Page 49
But she could not fulfil her part of their arrangement without him, so why had he not sought her out at night?
Often, as she lay awake waiting for sleep to find her in her bedchamber, she found herself listening for him—a footstep beyond her door, the turn of a handle, any small indication that he had come. More than once she thought she heard something and hurried to the door, half expecting to find him lingering on the other side. But each time, the corridor stood empty.
What was she to do?
Then, as she wandered through yet another unexplored corner of Winworth House, it dawned on her. Perhaps he simply did not know how to bridge the distance between them. Arthur had spent years overseas, and as far as she knew, he had never courted, let alone married. Perhaps he was every bit as uncertain about consummation as she was.
Yes. That had to be it. The thought brought her a surprising measure of comfort.
If Arthur was simply nervous, then perhaps someone had to be brave enough to close the distance between them. She intended for that someone to be her.
Determined to prove herself useful and perhaps ease Arthur's uncertainty over consummating their marriage, she made her way towards the library she had discovered on her adventures.
The library was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Books climbed across polished dark oak floor-to-ceiling shelves, disappearing behind a gallery that circled the walls above. Heavy red velvet drapes concealed the towering arched windows, leaving the room bathed in perpetual shade. Had the curtains been opened, she had no doubt the sunlight would have caught a thousand leather spines in warm shades of burgundy, forest green and chestnut brown. A rolling ladder rested against one shelf, while deep leather armchairs and well-worn Persian rugs softened what might otherwise have felt an imposing room. The scent of old paper, beeswax and polished oak lingered pleasantly in the air.
If there was one place capable of answering even the most embarrassing of questions...
Surely it would be here. Determined to fulfil her end of the bargain, she stepped further into the room, making for the rolling ladder before movement between the towering shelves caught her by surprise.
"Oh!" She exclaimed.
An attendant emerged from the shadows, carefully easing a heavy leather-bound volume back onto its shelf. He was shorter than she was, his round frame almost swallowed by the darkness that lingered between the bookcases. He looked just as startled to see her as she was him.
"Forgive me, Your Grace." He climbed quickly down from the ladder before bowing deeply. "I did not hear you come in."
"It's quite alright, Gunther." She smiled warmly, dismissing the apology with a gentle wave of her hand.
Her eyes wandered towards the enormous curtains that blanketed the windows.
"It's that damned shade again," she muttered under her breath.
She stood in thought for a moment, her gaze moving from one curtain to the next.
Then an idea came to her.
The corners of her mouth curled upwards into a mischievous smile.
"Say, Gunther..."
"Yes, Your Grace?"
"Would you terribly mind arranging for the curtains to be opened in here for me?"
She could not make out his expression properly through the dimness, but she was almost certain his eyes had widened.
His mouth opened and closed several times before he chose his words.
"Your Grace..." he began cautiously. "The Duke of Buckingham's standing instructions are that all rooms are to remain shaded."
She nodded before he could continue.
"I am aware."
She wandered slowly towards the nearest window, clasping her hands behind her back as she looked up at the enormous velvet drapes.
"But you know by now that the drapes in the east wing have been opened for my dance lessons."
