Loved by the Beast
Page 23
“Damask, Bourbon...Ayrshire!” he threw out the names of each variety of rose as he went to each of several rose bushes yet to be planted.
Léa walked up more slowly, pleased that he was excited by her gift. She’d asked her father to purchase the best rose bushes he could find to replace the ones torn out. Of course, she had no idea what the different varieties were and it wasn’t her father’s usual acquisition, so she was nervous they wouldn’t be right.
“Léa, look, Alba!” He knelt before a bush that had a single white bloom on it and cupped it in his hands, breathing deeply of its scent. “Their fragrance is truly delightful, and they’ll do well through our mountain winters.”
“What does white mean, my love?”
“It has several meanings—purity, remembrance. But a single white rose has a very special meaning. It speaks an almost reverent message of hope and everlasting love.”
Léa knelt down to breathe in the scent of the bloom as well.
Placing his arm around her shoulders and kissing her head, Audric asked, “Would you mind if I spoke to God for a moment?”
“No, of course not.” She bowed her head and folded her hands.
Audric lifted his head and spoke in a hushed tone close to a whisper, “Beloved Father, Savior, Friend. I find myself at a loss for words...what words could convey how much you’ve given me?” He was silent for a long moment, then continued, “You’ve given us your everlasting love, and with a small measure of that my heart is so full it could burst in love for Léa. Thank you for the dangerous but powerful hope you’ve given me.” He turned to Léa and added, “Amen.”
Léa crossed herself and looked up. “This place is grander than the finest cathedral,” she said, taking his hand. “And when we have children of our own, we’ll bring them here and this shall be their church.”
He squeezed her hand affectionately. “Even if they look like me?” He still wasn’t sure how she felt about the possibility.
“They will be beautiful and loved either way, and we’ll give them a life filled with that love. That’s the best life that anyone can have.”
“Agreed.” He smiled and stood up, and Léa followed suit.
She turned back to the roses. “Now, do you want to plant these yourself or shall we commission Lambert to the task?”
Audric wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and said, “I’ll let Lambert have the pleasure of that task. I think I’d rather handle something less thorny for a while.” He nuzzled his face into her neck and kissed it. She laughed and brought a hand up to his head. “Are you happy, darling?” she asked.
“Very. And you?”
“Perfectly happy.”
Epilogue
While it may be too much to say that they lived happily ever after, it can be said that they lived in the joys and losses that life brings in the happy state of shared companionship.
Lisette and Jacques eventually married and were given the east wing in which to reside. Duchesse d'Aramitz did travel at her son’s suggestion, finding a worthy companion in Juliette, for whom she couldn’t help but try and find a suitable husband—much to her children’s chagrin. Monsieur Du Bois continued on to be a reasonably successful traveling merchant, training François and Marie as they traveled with him.
As for Audric and Léa, they gave Duchesse d'Aramitz her wish, as grandchildren were soon forthcoming, much to everyone’s delight. The first of which they, naturally, named Rose. You may be wondering whether she was more like her father or more like her mother, but that is a story for another day.
Though most of the village believed Audric to be dead, rumors continued to spread amongst the rest. On occasion an old grandmother would stop outside their château, shake her head and say, “Beauty and the Beast? Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a shame!” And if ever such things reached the couple’s ears, they simply laughed and held each other tighter in the joy of their love.
Finis
Author’s Note
Thank you for joining me on Audric and Léa’s journey! It has been a pleasure to write their story. This story and the two that follow have poured out of me in a matter of a few months and I can’t help but feel God’s hand in it. I hope you have felt, as I have, the depth of God’s affectionate and sacrificial love through the love that Audric has for Léa.
The idea of using a man with hypertrichosis (hair overgrowth) for this tale is not a new one. It has long been rumored that the man Petrus Gonsalvus, or other nobles with birth defects, may have been the inspiration for Madame de Villeneuve and Madame Beaumont’s original tales (yes, I tried to give a nod to these two through the characters with those names!). An internet search will bring up pictures and other information on those with this condition for anyone interested.
The two books that follow will be best read in sequence as they build on this one. Service and Slumber is a Sleeping Beauty tale about Audric and Léa’s daughter Rose and little Gabriel from this book. A Gentle Pursuit is a Cinderella and Ugly Duckling tale about Audric and Léa’s second daughter, Giselle, and a Jewish doctor named Remy Zecheriah Abraham. I hope you will join me on their journeys as well!