This was turning into a whole thing now. She should have just asked Auntie. There was no way Auntie would have asked all of these questions and worried about her hands of all things! And Auntie would have said yes too!

Belle thought this might be over, but then a quill was being summoned and shoved into her hands and it was all she could do not to huff out her clear resentment of this whole ordeal. She held the quill aloft, being purposefully light in her grip. What was her mother going to do next, ban her from writing? Or learning? It seemed quite ridiculous! There was an expectation for her correspondence and her French! "See, perfectly fine. It is not as if I hold a quill all day." Lessons were long enough, but it wasn't straight writing for hours upon hours.