"My room?" Alethea repeated, as though Daphne had just said something that was difficult to believe.
Daphne exchanged a look with the other two.
Alethea stepped across the threshold slowly, her gaze sweeping over the room as if she feared disturbing it. The bed was wide and neatly made, twice the size of what she had been accustomed to sleeping in. There was a canister of water kept by the side-table, and there was a large window to the side with silk curtains draping it.
It felt a bit disorienting, really.
"I've never had a room to myself," she said suddenly, more to the space than to her sisters.
There was a silence behind her, and then Felicity spoke, "You do now."
Alethea turned toward them, hands folding in front of her without thinking. It was a habit, and quite normal in the world she knew. But she caught the way that they flinched slightly at the action.
"We'll leave you to rest," Daphne said, stepping back. "You'll find your night things in the wardrobe. If you need anything, you may call for the house help at any time."
Alethea said nothing.
"Join us for dinner later in the evening," Daphne announced. "We hope that you will get some rest by then, and that we may be able to talk in more detail over a meal."
"It is impolite to speak when you're eating," Alethea shrugged.
Her sisters exchanged a brief glance but Alethea caught it all the same. She wasn't sure if it was surprise or discomfort, only that it reminded her, again, how far apart their worlds had been.
"In the convent, perhaps," Daphne said gently. "But here we tend to talk over meals. Not always of serious things, sometimes just the weather or nonsense, really."
Alethea didn't answer right away. She had learned long ago that silence was safer than saying the wrong thing.
"I suppose I'll have to learn." It was the safest response that she could think of, considering that she really did not know what the rules of this world were.
"There's no rush," Daphne replied, stepping lightly around the moment. "Truly. Just rest for now. That's all that matters."
"We'll see you later, but only if you feel up to it," Joyce added in.
"And what if I don't?" Alethea asked. "What sort of punishments would await me? I would like to know in advance. I am not too familiar with the rules around here."
Joyce's eyes widened slightly, and Felicity gasped.
"There are no punishments here," Daphne was the one to speak.
Alethea blinked.
"None at all?" she asked, surprise written all over her features. Daphne shook her head, smiling now. "So then what happens when I do something I ought not to?"
"Well," Daphne smoothed out the front of her dress. "I suppose we might look at you a little sternly but that would be the extent of it."
Alethea wasn't sure yet if she believed it. Not because she thought them cruel, but more so she found the idea difficult to wrap her head around.
"I see. I shall rest now," she announced, suddenly feeling the urge to be left alone. She expected them to put up some resistance, but all three sisters complied.
"Very well. Rest well, and we hope to see you at dinner," Daphne said, "we shall like you to introduce you to the rest of the family."
There were more?
"Right. Very well."
"We'll leave you now."
The three sisters stepped out, and the door closed with a soft click behind them. Alethea remained still for a moment,listening to the quiet, as if the room itself might speak to her now that no one else was watching.
