Latest / Abide Meditation App / Beauty and the Beast Sleepy Story _ Part 3 _ Fairytale Bedtime Story

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Beauty and the Beast Sleepy Story _ Part 3 _ Fairytale Bedtime Story · Abide Meditation App

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy. Where we listen, we relax, and
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: we get sleepy. My name's Tom, and I'm your host.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in. Tonight, we conclude our week-long
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: series of Beauty and the Beast. In the last episode,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Laurent left his daughter Camille at the mansion. There she
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: met Gabriel, the young man who helps out around the house.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: He told her that the owner, the mysterious baron named Antoine,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: is a kind and compassionate man, despite his forbidding appearance. Soon,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Camille and Antoine found themselves dining together, discussing books and
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: philosophy and getting on well. Camille realized she needed additional
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: help to keep up the house and grounds, so she
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: asked Antoine if she could hire some local men to
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: help in the gardens. Upon their arrival, she overheard them
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: gossiping about the owner and his beastly looks. Antoine also
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: heard the insults, but chose to ignore them. Camille was
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: unsure what to make of his quiet acceptance. And that's
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: where we'll begin from in part three of the tale tonight. So,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: once again, before we pick back up where we left off,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: just give yourself a moment to to get cozy and
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: comfortable in bed. Allow your eyes to fall closed if
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: they haven't already, and just follow the gentle rise and
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: fall of your chest and stomach, enjoying the soothing flow
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: of air as it travels In and out of your body.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Remind yourself that there is no pressure to fall asleep.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Your focus need only be to relax and rest. while
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: you follow along with our story, sleep will come your
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: way without force. So just let it come naturally. And meanwhile,
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: listen along and enjoy the final part of our magical
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: fairy tale. Despite the large amount of work that waited
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: to be done each day, Camille still made time to
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: explore the house. As autumn properly set in, with its
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: crisp days, early sunsets, and chilly evenings, she would wander
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: the corridors with a candle, using her heavy ring of
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: house keys to to find out what was behind the
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: myriad closed doors that lined the halls. Most of them
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: were bedrooms. It was obvious that this country chateau had
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: once hosted many fine guests of the nobility. Now covered
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: in dust sheets, one darkened room after another revealed elegant
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: four-poster beds, expensive furniture, and dusty, fabric-covered chairs. One day,
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: she found what appeared to be a very special room.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: It had clearly been a lady's chamber. Unlike the other ones, however,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: it was still full of her belongings. A graceful dressing
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: table was covered with jars of powder and perfume bottles
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: that twinkled in the afternoon sunlight. Elaborate wigs of the
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: type worn decades ago sat nearby on their own stands
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: as if waiting to be taken to a ball. Opening
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: the wardrobe, Camille was astounded to find a row of
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: decadent silk dresses in the fashion of the time before
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: the revolution. She ran her hand lightly over their delicate skirts,
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: almost afraid they would disintegrate in her fingers. She imagined
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: the elegant woman who must have worn them. Opening the
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: chest of drawers, she saw that it was filled with
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: glittering necklaces. One small velvet container held a ring with
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: a twinkling sapphire in it. Closing the box, Camille slid
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: the drawer shut quietly. She would not want to appear
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: to be thieving. Regretfully, she slipped back out of the
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: room and locked it again. It was like a portal
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: to a happier time, and by far the most beautiful
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: thing she'd seen in the house. Camille faithfully wrote letters
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: to her father which Gabriel took to town when he
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: ran errands. In them she reassured him that she was
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: being treated very well and that she enjoyed her work.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Soon she was even able to begin sending him some money.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: After her first month, the Baron had told her that
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: he couldn't let her keep working without pay, as the
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: damage to the rosebush had certainly been made up for.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: He said that he hoped she would stay, and that
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: he would be giving her a weekly salary for the work.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Camille gladly accepted. As Antoine's housekeeper, she felt she had
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: found her calling. All her powers of organization were put
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: to good use, and the excellent company and the access
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: to his incredible library were becoming her chief joys in life.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: In fact, it was easy to forget that Antoine was
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: considered unsightly. Nothing had changed about him, except that Camille
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: made sure his clothes were better kept and more presentable.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Once in a while, however, she would see a normal,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: nice-looking man reflected back in a mirror when he passed
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: it on the wall or she would be speaking with him,
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: and he would no longer be covered in hair, and
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: his features would seem more harmonious. In such cases, she
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: would blink a few times and refocus, and see that
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: he was the same fearsome-looking man as before. Perhaps the
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: dark magic of the chateau was working on her mind,
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: she thought, with wry amusement. Occasionally, a beggar would come
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: to the door with the biting winter wind at his back,
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: not knowing anything about the notoriety of the estate. In
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: her village at home, beggars had been generally rebuffed and
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: rarely received any help. The attitude of the townspeople had
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: been that they deserved what they got and that hard-working
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: people didn't end up destitute as they were. Camille expected
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: Antoine to send them packing, but instead he would ask
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: her to give them a meal and some coins before
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: they left. Camille was moved to ask him why he
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: exhibited such charity. After all, nobody who lived nearby showed
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: any kindness to him. Once again, he referred to a
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: great philosopher he admired, this one named Aristotle, saying, it
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: is the characteristic of the magnanimous man to ask no favor,
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: but to be ready to do kindness to others. Then,
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: somewhat woefully, he added, I must learn to be a
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: more magnanimous man, because it is my prior path in
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: life that led me to ruin. She was not able
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: to get any other explanation out of him at that moment,
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: but she yearned to better understand exactly what had happened
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: to Antoine. That evening, they chatted companionably in the candlelit
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: dining room over a hearty winter stew. It was then
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: that Camille worked up the courage to ask him how
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: he had come to be so alone at the chateau.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: Antoine appeared to hesitate, sighing deeply. and leaning back in
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: his chair at the table. Then, taking a long sip
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: of his drink, he began to tell a story. Many
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: years ago, I lived here with my mother. My father
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: had died when I was a young man, and that
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: was how I became lord here. I loved my mother.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: She was a beautiful person, inside and out. Always the
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: life of the party, but still managing to be kind
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: to everyone. It was her rosebush that your father stripped
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: of its blooms. Antoine paused uncomfortably, and then continued. When
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: my mother became ill and passed away, I was left
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: here to my own devices, and I'm ashamed to say
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: that I did not live well. I was inexperienced and foolish.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: I squandered the family money on extravagant possessions and ridiculous parties.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: I neglected the estate left bills unpaid, and didn't care
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: for my employees as I should have. Without my mother's
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: good influence, I fell into a poor lifestyle and was
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: of no worth to anyone, including myself. One night, my
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: servant told me there was a woman at the door
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: begging for food and coin. I was in the midst
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: of a lavish party and could not be bothered. I
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: told him to suggest to her that she go somewhere
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: and get employment. At this memory, Antoine grimaced, obviously pained
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: by his own words. Before the servant could send the
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: woman off, she pushed herself through the crack in the
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: door and told me that I was cursed by my
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: own foolish vanity. She declared that I would spend my
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: days spurned and unloved, and that the secret to my
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: release could only be found in humanity. At this, Camille
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: furrowed her brow. Humanity? What did she mean by that?
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: Antoine shrugged. This is the riddle I have wrestled with
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: for decades. I appear to have a limitless number of
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: books in my library by wise philosophers, mathematicians, and poets.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: The best and wisest of what humanity has to offer
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: is at my fingertips, probably part of my strange enchantment.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: My mind does improve, but all the brilliance of humanity
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: has yet to provide me a release from my curse.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: Camille regarded him from across the table She could hear
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: the light crackling of the fire punctuating the silence, and
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: imagined him sitting before many fires for a long time,
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: without anyone to talk to. She wondered how many years
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: he'd been trapped here in this solitary prison, turning the
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: pages of countless books in his library, searching for redemption.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: Antoine smiled brightly in an attempt to break the awkward silence.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: Ah well, he added, as the excellent Isaac Newton said,
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: to arrive at the simplest truth requires years of contemplation.
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: One of these days, I may yet find the answer.
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: Lying curled up on her bed that night, Camille felt
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: she had finally put the pieces together. For all these years,
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: Antoine had spent his time studying, thinking, absorbing, and repenting
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: He was no longer a man who would refuse kindness
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: to even the undeserving. She did wonder what else there
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: was that he could do. Would he forever be trapped
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: here with his books and the dusty souvenirs of the
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: regrettable person he used to be? She hoped not. because
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: she had really come to admire him. She pulled the
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: covers tighter around her chin, and gazed drowsily at the
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: remnants of the fire glowing in the hearth. Surrounded by
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: the silence of the house, she slept for another night.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: All through the crystalline deep freeze of winter, Camille and
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: Antoine went about their lives at the chateau in pleasant companionship,
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: with Gabriel as their faithful connection to the outside world.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: Many of the rooms in the enormous mansion simply stayed
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: locked and unused. The part of the house the trio
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: needed for their daily activities was snug and clean, thanks
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: to Camille's faithful management. Meals were simple, but hearty. The
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: blinding white snow piled high in the courtyard, and sometimes
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: the bleak wind whistled in the abandoned passages. But the
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: inhabitants of the chateau stayed close to the fireplaces, buried
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: in their books. At last, the first signs of spring arrived.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: With it, Camille received a letter from her father. He
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: said her oldest sister had managed to make a marriage match,
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: and that her wedding would take place in a couple
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: of weeks. He asked if the Baron would consider allowing
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: her to take some leave in order to attend the
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: festivities at home. If so, Laurent would be pleased to
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: come and fetch her from the estate. When Camille presented
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: this request to Antoine, he put down his book and
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: gazed at her with a sad smile. He said, of
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: course she must go, and she should take all the
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: time she needed As she thanked him for giving his permission,
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: she once again did not see a beast looking back
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: at her. She only saw a man. She had to
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: blink several times to dispel the illusion. As she left
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: the room, she paused briefly and gazed at him again.
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: over her shoulder. Then she left him to his reading,
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: putting the moment behind her. Her journey to and from
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: her sister's wedding was uneventful. The family greeted her with
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: much curiosity and perhaps some newfound respect. They admired the
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: tasteful new clothes she had acquired using her salary. It
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: was obvious that the money she was sending to them
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: had helped secure her sister's marriage, humble though the match
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: might be. Her family was no longer seen by the
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: villagers as being impoverished. Rather, they were viewed as being
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: stable and acceptable, thanks to her regular income. And yet,
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: Camille felt less at home in the family cottage than
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: she once had. Although she had been contained inside the
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: walls of the chateau this entire time, She felt like
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: her worldview had changed, and her horizons had vastly expanded.
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: Seated around the fire with her siblings, who focused only
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: on their own petty concerns, she felt stifled. She regretted
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: having to leave her father again, But Camille also felt
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: relief when he parted from her at the gates of
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: Antoine's estate. She was ready to return to her life
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: as mistress of the house. Her happiness, however, turned to
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: dismay when she saw the disarray that awaited her. Gabriel
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: answered the door eagerly, obviously delighted that she'd returned. He
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: whispered to her that nothing had been the same since
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: she'd left, and that the baron was disheveled and did
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: not leave his library. After putting away her things, Camille
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: went straight to see Antoine, As she cautiously opened the
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: door to the library, she found the room in a
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: complete mess. Books were everywhere, lying open in stacks and
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: generally tossed about the floor. Empty drinking glasses lined the tables.
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: Antoine sat slumped in a chair, looking as if he
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: hadn't changed his shirt in days. At the sound of
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: her arrival, however, he looked up with an expression of
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: sheepish relief. Once again, in this moment, Camille felt she
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: only saw him as a regular man. and she struggled
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: to adjust her view. She knew, logically, that she was
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: standing before an unkempt, unshaven, and rather beastly person. However,
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: her eyes were playing tricks. It took a moment before
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: she saw him properly again. Yes, there he was, in
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: dire need of cheering up. It only took a few
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: days for Camille to set everything right again. The dust
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: and neglect of a couple of weeks were easily dealt with,
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: and the Baron's mood improved instantly upon her return. Gabriel
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: begged her in confidence, however, not to go away again.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: He said the Baron had sunk immediately into the most
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: terrible melancholy and had been completely useless about managing anything
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: at all, including remembering to eat his meals. With spring
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: bursting out all over the estate, it was impossible to
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: be sad for long. Camille became very glad she had
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: taken the trouble to have the garden cleared before the winter.
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: The courtyard was absolutely beautiful, and the lovely plantings designed
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: many years ago by Antoine's mother were once again shown
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: to their best effect. Flowers in a rainbow of colors
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: delicately presented themselves. The birds seemed to increase their number
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: by the day, singing sweetly in the morning, inviting the
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: residents of the chateau to the garden. Camille and Antoine
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: took to spending afternoons reading outside in the pergola, and
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: he often released Gabriel from his tasks early so that
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: he could enjoy the afternoon with friends. Camille also took
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: great pleasure in opening the windows of the stuffy mansion
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: and airing it out. Throughout the estate, life began to
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: feel fresh and new, as if the entire place had
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: turned a corner. As the summer grew near, Camille received
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: another message from her father. It seemed now that her
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: other sister was due to wed. Once again, she was
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: invited to attend the event. Camille was torn. She felt
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: obligated to be with her family for the nuptials, but
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: she couldn't imagine leaving Antoine once again. Faced with this dilemma,
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: she came up with a highly unusual plan. She suggested
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: to Antoine that he should escort her to the wedding
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: and take a room at an inn nearby. Antoine was
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: aghast at the suggestion. Have you not seen how people
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: react to me? he asked her. Camille had been expecting this,
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: and she countered that her own village was far from here,
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: and that people would not already have opinions about him
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: based on hearsay. Privately, Camille did not view him as
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: being terrible anymore. She only saw the wise, kind man
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: that she'd come to know. Surely, she thought, the people
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: at home would give him a fair chance. The strangeness
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: of a lord attending a village wedding did not even
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: matter to Camille. She had long ago stopped seeing Antoine
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: as either beast or baron. He resisted and refused, but
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: Camille said she would not go without him. Faced with
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: the prospect of causing her to miss her sister's wedding,
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: Antoine finally agreed. He seemed to dread the prospect, however,
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: and was in a dark mood as the planning went forward.
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: Camille would not be deterred. She sent Gabriel to the
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: tailor in town, requesting that a new and well-cut suit
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: of clothes be made to Antoine's measurements. It had not
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: escaped her notice all this time that he was wearing
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: the frivolous styles from decades before. The new fashion these
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: days was cleaner and simpler. He would have a dignified
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: suit that made him look less like a relic. Rooms
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: at the inn were engaged, and the courage was dusted off. Finally,
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: a day came that Gabriel wished the pair well on
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: their journey. He had never seen the Baron leave the estate.
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: He promised to keep everything from falling apart before their return.
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: The journey to Camille's village was speedy by carriage. The
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: distance was covered in just a day, and what a
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: fine one it was. Summer was showing its face with
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: verdant exuberance. As the horse clipped and clopped down the
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: road through the forest, the birds sang joyously from the
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: canopy of foliage over their heads. Bright rays of sunshine
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: lit the road ahead of them, and the new leaves
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: whispered beguilingly in the breeze. At first, Antoine was silent,
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: as if passively resisting the reality that he was accompanying
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: Camille somewhere in public. After a few miles, however, the
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: pair slipped into conversation about a book Camille had been reading,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: and soon they were having their usual lively exchange. Camille
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: smiled to herself to see the best in him come out.
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: Looking at him from the side, she could have sworn
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: she was sitting next to a charming fellow. Happy with
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: that idea, she did not try to dispel the magic.
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: their companionable journey had come to an end. As twilight
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: fell and the crickets began to serenade the fields with
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: their nightly song, Antoine and Camille pulled up at her
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: family's cottage and halted the carriage. By the time they
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: had climbed down from their seats, the entire family was
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: at the front door, all four of her remaining unmarried
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: siblings gawking rudely at them both. Laurent made a much
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: greater effort to contain himself. He stepped forward and nodded
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: politely to Antoine, thanking him for bringing Camille and for
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: honoring them with his visit. However, Camille felt her cheeks
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: grow hot with shame when her brother loudly whispered something
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: to her older sister, causing the silly girl to laugh.
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: It was obvious to everyone that they were making jokes
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: about the baron. It was a relief to everyone when
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: Antoine departed for his lodgings. Camille allowed herself to be
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: ushered inside, where she spent the evening talking with Laurent
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: and her siblings, asking politely about the wedding preparations. She
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: was worried, however, about how Antoine was faring at the inn,
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: and hoped he was not suffering ill behavior there. When
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: her head lay on her pillow that night, she drifted
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: off to sleep, with thoughts of him weighing heavily on her.
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: She realized she would be glad when they'd gotten through
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: this wedding and returned to the chateau, which she now
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: felt was her real home. Antoine looked grim when he
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: arrived at the church the next day for the wedding.
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: It was obvious that Camille's fears had come true. They
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: sat in silence during the ceremony, both feeling as if
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: they were being stared at the entire time. The small
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: church felt tiny, with the whole congregation scrutinizing them. The
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: celebration afterwards was on the village green. The party was simple,
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: but festive, with punch, cakes, and wildflowers creating a happy atmosphere.
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: Ladies gathered in groups, delicately eating sweets, while children tumbled
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: across the lawn, enjoying an afternoon of play. Camille and Antoine, however,
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: did not feel part of the celebration. She stayed at
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: his side, stiffly nodding to the villagers who had once
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: been so kind to her. The welcoming people who had
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: taught her to garden and bake years ago were now
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: standing at a distance. whispering behind their hands and nodding
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: knowingly in her direction. Not one neighbor had a polite
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: word for Antoine, who smiled at all and said nothing.
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: Her family was no help. They ignored the pair completely.
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: As Camille and Antoine stood, fervently wishing for the party
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: to end. they overheard two men speaking nearby. He may
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: have money, one said with a smirk, but he'll never
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: convince anyone to marry him with a face like that.
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: The other man laughed. It's a sad state of affairs
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: when you have to court your own maid, he responded.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: Those words were the last straw. Camille put down her
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: punch and walked to the center of the gathering, tersely
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: announcing that she had something to say and that everyone
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: must listen. I convinced the Baron to come with me,
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: because I thought you to be good people, she said.
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: I was sure that his fine character and his kindness
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: would make it obvious to you all that he is
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: not the beast people make him out to be. Well,
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: I'm ashamed to say that I was wrong. None of
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: you are worthy of his notice. We will trouble you
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: no longer. Let me tell you this. Antoine is a
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: better man than any other here. I would choose him
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: as a companion over every single one of you a
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: hundred times over. And that's the truth. The company was
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: completely silent. looking in bewilderment from Camille to Antoine and
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: back again. As she turned to face him, she saw
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: the strangest thing. Where he had stood, a handsome, dignified
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: man stood smiling gratefully in her direction. No matter how
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: many times she tried to adjust her view or clear
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: her head, his visage did not change. The excess of
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: facial hair, the overly prominent features, and the massive proportions
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: would not return. He was as handsome as any man
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: she'd known. and that did not change. And whether it
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: was a shift in perspective or the workings of an enchantment,
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: the other people at the party seemed to be going
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: about their celebrations as if nothing had happened. They greeted
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: Antoine warmly and smiled at Camille. as if nothing in
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: the world was amiss. It was as if the entire
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: embarrassing episode had never occurred. The villagers behaved for all
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: the world like they'd never seen a beast in their company.
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: It was both baffling and miraculous. A veil had been
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: lifted for good. This quiet moment of triumph was how
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: Antoine finally was released from his enchantment. All these years,
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: he had been seeking answers in his library, researching the
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: wisdom of humanity. but he had misunderstood the woman who
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: had cursed him. Those lonely decades of becoming kinder, more generous,
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: and more forgiving had created in him the humanity that
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: had won Camille's heart. That was the missing piece that
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: had freed him from his curse. Not long after, Camille
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: and Antoine sat together under the pergola in his garden,
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: admiring his mother's rosebush, which was blooming abundantly once again.
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: Twilight was descending upon the chateau, and the crickets were
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: emerging to serenade the world as the happy pair enjoyed
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: the balmy summer evening. Camille considered this glad new Antoine,
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: appreciating his handsome face so long hidden behind the guise
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: of the beast. As she watched, he sat up straighter
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: and reached into his pocket, pulling out the very ring
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: she had secretly admired in his mother's dresser. You were
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: the only person who took the trouble to get to
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: know me as I really was, he said to her. Then,
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: in his way, he fell back to a quote from
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: one of his many books. As Copernicus said, in the
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: middle of everything is the sun. You have become that
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: sun to me. Winking at her, he added, after all,
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: I think you have adequately demonstrated that you are more
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: than qualified to manage this chateau. Camille laughed and nodded
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: her agreement, allowing him to slip the sparkling blue gem
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: onto her finger. Gazing at it in wonder, she remembered
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: the moment She had first seen it in the mysterious bedroom,
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: among the fine dresses and the other jewels. It winked
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: at her in the sunlight, as if to communicate a
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: precious secret. She would now be part of the history
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: of this house. Before the end of the summer, Antoine
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: and Camille exchanged their vows in the courtyard of the chateau,
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: surrounded by the heavenly scent of the flowering rose bushes
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: and the sweet song of the birds from the treetops.
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: As they stood in the shadow of the house, Camille
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: looked at Antoine with a grateful heart and felt a
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: strong sense of belonging in a place she had once
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: found so foreign. This was no longer the same desolate
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: place where she had arrived just a year ago. Through kindness, patience,
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: and the search for wisdom, she and Antoine had also
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: found happiness. you you you Thank you. you you you
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: Thank you. so so Thank you. Thank you.