"How dare you kick me?!" asked Mr. Robinson. The alcohol he had consumed had spread in his system enough to have him sway while also making it difficult for him to stand up.
"What do you think you are doing?" asked her uncle Hector. The question was not directed to Mr. Robinson but to Lucas, "Don't you know who he is?"
Lucas dusted his clothes and replied, "A leech if you might ask, Sir. Someone who doesn't know how to treat a girl."
"Lucas step away from there and do your job while we do ours," came Aunt Irene from behind, "n.o.body asked you to step in. He was only leading her out!"
Simon came forward and spoke, "With all due respect, madam, Mr. Robinson was pulling Belle-"
"n.o.body asked you for your opinion," Aunt Irene cut Simon off who raised his hands, "Who are you to hit a guest? Where is your etiquette of being a servant?" she questioned Lucas.
Another relative came forward and said, "It looks like what people say is true. He doesn't want to let Belle marry anyone. Who knows what is going on, especially after Mabel and Nathaniel died. How shameful. I told you someone should take her in. Now we don't know what all we will have to listen-"
"Before slinging mud on someone you need to watch yourself first, milady. Who knows you might be the mud," Lucas replied to her words.
"You ungrateful b.a.s.t.a.r.d-"
"That's enough!" Belle shouted loud enough for everyone to stop, "Leave," she said looking at the ground.
"Did you hear that," Aunt Irene said looking at Lucas.
Belle then interjected, "I mean all of you. Leave this very instant."
Her relatives frowned looking at her, "What are you saying, Belle?" asked Irene to be taken aback, "You don't mean that, do you?" she smiled and she went to place her hand on Belle but Belle stepped away.
"No, I mean every single d.a.m.ned word. I would like all of you to leave right now. Quickly," she said, turning away from them.
"Is this how you treat us? We are your family? Do you think your parents would be happy to see how you treat us?" asked another aunt of hers.
"After seeing you trying to send me to a drunk man's house, I am sure they will be proud of my decision," she crossed her hands against her chest while facing her back, "Leave before I have people push you out of this house."
"Are you trying to cut ties with us? We were only trying to help you."
"Your help is not needed here. I am no damsel in distress that I need saving. Leave," she said looking to her side and her relatives eventually stepped out of the mansion but Mr. Robinson didn't leave.
"Do you think you are so pretty?" he asked Belle, "I will have you begging one day to take you to my bed. Mark my-" Lucas swiftly punched the man's face and dragged him out of the mansion and had the coachman make sure the man didn't wander around the mansion or the Adams' estate.
With everyone gone, the doors of the mansion were locked and Lucas took Belle to the closet room and had her sit there. He went out to only come back with a bowl of cold water and he sat next to her.
He then took her hand to press the cold cloth on her wrist that had bruised with the way the man had pulled Belle's hand and had squeezed it. There were angry red fingerprints on her pale skin, "Does it hurt?"
"I am not made of gla.s.s," she said to have him smile.
"I am aware of that but I don't think it hurts to ask," he noticed how Belle's eyes mellowed down and her brave front started to fall to showcase the vulnerability that she hid.
"You should be glad you don't have relatives. I don't want to see them again," she felt humiliated and embarra.s.sed that was caused by her own relatives.
She had got the worst of the worst relatives who didn't care about her parents and now they didn't care about her. All they wanted was the money that was left behind for her while they had no respect for the dead. What they did today had lost the little hope that was left in the corner of her mind.
"Noted," he said pressing the cloth on her skin and changing sides. Her eyes appeared moist and she felt as if she had no one to rely on family.
Belle felt like she had to say something to him and she said,
"I don't care who you are if that is why you are avoiding what I want to say to you. I don't care about the status and I don't care about what you and how my relatives think about you I will still continue to like you because none of those matter to me," she said feeling her heart heavy, "You talk to every other person out there and I see you smile but you won't even let me finish my own sentence."
"Forgive me for cutting you off," he spoke to her gently, "You can continue your sentence and I will make sure to listen to you this time."
Belle shook her head.
"There are things that are harder than you think," he replied, "As your friend said, you are a precious person and a heart like yours needs to be protected."
"What does precious mean in your dictionary?"
They stared at each other and Belle felt pain on her wrist as Lucas had placed his thumb and pressed it, "You need to understand that across the bridge that you are looking at, there's nothing but pain."
"What if I am willing to take that pain?"
