“Are ye comin’?” he asked, popping his head back into the carriage. She closed the book and looked at him dumbfounded.
“Aye,” she said as she climbed out of the carriage. Her legs ached as did her back. Looking around she found Gabriel’s home to be more impressive than she could have ever imagined. The shrubs around the castle were trimmed into neat green hedges while white forget-me-not flowers lined the walk away. She noticed the dandelions scattered about the courtyard.
How is it he has all of my favorite flowers planted here? Surely he couldnae have known I liked them.
The castle rose high into the sky cutting off most of the view of the mountains that surrounded the estate. Her heart sank out of sheer intimidation. In the back of her mind, she knew Gabriel was a wealthy Laird, but to the extent of his wealth, she didn’t know.
“Elena.” Gabriel’s voice pulled her away from admiring the lush green grass that was trim. A part of her wished she could pry her shoes off and go frolicking about. There was nothing like the feeling of mud underfoot. But as she turned to face him, dread came over her. This was her home now and she had no experience in running such a large estate.
“This is Emily,” Gabriel said as he lured a woman to her. The woman looked to be in her mid-thirties, gray strands of hair mingled with the dark brown hair that was tucked neatly into a cap.
“Emily has been in charge of keeping the house in order while I’ve been away,” Gabriel said with a smile.
“Suppose that duty now falls on ye,” Emily said with a curtsy. Elena swallowed hard, forcing herself to smile. She realized if she were to get her bearings around the castle she was going to need Emily’s help.
“I hope to learn what I can from ye,” Elena answered. “After all, ye ken this place better than I.”
“Well, I suppose I do,” Emily chuckled. Her smile soothed Elena’s nerves. The sympathy in her eyes set Elena at ease. Scooping one arm into Elena’s, Emily guided her to the castle doors.
“Suppose a tour of the house would be best to start,” Emily said. Elena glanced over her shoulder to Gabriel wondering if he’d step in to intervene, but he had turned his back on her and busied himself with the luggage.
“The castle has fifteen rooms, which daenae include the two main rooms for the Laird and Lady,” Emily explained as they crossed the threshold. The entranceway blew Elena away. A large candle chandelier hung in the center of the room and illuminated the entire room.
There were paintings of various landscapes lining the walls that lured Elena closer. Her eyes studied the pictures for a moment as her heart fluttered. Each picture depicted a place she had always longed to see, yet, knew she never would be able to.
“These are amazin,” Elena said.
“Aye, the Laird is talented, is he nae?”
“I’m sorry, are ye tellin’ me Gabriel painted them?”
“Aye, he did. He’s quite skilled if I do say. But these are nothin’ compared to what I’ll show ye in the sittin’ room. But let’s first get ye to yer quarters.”
“I thought I’d be sharin’ a room wit’ the Laird,” Elena said as Emily guided her to the stairwell.
“Oh, nay,” Emily said over her shoulder. “The Laird made it quite clear ye’ll be needin’ yer own room. He even gave precise instructions on how it was to be arranged.”
Anger sparked through her. She found herself irritated at the idea of Gabriel arranging a room for her. Biting her tongue she followed Emily up the stairs and down the hallway. The smell of heather and juniper filled her nose as she breathed in deep.
“Here we are now,” Emily said, opening the third door on the left.
Closing her eyes, Elena paused at the threshold. A part of her wanted to keep her eyes closed in fear of what she was about to see. Yet, when she stepped into the room, she found all her fears and anger for nothing. The room was beyond anything she had ever thought to dream of.
The large bed was situated to the left of the room and had a canopy of blue and white lace coming down the posts. It reminded her of a waterfall the way the colors shimmered in the light.
Large doors opened to her own private balcony that was fitted with various potted plants. To the right, a changing screen of ornamental design and a large dresser. Beside the dresser, a table with a pitcher and bowl for washing. But what really drew Elena in was the fireplace. The carving around the hearth was of marble. The more Elena stared at it the more details she saw.
“This is all for me?” she gasped as she noticed a small writing desk off to the side that faced the balcony.
“Are ye pleased wit’ it?” Emily asked. Elena’s head bobbed. She had practically forgotten Emily was there at all. Never in all her life had Elena been in such elegance. Everything down to the dollies on the table fitted her personality and style.
How could he have known this is what I would have wanted?
“I’ll let ye get settled for a bit and when yer ready, there is a bell ye can rin’. I’ll come back to show ye the rest of the house.”
Elena gave a nod as Emily slipped out of the room. Walking to the bed, Elena ran her fingers over the smooth fabric of the blanket. A bouquet of flowers was on both sides of the bed adding to the floral smell in the room.
Plopping on the bed, Elena scanned the room. As she sank into the mattress she couldn’t help but giggle at it all. Somewhere in the depths of her being, she found the ice around her heart cracking.