“I wanted to make sure that you did not need my assistance. I watched you both through the window when you arrived. She seems rather lovely.”
“Too lovely. She will have to change that if she wishes to truly belong here.”
“Is that to say that I do not belong here, or that I am cruel?” she asked, a faint smile on her lips.
“You know what I mean, Mrs. Johnson.”
“As do you. I have known you since you were a boy, Your Grace. You are not half as unkind as you want people to believe.”
But he was. It was how he had always been perceived. In time, he had learned that there was no changing that, so he simply played into it. He was fearsome, so he learned to be feared. It was simple.
But the woman in front of him had never once believed that. He did not know if that was his favorite thing about her or the worst.
“I ought to rest,” he said, looking down at his shoes. “I suppose breakfast with my wife would be a good thing.”
“You owe her that much. Does she mind not having any real influence here?”
“She seemed confused, but that will change when she understands why. I can only hope that my mother comes to accept her presence here. I know that she does not want to lose her authority, but she will not be here forever, and I must be prepared for that day.”
“You need not explain it to me. I know why you have done all of this. Your mother does too, but she needs time. All you must do is tell your wife that she is not a villain until she sees it for herself.”
Cassian was quite convinced that his motherwasa villain, but he knew that was unfair. She was indeed unkind to him, but he could not blame her. After all, it was his fault that she despised him.
CHAPTER 10
Adelaide did not understand her new home.
The exterior was nothing short of terrifying, and she knew that they would never host an event of any kind, not when her husband refused to repair it.
She could not have people spend time in an estate where half of it was burned to the ground. It was too dangerous, and it would do such harm to her reputation that she would never be able to recover.
As for the interior, it was too perfect, too precise. She was afraid to touch anything, in case she broke it, and she kept to her room in the hope that she would never need to leave it.
Her room, however, was perfect. The walls were a pale yellow, with light pink curtains and pale furniture. It somehow felt as though it had been decorated with her in mind. If she had to hide away forever, she reasoned that there were worse places to be.
A knock sounded at the door, and she opened it to find an older lady standing there with a kind smile.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she greeted, and Adelaide welcomed her inside. “His Grace has told me that introductions will be made after breakfast, though I thought it might be best if someone came to fetch you.”
Adelaide thanked her, and the woman began to dress her for the day.
“It is nice to meet you, Mrs.…”
“Mrs. Johnson,” the woman supplied. “I am your housekeeper. And despite the rule he has told you about, I am still charged with helping you here.”
“Do you know why he will not allow me to run the household? He did not tell me, only that it is forbidden.”
“You shall learn why soon enough. He will tell you, but it is best that you are both rested.”
“Does he not think that I am good enough?”
“On the contrary, he thinks highly of you. But you will understand why soon. In the meantime, I shall give you a tour after you have eaten, and then the day is yours to do with as you please.”
But Adelaide did not know quite what to do with herself. She was in a strange place, where she did not know anyone at all and was not allowed to run her own household. She could read, but what else was there to do other than her simple hobbies?
She supposed that she would decide after breakfast.
“Did you sleep well?” Cassian asked when she entered the breakfast room, her green gown heavy.
