AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, but I would have thought the greater reaction would have been to the fact we no longer have to sell the house,” Elliot said in surprise.
“Yes, of course that is a thrill, but I have a sister, too! I always wanted a sister.”
“Oi,” Elliot called after her, but Grace was already gone. She ran out of the room and onto the driveway, leaving Elliot to stare after her.
Well, at least she is not mad at me.
***
Ophelia was trailing her hands through the rose petals beside the house as she waited for Elliot to return. When she looked to the door, though, it was not Elliot coming out to meet her, but his sister.
“You’re my new sister!” The young woman ran out with excitement. Ophelia had to hold back her laugh at the childlike excitement. She could not be no more than sixteen years, though she was tall for that age. She ran to Ophelia and bobbed on her toes. “May I hug you? I’ve always longed for a sister.”
“Yes, of course—woah.” Ophelia was nearly knocked from her feet as the woman hugged her. When the woman stepped back again, she was shaking her head at herself.
“Oh, where are my manners? Elliot would quite despair.” She hurried to curtsy. “My name is Grace.”
“It is lovely to meet you, Grace. I’m Ophelia.”
“Like inHamlet?” Grace asked, her eyes wide.
“Just so.” Ophelia nodded. “Yet I am a better swimmer.”
Her jest made the young woman laugh. “Come, come, into the house. I may be angry at my brother for not telling me of this sooner, but I am delighted you are here.” Grace took Ophelia’s arm as if they had known each other for years and dragged her into the house.
As they stepped in, Ophelia looked around, searching for Elliot. She longed to return to what they had started in the carriage, not wanting to turn her back on it yet, but he was not there. Instead, Ophelia’s focus was taken up by the grand hallway.
Two things struck her about it. It was magnificent yet sparse. The architecture was quite beautiful, with the white and pink marble floor extending to a double staircase at the back of the room. Those stairs spiralled upward into a ceiling with a vast glass window. Either side of the hallway were tall plinths where marble statues should have stood, but there were no statues.
Neither were there any hall chairs, nor was there staff waiting there to greet them. There were spaces on the walls where paintings had been taken down, and judging by the emptiness of the staircase and loose pins, a rug used to line the stairs.
“What happened here?” Ophelia said quietly as Grace tugged on her arm.
“Elliot had to sell it all,” Grace explained in a rush. “But we can buy it back now, can we not?”
“Yes. Yes, you can.” Ophelia was still turning her head back and forth, examining the emptiness when Elliot appeared again. She smiled the moment she saw him, not only struck by his handsome countenance but thinking of the kiss they had shared in the carriage.
Will he come to see me tonight in my bedchamber? It is the way, is it not?
She could remember Gertrude telling her of such things when she was younger, preparing her for the future. At the time, the marriage bed had seemed like a strange thing. At this moment, though, nothing seemed strange about it. The thought of knowing Elliot so intimately only sent a thrill passing through her body.
“Grace, don’t keep pulling on Ophelia’s arm so.” Elliot sighed as he approached the two of them, with an older lady hurrying on beside him.
“She’s my sister now.” Grace still held onto Ophelia’s arm. Ophelia looked at Grace beside her, noticing there was something of the child still about Grace. She patted Grace’s hand on her arm, showing she did not mind.
“Ophelia, allow me to introduce you to our housekeeper. This is Mrs Mouser, a loyal housekeeper indeed. She has been with us through all of our troubles. Mrs Mouser, this is my wife.” Elliot gestured between the two of them. Ophelia bobbed a curtsy as she noticed Mrs Mouser curtsied very deep indeed.
Why is she curtsying so low?
“Your Grace, it is wonderful to meet you.” Mrs Mouser spoke in a hurry, her manner excitable and her smile broad. “When the master told me he was married just now, I could scarcely believe it.”
“Y-yes, my apologies for the surprise. It was done in something of a rush,” Ophelia said, still trying to get over her shock. Mrs Mouser had addressed her as ‘Your Grace.’ Somehow, Ophelia hadn’t connected the fact that she was marrying a duke with the idea that she would now be a duchess.
That title will take some getting used to.
“A whirlwind romance? How exciting,” Mrs Mouser said and clasped her hands together, looking rather wistful.
Whirlwind romance?Hearing the words, Ophelia looked to Elliot, seeing he was equally uncomfortable as she was. She supposed they could have explained it was just a marriage of convenience, but was it a subject to really be discussed in front of the housekeeper? What was more, it was definitely more than just convenience.
