Ophelia grinned, looking around to see that her bags from The Black Cock had somehow made it to Creston’s cottage. She went over to them and knelt down, unstrapping the satchel and opening the mouth of it to get to the items inside. She looked around for a wardrobe, but didn’t see one in the chamber.
“I can leave my clothing in these bags, but is there a chest I should use for them?” she said. “I have not seen one, but this has been quite a day. I may have simply missed it somehow.”
Athdara held up a hand, begging for patience, as she scooted over to the bedroom door and shouted down the stairwell.
“Are you bringing the wardrobe?” she called.
There was a muffled reply that Ophelia couldn’t quite hear, but after a few moments, she could hear movement on the stairs. Athdara stood back, and male servants carrying an enormous wardrobe appeared. She directed them to put it against one of the walls, and as the servants left to grab the next piece of furniture, Ophelia went to the wardrobe and ran her hand over it in awe.
“It is beautiful,” she said. “But I am not certain I can allow you to give me such an expensive piece. You are so kind to do it, but…”
Athdara came up beside her with a damp rag and began running it over the wood. It was old, but serviceable, and elaborately carved. A very expensive piece, as Ophelia had noted. But Athdara simply shook her head as she wiped it off.
“I did not buy it,” she said. “It was in a barn we use to store things like this.”
Ophelia’s brow furrowed. “Furniture?”
“And other things,” Athdara said. “You see, this village, long ago, housed people who were not from Blackchurch. It was back during the time when the first Lord Exmoor took possession of Exford Castle. Have you seen it yet?”
Ophelia shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “I’ve not been anywhere on the grounds other than the gatehouse and this cottage.”
Athdara stopped dusting and gestured toward the window, to what lay beyond it. “It is a vast place,” she said. “Exford Castle keep is in the middle of it, near the old, burned-out church ruins. The blackened church, hence the name ‘Blackchurch.’ But as I was saying, the village the trainers live in used to be a village of farmers and merchants, but over the years, Blackchurch simply took it over to house their own people. Items were left behind in the cottages, like wardrobes and chairs and things like that, and they are all kept stored in an old barn. Therefore, I did not buy this wardrobe—I simply had it brought over, along with everything else, to furnish your home. If you do not like it, that is well and good, but it will serve a purpose until you can purchase something else.”
That explained a great deal about Blackchurch and the way the trainers lived. Ophelia ran her hand over the carved door.
“I will keep it, if I may,” she said. “It is very beautiful. And you have done so much for me. I am very grateful.”
Athdara smiled as she returned to her cleaning. “We want to make your life here a good one,” she said. “All of us, thewives, know how difficult it is to become part of the Blackchurch brotherhood. It is a very tight community of men who would kill or die for any of us. They are honorable, worthy men, your husband included. We want you to feel welcome.”
It was a kind thing to say. Athdara and the other women were going out of their way to make Ophelia feel accepted, but in the back of her mind, she was starting to view them like she viewed Creston—people she didn’t know, but people she wanted to know. She wanted to have friends here. She wanted to be accepted. But right now, her relationship with them was built on a lie. They knew about her failed marriage from a couple of months earlier. She’d been honest about that.
But they didn’t know everything.
Perhaps if they did, they’d simply walk out and leave her to do the rest of the preparation for her cottage. They were helping her make it a livable home, but that was based on what they presumed—that she was an innocent woman who did not come into the marriage by deception.
But they were wrong. If there was any hope of having a true friendship with them, it couldn’t be built on a misconception.
“Wait,” she finally said, putting her hand over Athdara’s as the woman dusted off the base of the wardrobe. “Would… it be possible to speak with you before you continue?”
Athdara looked at her curiously. “Of course,” she said. “What do you wish to speak about? Of course! You do not like this wardrobe.”
“Nay, that is not it at all.”
“You want something smaller? This is rather large. I think there are smaller ones.”
“Nay, truly,” Ophelia insisted. “This wardrobe is lovely. It is something else I must speak of. Would it be too rude of me to ask the other women to join us? I should like to speak with all of you, if I may.”
Athdara could see that something was on Ophelia’s mind, so she nodded and went to the doorway again. There were servants scrubbing the stairs and she sent one of them to fetch Gisele, Elisiana, and Astria. In little time, the women joined them, entering the big chamber and voicing their approval over such a beautiful wardrobe. They thought that might be the reason they’d been summoned, but Ophelia quietly shut the door before turning to them.
Her manner was timid, but determined.
Truthfully, she’d never felt so anxious in her life.
“Firstly, I wanted to thank you all for being so generous with your time and talent,” she said. “I know that you are not finished yet, but I feel that it is important I tell you something before you continue. You may feel differently about helping me once I’ve told you, so I do not want you to think I’ve taken advantage of your kindness. I would never do that.”
So far, no one seemed concerned by her statement. In fact, they were all smiling to varying degrees.
“What is it?” Athdara asked.
