by Sable Sylvan
“Inside...my closet?” asked Rose. “I’ve heard of a water closet, but a bathroom closet?”
Hannah opened the double doors to the closet...and then she pushed the closet open, revealing a walk-in closet that was absolutely enormous. One wall of the closet had a white door with a copper knob and that was the wall to which Hannah led Rose. “Right past here is the bathroom, I hope you’ll find it has everything you’re looking for,” said Hannah.
“I’m sure it will,” said Rose. For the first time, she noticed Hannah was much taller than her. “Hannah...are you a shifter?”
“Yup, I’m a bear shifter, like most people around here,” said Hannah with a smile, holding out her hands. Her hands had marks on them similar to a bear’s paw’s pads, with a large spot on her palms, almost down to her wrist, and small spots at the bases of her fingers. Her spots were dark brown, signifying she was a grizzly shifter like Beast. “Take your bath, Rose, I’ll get an outfit together for you.”
“Fine, fine,” said Rose, and she walked into the bathroom. With white marble and a grandiose mirror surrounded by marquee lights, it was as luxurious as she expected, but the piece de resistance was the large bathtub. Rose ran the bath, getting cleaned up while she waited for the bath to fill.
In the cabinets were a bunch of new toothbrushes, sealed in plastic. She ripped one open, along with a box of toothpaste, and brushed her teeth. Getting cleaned up made her feel ten times better.
Rose sunk into the tub, letting the water cover her curves. It had been years since she’d had a proper bath. She’d showered every day at her house, of course, but their bath tub was practically child sized, and even her sisters couldn’t fit in it comfortably anymore. This bath tub was the size of a Jacuzzi, meant to fit two people, and Rose covered herself up to the neck in water before tossing in another item she’d found in her search through the cabinets: a pale pink bath bomb.
The bath bomb fizzed and let out streams of pale pink shimmer as it dyed the bath water pink, softening the water with its emollient oils, trapped beneath the fizzy layers, but the scent was all too familiar to Rose: the aroma of her namesake flower filled the bathroom. It had to be a coincidence. The bedroom’s décor wasn’t that weird, as rose motifs were popular in shabby chic interior design, she knew as much from lusting over dreamy duvets online, but the bath bomb?
Rose put the thought out of her head. Maybe the bath bomb was just meant to go with the room’s theme and décor. That had to be it. There was no frikkin’ way that this was all set up as a reference to her name. How would Beast have the time to set all that up in the three hour ride from her small town, in the middle of the frikkin’ night?
Rose soaked until her muscles had no more knots to loosen up and her feet had turned to her jelly. Rose ducked under the water to wet her hair before she shampooed and conditioned it before getting out of the bath and wrapping herself in a bright white terry towel from a stack of soft, clean towels, and drying herself off. She opened the various drawers along the vanity. She found an unused hairbrush, with a thermal barrel, tags still attached, as well as a hairdryer. She plugged in the hair dryer and turned it on, brushing her hair as it dried.
Rose got changed back into the pajamas and walked back out to the boudoir. Hannah was sitting on a tufted chaise lounge tapping at her phone before she looked up at Rose and smiled. “Hey you,” said Hannah. “I picked out your outfit for the day.” She stood and led Rose over to an island counter top in the center of the room. A pale green dress was lying on top of the counter, with a pair of matching panties and a matching bra. On top of the dress was a pair of brand new shoes, brown leather flats.
Rose fingered the dress. “Are you sure you don’t have anything more...well, practical?” asked Rose.
“Practical? To do what?” asked Hannah.
“Your boss hired me, and I don’t know what for,” admitted Rose. “If I’m supposed to be a chef or a gardener or something, this just won’t do.”
“He wants to have dinner with you once a week,” said Hannah. “That’s all. And one of those dinners will be tonight, at nine. I’ve prepared an outfit for that as well, but I’ll lay it out for you later.”
“Dinner...once a week?” asked Rose, incredulous. “There has to be more, Hannah. What am I supposed to do all week?”
“Get changed, and I’ll show you, after breakfast,” said Hannah, picking up the clothes and handing them to Rose. “I’ll wait in your room.” Hannah walked out the closet and shut the doors behind her, leaving Rose with the new clothes.
Rose fingered the clothes. There was no way they’d fit. She looked at the shoes: they were in exactly her size...so maybe, just maybe, the dresses would fit too. She slipped off her pajamas and got changed into the new underwear and the shoes first.
The shoes were surprisingly comfortable. They looked like they’d be pinchy, but the shoes, with only a slight heel, were made of buttery leather that was meant to take the form of Rose’s feet. Rose slipped the unbuttoned dress over her head and buttoned the front: she expected the dress to gape at her breasts like most clothes, even plus sized clothes, did, but the dress left plenty of breathing room and the buttons lined up perfectly.
Rose went to the bathroom to brush her hair back: she couldn’t believe how she looked in the mirror. She couldn’t think of a time she had looked this beautiful. She couldn’t get the prying thoughts out of her head: why would Beast want to make her look like a beauty?
She headed back out to the her room. Hannah was sitting on the comfy white sofa. She looked up and ran her eyes over Rose. “You look perfect,” said Hannah with a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
***
Hannah took Rose on a tour of the wing of the house Rose was staying in. Most of the rooms overlooked the gorgeous lake, which in the daytime shone in brilliant shades of blue and green, shades of sapphire and of emerald competing with the glimmering sun. A large living room overlooking one wing of the house was filled with books, and there was a large kitchen full of bustling people.
“Thank you,” said Rose as Hannah placed the tray in front of Rose. Rose looked at the tray: she usually had a cup of coffee in the morning, maybe a bowl of cereal, not a full spread like this: there was toast covered in jam, tea steeping in a cup, and a plate of eggs and sausage with a waffle covered in syrup and French toast, with a side of strawberries and cream. “It’s not poisoned, is it?”
Hannah laughed but when she saw Rose’s stoic face, she stopped. “Oh. No, it’s not poisoned...why would it be?” asked Hannah.
“I don’t know why your boss has me here,” said Rose as she ate the food. She hadn’t had such a large meal cooked for her by someone else in a long, long time. “Maybe it’s to sell my organs.”
“Well, if he was going to sell your organs, why would he poison you?” asked Hannah with a raised eyebrow.
“Good point,” admitted Rose, and she dug in. The breakfast was hearty and filling. The waffles hit the spot and the eggs were cooked to perfection. The tea, however, tasted different than she was used to. “What’s in the tea?”
“That’s rose tea,” said Hannah. “It’s black tea with rose petals in it. The tea is from China, but the roses are locally grown.”
“What’s with all the roses?” asked Rose.
“My boss has...a special interest in roses,” said Hannah. “That’s all I can say.”
“And let me guess, he brings other women named Rose here, in an attempt to seduce them?” asked Rose.
“You’re the first woman that my boss has brought here,” promised Hannah. “Eat up. I want to show you something.”
“Fine,” said Rose, and she finished her tea, which had cooled to a reasonable temperature by now, after she ate the last of her strawberries and cream. Hannah texted someone on her phone and someone came out to take the tray away.
“I can get anything I want here, right?” asked Rose.
“That’s right,” said Hannah, leading Rose down one of the
halls.
“And that means anything, right?” asked Rose.
“Well, within reason,” admitted Hannah. “Why, what do you want?”
“Can I get a cell phone here, just for the month?” asked Rose.
“You can...but it won’t be much use,” said Hannah. “We don’t get reception here: you have to use a landline to make calls.”
“How do you use yours then?” asked Rose.
“It’s not a phone, it’s just a smart device,” said Hannah, pulling out the device. “See? No reception.” Rose looked at it: there wasn’t any reception being detected by the phone.
“So what’s it for?” asked Rose.
“Coordinating with the staff,” said Hannah. “It’s connected to Wi-Fi, but it can’t make calls. Is there someone you wanted to call?”
“Yeah,” admitted Rose. “My family.”
“I can make sure that a landline phone is set up in your room, if you want,” said Hannah, pulling out her phone.
“Thanks, Hannah,” said Rose. “I hope it’s not too much trouble...I just want to let them know I’m okay.”
Hannah gave Rose a soft smile. “That’s fine, Rose. I understand. My boss would want to make sure you have every happiness here, so let me arrange this for you.” She tapped away at the device and almost lost track of the tour. She’d led Rose down a hall to a large set of double doors.
“Maybe this’ll get your mind off things,” said Hannah before she opened the door. Past the doors was a private library. It was the kind Rose had only ever seen in movies and had no idea existed in contemporary America.
“Whoa,” said Rose, filled with wonder as she took ginger steps into the massive library. Two stories tall, with a stained glass ceiling, the library had two tiers, with a large long table with a few wooden chairs along it and softly lit lamps. Large leather armchairs, fit for a cigar club, were scattered around the room, and a large fireplace with a mantle full of small items was against another wall.
“You think that’s cool? Watch this,” ordered Hannah, and Hannah flicked one of the many switches by the door, which caused a large set of curtains to move back on their own, away from one rounded wall, revealing a large window that was two stories tall and allowed Rose to overlook the entire lake. There was a chaise lounge by the window and a set of leather chairs, as well as some small end tables.
“This is amazing, Hannah,” said Rose, walking over the dark hardwood floors and plush Persian carpets to the mantle of the fireplace. She looked at what was on the mantle. The small items were all forest animals, some carved of stone, others made of fabric. “Are these yours?”
“Mine? No way,” said Hannah with a laugh. “They’re my...employer’s. He’s collecting a forest full of animals. He collects those items on his travels whenever he sees them sold by street vendors.”
Raccoon, deer, elk, moose, beaver; even a pack of wolves, the whole forest was there with one notable exception. “Where’s the bear?” asked Rose, looking back at Hannah.
Hannah paused while she figured out what to say. “That’s a question better left to my boss,” said Hannah. “Come, let me show you around.”
Rose left the cozy lounge area and followed Hannah around the library as Hannah showed her where the various genres of books were. Rose picked out a book she’d been meaning to get to: Jane Eyre. “Interesting choice,” commented Hannah. “Are you a fan of the Brontës?”
“No, but this looks like it could occupy me all day,” said Rose.
“I’ll come find you when it’s dinner time, then,” said Hannah with a smile. “Make yourself at home, Rose.”
“I’ll try,” said Hannah, and after Rose left, she settled in on the chaise lounge by the large window. The view of the lake was amazing. Yes, there were people and cars and boats, but they looked small from up on the mountain mansion. The lake was crystal clear and Rose could make out the various families playing in the water. Rose sighed. There was no way that she’d ever have anything like that. Between taking care of her sisters and working whatever shifts she could get at the restaurant, there was no way that she’d find true love.
Her mind wandered to her host: “Beast”? What kind of a name was “Beast”, especially for a man as tall and handsome as him? Sure, he wasn’t exactly her favorite person in the world: she’d been terrified during the car ride to the mansion, and he hadn’t done anything to make her feel better, but the mansion hadn’t been anything like what she’d expected. It was comfortable and luxurious, and after spending years in her small town where the most exciting thing had been the opening of a new gas station, this was the closest thing to a vacation she’d had.
Get a grip, Rose told herself. He’s not some prince on a white horse: he’s the guy who almost had Dad arrested. Rose opened her book to distract herself from the thoughts of her handsome host...but as a fast reader, as soon as Rose got to the descriptions of Byronic Mr. Rochester she clasped the book shut. Beast was basically Rochester: a mysterious brooding man who kept to himself in a mansion. Of course, Beast had the looks Mr. Rochester didn’t, but their attitudes were the same. Did that make her Jane Eyre? Sure, she wasn’t an orphan turned nanny, but she wasn’t exactly a socialite either, and they had more in common in terms of personality than she’d thought they would, given that curvy modern Rose didn’t exactly see herself as a waifish Gothic heroine. How did Jane handle Mr. R? Rose opened the book again and read more.
Before Rose got to the end, she heard someone walk into the library. “Hello?” called Rose.
“It’s just me,” said Hannah. “I’ve got your dinner outfit ready: you can head back to your room and change before dinner.”
“I can’t wear this?” asked Rose, motioning to the fancy dress she was already in.
“Your host has requested that you wear a special outfit,” said Hannah with a wink.
“Oh God, it better not be a gimp suit,” said Rose as she walked out the library doors with Hannah and out into the halls of the mansion. Visions of leather contraptions and red rooms ran through Rose’s head. She’d read enough romances to know exactly where this was going.
“You think I’d let my...boss put you in a gimp suit?” asked Hannah with her hands on her hips. “No frikkin’ way. Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”
“Alright,” said Rose as Hannah opened the door to Rose’s bedroom.
She followed after Hannah into the walk-in closet, which was filled with even more clothing than it had been before. “Where did all these things come from?” asked Rose.
“Boss said to get you some nice things for your visit, and he paid for them himself,” said Hannah. “He did have a few...requirements, though.”
“Requirements?” asked Rose.
“He wants you to not only be treated like a princess, but to look like one,” said Hannah, motioning to a mannequin that had been set up with a dress. Looking around, Rose had missed it entirely, but once she was directed to look at the mannequin, Rose’s jaw practically to the floor.
Chapter Three
It was the most gorgeous dress that she’d ever seen. From neckline to hem, it was perfection. The dress had a ball gown style cupcake-shaped skirt, but the dress wasn’t long enough to hit the floor, merely slightly before the knee. At first glance, the dress looked like an ivory dress with a floral pattern, but up close, it was much more luxurious.
The skirt was made of tulle and was tailored in the bubble style, allowing for the skirt to be filled with roses made of satin with shimmery thread along the edges for embroidery. The roses were surrounded by vines with thorns and leaves, made of soft fabric and sewn into place. Transparent synthetic thread kept the roses bound to the inner layer of fabric, some more tightly bound than others, and the entire garden of synthetic flowers was covered by the layer of light tulle that covered the dress and dipped below the hem, up and into the skirt, making the skirt a bubble skirt.
The neckline was modest, but the flowers crept up and framed the bust, and finally, the sleeve
s were covered with soft ivory tulle, which lay flat against the mannequin’s shoulders.
“So, what do you think?” asked Hannah.
“I’m supposed to wear that?” asked Rose, looking at the dress and then back at her bear shifter friend. “No frikkin’ way.”
“Why not? I saw the way you looked at the dress,” said Hannah. “You’d look amazing in it.”
“Anyone would...but are you sure it’s going to fit me?” asked Rose.
“It’s been made to your specifications,” said Hannah. “It’ll fit. Trust me. You’ll need help with the zipper in the back, but I’ll leave you with it in private. Try it on.” Hannah left the dressing room, entering the bathroom to wait, leaving Rose with the dress.
Rose fingered the dress. The mesh tulle was so thin it was almost transparent. A delicate thing like this dress was much different than the usual garb she wore: jeans, old t-shirts from the thrift shoe, ratty tennis shoes. The clothes were practical, fit for doing dishes and vacuuming in. A dress like this...it indeed looked like a dress that was meant for a princess.
Rose unzipped the dress, finding the hidden zipper on the back of the dress, and took it off the mannequin gingerly, before disrobing and getting changed into the clean set of lingerie that had been laid out on the closet. Ivory with pale pink embroidery of rose bushes, the lingerie matched the dress, and she slipped first into the lingerie, and then, into the dress, which fell against her curves with ease.
Rose looked at herself in the mirror: she barely recognized herself. Sure, her deep brown wavy hair was still there, and her deep, dark eyes, but the dress made her look regal, nothing like the way she saw herself. She turned and looked at herself from another angle. There was no way she’d get in and out of the dress on her own.
She heard a knock from the bathroom. “Come in,” she called, and Hannah came back into the room.
Hannah looked Rose over. “You look absolutely marvelous,” said Hannah, walking up behind Rose. She zipped the dress up, straight up, and the dress was a perfect fit for Rose. “Now, you need the shoes.”