Chapter 5
Isabel attempted to make her sigh of relief not too audible.
The flicker of light in Sebastian’s deep green eyes said he noticed all the same. She hadn’t heard his name until the vicar said it. Sebastian. A large name for someone his size. It fit him. And those green eyes…
Whatever her muscles had done to relax at his words, it immediately halted when he suddenly stepped closer.
Any space between them vanished. Her heart skipped a beat. She swallowed. Her hands clutched at her dress. She didn’t have anything else to cling to.
A hundred questions came to mind as she thought about moving away.
Or even hiding from him. It seemed childish, running.
And hiding would get her nowhere. They were wed now.
If she could survive those cutthroats, surely, she could survive him.
No, she wouldn’t run from the man she married. She had made her bed with the duke.
But what was he doing? Would he touch her? Had he not meant what he just said to her?
“Isabel.” The way her heart spasmed when he said her name was strange and heated.
She swallowed again. There was hardly any air between them.
Standing ever so still, she waited for Sebastian to go on.
“The only thing you should be certain of here is that you are safe with me. I cannot offer you more than that.”
Apples.
That was what Sebastian smelled like. She’d caught whiffs of it before but hadn’t been able to place it. Not until now. Apples weren’t in season. She didn’t think they made cologne for that scent. But he indeed smelled like apples.
Her mouth dried out, leaving her speechless. All she could do was offer him a jerky nod for a response.
Slowly the words registered as she understood what he was saying.
That she didn’t have to worry about running or hiding.
That he wouldn’t touch her. There were many marriages only in name, though usually at least one or two children came from them.
It seemed Sebastian didn’t even care for having any children, any heirs.
As she waited for comfort to wash over her, she met his gaze as it still lingered on her face.
Those piercing green eyes seemed to see too much.
She couldn’t feel any consternation then, only intrigue.
He looked so alert, so attentive. Could he see something in her?
His dark hair was a little long over the ears and a little unkept, but those eyes…
A small sound escaped her when he stepped back.
Once again, she had been leaning forward. Swallowing hard, she immediately took a step as well––banging her head into the door. She winced before offering a pained smile. Her hands shook and she clutched her dress harder so he might not see them.
Whatever just happened?
“Good evening.” Sebastian said at last. He gave a deep and respectful nod before turning heel to disappear down the hall into another room.
Her pulse was racing as she stayed pressed against the door, needing a moment to catch her breath after what just happened.
What had happened, she couldn’t particularly define. Only that something did indeed happen between them. Something they weren’t going to acknowledge.
Her heartbeat seemed to try and tell her otherwise, but she brushed it off as she took one more glance around the hall she stood in. The bed chamber would be hers, so she would have to be able to find it the next time she took her leave of this hall.
It must be old since walking halls are still somewhat new. Some restructuring was clearly done, but not entirely. I’ve never been an awful stranger to mapping a house, but this one might be a challenge.
“A challenge for tomorrow,” she decided before twisting to step into her new bed chamber.
Isabel closed the door and stood a few steps inside to consider the room.
It looked very much like her other glimpses of the house thus far.
She had a large fireplace that already had thick flames heating the room.
Dark wallpaper covered the walls with more artwork on top.
She craned her neck up to note the gilded patterns on the ceiling, darkened with time.
The place was beautiful, albeit dark and strange and brooding. Much like her husband.
Resting a comforting hand over her stomach, Isabel gave her head a shake to try and get Sebastian out of her mind. But it was difficult not to. His presence, even his absence, felt so intense.
Not having him in the carriage on the ride here had been helpful. He most likely would not have fit comfortably with her and Amber already inside. But then she had been consumed with worry the entire time, wondering if he had a death sentence, wondering if he would be all right outside.
Their arrival had further exacerbated the issue as he was stony-faced through the introductions to the staff. And she had thought his delivering of her to the bed chamber might be an attempt to give them time alone together.
His curt manner had made her wonder if he thought of this place more of a prison than a home. But that was a ridiculous thought. She had tried to ask questions, only to be shut down repeatedly with curt answers. That hadn’t helped her nerves. Nor had his pause at the door.
But then he promised her safety…
Sighing, Isabel went to a closed window and decided to open it to consider the view. She had two windows on one long wall that was partially separated to include a small sitting room before the bed itself. And then on the next wall there was a small window, like it might have been added later.
All of them were opened. The skies didn’t offer much light, but she would gladly accept it. Turning back to face the room, however, she frowned.
It was still a very intimidating bed chamber.
The house was intimidating. And so was her husband. Her stomach grew queasy. Isabel inhaled deeply, wondering how this had so suddenly become her life. It didn’t seem likely she could survive a life where she was terrified of everything.
But I had gone to the ball hoping for a husband, hadn’t I?
A short laugh of shock escaped her. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she shook her head.
She needed rest. Her head was beginning to ache and her limbs already felt like jelly after their rough carriage ride here.
Every time she was near Sebastian, her body would tense up.
She just needed a chance to relax and to rest now.
“A nap will help,” Isabel decided. She removed her shoes and stockings, deciding her dress could be dealt with later.
The bed was set up on a taller platform with a step that she barely needed with her height.
Several heavy blankets were laid out on there to keep her warm.
She wondered if the sea breeze kept the estate colder than it might otherwise feel as she slipped her bare feet in and sighed. She really did need a rest.
It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. But then it took longer to awake. Isabel awoke rested to see gray light emerging from the windows.
“Amber?” she called, wondering if she had heard something that awoke her. Isabel stretched and slowly made her way to the large clock in the sitting room. Beside it was her luggage, a single trunk, and the time telling it was hardly seven in the morning.
The morning?
“Oh bother.” Isabel felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment. She had slept through the night entirely. Then her stomach grumbled, reminding her she had slept through supper. “Well, then, I’ll break my fast.”
She found the bell pull in a dark corner and pulled. While waiting, she managed to maneuver her way out of her dress and into a wrinkled morning dress with stockings and shoes. Already she was braiding her hair by the time a back door opened to reveal Amber, panting and sheepish.
“My lady! I mean, Your Grace. I’ll have to remember that. I’m terribly sorry. Oh, I should have been here sooner. Let me fix your hair; I’m so very sorry, it’s very difficult getting around here. I lost myself twice,” Amber rushed to explain.
“It’s all right,” Isabel reassured her. “This place will take some getting used to. I’m only glad you could make it; I’m not very good at plaiting, I’m afraid.”
Amber chuckled. “You have a fair start of it. I’m only glad I can help.”
“Very good. And I saw you started preparing the closet.” Isabel glanced at the trunk in the vanity mirror.
It was a very fine vanity, actually, when she looked at it.
Engravings covered the framework. The wood was a cherry oak, she thought, and smooth to the touch.
A few grooves from someone who used it once, perhaps, who might have loved it.
“Yes. I didn’t want to wake you, so I didn’t finish. But I can do that now, Your Grace. Goodness! A duchess. I didn’t think we would make it here, to be sure, but I am very glad of it. For you, that is. I’m very happy for you, Your Grace,” Amber added with shining eyes.
It was impossible not to have a soft spot for her. Isabel remembered her mother’s teachings about not befriending the servants as a child, but Amber was special. She couldn’t have survived this long without someone, and Amber was forever reliable and kind.
“Thank you. And I’m very glad to have you here. It may be a beast getting used to the rooms. But is the staff treating you well?”
“Oh, yes. They had a spare room for me since they weren’t certain if you were bringing any staff. I’ll set up in the side room by the closet later today. The staff is very strange, but I like them,” Amber reassured her with a bright smile.
The two women talked for a little longer before Isabel decided to go search the house. She didn’t think hiding out in her bed chamber with a meal tray was the best way to start a life here with the staff.
But as she began her search, attempting to retrace her steps from the evening prior, she wondered if she should have waited for a guide.
Not all of the staff must be up yet, so most of the rooms were icy cold.
She recalled how this was practically a fortress made of stone. Maybe it had once been a prison indeed.
Then she caught a shadow.
“You!” She started when it seemed to hide away. “I mean, I’m sorry, hello?”
The shadow wavered before moving, shrinking, to reveal a short middle-aged man. He clutched some tools and offered a low bow. “Your Grace. I was only…”
When he didn’t go on, she let it go. Only she couldn’t remember him from yesterday. “What is your name?”
“Winder, Your Grace.”
“What a pleasure it is to meet you again,” she tried, hoping her calm voice would make him shrink less. His head was trapped behind his shoulders so low it had to be uncomfortable. Did he think her awful? Did he think the duke dangerous? “Could you please point me toward the dining room?”
He jerked in surprise with wide eyes before nodding. “Ah, yes. It’s that way,” he said with one finger beneath the box. “Two rights. Er, Your Grace.”
“Thank you very much, Winder.” She left and wondered vaguely if he was fixing something. She would have to ask the housekeeper about it later.
Isabel found the dining room with the long table and a sideboard at the end, the room filled with delicious scents. But she stopped in the doorway when she noted Sebastian.
The duke was reading a newspaper. While she rather hoped he might not acknowledge her, he immediately rose to his feet.
“Good morning, Your Grace.” He glanced at his paper and asked, “Did you not wish for a tray in your bedchamber?”
“Not right now. I thought I might explore.” She swallowed as he nodded, sitting back down to resume his reading. Glancing at the nearest footman, she wondered if he might pull out a chair for her.
His eyes widened and he first glanced at the duke. Stepping forward, the young man reached for one chair and then another like he couldn’t decide which one. Like picking the wrong one had consequences.
Does the entire household fear Sebastian?
“In a moment, please,” she decided to stay instead. “I would love to fill a plate first.”
“Oh, right. Yes, Your Grace, allow me to help you,” he stammered before hastily going to the sideboard.
It took a few minutes to get what she wanted.
And then he ended up picking the seat for her––the one at the other end of the long dining table.
That surprised Isabel. She supposed she had the right to ask to sit elsewhere, but didn’t want to embarrass anyone.
So she thanked him and took her seat, slowly picking at her food.
All that time, Sebastian had not looked back up.
How quiet it is even with four people in this room. How can they stand it?
“Vale,” she decided to use his requested name in the hopes of it still being appropriate in his perspective whilst breakfasting. “Is there anything of note in the paper this morning?”
“Hm?” He looked over the paper. “No.”
And yet he was still reading it. Isabel glanced at the footmen. There was one on either side of the room and yet they stared at nothing in particular, not even each other. They wouldn’t meet her eye.
“Do you have any plans for today?” Isabel attempted once again. “Perhaps we could enjoy a refreshing walk out of doors. I’m sure the grounds are lovely.”
She caught a glimpse of his shoulder shrugging. “Not particularly.”
A beautiful long wooden table separated them, almost emphasizing the distance. Part of her couldn’t help but wonder if this was all on purpose.
“Then are you free to accompany me on the house tour? I would love to hear your stories about the estate,” she tried one more time with a forced bright smile, her hand gripping her fork.
Slowly the newspaper came down to reveal his face. Sebastian looked at her and then his empty plate. Folding up his paper, he rose to his feet. “Unfortunately, I cannot. There are estate manners I must attend to now.”
“Certainly, Your Grace.”
The honorific made him pause on that second step. Swearing she could see his fist tightening on the paper, crinkling it, she suppressed a smile when he sent her a quick glance. The man could be irritating with his preferred distance and lack of communication, but she could be just as stubborn.
I will make a life here of my own. One way or another. Only I would much prefer it if we could be on better terms. He was agreeable before, so surely, we could do better than this.
“Good day,” Sebastian murmured and then took his leave.
She unclenched her hands. The fork dropped on the table while she leaned back, slouching as she wondered if this was really what he wanted. An estranged union in the same house.
Resisting a sigh, Isabel closed her eyes. It seemed likely she was bound for a lonely life amidst all these people as well. What was she going to do with herself?