Twenty-Nine

Upon arrival at the Duke’s castle, Adalene’s senses were assaulted by all things royalty.
Color, smell, and noise of different tones and varying degrees of emotions were all over the place.
She tried not to get too overwhelmed especially since Fabian—Baron Deschamps, her lover, and keeper—warned her she could get overwhelmed by the aristocrats.
But it was difficult because she had never been exposed to something so busy and noisy and colorful!
Now, as she looked down at what she could see of the activities from the window of the room she occupied with him, she couldn’t help but think back to the events that happened in the most recent days.
Just a few days ago, she was just a bride being married to a callous, old man whom her father had arranged for her to marry in a drunken moment.
She grew up on a farm that was mostly quiet in her whole existence except for days of seasonal feasts, and she expected that by now she would be living in a vineyard this time that would be made callous by its owner, her husband.
If the Baron and his men hadn’t rescued her from that dire predicament, she never would have the chance to even be here.
By principle, she now belonged to him.
She wasn’t complaining—she knew how lucky she was.
He had saved her from a miserable life she couldn’t imagine she would survive.
There would surely be a price to pay and she was determined to pay for it.
And right now, he fancied having her in his bed. She would be in his bed, and she would do her best to make sure he gets all of her.
Again, she wasn’t about to complain. Being his lover was the best thing that ever happened to her.
He was the most considerate man she had ever met and being in his arms gave her the most wonderful feeling in the world.
He was beautiful and sweet, and kind.
She was grateful for that day he passed by that chapelle and took pity on her.
She would be thankful all her life, even when she knew it would end so very soon for her.
In the window, she sighed.
Suddenly, the busy noise down in the courtyard seemed dimmer.
Suddenly, it wasn’t all that overwhelming as she contemplated dark thoughts about her future.
One day, the Baron would marry the woman everyone would prefer for him to marry. He would be with a woman he would choose to spend the rest of his life with.
He would be in love, and he would plan about children and a life filled with laughter and joy with this woman.
That woman would not be her.
And she could not imagine this woman would share him with a mistress.
Adalene wouldn’t.
She still couldn’t think of why Fabian brought her here with him, to the Duke’s castle. Was he really trying not to even hide her at all?
But why?
Her eyes focused on the people in the yard again and her spirit got lighter.
She didn’t know why she was here, but that didn’t mean she would pass up this chance to soak up this new experience.
She was a young woman whose only glimpse of the outside world was from the pages of the few books her mother was able to acquire from an aristocrat.
And she was now thrust into a territory of the aristocrats in a way she couldn’t even imagine would happen to her just a few days ago.
But it was not the aristocrats Fabian should worry about.
The clothes!
And gowns!
The quality and variety of fabric and material! And, oh, all those beautiful stitches!
She loved all of them!
Sometimes, she did not approve of the mishmash of colors in just one gown, but she kept that to herself.
If she could only learn how to become a good seamstress, she just knew she could start from there.
She felt she had the intuition for designs if she could only see much more of it and learn the intricacies of the craft.
She smiled as she heard the opening of the door.
The handmaidens had been back and forth bringing things in and she could already hear their chatter as they come in with another of the wooden cases. She wanted to help them but they were shocked and scandalized when she offered.
She was used to it now. Something she could do without any problem at all couldn’t be done in this world in her new role.
But there was no reason to rush towards them and help when no one could see!
Soon enough, she was in an exciting banter with one of the older handmaidens about silk and thread as they took clothes and other things from inside one of the cases to arrange them in drawers and a giant closet in that huge room.
Odette was more exposed to the aristocrats than she was and Adalene was quizzing her about all she knew, and she loved every information she received until they suddenly heard Fabian speak.
“You love making dresses.”
She turned.
He came from the adjoining bedroom and looked like he was listening for a while with them unaware.
Odette and the other woman quickly backed away to give them privacy, and when she walked towards him to tell her more about what she actually thought about his question, she promptly got distracted by his kiss.
The Baron loved to kiss, much to her delight, because most of the time, his kisses were preludes to something more demanding.
Not that she was complaining.
She had discovered she loved kissing, too, and more so his demands.
“You haven’t replied to my question,” he gently reminded her as he held her after the kiss.
“Yes, I would love to learn how to make extravagant and beautiful gowns and elegant coats and shirts,” she told him. “But I can only do simple peasant gowns and practical farmer garbs now, which were far simpler than what I have seen down the courtyard. Everything was so colorful and the cuts... and the stitches, Fabian!”
He was grinning down at her. “And here I thought you would get overawed by the number of aristocrats in the castle,” he mused.
“I am already so much in awe of one aristocrat,” she said shyly as she leaned toward him. “But the gowns and coats,” she confessed in a rush. “Ohh, if I can only learn to sew and stitch at least one of those wonderful things...!”
“I am in competition with gowns, then?” he teased her as his hands traced the shape of her small waist.
She smiled up at him. “No... of course not, my Lord. How can you think that?” she whispered as she began to feel the heat of his stare and the sensations his hands always created whenever he touched her.
He smiled down at her indulgently. “Perhaps we can include in our plans bringing you to a fair? You would do well learning about textile trading since I intended to enter into it eventually.”
She felt her heart start to race at this indication that he had her in his plans for the future.
But she stilled her heart... or tried to. One could only hope for so much!
“Thank you, my Lord, for thinking I can do something else for you one day.”
“Oh, Adalene, we can do so many other things together. But right now...” he said gently as he held her hands to his and looked directly into her eyes, “I have a few things I need you to do for me.”
She blinked at the somberness on his gaze. “What is it, my Lord?” she asked as she felt her heart flutter nervously. His tone was grave. Whatever he wanted, they would be important.
“I want you to promise me that you will not go off on your own here. It isn’t like at the chateau. This is a different place, and you cannot be alone without at least two of my men. Do you understand?”
She nodded, reserving the questions to herself. “I will try not to give you any problems, my Lord,” she told him.
“You are smart, I know that. But there is more here you’ve not been exposed to before. I don’t want you getting hurt before I can teach you anything,” he said.
“*Oui,*” she replied softly. She had suspicions about what he was talking about.