It was still a very intimidating bed chamber.
The house was intimidating. And so was her husband. Her stomach grew queasy. Isabel inhaled deeply, wondering how this had so suddenly become her life. It didn’t seem likely she could survive a life where she was terrified of everything.
But I had gone to the ball hoping for a husband, hadn’t I?
A short laugh of shock escaped her. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she shook her head. She needed rest. Her head was beginning to ache and her limbs already felt like jelly after their rough carriage ride here. Every time she was near Sebastian, her body would tense up. She just needed a chance to relax and to rest now.
“A nap will help,” Isabel decided. She removed her shoes and stockings, deciding her dress could be dealt with later.
The bed was set up on a taller platform with a step that she barely needed with her height. Several heavy blankets were laid out on there to keep her warm. She wondered if the sea breeze kept the estate colder than it might otherwise feel as she slipped her bare feet in and sighed. She really did need a rest.
It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. But then it took longer to awake. Isabel awoke rested to see gray light emerging from the windows.
“Amber?” she called, wondering if she had heard something that awoke her. Isabel stretched and slowly made her way to the large clock in the sitting room. Beside it was her luggage, a single trunk, and the time telling it was hardly seven in the morning.
The morning?
“Oh bother.” Isabel felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment. She had slept through the night entirely. Then her stomach grumbled, reminding her she had slept through supper. “Well, then, I’ll break my fast.”
She found the bell pull in a dark corner and pulled. While waiting, she managed to maneuver her way out of her dress and into a wrinkled morning dress with stockings and shoes. Already she was braiding her hair by the time a back door opened to reveal Amber, panting and sheepish.
“My lady! I mean, Your Grace. I’ll have to remember that. I’m terribly sorry. Oh, I should have been here sooner. Let me fix your hair; I’m so very sorry, it’s very difficult getting around here. I lost myself twice,” Amber rushed to explain.
“It’s all right,” Isabel reassured her. “This place will take some getting used to. I’m only glad you could make it; I’m not very good at plaiting, I’m afraid.”
Amber chuckled. “You have a fair start of it. I’m only glad I can help.”
“Very good. And I saw you started preparing the closet.” Isabel glanced at the trunk in the vanity mirror. It was a very fine vanity, actually, when she looked at it. Engravings covered the framework. The wood was a cherry oak, she thought, and smooth to the touch. A few grooves from someone who used it once, perhaps, who might have loved it.
“Yes. I didn’t want to wake you, so I didn’t finish. But I can do that now, Your Grace. Goodness! A duchess. I didn’t think we would make it here, to be sure, but I am very glad of it. For you, that is. I’m very happy for you, Your Grace,” Amber added with shining eyes.
It was impossible not to have a soft spot for her. Isabel remembered her mother’s teachings about not befriending the servants as a child, but Amber was special. She couldn’t have survived this long without someone, and Amber was forever reliable and kind.
“Thank you. And I’m very glad to have you here. It may be a beast getting used to the rooms. But is the staff treating you well?”
“Oh, yes. They had a spare room for me since they weren’t certain if you were bringing any staff. I’ll set up in the side room by the closet later today. The staff is very strange, but I like them,” Amber reassured her with a bright smile.
The two women talked for a little longer before Isabel decided to go search the house. She didn’t think hiding out in her bed chamber with a meal tray was the best way to start a life here with the staff.
But as she began her search, attempting to retrace her steps from the evening prior, she wondered if she should have waited for a guide. Not all of the staff must be up yet, so most of the rooms were icy cold. She recalled how this was practically a fortress made of stone. Maybe it had once been a prison indeed.
Then she caught a shadow.
“You!” She started when it seemed to hide away. “I mean, I’m sorry, hello?”
The shadow wavered before moving, shrinking, to reveal a short middle-aged man. He clutched some tools and offered a low bow. “Your Grace. I was only…”
When he didn’t go on, she let it go. Only she couldn’t remember him from yesterday. “What is your name?”
“Winder, Your Grace.”
“What a pleasure it is to meet you again,” she tried, hoping her calm voice would make him shrink less. His head was trapped behind his shoulders so low it had to be uncomfortable. Did he think her awful? Did he think the duke dangerous? “Could you please point me toward the dining room?”
He jerked in surprise with wide eyes before nodding. “Ah, yes. It’s that way,” he said with one finger beneath the box. “Two rights. Er, Your Grace.”
“Thank you very much, Winder.” She left and wondered vaguely if he was fixing something. She would have to ask the housekeeper about it later.
Isabel found the dining room with the long table and a sideboard at the end, the room filled with delicious scents. But she stopped in the doorway when she noted Sebastian.
