Her place

[Lovely]

October 14, Year 1
about 2pm


Belle was holding back tears and trying to keep her composure after all the things that her aunt had said to her and was continuing to say. Belle did not understand where all of this was coming from, she'd done nothing to warrant the anger and upset her aunt obviously felt. Her punishment was laid out in front of her, everything she had was being taken away from her - including her bed! She was going to be left sleeping on the floor, with a single set of clothes - her most tattered. Her aunt had made it clear she did not want Belle to be happy or to find someone suitable to marry. Casper was the first she'd actually showed an interest in and her aunt wanted to squash the chance, now.

What all hadn't he fixed yet? Not that he minded a bit if Belle was there to keep him company and occasionally soak out a splinter from his thumb, but darn if he hadn't thought he'd nearly rebuilt her aunt's house two times over with all the squeaks she claimed she had. Most weren't from the house at all, he thought, but kept it much to himself. He was coming up near the door and what he was hearing this time wasn't a small squeak on a step or the mild squeak of a mouse in the larder. If he heard right, it was a downright fearsome talk and mostly one sided. He knew Belle's aunt's voice pretty well now since he'd heard it every now and then, usually when he was told he was done with whatever he was doing, even if he wasn't. He considered barging in - he was expected afterall, but his hand moved from the knob up to the heart of the door to knock hopefully loud enough to be heard.

The knock was heard and as Belle started for the door to answer it, her aunt's voice rose in a somewhat shrill way, lashing out more and telling the girl not to so much as smile at 'that man'. Another moment passed and the door slowly opened with Belle standing there looking more like she wanted to cry than smile. "Afternoon." Her voice was soft and polite, she did her best to hide her upset in a graceful manner, but she'd spoken to Casper a few times about how things really were in this house and he might know that all was not well. Her aunt was almost always cruel to her but she had no other family so the choices for her were very limited.

"Yes ma'am. About two o'clock if I reckon right," he nodded, glancing up at the sun then down at the shadows it drew. He winced at the sunlight but that was not all that knotted his brow. "Thought I was supposed to come by to nail down some loose boards, but ... she wasn't too clear," he said more softly, leaning down to speak closer to the woman at the door. "But if this is a bad time...?"

The hurt in Belle's eyes was something she couldn't hide, not from him. She tried to mask it and started to smile but then remembered her aunt's warning. "Of course.. yes, please come in." He might notice the more tattered state of the dress she was wearing, her clothes were never very fancy but she was good with a needle and her clothes were always well cared for. "I don't believe it's squeaky boards she's called you here for today." The shadow of her aunt's form appeared behind them in the hall and she seemed to be glaring at Belle and Casper both.

He reached for a hat though he'd not worn one today. He scratched his hair a little instead then reached down for the carton of tools he brought as usual, following Belle in quietly. "Not boards? Well it was something she'd...," he looked up to see the figure lurking in the hall. ".. said was was squeaking."

Belle simply turned her head to the side, her gaze down on the floor as she hated to have her aunt drag him into this.

[Lovely]

The aunt however smiled in a manner that was much more cold than friendly. "Mister Jessop. This way please, I do have work for you. I didn't ask you to come here to whisper goodness knows what to my niece. In fact I'd rather you not speak to her at all."

"At all?" Caz gave the older woman a tipped glance, not sure he understood why he was being told not to speak to Belle, if even just to be polite since she'd answered the door. "Didn't mean nothing by it ma'am," he apologized, glancing back to Belle for any sort of explanation then followed her aunt back to the next room. He wasn't going to stop talking, but for keeping the peace, he'd try not to for a few minutes.

What he got from Belle was a look that said she was terribly sorry and that this was not her doing.

Her aunt led him back to Belle's bedroom where there was an old trunk sitting open, it held all of her clothes, taken from her drawers and closet which also sat open to show their emptiness. Her aunt turned and fixed her gaze on the man and his tools, her expression full of contempt, she saw him as a servant, even though she paid him a fair wage for the work he did and had no issue calling on him for such things. "At all, ever again. It would be best if you act as if you've never met her and she does not exist." She stated her opinion and assumed he would do as she said. "Now, I need you to take apart this bed, and along with this chest and the dresser they need to be moved into the attic."

He stopped at the door and looked around. "Ain't this Miss Belle's room and that's her bed you're wantin' took apart?" He scratched at his hair again, wondering if the woman's tea had been a little too strong. "Nothing wrong with that bed that it needs taken apart to move it to another room... ma'am."

The aunt was obviously not pleased as he questioned her but then again it might serve her purpose to humiliate Belle a bit. "Yes this is Belle's room and you seem to be quite familiar with it. Your opinion does not matter. Until Belle learns and accepts her place, then she will have no bed."

"Her place? Which... ," he paused, hoping she might tell him, but realizing just as quickly she wouldn't tell him much of anything except more things to spark his anger. True his opinion didn't matter and the woman kept the roof over Belle's head, but it appeared to be that was all she would allow her to have. "Only so familiar as what all I done fixed in here putting things back together already."

"Of course that is exactly how familir I meant." The aunt gave a small chuckle and motioned around the room. "I appreciate what you have done and you'll be paid for your services today, but today I'd like you to take apart the bed and move the furniture out, as well as this chest. It's a bit too heavy for Belle to manage by herself." She indicated the chest with all of Belle's clothes in it.

Belle had come into the room and stood quietly near the door with her hands clasped in front of her waist. She kept her eyes mostly cast down and her cheeks held a soft blush that warmed them.

The movement made him turn a little to see Belle there looking meek and cowed. Whatever had happened she wasn't speaking up and her aunt was saying more than enough for them both. He turned the hammer and put it back down into the carton. "'Fraid I can't do that. Not and leave her without a place to sleep. Ain't right for a girl to sleep on the floor."