I had fun with the little princesses in my Scraps, so I came up with Belle.

It's interesting thinking about the childhoods of these girls. We know Belle isn't happy in their village, so clearly she and Maurice haven't lived there long. Maybe the death of her mother forced them into more humble circumstances.

My take on it is that Belle's mother had a well-off merchant family and she grew up on the family estate. There, she was given a little colt named Phillipe who became her joy and best friend. Ten years later, when her mother died, the family left them nothing and evicted Maurice because they didn't approve of his 'layabout inventor' lifestyle(basically living off his wife's wealth). Belle refused to denounce her beloved dad and remain with her grandparents, so they left together, following the traveling fairs and earning their keep where they could. Eventually, they settled in a small village in an almost-forgotten Duchy. Maybe here Maurice's gadgets might find some noble patronage.
The rest is history.


Edit: and yes, I know how the original story goes where her father is wealthy and she has two sisters.