Unconsciously, he shook his head to himself, then rushed up the stairs and towards the guestroom she was staying in. He could not allow her to remain there, under his roof. She would need to go and sort whatever issues she had somewhere else, with someone else. He had enough troubles of his own.
Chapter 7
When he reached the guestroom, the door was closed. Again, he hesitated. He almost felt like he was a guest in his own home and was now knocking on the door of the mistress of the house. Those thoughts left him just a few moments later, and he found his confidence once more. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door, hard. He didn’t wait to be called inside. Instead, he slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open.
He immediately saw her. She was standing by the window, turned with her back to him, bathed in sunlight. A part of him believed every word the girls had said. This woman truly resembled an angel. He half-expected her to spread her wings from underneath that turquoise colored dress and fly out the window, without a single word of explanation as to who she was or what she was doing there.
When she heard the door open, she didn’t turn around immediately. Her braided hair fell down her back, as white as untouched snow. Her pale hand rested against the window glass. When she finally did turn to face him, she looked down, at her own feet. He only saw a glimpse of her face, as white as porcelain. Absolutely exquisite. But she was hiding it from him. Instinctively, he hid his own stump of a hand behind his back in the same manner. It occurred to him that they both had something to hide.
“Miss. Blake,” he started with the name his mother had given him, “I am Edmund Spencer, Earl of Hudson.”
“My Lord.” She quickly curtsied in response but didn’t raise her head.
“If you would be so kind as to follow me to my study,” he instructed, unwilling to have such a serious conversation in the guestroom. “There is a matter of great urgency I need to speak with you.”
He didn’t wait for her to reply. Instead, he turned around and started walking. The sound of her footsteps followed him. He didn’t stop once to make sure that she was behind him. He descended the stairs and headed for his study. He entered it, and she appeared a few moments later.
“Mr. Higgins has informed us of your condition,” he continued, not wishing to start with the fact that he wanted her out of his home. “I am glad that it is nothing grave.”
“Thank you, My Lord,” she nodded. “I assure you that I feel perfectly fine.”
He wondered why she wouldn’t look at him, not even once. She kept her head bowed, her gaze hidden and lowered. It confused him.
Is she scared of me?
He reminded himself that, in the end, it didn’t matter. Whatever reasons she had to conceal her face from him were none of his concern. She would be leaving his home today, or tomorrow at the latest, and she would be out of sight and out of mind. He had other matters to be concerned with.
“Well, I must say that it pleases me to hear that,” he replied politely, pausing.
He was on the verge of telling her that she was allowed to look at him. However, then it occurred to him that she might not be averting her gaze out of respect, but due to something else entirely.
He remembered what the girls said.She is white, all white.He also remembered what he had told them in response to that. Now, it seemed he was wrong. There was nothing healthy about her complexion. Her hands were paler than milk. Her hair was like alabaster. Her cheeks showed no blushing; the little he could see of them as she kept her gaze down. She was unlike any other woman he had ever seen.
“Please, take a seat,” he urged, seeing she was still standing, while he himself had just sat down. She did as she was told. “Now, my mother tells me you have no memory of the previous night.”
“That is right.”
She was sitting straight, her hands resting in her lap. He noticed that not only was her hair white, but also her eyebrows and her eyelashes. She resembled some rare species, which hadn’t had much contact with humans, so it shied from them, scared it might get hurt.
“Well, taking all this into account,” he continued, “I would be happy to make the necessary provisions for your safe return back to your home.”
“Oh,” she sounded bewildered.
“Yes, I’m afraid that we simply cannot extend our hospitality for longer than a day or two, and this is why I need to most humbly ask you to let us know where you need to go. My coachman will ready the carriage as quickly as possible, and you will be able to return,” he was quick to explain, feeling strangely rude for asking her to leave his home, but seeing no other solution.
Somehow, she didn’t seem very happy about that. In fact, she wasn’t happy at all. He recognized the look on her face. He himself wore it often. The look of despair. The look of knowing there was no way out.
“My Lord if I may- “
Then, without warning, the door suddenly burst open. The woman who stood before them looked nothing like herself. There was fresh mud all over her dress, and she dragged in more of it, as she walked towards Edmund. She even had a few splotches of it on her face. Her jaw tensed unnaturally; her fists clenched. Her neck was covered in red spots from all the tension.
“Miss. Montgomery!” Edmund exclaimed, surprised at this unusual entrance.
“Those girls…” the governess grumbled. “Those girls are monsters!”
Edmund’s eyes widened in shock at her manner of speech. He noticed that Miss. Blake was also taken aback at this rudeness. Only Miss. Montgomery didn’t seem to mind and continued in the same discourteous manner.
“No one in their right mind would stay here and take care of them!” she continued, her voice screeching with anger. “I am taking my leave as of today!”
