The Curse Girl (13 page)

She went very still. “Girl,” she said at last, her voice strange. “You do not understand the depth of guilt, do you? The agony of betrayal?”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Move out of my way before I cut you down.” Marian said, and this time her voice cracked like a whip.

“Listen—” I growled.

“Beauty!”

A hand caught me and pulled me back just as Marian began to lift her arm. I looked back, frantic, but the witch had already vanished into the crowd.

“What do you think you’re doing?” It was Will’s voice in my ear.

I shook his hands off me. “I’m trying to save our lives, Will.”

Incredulousness and fury waged war on his face, and fury won. “Did you stop to think for even a second when you were charging headlong into one of the most dangerous places you could ever go?”

“I was fine.” I would not be mentioning the faery. Or Storm.

“Apparently not! I arrived just in time to drag you away from an insane witch!”

“William,” I snapped. “Stop. Just stop it. You’re not my father. You don’t get to scold me like this.”

He ignored me. “What would I have done if you’d been killed?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’d still be able to find the book of letters without me.” My whole body felt flushed. I was practically shouting.

“Bee!” He yelled. “Forget the curse. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

Oh.

Stunned, I looked at the floor, at his shoulder, any place but his face.

“I care about you, Beauty. This isn’t about the curse anymore.”

I held up my hand before he could say any more, before he could go some place we both would regret. “Please, Will. Can we just go home?”

He exhaled loudly and then scrubbed his hands over his face. His expression, when his fingers slid away, was resigned. “Yes, all right. Let’s go.”

But his eyes were wounded.

FOURTEEN

The roses I’d folded over the last several days bloomed in vases all over the library, filling the air with their scent. Will worked at one end of the room and I worked at the other. I chewed my lip as I pulled books off the shelf and checked their interiors. Housekeeper brought us tea.

Was it just my imagination, or did her wallpaper skin look faded, like her real skin was showing through?

Hope swelled in my chest like a balloon, pushing away some of the sadness.

Maybe we were making progress?

The sun shone on Will’s dark hair, making it look blue-black. The scar on his forehead glowed pearly-white. His skin seemed less sallow, his eyes less sad, although he’d seemed quiet and unhappy since we’d returned from the Fey Lands. Watching him secretly, I traced the shape of his shoulders with my eyes and memorized the way he wiped the dust from his forehead with the back of his hand.

How had I not found him handsome when we’d first met?

I ducked my head when he glanced my direction. I was so confused right now. He’d been on the cusp of a confession when I’d cut him off. Why hadn’t I let him finish? What was I afraid of?

Oh, I knew exactly what I was afraid of.

The next book I pulled had a soft leather binding and no words on the cover. I opened it absently, still thinking about Will. My eye fell on the page.

My dearest Robert, I’m writing you this letter from my home in the city, and I’m missing you so dreadfully
—

I froze. A roaring sound filled my ears, and my whole body went hot and then cold. I almost dropped the book.

This was it.

This was
IT!

I tried to yell for Will, but my voice came out in a strangled squeak. My hands shook as I flipped through the pages. Hand-written letters, bound together into a book form … yes, this was it.

“Beauty?”

“The book . . .” I stammered. “It’s the letters—”

He was at my side immediately. He took the book from my trembling fingers. “You’re right. You’re right! This is it!”

He grabbed me in a hug. I laughed, giddy and tingling, the weirdness between us forgotten. We’d done it. We’d found it!

“You’re amazing,” Will said, stopping and staring down at me. I gave him a smile of pure bliss. And before I knew what was happening, he bent down and kissed me.

I staggered back, my hand flying up to cover my mouth.

Will’s eyes immediately darkened as he took note of my reaction. His smile vanished.

“I … I’m sorry.” He said. He was breathing hard, not meeting my eyes. “That wasn’t what I meant to—I didn’t intend—have I upset you?”

I was trying to shrug it off. “Uh, no, it’s fine.” Except it wasn’t fine. I was pretty much freaking out at the moment. But more than that—

I totally wanted to do it again.

But I forced the thought away and tried to look casual. No big deal, right? He’d gotten carried away. We were just excited about finding the book.

The book. It hit me all over again. This was just too much, all at once.

“Beauty …”

I pointed at the book that was still in his hands. “We should probably look at that.” I couldn’t talk about our tangled relationship right now. I needed time to think about it.

Will sighed heavily, then nodded. “Yes,” he agreed. “Let’s.”

We both fumbled with the pages, laughed shakily, and tried again. My gaze fell over the first few entries again. “This was from a long time ago. What is there around the time of the curse?”

Will flipped to the back. “They end with her marriage. We’ll have to read the whole thing.” He tore out a sheaf and handed them to me. “Here. I’ll take the first half, you take the last.”

I blinked at him in shock. “I can’t believe you just mutilated a book.”

“Well, this book may hold the key to breaking the curse.”

Good point. I took the pages and began reading.

He cleared his throat and started on the other half. I snuck a glance at him over the papers. He looked like he’d just lost his puppy or something.

I didn’t know what to think.

~

When Butler escorted me to dinner that night, he didn’t take me to the dining hall. We passed through it, but the room was empty and the lights unlit.

“Butler? Dinner?”

“No, Miss,” the servant said with a mysterious wink. I noticed his skin was beginning to look more human just like Housekeeper’s. “We’re going to the Conservatory tonight.”

Mystified, I had no choice but to follow him.

I sucked in a breath when we entered the conservatory. Candles flickered on the deck of the sailboat, casting a soft glow across the windows and the mounds of white roses and lilies. A blanket was waiting, spread with sandwiches and fruit. Violin music wafted on the air, and I spotted a servant playing in one corner. I turned to Butler.

“What’s going on?What’s

Will stepped from behind the sailboat. “Thank you, Butler. That’ll be all.”

I gestured at the food and candles. “What is this?”

Will dropped his gaze. “I, er, thought we could have dinner.”

I put a hand over my mouth. Was this an apology or a date?

“Please sit,” he said, gesturing.

Part of me wanted to turn around and march right out the door, but Will looked so hopeful that I couldn’t do it. I sank down onto the blanket and looked around again.

“Is everything … suitable?” Will asked, dropping beside me.

“It’s very nice. But Will …”

“First, close your eyes. I have a surprise.”

I almost didn’t, but he looked so earnest sitting there. So I shut my eyes obediently. Nervous shivers were dancing in my stomach. What was he going to do? This was a mistake, right?

“Now open your mouth.”

“Will, what—?”

“Beauty,” he said sternly. “Trust me.”

I opened my mouth.

Something cold touched my tongue, and then I tasted a sugary burst of fruity coolness. Strawberry ice cream. My eyes flew open in delight.

“Ice cream!” I practically shouted it. “Where’d you get it?”

Will was triumphant. “Turns out, the cook knew how to make it. We have to eat it first, though, before it melts.”

And so we ate ice cream on a blanket in the study, surrounded by candles. Will didn’t mention the book of letters once. He was nothing but charming. I could almost pretend we were back in his time, at some fancy party. He covered every acceptable topic of conversation for a stuffy old party—the weather (cold), my health (impeccable), the room (marred by a large sailboat). But he did it with wit and charm.

I tipped my head back to study the nautical monstrosity that had taken over half the conservatory. “You know, I like the sailboat. It adds a certain something to this room. I like to think I’ve enhanced the arrangement of the furniture with it.”

Will just shook his head. The candlelight gleamed on his scar. When he grinned, he had a dimple on the left side of his mouth.

“I feel like I’m at a ball, almost,” I said. “Ridiculous small talk, live music, candles …”

A devilish look settled across his face, and he stood. “May I have this dance?”

“Oh—I’m not a very good dancer,” I protested. Suddenly my palms felt slick.

“Nonsense.” He reached down and pulled me up into his arms. “It’s not hard at all. Here, you hold your hand like this, and this—”

“I really don’t think …” Being so close to him made my face heat up. I cleared my throat. “What I mean is … I don’t know the steps.”

“You’ll be great,” he said. “Ready?”

“I’m really not sure about this. I’m probably terrible.”

But he was already leading me in time to the music, counting the steps into my ear. I stumbled, then found my footing. Will’s arm tightened around me. My stomach was doing flops, but in a good way.

“Am I butchering the steps?”

“You’re doing fine,” he said. “You’re not terrible at all. Quite graceful, actually.”

“I took tap for two years,” I offered. “Maybe that knocked some dancing sense into me.”

“Not sure wh at ‘tap’ is. But you’re a good dancer.”

A smile tugged at my lips. Will touched my chin with his finger. “There it is.”

The music changed to a slower song. I didn’t know what to do, so I put my hands behind his neck and pressed my cheek to his shoulder. The standard slow dance, right?

Will stiffened slightly. “This is nice,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist and relaxing against me. “But it certainly isn’t the way we would have danced at a ball. It would have caused a scandal.”

I pulled back and looked up into his face. I’d never noticed how long his eyelashes were. Or the way the fringe of his hair brushed the tips of them. I liked it. “If you’d met me in your time, what would you have thought of me?”

“That you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.”

“No, really. What would you have thought?”

His eyes crinkled when he smiled. “I told you. Most beautiful girl.”

“Liar,” I whispered, but my tone was light.

Invisible threads tugged at my body, drawing me closer to him. I could feel his hand on my back, burning me through my clothes. I’d never felt this way about anyone before.

Not even Drew.

He brushed my lips with a kiss, and I felt the shiver all the way down to my toes. My head started spinning. Was I really kissing the beast of the curse house? And
liking
it?

I reached up and ran my fingers lightly over the scar on his forehead. I had never asked him how he got it. Will smiled slightly, turning his head to nuzzle my hand.

We kept dancing, and I fumbled for something—anything—to say.

“I’ve never danced with anyone like this,” I told him.

“Not even your old beau?”

“Beau? You mean Drew?”

“Yes, I meant boyfriend. Beau was an old word for that. But whatever. The skinny, yellow-haired boy.”

I shook my head. “No, Drew and I have never danced. We had no occasion to, because nowadays people usually only do that at prom and weddings—” Wait a second.
The skinny, yellow-haired boy
.

I stopped dancing, and he stumbled into me. I stared up into his face. “How’d you know he was blonde? I never told you that.”

Will’s expression shifted. Was that guilt in his eyes? “Lucky guess.”

No. No way. I had a really bad feeling about this. “You weren’t guessing, you were stating a fact. What are you not telling me?”

“This isn’t the best time for this, Bee.”

I stepped back, breaking his hold on me. “The best time for what?” A sick feeling trickled through my chest. I stared hard at him, trying to read the truth in his eyes. “What is it?”

Will ducked his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just that… It’s—it’s about Drew. He came here a few weeks ago. He wanted to see you.”

“What? Drew came
here
? He came
inside?
” I could barely get the words out. All the air had gone out of my lungs. “He was here and you didn’t tell me?”

“He didn’t come in. He banged on the library window and demanded to see you.”

My chest ached like I’d been punched. I wrapped both arms around myself. “What did you tell him?”

Will ran his hands through his hair, then covered his face with them. “I was so angry at the time … it was right after one of our fights. I told him you were here of your own free will and that I wasn’t hurting you. He asked to see you. I told him no. He made some insinuations. So I yelled and told him to leave. And he did.”

The aching feeling spread through my whole body. My next words came out in a whisper. “And you didn’t tell me about it? You’ve been lying to me this whole time about it?” The ache throbbed as I spoke. I wanted him to deny it.

But he just shook his head sadly, confirming my fears.

“I didn’t want to tell you. I was afraid it would just make you more upset. I was afraid—” He broke off and paced away from me, head down.

“What?” I snapped. Anger started to simmer inside me, eating up the aching feeling with hot flames of fury.

“I was afraid you’d forget about me if you saw him again.” Will raised his head. His eyes were full of both pain and hope.

“You’ve made a huge mistake, Beast Boy.”

Will flinched like I’d cut him.

“You’ve lied to me, and you’ve hurt me, and you’ve manipulated me with dancing and candlelight and all kinds of—” I broke off and covered my face with my hands. I wanted to scream. I’d been such an idiot.