Before Beauty (23 page)

And in the rose garden, when he
had touched her face so softly, a strange desire within her had
awakened, one that filled her with a kind of longing she hadn’t
felt for anyone before, not even Raoul. For Gigi’s sake, she
pretended to sleep, but really, all Isa could do was think of
Ever.

Her act of sleeping must have
looked real enough, because the servants began to speak to one
another in the next room over. Not quite ready to get up yet, she
lay there quietly, and Isa soon found herself drawn into their
conversation. She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but their
discussion was taking a turn she couldn’t ignore.

“
Do you think it is true? That the
prince will propose tonight?” The younger servant’s voice was full
of excitement and intrigue.

“
Gigi says we must not talk about
such things. It’s not our place.” Cerise’s voice was less
enthusiastic. She lowered it to add, “I will admit though, I’m
worried. I don’t think she’s ready. I just wish he would give her
more time.”

“
But he doesn’t have time!” the
younger one argued. “His fire burns duller with each day! At least,
that’s what Solomon says.”

“
Then I’m afraid he might be too
late.” Cerise sighed. “Perhaps Prince Everard was never meant to be
king. Perhaps he was meant to prepare the way for her. At least…”
She paused. “At least, if we must lose him, we would have someone
to follow in his place.”

There was sadness in Cerise’s
voice. She spoke so softly now that Isa had to strain to hear, the
deafening beat of her heart making it nearly impossible to listen
in.

“
But the curse demands that she
heal him, or the rest of its requirements will never be fulfilled!
And the more I ponder it, the worse I feel about
tonight.”

Isa’s mouth fell open in horror.
The curse
demanded
? Ever had never told her the curse had specific demands!
Panic hit her. How was she supposed to heal Ever, especially if he
was as close to death now as they made it sound?

The younger servant spoke again,
this time in a comforting voice. “Perhaps she is ready. Every time
she’s on the crystal floor it shines more brightly. And she’s
brought back most of the Fortress! She brought us back!”

“
I think we should be done talking
of such things now.” Cerise’s voice was cross. “And I think that no
matter what we say or do or think, he will be proposing soon. That
was his plan from the start, so we’d better be ready.”

As their conversation turned in a
different direction, Isa lay in a miserable daze, wishing that this
was a nightmare Ever or Garin could pull her from. She had known at
the beginning of her stay at the Fortress that Ever’s designs were
self-serving. How could they not be? He had blackmailed Ansel with
the lives of his family to get Isa to the Fortress. Then, when she
had arrived, he’d given her such looks of cold disdain and hatred
that she had wondered why he’d summoned her in the first
place.

But then he had begun to change.
Isa had been sure he had. The gentle words he spoke to her, the way
he looked at her, the confidence he’d shown about her abilities,
the trembling in his fingers every time he reached for her hand or
her face. He certainly wasn’t the same man she had met last
autumn.

Or perhaps,
the cruel voice of reason whispered,
just perhaps, he was a very good actor.

The woman’s words came back to her
from the night before.
For power he sold
his soul, and you along with it.

He had lied by failing to tell her
of the curse’s requirement that she heal him, and he’d failed to
mention his approaching death. And now, he was apparently pushing
her towards an end the servants didn’t think she was ready for,
whatever it was.

Not long after this revelation,
Gigi and her hoard of handmaidens arrived to prepare Isa for supper
as they always did. Isa allowed them to dress her in whatever they
wanted in whatever way they wished to do it. For weeks now, the
bathwater had been clean, and the clothes had been fresh. Not that
she cared now.

Tonight, they were more than
meticulous as they readied her. Gigi ran around, shaking her head
at everything the younger women did, clucking her tongue and
demanding they do it again. She, too, seemed on edge.

That night’s gown was more
exquisite than any Isa had ever laid eyes on. It was a deep blue
velvet. Ribbons wove through the bodice, beaded with pearls and
diamonds, and the arms were draped with silver lace. The blue
parted at the bottom to reveal skirts of cream colored silk.
Without a word Isa allowed them to pull the thick skirts over her
head, and fuss with it to their hearts’ desires.

Isa caught Gigi’s eye while the
servants put the finishing touches on her gown, and as they looked
at one another, she nearly began to cry.

Gently, Gigi laid a soft hand on
Isa’s cheek and gave her a sad smile. “You look like a princess, my
dear.” Isa wanted to weep. Instead of weeping, however, she stepped
into her boots and let the others finish fixing her hair. Finally,
she heard the dreaded knock at the door. It was time.

When the door opened, Isa’s heart
flopped in her chest. He was holding a single rose, looking as
nervous as she felt. Instead of his black hood, he wore a deep blue
coat and what had once been fitted black trousers. His boots were
polished so that they reflected the light of the fire in her
hearth.

He trembled a bit as he stood
there, and his face looked thinner than ever. His hunch was so deep
now that she stood a bit taller than he. And yet, she wanted him so
badly it made her heart ache.

The fire in his eyes flamed
brighter for a moment when he saw her. Finally, he cleared his
throat. “My lady, would you join me?”

Nodding, she accepted his arm.
Neither of them spoke as they slowly made their way to the dining
hall. Isa was sure he could hear her heart trying to beat out of
her chest, and she didn’t dare meet his eyes until he had walked
them right through the dining hall and directly out onto the
balcony. Sitting her down on one of the dozens of stone benches
that surrounded the crystalline floor, he lowered himself beside
her, taking her hands in his gloved ones.

“
I can honestly say I never
thought it would be this way,” he finally said.

Isa watched him, but said
nothing.

“
When you arrived,” he continued,
“I thought I was gaining one more person to help solve the puzzle.
But I never expected you to change so many things.” He swallowed
hard. “For years, the memory of you tormented me, and I hated you
even more when you appeared in my home. But there was nothing I
could do. You were here, and I had to use any means I could to
break the curse.

“
But you!” He was suddenly staring
into her eyes with that pleading, disarming look of his. “You began
to teach me that there is healing in love. I think I began to love
you without even being aware of it. The night you ran out…” he
shook his head and his jaw clenched a bit at the memory. “I thought
I had lost you. I hadn’t realized how much I needed you before
that.” He took a deep breath.

“
That fool from Soudain didn’t
deserve you, and I’m glad he ran like a coward. You are too rare a
creature to belong to someone like him.”

Isa’s heart cracked a little more
with each word he spoke. She wanted so desperately to believe him,
but with each confession of love, he also failed to confess his
secrets. He was still lying to her, even now as he moved stiffly
from the bench to drop down on one knee.

“
I love you, Isabelle Marchand.
Will you marry me?”

Isa’s heart plunged and soared as
he spoke the words. Conflicting desires raged within her as she
stared at the ring he pulled from his pocket.

She wanted to desperately to say
yes, for she loved him deeply. In a way, her heart already was and
would always be his. And yet, angry tears threatened to fall as she
knew he still hadn’t told her the truth.

Her decision was made, however, as
Cerise’s words echoed in her mind, while she gazed miserably at his
expression of hope. Lies or truth aside, he would die if he wasn’t
healed soon.

She couldn’t let him
die.

Without a word, she stretched out
her hand. Perhaps she could make herself ready. She had
to.

Her hand shook as he slipped the
Queen’s Ring onto her finger. As he did so, the air around them
began to quiver.

A column of blue fire shot up into
the air to the heavens, engulfing them. Isa screamed as she saw the
true power of the Fortress for the first time. She felt the weight
of new burdens settling on her shoulders. Destin’s well-being and
the faces of its citizens began to flash before her eyes. A
familiar heat beat at her back, and she recognized the scorch of
the evil fire that had nearly consumed her the night
before.

Isa struggled to stay upright as
the burdens and enemies began to settle upon her shoulders, piling
one atop another. She tried to steel herself, to face the evil that
challenged the light. People’s faces flashed before her, and she
tried to memorize them. They needed someone to lead them. For hers
was a burden, it seemed, that no one else could bear. If she
couldn’t heal the prince now, it would all come crashing
down.

Isa clenched her jaw and looked at
the young man before her. Reaching out with trembling fingers, she
tried to touch him, to heal his wounds. Before she could reach him,
however, she felt her strength slipping way. It all began to
collapse around her. The evil advanced, and the cry of innocent
blood echoed in her ears as she failed to hold it all
up.

Yanking the ring off, Isa shoved
it at Ever, and the column immediately disappeared. With it went
the people and their cries. There were no more enemies. The only
sound left was her own haggard choking. The servants had been
right. Nevina had been right. He had been using her.

“
I’m not ready!” she sobbed. She
could nearly hear the sound of her heart tearing itself in half.
She had wanted so much to be ready. Her soul had longed to find his
words of confidence in her fulfilled. Why couldn’t it all be
true?

Anger began to mix with the
heartache as she gasped, still trying to catch her breath. He had
known she wasn’t ready. And he had still asked.

She felt Ever place his hand on
her shoulder, but Isa shoved it off. “How could you do that to me?”
she choked out as tears ran down her face. “I trusted
you!”

The prince hesitated, looking
torn.

“
Tell me about the curse!” she
demanded. “Tell me all that you hid from me!”

After another moment of
hesitation, he closed his eyes and finally began to recite. “Before
life can be found in this sacred place once again, a new strength
must be found. What has been broken must be remade. The one who was
strong must be willing to die. Only then can the Fortress and the
kingdom again have the protector they deserve.” After he finished
speaking, he reached again for her, but she drew back.

“
So I was supposed to heal you?
How can the broken heal the broken, Everard?” Her anger was so
great that she trembled. “I thought you loved me, but I can see now
that all along I was just part of your plan!”

Ever stared at her with a long,
sorrowful look. Before he said anything though, he suddenly tilted
his head and closed his eyes as though he were listening to
something. It was a moment before he spoke, and when he did, his
voice was cold.

“
If that is how you feel, then
there is no place for you here.” Stiffly, he drew himself to his
feet. His face lost all of its openness, and suddenly, he looked
like a soldier. “Garin,” he called. The steward ran over, his own
face full of sorrow. “Put Isabelle in one of the carriages. You are
to take her as far from Destin as you can. She is never to
return.”

Isa felt a wave of horror wash
over her. “Wait!” she cried out. “What are you doing? I turn down
your proposal, and you send me into exile?”

But no matter how many demands she
made or how much she begged, he wouldn’t consent. He wouldn’t even
discuss it. As she continued to protest, Garin gently took her by
the shoulders and led her from the balcony, leaving Ever alone to
stare stonily down at the statues on the back lawn.

Gigi was instructed to get her
into proper riding gear. The mood was one of tension and fear as
the servants scurried about her room. Her gown was exchanged for a
soft leather riding skirt and a simple white shirt under her
mother’s cloak. Isa tried in vain to ask Gigi and Cerise what was
going on, but no one would speak a word to her, other than to order
her about.

Before Isa was hurried from her
room, however, Gigi drew her into a tight embrace before handing
her the bag she had first brought to the Fortress. By the weight of
it, Isa could tell its contents had been added to.

Without time for proper goodbyes,
she was whisked away to the stables where a coach, all black,
awaited her. Isa tried one more time to beg Garin to allow her to
speak with Ever, but he gently shook his head and drew her
inside.