To Marry or Not to Marry
Belle was still lost in sleep, groggy and confused, when Lily Evans’s expression suddenly hardened, a chill sweeping over her face.
Mrs. Silver gasped, startled to find Lily Evans in Belle’s room so early. She hurriedly bowed, "Greetings, Madam!"
"He dares to come again!" Eugene Warren shot up at the doorway, his whole body bristling with murderous intent.
Mrs. Silver jumped, startled. "Oh my goodness, Eugene Jr., what’s gotten into you?"
The commotion finally roused Belle from sleep. She blinked awake, as if escaping a nightmare, but the sharp sting in her body dragged her back to cruel reality. Unwanted memories crashed into her mind, leaving her trembling violently.
Mrs. Silver, beaming, said, "Belle, your sweetheart Ernie Lee is outside with a band playing! What a spectacle! This is truly a happy occasion! I told you he was sincere—now he’s come to propose!"
Belle’s eyes widened in terror at the mention of Ernie Lee, clinging tightly to April’s hand as if for dear life.
"Mrs. Silver, please step outside." Lily Evans, her face dark as thunder, dismissed the clueless Mrs. Silver with a curt wave.
"Madam, I..." Belle listened to the festive suona music outside, wishing she could die on the spot—anything to escape this humiliation.
"Belle, don’t be afraid. I’m here, and no one can force you." Lily Evans held Belle’s hand, her voice steady and reassuring, almost magical in its calm. "Just think of last night as a dog bite—don’t let it haunt you. Ernie Lee is using filthy tricks to force you into marriage, but if you married him, you’d never know peace. Trust me: if you don’t want to marry, I’ll protect you. No one will ever make you."
Belle’s tears streamed down her cheeks again. "Madam, I don’t want to marry him! Ernie Lee is a shameless scoundrel—I can’t stand the sight of him, let alone marry him! But... everyone thinks I’m already his. If I don’t marry him, what’s left for me? Madam, my heart aches so much!"
"Belle, just because you’ve been bitten by a dog doesn’t mean you have to spend your life with one! If you don’t want to marry him, stay here—I’ll take care of you forever, and that beast won’t get a single copper!" Lily Evans gripped Belle’s hand tightly. "You’re my most valued maid—clever, loyal, hardworking. How could I let you marry into that kind of family and suffer? If Ernie Lee were a decent man, maybe, but he’s a lowlife in his twenties, and no woman in the village would touch him! His brother Doggie Lee beat his wife to death. Those two are cut from the same cloth. If you marry Ernie Lee, it won’t be long before he beats you to death too! Just look at Hannah Lee—her mother’s gone, and now her stepmother and rotten father abuse her terribly! Belle, could you bear to let yourself and your future children live like animals?"
As Lily Evans spoke, her own voice broke, tears welling up from frustration and grief.
April pressed close, her voice trembling but firm. "Sis, you can’t marry that beast. If you do, your life will be ruined! Just stay with Madam—we’ll serve her and Old Madam together. I won’t marry either; I’ll stay with you for life!"
Belle burst into sobs. "No, I won’t marry! I’d rather die than marry that beast Ernie Lee! If I did, I’d just be letting that brute win, stabbing Madam, Old Madam, and my little sister in the heart!"
"Good girl, Belle, that’s the spirit!" Lily Evans finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Ernie Lee pays for what he did to you!"