Yes, she thought, he certainly did -- a new life, full of the vibrance he'd been forced to destroy before. That in itself must be enough. But there was also this place, a delightful store, and the work was just as delightful. Even the worst of their duties - counting tills, completing the accounting paperwork - the absolutely dreary details weren't even all that troubling. Beauty realized that she had very little knowledge of what Errol did outside of work, apart from read (romance novels) and cook. She wanted very much to know more.
And she wanted him to tell her, out loud, what it was that he lived for -- not just because she wanted to know, but also because she wanted him to say it to another living person. Private thoughts spoken to another made those thoughts more real, more solid. After admitting that he'd desired death, she wanted him to make his reasons as solid as possible.
"Tell me," she said, deciding that she would let him go and step away in just a second more. Two seconds. Just in the next heart beat. Right now.