They reached the entrance. Arabella took a moment before she stepped inside. Gerald looked down at her, sensing her hesitation.
“The staff is awaiting you,” was all he said, as if this particular information would help her calm her nerves.
She decided that she had every right to be this emotional, but at the same time, it was not helpful. What she really wanted now was a bit of privacy, to be away from eyes looking at her, judging and measuring her. She took one step inside.
It wasn‘t the first time that Arabella found herself in the Albury Estate. But riding like crazy in the middle of the night, coveringher face as best as she could, and rushing up the stairs, following a very stunned butler, didn’t warrant the attention to detail that one would expect when entering a house for the first time.
So now, it was as if she was seeing this place for the first time. Otherwise, she would have noticed the impressive black-and-white marble floor and looked up at the double-height ceiling looming over her. And if her heart were not thrumming in her ears like it did last time, she would have heard his steps echoing in the massive entrance as they did now.
The moment she was inside, an elderly woman with a kind face and grey hair streaking her auburn approached them immediately. She had deep brown eyes and held her body with such authority that it told Arabella she was managing their house.
“Congratulations, Your Graces,” the woman said with a voice as sweet as honey.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hayes. May I introduce to you the Duchess of Albury, Arabella Warren?”
The woman curtsied deeply in front of her. Arabella realised that she had to get used to this attention and this kind of protocol when it came to her station. But it would take some time. Only this morning, not even her own staff would bow at her when she was still a Marriott. But now, as a Warren, she would definitely be treated in a completely different way.
“Your Grace, I am truly happy, and I hope to serve you as best as I can, the same way I did His Grace for all these years,” Mrs. Hayes said.
Arabella tried to find even the slightest hint of irritation in her voice. After all, she had been the unofficial mistress of the house in the absence of a Duchess. And now here she was, green, too inexperienced, not at all trained to take care of such a massive estate. But Mrs. Hayes seemed genuinely happy to enter this ancestral home with her.
“I am sure, Mrs. Hayes, that you will be by my side the same way you served His Grace. After all, I will need your invaluable help.”
Mrs. Hayes seemed quite happy with this. She gave Arabella her most open smile, and the future became infinitely better. The rest of the staff, from aged gardeners and caretakers to cooks, were forming two lines, creating a small corridor of humans welcoming her into her new house.
Most of them were curious, trying to understand what the new mistress was going to be like. She expected the staff to be scared and aloof, since they had been employed by the Cruel Duke, after all. But she saw none of those things, just curiosity and anticipation.
“This is a very beautiful place, Miss Arabella,” Winnie said by her side.
“You are going to be calling her ‘Your Grace,’” Mrs. Hayes reminded her.
Both Arabella and Winnie stood still. But then the housekeeper gave her a smile, a big, genuine smile, and her maid relaxed.
“It is going to be difficult to get used to at first. It seems that you have been with Her Grace for many years.”
Winnie relaxed upon hearing those words. Arabella had forgotten that it was the two of them who had to move after the wedding. If Arabella came here as the new Duchess, Winnie didn‘t have privileges adjacent to her station.
“Perhaps I could give you a quick tour of the house,” Gerald said by her side.
Arabella realised she hadn’t released his hand yet. She was holding onto it, still thinking that maybe it might help her calm her nerves. She looked up at him and read something that could have been understanding when his butler rushed in.
“Your Grace, there is an urgent missive for you,” he said and presented him with a letter on a silver tray.
Gerald took one look at the crest and then turned down to her.
“It is a letter from Lord Pembroke. I must see to it at once.”
And within the first hour of their marriage, Gerald released her arm and disappeared into his study, leaving her alone in a new home with people that didn‘t know her and whom she didn‘t know. For better or for worse, Gerald was the only personconnecting her to this house. And she thought she would get a glimpse of who he truly was during this little tour of the house. One learns a lot by letting people show the place they lived and grew up.
But his actions also spoke volumes. No matter what the occasion, business would always come first. And since the… business between them was concluded, it was only logical he would continue with the rest of his day. She filed that information and set aside her own feelings. She was getting the notion that she would have to do the latter a lot from now on.
“If it is your wish, Your Grace, we can continue this tour together,” Mrs. Hayes said.
Arabella turned to her with the most patient and brilliant smile she could muster. If Mrs. Hayes was surprised by the Duke‘s behaviour, she didn‘t show it. But Arabella could tell. They may not be afraid of him, but they were used to his coldness.
“I would very much love to see the rest of the house. Thank you very much.”
And so Arabella followed the housekeeper and was introduced to the rest of the staff. For this massive estate, a great deal of people were needed to keep it in good condition. They all seemed well fed, and their clothes were new, soft, and expensive. Arabella approved, at least, of his treatment of the people working for him. It also said a lot about the man.
