“I never liked Lady Carlisle—I mean Astoria,” Alex says, going to pour me a drink. “There’s something about her I just don’t trust. Are you aware that every one of her late husbands died under mysterious circumstances?”
“I had no idea,” I muse. “Gods, I hope she didn’t do something to Lord Astoria. I still need his approval if I decide to move forward with my betrothal to Raelyn. The way she treated me today and the way she treats her stepdaughter, I worry she wouldn’t allow it.”
“If Lady Astoria refused a match between you and Lady Raelyn, she’d have to be barking mad,” Alex says.
“It wouldn’t surprise me though. I have a hard time believing Lord Astoria would be perfectly fine finding out she treated his daughter like a servant, but then again, I have been wrong before.”
“Aw, look at you Ki. That’s growth. Admitting you might be wrong sometimes.”
I halfheartedly punch him in the shoulder. “Goodnight, Alex.”
Chapter Eighteen
RAELYN
I’m almost embarrassed at the amount of tears I shed last night. My eyes are still puffy, but I refuse to cry anymore. With my plans of stealing back my dresses on hold after the disastrous sham of a dinner, I look around my room, trying to decide what is most important to bring to my new quarters.
Grabbing an empty trunk from my closet, I drag it into the middle of the room. A few trinkets I collected over the years go in, along with my favorite books, completed needlework projects, and a few pieces of jewelry. When the trunk is full of the only things I care about, I take one last glance around the room I’ve spent my entire life in before leaving, lugging the heavy thing behind me.
My stomach rumbles as I pull the trunk down the hallway and almost run into Ingrid, the only remaining kitchen maid.
“Here, let me help you with that, Lady Raelyn.”
“Thank you, Ingrid,” I say with a smile.
“I can’t believe they’re kicking you out of your room,” she says almost conspiratorially. “Rumor has it that Lady Astoria is just trying to put you in your place.”
“As if she hasn’t done that enough already,” I scoff. “Haven’t I done everything she’s asked of me?”
“She thinks you are your father’s weakness,” she whispers. “She hates the fact that you’re his favorite.”
“What does she think is going to happen when he returns?” I question. “Surely this won’t win her any favors with him.”
Ingrid looks around nervously. “One of the footmen overheard her discussing his lengthy absence. I don’t think he’ll return for quite some time.”
My heart sinks. Not only do I miss him, but he also needs to be home if there is any hope of arranging a marriage contract between Kian and me. Knowing Stepmother, she’ll reject all offers just to spite me.
“I’m sorry, Lady Raelyn. I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Ingrid says.
“It’s okay. I was just really hoping he would return soon.”
“Lady Astoria is nearly tyrannical. He can’t return soon enough.”
We finally arrive in the cramped servants’ quarters, and Ingrid stops in front of one of the doors. “This room is available, if you want it.”
“Thanks,” I say, and she gives me a nod.
The door creaks as it opens on a shoebox of a room. A rickety-looking single bed is pushed up against one wall, and the tiny window barely lets in any of the morning light—probably for the best, though surprisingly, I feel okay despite my venture into the sun yesterday. A small wardrobe takes up the other half of the room. I almost shudder at the dirty bucket that looks like it’s been used as a chamber pot.
“Thanks again for your help,” I say, and push my trunk to the only remaining wall space next to the bed.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you feel more settled,” she replies, turning to leave.
“Do you know what happened to Sera?” I ask, stopping her and suddenly feeling more alone than ever before.
“I’m sorry.” She shakes her head. “She was dismissed with the others right after Lord Astoria left.
My shoulders sag. I’d hoped her absence was only temporary.
