into the blue-coloured glass eyes of the costume head. That’s the only possible place to see out, so his real eyes must be behind there somewhere too. I cup the Beast’s cheek and let my fingers drift through the brown fur. Two shades of brown velvet surround the eyes, leading to pointed ears and up to forwards-facing plastic horns. There’s a big brown flat nose, and the mouth has got two fangs sticking out from the bottomjaw. The entire thing covers his neck and goes down inside the white dress shirt under his yellow vest.
‘I wanted to see you kick arse tonight. I wanted to see this whole weekend be the success you deserve it to be and I didn’t want tonotbe there for you because of my own limitations. Friends are supposed to support each other.’
‘Friends,’ I echo. It’s not enough, and the butterflies I’m feeling right now arenotfriendship butterflies.
‘It’s all we can ever…’ He trails off, either unable or unwilling to finish the sentence. Which is good because I’m unwilling for him to finish it too. I don’t want him to cut this off at friendship. I never thought it was possible to fall for someone you’ve never fully seen, but I’vefallenfor everything about Darcy, and seeing all of him doesn’t seem important any more.
He shakes himself and does a good impression of the Beast’s growl. ‘Never mind all that. Look at you, Belle.’ He lets out a long exhale. ‘You look resplendent.’
He holds his hand out for mine, and I slip my fingers over one of the brown fur-covered paw gloves he’s wearing. He lifts my arm and encourages me to do a twirl, and I spin around so my skirt flares out.
My dress is a yellow satin off-the-shoulder ballgown, with a boned bodice and a tiered skirt with ruched layers and glittery swirls of gold embroidery. At each ripple of the skirt, Sadie has sewn a sparkly fabric red rose. The heavy satin covers many layers of delicate organza that form the voluminous underskirt and give the dress its classic Belle ballgown shape. It’s the furthest thing from something I would wear in real life, but it seems right tonight – like a step out of real life is exactly what I needed, and somehow, Darcy knew that.
Being under his gaze feels like a wave of red heat travelling up my entire body from the tips of my toes to the rose clips in myhair, and I’m blushing as I spin around, holding onto his hand like it’s a lifeline.
‘Thank you.’ The words that come out are hoarse and I have to wet my lips and try again. ‘None of this would be happening without you. Not the dress, but not the book festival either. Without your support and encouragement, I’d probably still be crying in a patch of stinging nettles in my overgrown garden.’
‘Mrs Potts would never have let you sit there for that long without being fed.’
