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“I’m not sure I know what to do,” I admitted. “I’ve always been a servant to nobles, not one of them. I…I really don’t know how to do this.”
“Tell me something, Alexandra.” Sunniva sat up straighter on the stool and tilted her head to look at me. “What kind of wife do you wish to be?”
“I…I…I don’t understand,” I stuttered, again too unsure of what her intentions were to give her a suitable answer.
“Do you want to be a good wife for Branford?”
“Yes, my queen!” I said quickly. “I took the oath of marriage with him—I want to be a good wife.”
“To be Branford’s wife, you have to be noble,” Sunniva said curtly. “I don’t mean you have to be a noble or of noble blood, but you will have to be noble of heart. You will have to learn to be assertive and demand what you believe is right and correct. Fortunately, it sounds like you have some of that inside of you already, or I would be more concerned.”
“You think I’m noble of heart?”
“Yes, Alexandra.” Sunniva smiled again. “Tell me—why did you ask Branford to spare the carriage driver’s life?”
“It wasn’t his fault,” I said. “I’ve always been a little unsure on my feet. He should not have had to pay in such a way for my clumsiness.”
“Do you see? You can be assertive when you find it necessary. I think many people would have turned the other way and forgotten about it, but you saw something you considered wrong and stood up to Branford because of it. Branford is not the easiest man to confront, yet you did it, and he listened.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I said. I remembered Branford saying we would speak of the situation later and felt myself go cold. No wonder he was angry. “He was angry with me over it. I didn’t mean to overstep—”
“Don’t you dare apologize for that!” Sunniva snapped. “That kind of thing is exactly what you must embrace if you are going to survive in this world, Alexandra.”
She took a deep breath and completed the final stitches on her side. Again, she was far ahead of me, and I began to work quickly to catch up. Sunniva’s kind smile reappeared, and she shifted the fabric to trim some loose threads.
“Someday, you are going to be the Queen of Silverhelm. Do you realize that? There will be an entire kingdom of men, women, and children—noble and serf—who will be dependent on your judgment. The responsibility is not one to take lightly.”
My gaze met hers, and I’m sure she knew from my expression that the thought had not occurred to me. There were way too many things to consider, and I hadn’t thought of any of them. I had barely comprehended the idea of marriage before I was wed and hadn’t realized the intentions of my husband on our wedding night until the time was upon me. I had been so ill-prepared, but I could not be ill-prepared for this. All of tho
se people depending on me?
“How will I know what to do?” My words came out in a throaty whisper.
“I’m going to teach you,” Sunniva said simply. Before she could elaborate, there was a knock, and the door opened slowly. Branford walked in though not very far, taking in both Sunniva and me as we completed our work.
“Mother,” he said, his half smile displayed prominently across his face, “am I going to get my wife back this evening? I'd like to show her our rooms unless you already have.”
“I have not,” Sunniva told him. “We're almost finished here. Once she has a dress that fits properly, you may have her back. Did you even think to get her proper clothing?”
“There wasn't time,” Branford said with a shrug. Sunniva turned and glared at him. Branford looked at her and glanced away, taking a deep breath before looking back to us. “My apologies, Alexandra. I should have thought to collect more for you before we left.”
Looking into his eyes, I couldn’t quite discern whether he was sincerely apologetic or simply saying what he knew Sunniva wished to hear. I had always thought it was only those of my class who were forced to speak words others wanted them to say and that nobles could say whatever was on their minds. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
“If I hadn’t muddied my dress, it wouldn’t have mattered,” I said softly, but Branford growled, and I immediately wished I hadn’t said anything that would bring back the memory.
“Come back in a half hour, Branford,” Sunniva said with a wave of her hand. “We should be ready by then.”
His gaze met mine briefly before he acknowledged Sunniva’s request and shut the door behind him. Sunniva and I finished the last of the sewing and stood up. She held the dress up to my shoulders and visually checked the length.
“Let’s try this on you, shall we?” Sunniva said, handing me the beautiful dress. I moved to the changing screen and removed the dress I wore and then pulled the shortened dress on over my head. I was quite grateful it was not complicated and I could get it on and off without assistance. I stepped back out into the main room, and Sunniva fiddled around with the collar until she was satisfied.
“You look wonderful.” Sunniva smiled and took my hands again. “Your husband will be here shortly, and you are certain to take his breath away. You are a beautiful young woman, Alexandra.”
I looked to the ground and blushed, of course. Before I could respond, there was another knock and Branford entered, asking if I was ready to see the chambers we would share. As I walked toward him, I could see him looking over the dress I was in, and that smile crossed his face again. If I hadn’t already been rosy from Sunniva’s comment, I would have blushed again. We said our goodnights to Sunniva, and Branford led me out the door.
“I hope you like our rooms,” Branford said as he took my hand and placed it over his arm. We went down the corridor the short distance to the last set of doors—the ones Sunniva had pointed out to me before. Branford opened the doors and placed his hand on my lower back to guide me through ahead of him.
“This is the morning room,” Branford said quietly. He kept his hand on my back and took a few steps forward. There was a pair of long, ornate couches sitting parallel to each other and creating a pathway to the larger room beyond. Behind one of the couches was a large, open window facing east. A fire burned brightly in one corner, making the room warm in the early spring evening. Branford led me further into the set of rooms, pointing out wardrobes for clothing and an area just for bathing, which included an actual person-sized tub of leather stretched over a wooden frame. There was a small fireplace close to that area and another, larger one on the other side of the room. There was a large, raised cushion to one side of the fireplace, but I could not fathom just what its purpose may have been. It was too large to be a normal, cushioned stool and had no back like a normal chair.
