"How do you propose I prepare, Andrew, when the man who dragged me into this won't even offer me the courtesy of honesty?"
He exhaled sharply, his hand raking through his hair in frustration. "Fine," he said abruptly. "Since my honesty is so important, let me offer you this. Stop letting your emotions cloud the reality of things. If you're going to thrive here, you will need more composure than this."
Her lips parted, but the anger brewing inside her was suppressing her ability to speak. "I see," she said, her voice trembling with fury. "So, my emotions are the problem now?"
"Right now? Yes," he replied coolly. “We've had a long day, Lavinia. Can we just retreat to our chambers and retire for the night?"
Lavinia's hands curled into fists at her sides, her nails biting into her palms. She wanted to lash out, to scream at him for the cold indifference in his tone. But something in his words made her pause.
She studied his face, searching for a crack in his stony demeanor. Was he truly so unmoved by everything that had transpired? Or was he hiding behind his composure, as she was starting to suspect?
"Fine," she said quietly. "If you won't explain yourself, I'll figure it out on my own."
Andrew's expression softened briefly, a flicker of something...guilt? Regret? She wasn't sure. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He inclined his head stiffly. "You will have a maid assigned to you in the morning. She and the housekeeper will show you around the estate and explain your responsibilities," he repeated.
Lavinia folded her arms, her chin tilting upward in a display of defiance she didn't quite feel. "How very efficient," she replied, her tone light and nonchalant. "I suppose I should be grateful you have thought of everything. Thank you, Your Grace. I look forward to meeting my...maid."
Andrew's lips pressed into a thin line, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned toward the staircase as if retreating was the only option he had left. But just as he reached the foot of the steps, he paused. For a moment, he seemed to struggle with himself, his shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath.
Without turning around, he spoke. "I know this isn't what you wanted."
Lavinia's stomach twisted at his admission, but before she could respond, he continued.
"But this is where we are now. You will have to make do with it. I have no intention of standing in your way, Lavinia. You're free to do as you please, within reason."
When he finally glanced over his shoulder, his expression was unreadable. "Good night," he said, and then he made his way up the stairs.
Lavinia stared at the empty space where he had stood, her chest tightening with an ache she didn't want to name. His words had answered nothing and everything all at once, leaving her stranded in a sea of uncertainty.
As she stood there, lost in the quiet of the room, the soft creak of the door interrupted her thoughts. A woman of middle age with a stern yet kind expression, stepped into the room.
"Good evening, Your Grace," she greeted with a respectful curtsy. "I am Mrs. Paulina Fortescue, the housekeeper."
Lavinia blinked, still processing Andrew's words, but she nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thank you, Mrs. Fortescue," she murmured, her voice soft and distant.
The housekeeper gave a gentle smile. "I'll see to it that you're settled comfortably for the evening. If you need anything, I'm at your service, Your Grace."
Lavinia forced a smile in return before following the woman up the stairs.
CHAPTER TEN
"Where's Andrew, Paulina? I haven't seen him in four days."
Lavinia stood by the window, staring out into the gardens of the estate, her fingers drumming softly on the sill. She had thought she had it bad when Andrew had left her without answers on their wedding night. Little did she know that her sleepless nights were only beginning. The days seemed to stretch endlessly, each one blurring into the next with the same emptiness. She had grown used to the quiet, but the silence between them now felt like a physical presence, a shadow that she couldn't shake off.
She had expected that time would smooth over the awkwardness of their union, perhaps even give them a chance to understand each other better, but Andrew's absence over the past four days made that seem like a distant dream.
Lavinia let out a soft sigh as questions that had no answers raced through her mind. Where was Andrew? What was he doing? Had she really become so unimportant to him already?
Paulina hesitated for a moment before answering. "Your Grace, His Grace...he went to the boxing ring today. He's been spending a lot of time there these past few days."
"Boxing..." Lavinia mumbled.
She sighed deeply, her fingers still tapping absentmindedly on the windowsill. She had wandered the halls of the estate, explored every room in the manor, and still, there was nothing to fill the emptiness that seemed to have settled around her. Even the vast gardens outside appeared dull and lifeless, much like her own existence in the cold, unfamiliar place.
The house felt more like a prison than a home, and she was its solitary inhabitant, trapped in the silence that only seemed to grow louder with every passing hour.
