The house was already busy with a hundred sounds Selina had gotten used to. Servants bustled past her on her way down the stairs as they went about their endless tasks in the massive mansion.
Sweet smells drifted from the kitchen, promising delicious pastries and whatever the cook decided to bless the household with for the morning. Selina considered stopping by the kitchen for a bite but thought against it.
Still, her stomach rumbled slightly as she pushed out of the house and its busy sounds, into the sweet music of the birds in the trees around the estate.
There were workers in the fields already, taking the livestock out to pasture in the distant plains, and others keeping the grounds closer to the house.
The Dowager Duchess’ shiny black carriage sat in front of the house, four fine horses neighing softly as they waited for their passengers.
The driver hopped off his seat and bowed slightly when he saw Selina. “Mornin’, m’lady. Fine day for a ride.”
“Good morning to you too,” Selina replied with a warm smile, nodding slightly as she did so.
The Dowager Duchess emerged shortly after, walking down the front steps in her springy, energetic way. Selina climbed halfway up the steps to offer her a hand down, but the older woman shunned her away.
“Bah. I’m not that old yet.” She smiled as she said it, however, showing she meant no offense. To hear her speak, it was easy to forget that she was north of her seventieth birthday.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Selina said with a deep curtsy. “Trust you slept well?”
“I did, my dear. Fine morning to you too.” She turned and smiled at the driver who had bowed deeply to her.
She got into the open carriage, taking the proffered hand of the driver to assist her into her perch. “Why, thank you, Murphy. Good man.”
The driver smiled again, showing his clipped upper teeth as he clenched his hat victoriously in front of his chest.
He rounded the corner to the other side, where Selina raised a hand to dismiss him, smiling. He bowed, then climbed into the driver’s seat as Selina helped herself into the carriage.
The carriage rattled out of the Wynten Estate soon after, rolling out of the cobbled driveway of the estate into the dusty road that led down to the town.
Selina had only come down the main road once, on her journey to the estate from Brigpool. She watched the fields roll by as the sun rose slowly in the sky, painting the wheat heads and the rolling fields with an ephemeral golden light.
The air was a bit chilly, but not so much as to cause discomfort. The two women rode in silence for a short while before Grace cleared her throat to get Selina’s attention.
“I hope you’re not too upset about me dragging you out to town like this, my dear?”
Selina gave the older lady an incredulous look. “Upset? Of course not, Your Grace. Actually, I am grateful. Thank you.”
Grace smiled deeply, crow’s feet stretching out in the corner of her eyes. “I’m delighted to hear that. However, you have nothing to thank me for. I told you before, dressing you up makes me feel young again. Your beauty and elegance remind me of how I once was, and it’s wonderful seeing the same thing in you.”
Selina blushed and smiled. The Dowager Duchess possessed a kindness that she had never seen before, and she somehow had the ability to know the right thing to say in any situation.
The traffic increased as the carriage merged into the main thoroughfare of the town proper. The streets were filled with carts, merchants coming and going in their numbers.
Selina blinked in surprise at the difference in scale between Brigpool and Wynten. The goods were twice as expensive but the Dowager Duchess did not seem to be minding her coffers regardless.
Selina sighed and followed behind her. Grace already had a green dress in her hands, holding it up to the light and turning it this way and that.
“Why, look at this one, Selina,” she said with excitement. “Doesn’t it just bring out your eyes, mmm?”
Selina’s breath caught a little. She was not lying. It was a beautiful material with hundreds of glittering stones on it, and it had the same shade of green as her eyes. She imagined it would cost a fortune.
“Your Grace, that dress is much too expensive for me,” she said breathlessly, nearly fainting as she thought of how she would ever pay the dowager back for such a thing.
“Nonsense, my dear! I have told you, it brings me joy to adorn you with beautiful things. It keeps me young,” the Dowager Duchess laughed.
“Your Grace!!” a sudden shout cut through the store and swallowed any response Selina had thought to give.
Both the dowager and Selina spun around in shock at the sound of footsteps. Selina saw an older woman approaching. She was younger than Grace, but still advanced in her years.
