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We paused before a tall door with a small knob in its center, and I searched for the words to adequately portray how I felt without giving offense. “Is it necessary to begin bride visits quite so soon? I am afraid my mind has not yet caught up with the changes to my life of late.”
Lady Edith watched me with a discerning eye. “I am not sure what James has told you, but our standing and reputation as the Bradwell family is immaculate, and I do not wish to stain it at all by offending our neighbors. We will not be able to deliver cards until they are made, of course, and I would not wish to put you out by expecting you to begin your visits as soon as tomorrow. But we have a reputation to uphold, Miss—Mrs. Bradwell, and I do hope that will not be too much of an inconvenience for you.”
“Please call me Felicity.” I could not bear to steal her name. I had already stolen her son.
She gave me a tight smile and opened the door. “This is your bedroom, Felicity. I do hope it meets your satisfaction. I have chosen the colors myself, but if there is anything you do not like, you need only say the word, and we will have it made over.”
I stepped past Lady Edith and into a room covered in varying shades of blue and cream. At a glance, it greatly resembled the gown I wore to my wedding, with its pale blue wall hangings and cream drapes. The tall bed was surrounded by blue and cream brocade, tied back away from the four posts, and the plush carpet spread out in varying shades of pink.
Each table possessed a vase of pink and white roses, and the scent was faint but pleasant.
“This is beautiful.”
“Thank you. Prescott will be up shortly with your trunks, and a tray should arrive soon after. I will leave you now, unless there is anything you would like to know?”
Was there? I could not wrap my mind around the room that was meant to be mine alone. We could easily fit an entire floor of my parents’ London townhouse in this room. “I cannot think of anything.”
She pointed to a white door set in the wall near the fireplace. “That will lead into James’s room. Breakfast is served in the parlor, but you are welcome to ring for a tray if you prefer.”
I stared at the door connecting my room to my husband’s. It would not be in use for the next six months, but no one else need know that.
Lady Edith paused as though considering something, a line forming between her eyebrows. “Have you brought a maid? I do not recall seeing anyone else in the carriage, and I know James left his valet here.”
“No, Lady Edith. I do not have a maid.”
She gave a nod. “Then I will see to hiring someone from Bakewell tomorrow when I go in to town for your cards.”
“You needn’t go to the trouble. I have been managing well enough without one for so long.”
She seemed to measure her words, and I wondered in what way I had erred. “I will see to it that you have a maid, Felicity. We should, perhaps, pay a visit to the modiste, as well. You are a Bradwell now.”
And with that edict, she left the room.
I spun in a slow circle and took in the majesty of the room, my shoulders heavy with expectation. I closed my eyes and heard the words repeated over again.
You are a Bradwell now. But would I give my new family cause to be proud, or would I spoil everything?
