Chapter 2
Chapter Two
The bath had worked wonders to soothe the aches in my body, even if my thoughts were still a mess. Having a maid come in, help me undress, bathe and then select a new outfit while another unpacked my meager belongings, didn't help much either.
By the time I was dressed and refreshed, I was very close to repacking my trunks and ordering a carriage to take me back to Cape Town proper. If it wasn't for the fact that I had no home to return to and not much money to my name, I might have already been out the door.
"Dinner will be in the main dining hall at nine, Miss," the maid who had been unpacking my bags said as she headed to the door. "I'll be returning to show you the way when it's time."
I sent a tentative smile her way. "Thank you—" I realized, once again, I'd failed to introduce myself. Ma would have tanned my hide if she had borne witness to my deplorable manners. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name or the name of the lovely woman who helped me with the bath."
The young blonde-haired girl smiled at me. "It's Chloe, miss. And my friend is Rebekha."
I nodded in response. "Well, it's lovely to meet you both, and again, thank you for your help. I'll see you later then."
She bowed ever so slightly before disappearing out the door, leaving me alone in the lap of luxury, with no idea what to do with myself.
I wasn't even sure if I should be touching anything!
For a while, I merely wandered through the room, looking at everything, marveling at the fine details on it all. It was all rather fantastical, and if I had anyone to write to about it, I might have filled pages and pages with everything I found fascinating.
Pretty soon though, I grew bored and more than a bit curious about the rest of the magnificent estate. I had no idea what time it was, but it was still light out, so surely it was still a while before dinner?
And no one had told me I had to stay in my rooms, so surely it wouldn't hurt to explore a bit before then?
I walked through the halls of the house on quiet footsteps, trying my best to take note of all the twists and turns I took so I could find my way back to my room when the time came. I soon found a door that led outside and right to the most magnificent garden I've ever seen.
Soon, I'd grow weary of thinking that same darn sentence.
In the center of the lush green oasis sat a large pond. I sat down on the side, and my fingers trailed through the cool water, watching the heavy-lidded fish glide lazily beneath the surface, their scales catching the afternoon light in flashes of silver, gold and orange.
There were no other sounds, save for the rustle of leaves in the cool autumn breeze. For the first time since arriving, I felt the nerves settle and the tightness in my chest loosen.
A sound... the faint crunch of boots on gravel, had my gaze jumping up. I stiffened, my hand stilling in the pond.
As much as I'd like to say I wasn't to be a prisoner, confined to my room, I didn't know that to be the truth. Not yet. Not until I'd met and grown to know my new fiancé a bit better.
When I turned toward the sound, he was already there, framed by the arch of climbing roses.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in simple but well-tailored clothes.
He carried himself with the kind of ease that shouted confidence.
The late light caught the sharp line of his jaw, the curve of his mouth.
Handsome didn't seem enough of a word. He was arresting. Alive. And in that instant, I forgot my travel-weariness and my tangled doubts about the man I was meant to marry.
"Miss Kruger." His voice was deep, warm, and almost intimate, though his expression revealed nothing beyond polite acknowledgement.
My breath caught. The way he said my name made it sound like I already belonged to him, as though he had been saying it for years, not moments.
More than anything, the sound of my name on his lips had me suppressing a sudden urge to submit.
I swallowed, my pulse skittering, and forced my gaze back to the pond, hoping it might steady me.
"Good afternoon," I managed, though my voice was softer than I'd intended and I was most certainly blushing.
He didn't move closer, nor did he offer introductions. Not that we needed any. I was in his house, and had traveled far to be here, to meet him, marry him.
I smoothed my skirt as he crossed the grass toward me, his steps unhurried, his gaze steady.
"I trust your journey wasn't too wearisome, Miss Kruger?" he asked, voice low and even, as though the garden itself hushed to hear him.
I tilted my head, unsure whether to downplay or admit the truth. "It was long," I said, lips curving despite myself. "But I'm finally here, and that's all that matters in the end."
His mouth twitched, not quite a smile, but something close, and my heart soared at the sight. He had the face of a man who wasn't prone to too many smiles. "Here, and very much admired. It's truly remarkable how becoming you are after nearly four days full of travel, Miss Kruger."
Heat prickled along my cheeks. Compliments were not something I was accustomed to. "You flatter me, sir."
"It's nothing but honesty," he said, and before I could think of a reply, he lowered himself gracefully onto the stone edge of the pond beside me. The space between us narrowed until I could feel the warmth radiating from his shoulder.
I laughed softly, though it came out thinner than I'd intended. "You're bold, sitting so near when we've scarcely met."
His eyes glinted with something unspoken. "I don't care much for propriety, Miss Kruger. Best you know that about me from the start."
My heart stumbled. To steady myself I said the first thing that came to mind. "Well then, Captain, you—"
He flinched, almost imperceptibly, but I caught it. The title hung awkwardly between us, like a ripple in still water. Before I could ask, his gaze caught mine, holding it fast.
My heart skipped, and I drew in a sharp breath. The silence between us stretched.
And then, without thought, he leaned closer. Our lips brushed, the gentlest of touches, so fleeting it might have been imagined. Yet it sent my pulse careening even more.
I jerked back, stunned, my fingers first touching my lips, and then, once I realized what I was doing, I grabbed hold of my skirts. The enormity of what we'd done struck me all at once. Rising quickly, almost stumbling, I forced words past the rush of blood in my ears.
"I... I should go."
Without waiting for my fiancé's answer, I gathered my skirts and fled, my heart hammering wildly as I hurried back through the twisting corridors of the house, not daring to look back.