The house rose pale and cold against the hill, stone built to impress rather than welcome. The double staircase swept to large wooden doors, each step perfect in symmetry.
Wiren returned her bag to her as he helped her descend from the carriage.
She climbed the stairs. The oak doors studded with iron opened into shadow. Beyond, the entrance hall was vast and echoing; her footsteps sharp on marble tiles.
The doors closed behind her with a deep, final thud.
Chapter 6
The house was all riches and shadow, dark wood gleaming in the dim light, the silence of vast rooms too empty to echo with life. His wealth was obscene beside the famine outside.
A line of servants stood waiting in the entrance hall. Lord Halverton didn’t acknowledge them. Aoife looked away as Halverton addressed her, taking it all in.
“Welcome to Blackthorn Hall,” he said, standing aside so she could take in the wide expanse of the entrance hall, the sweeping staircase, the ornate carvings, and the larger-than-life portraits of plump Eldrossi men and women.
The silence stretched. He was expecting her to speak. “It’s stunning,” she said at last.
He beamed. “I am glad you like it. It will be your home now. Soon you will find yourself as much a fixture of this house as the chandeliers.”
Aoife looked up. Two enormous chandeliers hung from the ceiling, which might have been at the level of the roof it was so high. She didn’t have time to count the candles before Halverton was drawing her attention away to the portraits.
“His Imperial Majesty Aldebrand. I’m sure you’ve never had occasion to see his likeness before.”
The emperor and the empress beside him looked ridiculous to her, hung in silks and dripping with jewellery, but she only replied, “No, my lord.”
He indicated another portrait. “Lord Cadny, you know of course.”
When she gave no answer, he went on, “the prefect before me.”
She shook her head.
“Clearly he didn’t make an impression. No wonder the empire moved him along.”
As Halverton went on about Lord Cadny’s failings, Aoife found her attention drifting to the servants, still standing along one side of the hall. Halverton hadn’t even glanced their way. How long would they stand there? What if he forgot about them altogether? Would they stand there all day?
They kept their eyes averted. What must they be thinking about this stranger coming into their house? A stranger they’re expected to serve. They would be the key to understanding this place, what was expected of her, and Lord Halverton himself.
There were about two dozen of them, all impeccably dressed. Their cheeks were full; their skin healthy. They looked as her neighbours had a year ago, before the hunger set in. The sight left her torn between anger and a faint, shameful flicker of anticipation at the thought of food.
At a gesture from Halverton, a man stepped forward to take his hat and gloves. His face was scarred worse than Halverton’s, one eye gone, the socket empty. He moved with an uneven gait, but his posture when he stood was perfect.
The man’s hands were steady in their service, but two of the fingers on his right hand were twisted and appeared to never straighten.
“Thank you, Alton,” Halverton said. Alton returned to the line of servants.
At Halverton’s signal, a maid stepped forward next. Her wrists were thicker than Aoife’s and her frame stronger. She carried herself with practised stillness, perfectly trained to beinvisible, to move quietly, to anticipate but never intrude. She couldn’t be much older than Aoife.
“This is Clara. She’ll serve as your lady’s maid for now. I know most ladies like to choose their own maids. That can be arranged in time.”
“I’m sorry,” Aoife said, looking at Clara. “I don’t know what a lady’s maid is, and I don’t think I’ll need one.”
“Of course you need one. She will assist you with dressing and undressing, maintain and repair your clothing, style your hair, that sort of thing.”
Aoife hadn’t been dressed by anyone since she was a small child, and she couldn’t imagine why she’d need help with it now.
“Once we put meat on your bones, and with Clara’s attentions, you’ll soon be the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.”
She was sure he meant it as a compliment.
