Chapter 51

EMILY was tossing and turning as she felt something soft on her. She opened her eyes before she was looking at an unfamiliar window as well as the unfamiliar surroundings around her. She sat up before she was looking at the grand bed that she was sitting on.
“Ah, you’re awake. Finally,” the deep voice that she knew belonged to Lord Dorian Hassildor, her husband now, was booming across the room as Emily turned in that direction. Ian was sipping on his tea as he was looking at her. “Sleep well, my dear?” He asked before Emily was looking at herself. She was in her thin, white muslin chemise before she pulled the blanket on the bed to cover herself. Ian chuckled.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen anything,” he said, which made Emily glare at him.
“What are you doing in my bedchamber?” She asked before. She did not know if it was her bedchamber after all. Ian chuckled lowly before he stood up from the divan that he was sitting on to go to the edge of the bed.
Emily gripped the blanket tighter. Ian was sitting on the edge of the bed before he was looking at her. Emily did not know what he was planning to do to her and was in this state of clothing nonetheless.
If I was screaming, no one would come. They just might think that we were begetting an heir, Emily mused before Ian was handing something to her.
“What’s this?” She asked before she took the letter, not letting the blanket slip from her hold, tucking it underneath her armpits. She was looking at the invitation that was coming from the young queen of Niapachad Island.
It was sealed with a dragon’s crest, after all, Her Majesty’s official house crest. But it could be coming from her cousin, the Duke of Belikov, which would mean that Becca would be sending her an invitation as well.
“The young queen has invited us to have dinner with her and her husband this weekend. I think you might want to read about it before I reply to her,” Ian said as Emily was looking at the marquis.
So, he did care about my opinion, after all, Emily mused before she nodded.
“Sure, we can go if you want to,” she said as Ian was arching his eyebrows.
“Are you sure? After last night, you might want to reconsider,” Ian teased before Emily remembered what she did last night. The dance, the wine, the shouting. She wanted the ground to swallow her now.
How humiliating! Emily cleared her throat before she was licking her lower lips. Ian was looking at her face but Emily knew that his focus was on her lips, as well as that she was looking at her husband’s lips.
“I should get going then,” Ian said as he was smoothing his black coat as the dusk was showing in the sky. The night was starting and Ian might be busy doing some ledgers balancing and tenants’ payment or something. Emily knew that her husband was a busy man and she was grateful for that.
“Okay,” she replied before Ian smiled at her and went out of the room, leaving her to her own devices. After the click of the door, Emily was getting out of the blanket before she went to look for her wedding gown. It was nowhere to be found.
“Damnation,” she cursed, which would make her parents roll in their grave for her lack of manner, but she was alone before someone was knocking on the door. She grabbed the blanket and put it on before the door opened and the maid that was showing her around on the first day was smiling at her.
“You!”
“Yes, I am now your ladies’ maid, milady. The master has been kind enough to promote me,” she said before she was helping Emily to take a bath. The marquis thought that Emily reeked of alcohol from last night.
And she was as she was removing the chemise with the help of her ladies’ maid before she was immersing herself into the clawed copper bathtub that was filled with lukewarm water. Emily sighed, as it had been a long time since she had taken a hot bath like that.
The maid left her to get her dressed for the night as the night was the day for the Niapachad islanders and the day was their night. It was the way since the Origins, the first settlers and pioneers of the country, had founded and governed the island and kept it that way.
Emily was sighing before she rubbed the cloth all over her body as well as the soap to make sure that she smelled fresh. The soup smelled of lemon verbena before she got out of the bathtub as the maid was wrapping a towel around her.
She went to the dressing room where she just knew she was in the master bedchamber in the marquis of Kain’s townhouse in Royal Molftus. She sighed before the maid was putting on the new chemise as the first layer. Then, Emily was looking at the corset, the petticoats as well as the day gown that she would be adorning. She sighed.
“Well, let’s begin,” she said before the maid moved to put on the garments on her body.

AFTER putting on the clothes, Emily decided that she would have a light breakfast. She did not dare to step around until her lady's maid was showing her the dining room and she was happy to know that Ian was not at the breakfast table.
Emily was eating some eggs with sausages as she was sipping on the tea. It was Earl Grey with lemon before she felt the body heat behind her. It was none other than her husband, Ian.
“I see that you’re eating without me, my dear,” Ian said before he kissed Emily’s cheek. She was stunned for a while before Ian took his seat at the head of the table.
“It would seem that you were not around when I got here. I am starving, so I thought maybe it would not be so bad to eat before you come, my lord,” Emily said as she was looking at her husband. Ian chuckled before the servant poured some tea for him. Ian thanked him but Emily noticed that his tea was different from hers.
It was much darker.
“What’s in that tea?” She asked before Ian stopped midway and turned to look at her.
“This? This is just regular chamomile tea with sugar,” Ian said as Emily was arching her eyebrows at him. Ian sipped it before she continued to eat her breakfast.
The silence between them was nice as Emily was putting some jam on the bread as the fresh fruit was eaten by Ian. They were not talking to each other. And Emily was happy that she could do her stuff and Ian could go anywhere he wanted. She did not care where he went or when he was gone, as long as Emily could do her stuff, she was good.
But that did not last long, as she did not expect something, or rather someone, to tear the beautiful silence between them.