Chapter 3
Jacob’s eyes fluttered open, the soft, muted light of the room filtering through heavy draperies.
The air was thick with an unfamiliar scent, a mix of lavender and something metallic that sent a jolt of confusion through his mind.
He felt a pulsing pain in the back of his head and a tightness around his eyes. He realized, as he searched his memory for even a trace of a clue as to what had happened, that he could remember nothing about the last few hours, and a sense of helplessness engulfed him.
He pushed himself up on his elbows, scanning the space around him. On the wall directly in front of him was a large landscape painting that he did not recognize, and the thick velvet curtains hanging around the windows were luxurious.
It could be a room in the home of any gentleman or nobleman across the land, but he did not have the slightest idea where he was, and the uncertainty tugged at his consciousness.
He lay back in bed, trying to relax into the soft pillows. Clearly, he had been injured somehow and was safe wherever he was, but he could not feel at ease until he knew where he was, and his mother too. Was she here? Was she wounded? A sense of trepidation filled his heart.
Before he could fully grasp his surroundings, the door creaked open, and a woman stepped inside. She was strikingly beautiful, with long, cascading dark hair.