“Indeed. My room is so?—”
She froze, seeing another figure. She could not see a face, only a slip of a woman covered in a thick mane of black hair. Her breath hitched, but she steadied herself and took her seat.
“It is beautiful,” she finished.
The woman grumbled something that Adelaide did not quite hear.
“I am pleased to hear that,” Cassian replied as she took some food. “Do you have any plans for the day?”
“I ought to visit the village, as well as meet the staff. Mrs. Johnson came to see me, and she seemed perfectly kind.”
“She is. You will like her a lot.”
Again, the woman grumbled.
Adelaide wanted to ask about her, but she knew better. She would have to wait until she was alone with Cassian, though she did not know quite when that would be. She knew how busy gentlemen were, and given the circumstances, she was not convinced that he would want to see her very often.
“And how did you sleep?” she asked.
“Well enough. It was a long day, and I was pleased to be back in my bedchambers. However, I am aware of all the work I must do, now that I have returned. I will say, though, that it includes seeing some of my tenants. You may accompany me, if you wish.”
It felt like a golden opportunity.
Despite his demeanor, Adelaide wondered if there was some kindness in him after all. He had never claimed to be a kind man, but his actions had shown otherwise. He had touched the small of her back to guide her, caught her when she slipped, and suggested she accompany him on his errands.
She wondered if he knew just how out of place she felt.
“I would very much like that.” She nodded earnestly, her appetite returning at long last.
“Very well, I shall be going this afternoon. If you ask Mrs. Johnson, I am certain that she will prepare gifts to take with you.”
Another muttered response came from the woman.
Adelaide turned to look at her, but she did not see anything more than she had earlier. She could not help but shudder.
“I will ask,” she agreed.
Cassian left the breakfast room first. He seemed to wait for a while, before looking at the clock and rising to his feet, stating that he needed to start work.
The moment he stepped out of the room, Adelaide hurriedly went to join him, but the woman raised her head and told her to stop.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She did not dare turn around.
The woman’s voice was shrill and demanding, and Adelaide wondered, given her husband’s lack of reaction, if she was merely seeing things.
“Look at me, child,” the woman commanded.
Adelaide turned at last.
She was not an ugly lady, though she was giving her an accusatory look that made her seem cruel. She was thin and frail, and she bore a remarkable resemblance to Cassian, save for the scar down her left cheek.
“Good morning,” Adelaide greeted tentatively.
“You did not acknowledge me earlier.”
“I did not. I-I apologize, but I thought that?—”
“That I was unworthy of being spoken to, yes?”
