by Myles, Jill
She refused to feel ashamed. Pippa turned to smile at Duncan…
And found no one. He'd left the ballroom. She scanned the audience but he wasn't there, and the crowd staring at the door at the back of the room told her enough. He'd retreated and gone back to his chambers.
Well damn. So much for not feeling ashamed. He'd abandoned her.
Wordless, a man approached and offered her the blindfold. Pippa took it, grateful for the distraction, and tried to fix it behind her head with fumbling fingers. Humiliation rocketed through her.
He'd abandoned her to this crowd.
"Let me," said a soft voice, and Belle came to Pippa's side. She took the blindfold from Pippa's trembling hands and tied it at the back of Pippa's head. Her hands were warm and comforting as she gave her sister a tiny push to the center of the room. "There you go."
Grateful for Belle's help, Pippa smiled behind the blindfold and was blessedly relieved that she couldn't see a thing at the moment. No judging faces, no horrified looks. She put her hands out and began to walk the crowd, eager to get the game started again.
Blessedly, her hands landed on someone right away and she patted them on the shoulder.
"You." When she took the blindfold off, she looked into the kindly eyes of a balding man with a paunch, who grabbed his wife by the hand and they headed off toward the closet. Thank goodness.
Pippa dove into the crowd, hoping they'd forget all about her, and headed to the back of the room, against the wall. When she was there, she relaxed against it and sighed, some of the weight easing off of her shoulders.
A hand grabbed her earlobe and pinched it.
Pippa yelped and leaned into the pinch, wincing. "Ow!"
"You've been a very naughty girl," Muffin said in a scolding tone in her ear. "You're coming with me because we need to have a serious talk, young lady."
8Fingers gripping Pippa's ear, the fairy godmother dragged her out of the room. Pippa glanced around at the other guests, but nobody was noticing them—more of the fairy godmother's magic, she supposed. Her earlobe burned as the small woman dragged her down the hall and through the castle. She didn't let up until they were in front of a familiar door.
Pippa's bedroom that she shared with Belle.
"Inside. Now," Muffin said in a stern voice. And she released Pippa's ear.
Rubbing the wounded earlobe, Pippa frowned and went into her bedroom, then turned and waited for Muffin to follow. For the first time, she got a good look at the fairy godmother's party outfit. The woman wore a giant pink puffy beehive that looked more like cotton candy than hair, and she had fake birds and fruit mixed into the curls. She wore thick ropes of pearls looped around her neck, and her dress looked more like a wedding cake than an actual party gown, complete with bright pink tiers adorned by ruffled white 'frosting.'
"I'm mad at you," Muffin said in a warbly voice, and she shook a finger at Pippa. "You've ruined my party night."
"It was a crap party anyhow," Pippa said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. "No music and nothing but Belle making out with everyone that has a penis."
"And whose fault is that?" Muffin said, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't you remember your goal here, Pippa the Friendly Ghost?"
Feeling like a naughty child, Pippa scuffed one of her slippers on the carpet. "Get Belle and the beast together so they can break the curse."
"Exactly! And I get here and find you've been playing suck-face in the closet with the hero of our fairy tale while the heroine makes out with every man but him." Muffin pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're giving me quite the headache."
"Sorry," Pippa mumbled.
"Do you want to haunt a parking garage full of Toyotas? Is that it?" Muffin shook her head.
"That's the only reason I can think you're doing your best to deliberately sabotage this fairy tale.
You clearly want to hang out in a garage—"
"No, I don't!"
"Then why are you behaving so badly, child? I've done my best to help you along!"
"But Belle doesn't love him," Pippa said in a rush. "Duncan's a good man, and he deserves better than Belle! She's pretty but she doesn't want to talk to him, and he's so lonely! How can I 8not try to make things better for him when—" she stopped herself before she added when I think he's the best guy I've ever met.
She couldn't say that to Muffin. The fairy godmother would have an aneurysm.
"Look, it's not for you to decide," Muffin exclaimed, nervously playing with a long strand of pearls at her throat. "It's not about love—at least, not for him. It's about breaking the curse. He has to marry Belle to break the curse. Or did you want him to remain a beast forever?"
"No," Pippa said, ashamed at the sulkiness in her voice. "I want him to be happy."
"So do I. That's the point of this entire exercise, my girl. Which means that you need to remember your goal and behave. I didn't send you here to seduce the man. He has to marry Belle.
End of story. Understand me?"
Tears burned in Pippa's eyes but she blinked them back and nodded. "I understand."
"Good. I'll check back in a day or two and see how things are progressing." The fairy godmother's shrewd eyes studied Pippa for a long moment. "Perhaps you need to sit in the corner in time out and think about what you did wrong."
Like a two year old? "I'll be good," Pippa said, and made a cross over her breasts. "Cross my heart."
"Hope to die?" The fairy godmother raised an eyebrow. "Oh the irony."
And then she puffed out in a burst of glitter before Pippa could say anything else. As if all the strength had left her body, Pippa sank to the floor and hugged her knees close. This was a disaster. She was messing everything up. The harder she tried, the worse she made it.
She had to get Belle to marry Duncan.
And she had to somehow push Duncan away and make him realize that Belle was the sister for him, not Pippa. She wasn't even in the original fairy tale at all.
If she didn't make that happen, they were all doomed. It wasn't fair, but it was the only choice she had.
8
CHAPTER SIX
"Pippy, wake up." A hard finger poked Pippa in the side, rousing her from sleep.
She shook her head and struggled to sit upright, swimming in the blankets on the bed she shared with Belle. There was a candle lit on the nightstand nearby, and Belle sat next to her on the bed, still dressed in her ballroom finery. Pippa had changed out of hers hours ago and was in her chemise, her hair down. The rose that Duncan had given her was safely tucked away in Pippa's things. She wanted to keep it. "Belle? What is it?"
Her sister's lovely face looked troubled in the candlelight. "We need to talk."
Uh oh. This is my fault, Pippa thought grimly. She was the one messing everything up in this fairy tale. She sat up and leaned against the headboard of the large bed, instantly awake. "What's wrong?"
Belle sighed heavily. "I didn't want to have to say this, but…you ruined my party."
"Excuse me?" Pippa stared at her 'sister.' "I ruined your party? How so?"
Belle blinked wide blue eyes at her. "I was supposed to be the center of attention the entire night, but then you went into the closet with the beast and no one could talk about anything else after that. It's like they completely forgot I was there." Her brow furrowed, as if she simply couldn't understand how such a thing could happen to her. "And this was supposed to be my celebration."
"Well, it sure seemed like you were celebrating enough," Pippa snapped, her temper getting the better of her. How dare Belle wake her up and accuse her of ruining her party? She had just about enough of this crap. "You didn't have to make out with every single guy that approached you, you know. You could have said no to someone."
"But it was such a fun game," Belle said dreamily. "Why would I turn anyone down?"
"Um, because you're here to marry the beast?"
"So why didn't you turn him down when he approached you? He's my fiancée, as you kee
p reminding me. Why did you go into the closet with him?"
Pippa said nothing. She'd already apologized to Muffin. She wouldn't apologize to Belle, too.
Not when in her heart she didn't regret it. Those seven minutes had truly been heaven.
8"You want him, don't you?" Belle said. "Despite the fact that he's a beast and you'd have to live forever in this horrible castle?"
Longing pierced Pippa's heart. She wanted all of that. She liked this castle—and its lord. She would stay here forever if she could, but that wasn't on the table. "I can't."
"You've never said why."
"And I won't."
The two sisters stared at each other. Belle frowned at Pippa. "I don't want you going into the closet with him anymore. I'm the pretty one. The one he's supposed to marry. He's supposed to be falling all over me, not you."
Pippa narrowed her eyes at Belle, studying her expression. She looked annoyed. Was
she…jealous? "Wait. You want him now? Before you couldn't stand for him to even look at you."
Belle shrugged, playing with her fluffy skirts. "Well, that was before. I'm getting used to his ugly face now, and he is the lord of a castle, even if it's a cursed one. And he has lots of money. I could have parties like this one all the time if I was his wife."
Her jaw dropped and she stared at Belle, unable to believe what she was hearing. So Belle had decided she wanted the beast…because she wanted to be the center of attention? Because Pippa had him and that bothered Belle? Or because he had trunks full of jewels and Belle liked to throw parties?
None of this had a single thing to do with Duncan. She pictured him, hiding away in his room while Belle threw party after party, and felt a surge of anger. Then, she felt stupid. Of course it wouldn't play out like that. If Belle married him, the curse would be broken and he'd be back to being a normal handsome prince. Pippa pictured Duncan's leonine face and yellow eyes, trying to picture him as a normal man…and couldn't. She sighed, heavily. "So now you want to marry him. That's wonderful, Belle." She forced a bright smile to her face. "I'm here to help you make that happen.
Belle smiled prettily. "Good! I'm so glad, Pippy."
"Pippa," she said wearily. "We'll give Duncan the good news in the morning."
~~***~~
9The next morning, Pippa woke early and dressed. She wanted to talk to Duncan before Belle woke up to let him know that Belle had agreed to marry him. She didn't know how he'd react, and for some reason, she thought it should be something she told him privately.
So Pippa slipped out the door and headed down the hall. It was early, the gardens still misty with fog outside. She passed a few of the townsfolk who gave her curious looks and tepid greetings. Their bags were packed and they were clearly on their way home, and Pippa couldn't say she was sorry to see them go. They made Duncan uncomfortable, so she wanted them gone.
She made her way to his rooms and knocked on the door.
It opened, and he admitted her. No sooner had she moved into his room that he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her. His mouth was on hers, passionate and full of need, and for a moment, Pippa was weak and wanting. God, she loved being in his arms.
Then, she forced herself to push away from him. When his mouth pulled away from hers, she whispered, "We can't."
His yellow eyes narrowed at her and he released her from his grasp. His voice was stiff. "My touch disgusts you?"
"Not at all," Pippa said in a soft voice. "If it had, things would have never gotten so far between us."
"Yet you turn me away this morning?"
She forced a bright smile to her face. "Good news. Belle has agreed to marry you."
He stared at her, uncomprehending, and then shook his head. "I do not want Belle. If I have my choice of sisters, I choose none but you." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
"Since you have come here, you have enchanted the beast with your sweet presence and your warm heart, my Pippa. When you walk into a room, I see no one but you. Only you have been able to see the man beneath the beast, and I will only take you for my wife."
Such beautiful words…and they were so very wrong. Pippa bit her lip, willing herself to be strong. "You can't marry me."
"You mentioned that your heart was engaged elsewhere. Who is this other man?"
She shook her head. "There’s no one else. You can't possibly think that I would touch you like this if there was someone else."
He seemed pleased by that. “I’m glad. But if there is not another man, then what makes you pause?"
9She cast about, looking for an excuse, and couldn't find one. "I…I'm leaving. I'm not even supposed to be here right now." It was the truth, at least. "I just couldn't leave Belle on her own."
"Then change your journey. Stay with me. Be at my side."
She slipped her hand from his. "I can't," she told him with an ache in her voice. "If it were at all possible, I would, Duncan. But it's not. You have to marry Belle."
His jaw clenched. "I will not."
"Belle will make you a good wife," she said desperately, squeezing his paw-hand. "She's lovely and has a good heart, and once you get married, I'm sure she'll settle down and you'll both be happy as could be." That was how the fairy tale went, after all. Happily ever after and all that.
The wicked stepsister? Always sent away and out of the picture.
"So you came here this morning to tell me to marry your sister, whom I do not love, and when I confess my love for you, you refuse it and state that you are leaving and cannot marry me. Do you toy with my emotions, Pippa? I have been nothing but honest with you."
"You have. It's me that's failing everyone," Pippa said with a wistful sigh. "I'm just the wicked stepsister. I never meant to come between you and Belle."
"There is nothing to come between," he roared, furious. He turned away from her and began to pace, hooves clicking on the stone floors. "The only ones you are coming between are us. You and I."
"You and I don't exist," she cried out. "You and I aren't part of the story. I'm sorry, but we just can't be."
"If there is no you and I," he said with a snarl, not looking at her, "Then I do not wish to marry anyone. Now leave me."
"Duncan," she said softly.
"Leave!" he roared.
She sighed and glanced around his room, staring with sadness at the small table with the chess pieces, the warm fire flickering in the fireplace. The large bed she'd never get to share with him. Belle would share that bed with him. Pippa glanced away, stung by how much that ached.
"If you cared for me," she told him, "you'd marry Belle. You have no idea how much it would mean to me."
"You cannot ask that of me," he said in a harsh voice. "Either agree to marry me, or leave."
She left. She had no other choice.
9
~~***~~
It took Pippa some time to compose herself. Every time she got close to returning to the room she shared with Belle, she would be hit by emotion — anger, jealousy, sorrow — so great that she had to turn away and compose herself. So she walked the castle grounds by herself, careful to stick close to the wall as she did on her walks with Duncan, and avoided the maze.
She desperately wished for the fairy godmother to show up, but true to form, Muffin was nowhere to be found. Pippa suspected that Muffin would only return when Pippa least wanted her to. That seemed to be how things went. Still, she had to figure this out, somehow.
Belle finally wanted the beast because she liked being the center of attention.
The beast wouldn't marry Belle because he wanted Pippa.
Pippa couldn't marry the beast because his curse would not be lifted. Not only that, but she'd destroy the fairy tale, and thus her own second chance at life. Was it worth destroying everyone's happiness for another day or two of her own?
Yes, she wanted to scream.
But she wasn't that selfish. She knew how lonely Duncan was, and she wanted to make things right for him,
even if it meant giving him up herself.
So she walked the grounds and tried to think of a way to make things right.
And after hours of stewing and fretting, she came up with a plan.
It was a mean plan. It would mean betraying Duncan to ensure his happiness. He'd never forgive her, and it made her heart ache just to think about how betrayed he'd feel once he discovered the truth of her plan.
But it had to be done. So she went back to the room she shared with Belle to discuss.
~~***~~
"Duncan is going to marry me," Pippa said, seated on the bed with her sister. When Belle looked upset, Pippa raised a hand to explain. "At least, he's going to think he's marrying me."
Belle tilted her head, curious. "I don't understand."
9"We need you to marry him," Pippa explained. "He's being stubborn and says he wants to marry me." When Belle looked hurt at this, Pippa changed tactics and placed her hand on Belle's, soothing her. "I think he just doesn't realize how incredibly amazing you are, Belle. He's being very stubborn. We have to show him what an incredible catch you are. Just think of how happy he'll be when he realizes what we've done and that he's gotten the sister that's the true prize?"
That made her sister brighten a little. "So how do we do this?"
Well, that had been easy. Pippa launched her plan. "We'll tell him that I'm going to marry him and set things in action. On the day of the wedding, we'll switch gowns and you'll put on a heavy veil. He won't realize that it's not me until it's too late. Then you'll be married and he'll realize just how happy he is that he has you." The words felt sour in her mouth. "The real treasure."
Belle considered this thoughtfully. "You don't think he'll be mad?"
"Not when he sees how lovely you are," Pippa said honestly. "Not when he finds out how marrying you will make all of his dreams come true." Curse lifted, beautiful bride, and happy ever after. He'd forget all about Pippa within a day or two.
Which was good, because she planned on leaving the castle before the wedding ever hit. She didn't want to be there to see the fury on his face. And she didn't want him to see the agony on hers.