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Beauty learns that The Beast is planning to hang her brother Tom. Knowing his fierce reputation, she goes to plead with The Beast for her brother's life. He plans to hang her brother and still use her but something she says to him, more by luck than by any plan, intrigues him enough to spare her brother.

She promises to stay with him, never to see her family again, and to give him her love. She doesn't love him, of course, but she is grateful to him for sparing her brother.

He uses her roughly but once in a while there's a small crack in the wall he's built around himself. It's enough for Beauty to try to reach the heart of the man inside.

He's no fool, he soon realizes this is no peasant girl but a woman educated and trained to run a castle.

He fights against it, but he soon comes to care for her. They fight, and make love and stand by each other, against the world around them and slowly come to love each other.

There are still outside conflicts: Beauty's sharp-tongued mother, a resentful older brother, and a scamp younger brother, a suave knight, a rogue soldier, thieves, and a visit from the King but these things only serve to bring them closer together.

Here is an Excerpt:

The Beast paced the room agitated, at this glimpse of the girl's mind. Finally he paused, tamping down his fury before continuing, "What exactly are you offering? For all your fine talk, so far as I can tell, there's nothing at all about you to interest me in the least."

Beauty silently pushed her hood back, letting him see her face for the first time., She reached up and pulled the leather thong, releasing her dirty, but long, flowing hair.

The Beast stared at her amazed and stunned. He struggled to maintain his icy demeanor, to hide his disconcerting reaction from her. Beauty was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, at least her face was, covered as it was with dirt. She was young, maybe eighteen, barely more than a girl, and seemed very petite. She had clear blue eyes, perfect cheekbones. A generous mouth, with even white teeth, smooth clear skin, and thick dark blond hair.

The Beast found his voice and snarled, "You've been working in the fields too long, lass, and you are very dirty. Indeed, right now you look more like a plough horse in need of a good grooming than a lass I wouldst bed, bit I will admit you could clean up passably well, and your teeth do seem to be decent. Now drop your cloak and let me see if there's a body worthy of my interest under all that wrapping."

Beauty was torn between being insulted, defiant, and afraid. Her eyes flashed as she struggled to hold her tongue and her mind worked feverishly to figure out if she was helping her brother at all or hurting his cause. Slowly, her eyes down, she removed the heavy, concealing cloak, dropping it to the floor.

The Beast was no stranger to a woman's charms so he could tell that she had a stunning figure beneath her loose, bulky dress. Her breasts were very full and round for someone so slender. They stood out proudly against the rough material. He was amazed and more than a little angry that she'd been hidden from him. After all, she was his property!

He decided to get a little revenge. It would be fun to see how long it would take him to shatter her spirit. Even through the dress, he noted her shaking legs and wondered it she would even last out the night.

"You still have too many clothes on. For all I can tell you have no shape at all, the Beast snapped. "I said disrobe."

"M'lord!" Beauty blushed.

"Is not your brother worth it? What did you think would happen when you offered to do anything to save him? Didst you think I would leave him go without demanding payment?" The Beast was without mercy, leaning into her pale, ashen face as he finished with deadly quiet. "Without seizing payment from your body and your very soul?"

"I am more than ready to do anything you ask of me to save my brother's life," Beauty replied softly as she slowly struggled to remove her clothes with numb fingers. "But, M'lord, I am an innocent, a virgin. No man has ever seen me undressed or touched me. I admit I am afraid of you, yet I will do whatever you ask if you will but free my brother."

"You will do whatever I ask of you whether or not I free your brother." That statement of cold, hard fact, and not a threat made the utterance even more chilling. "If I wanted to bed you in the shadow of your brother's hanging corpse, you would obey."

She gave a soft involuntary gasp at his bitter statement. She had undressed down to her soft shift and knew it offered no protection from his piercing eyes. She stood still before him, her erect nipples clearly outlined against the thin fabric, eyes down and knees shaking. The Beast looked her over, noting the firm thrust of her breasts, the curve of her tiny waist, and the soft flare of her hips. His eyes skimmed down and he realized that her legs were long and well formed. She seemed flawless. He felt himself grow hard with desire.

"The shift too, if you think your brother's life is worth it," he growled roughly.

The Beast knew well how to read the tension in her face, the slight clenching of her jaw, the furrow between her brows. He knew the effort she made to appear calm and felt a faint hint of admiration for her courage. Knights had shown more fear facing him that did the lass.

He tamped down the admiration and sneered cruelly "Why should I release your brother? You are mine anyway, and I can have you anytime I want. I should hang your brother twice for trying to hide you from me, and if I could do it twice, in all likelihood, I would. God's truth, I should have you whipped for hiding yourself from me but I'd hate to mar that silky skin before I had a chance to touch it. You were very foolish indeed to come here. Now, go upstairs and prepare yourself, I'll attend to you shortly, after I have hanged your brother."