Chapter 4-- The Rules of Ashcroft Manor.

Chapter 4– The Rules of Ashcroft Manor.

I wake up in an enormous bedroom that doesn't feel like mine. I stare at the ceiling that feels foreign to me. I sit up immediately and look around me at the pale blue walls.

Everything is silent except for the drizzling rain tapping against the windows.

In the silence, I start to wonder why I am in a room that isn't the childhood bedroom I've known for the past twenty years of my life.

Then, it all comes crashing down.

The wedding.

Me, arriving at the Ashcroft estate.

The servants.

Damien showing me to my room.

And me, falling on my bed.

I fall back on the bed, covering my face with a pillow and groaning.

Someone knocks on the door.

I throw the pillow away from my face and sit up.

A maid steps in.

She looks in her middle twenties. She has ginger hair, hazel eyes with a tan skin.

She bows and says,

‘My lady… Lord Ashcroft requests your presence’.

I almost roll my eyes.

‘Where is he?’. I ask

‘In the library, my lady’.

I nod expecting her to turn around and leave.

She doesn't.

‘Is that all?’. I question.

Her eyes widen in surprise.

‘I… I'm here to get you ready’. She

stammers.

‘Oh!’. I exclaim, feeling my cheeks heat up.

‘I’m sorry, I didn't–’.

‘’There’s no need to apologize, my lady’. She quickly says, interrupting me.

Now I'm embarrassed.

She hurriedly crosses over to the other side of the room, heading over to the bathroom to prepare a bath.

I hadn't thought that Damien would have a maid attending to me.

Ever since my mother passed, Father forbade every servant from helping me get ready for the day.

My thirteen year old self didn't understand back then but it was enough to make the servants steer clear off me.

As if I was carrying some kind of disease.

A plague of some sort.

One can only imagine what that did to a thirteen year old.

My father always failed to surprise me that on the day of my wedding when he sent Zoey to help me get ready, I wasn't angry.

I was neutral.

I didn't ask why he was doing this. Just went along, like a lamb to be slaughtered.

I shake my head to dispel the memories that threatened to take me under.

I get out of the bed when the maid comes out of the bathroom.

‘The bath's is ready, my lady’. She says, her hands folded in front of her.

‘Thank you’ I reply putting on my bathrobe.

‘What is your name?’ I ask, curious.

She hesitates. Surprise written all over her face.

‘Anastasia, Ana for short’. She delivers, flustered a little.

I nod. Satisfied that I didn't have to guess her name but actually know it.

I enter the bathroom, sinking into the wooden bathtub and begin scrubbing myself.

Ana stands at the corner, her head bowed.

After bathing, Ana goes to the closet and picks out a pale green dress with a big bow at the back.

She helps me wear the dress, then takes me to the dresser to do my hair.

She holds my brown hair in a high ponytail.

‘All done, my lady’. She says taking two steps backwards.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror in front of me.

‘It’s perfect, thank you, Ana’. I tell her.

She bows.

She hands me a pair of flat heels slippers, I put them on. They fit perfectly.

I thank her again.

I get up from the chair and walk out the room.

The hallways are quiet, unlike yesterday.

Ana leads the way towards the library and I follow after her.

We walk down the stairs, taking us to the ground floor.

I look around me at the walls, the artifacts and paintings lining the walls. I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at them.

We reach the landing of the stairs and we begin to climb another set of stairs leading to what I presume is the library.

I lean against the railings of the stairs trying to catch my breath.

Ana turns to check on me with a concerned look in her eyes.

I wave my hand dismissively at her.

‘I’m fine’. I assure her, giving her a little smile to ease her.

She nods and continues walking.

I take in a deep breath to calm myself and begin following behind her.

We finally, finally reach the top of the stairs. She guides me towards the second door on the long hallway.

She opens the door of the library and bows.

I nod and enter.

A gasp escapes my lips at the sight before me.

The shelves of the library are so high that it almost touches the ceiling. The ceiling is covered in art. Arts of angelic beings, flowers, the sun and moon.

It's so enchanting.

Every shelf is filled with books, there is an empty section without in there. My fingers are itching to caress and smell them.

My eyes spot Damien, sitting at a very long table reading a book in his hand.

The joy I feel suddenly vanishes at the sight.

I head over to his table and stand before him.

‘You’re late’ he says without even looking up at me.

I scoff. ‘No one told me when I was expected’

‘Then today we'll begin with expectations’.

He closes his book.

‘First, let's get you something to eat’ he says, signaling to the butler I hadn't noticed standing at the corner of the room.

I take a seat, facing him across the table.

Two maids come in with a tray filled with bread, tea and some cookies.

They serve us our breakfast, then they bow down and leave.

I grab the teacup in my hand, feeling the warmth of it in my palm and take a sip.

Mm, coffee. It’s delicious.

The silence that settles around us is so heavy and awkward.

Damien clears his throat.

‘How was your night?’. He asks.

I shrug.

‘Fine’.

Damien's eyebrow lifted. ‘Fine?’

I shrugged again, reaching for my cup.

‘Fine.’ I repeat

‘That is a remarkably detailed account of your first night in my home.’ he replies, his tone sarcastic

‘I slept.’

‘Did you?’

I looked at him. ‘Yes.’

‘Good.’

There was something about the way he said it that made me narrow my eyes.

‘What?’. he asks.

‘Nothing.’ I say, dryly.

‘You're staring’.

‘I was wondering whether you always interrogate people over breakfast’.

‘Only when they give suspiciously short answers’.

I roll my eyes and returned to my food.

For a few minutes, neither of us spoke.

When I finally push my plate away, Damien raises from his chair.

‘Come.’ He beckons

‘Where?’.

‘I'll show you the estate’.

I glanced toward the windows. ‘Now?’

The sun is so bright that it looks hot out there.

‘Unless you'd prefer to spend the rest of the morning staring at the walls’.

‘I've seen enough of your walls’.I lie.

A faint smile touched his lips as if reading my thoughts.

‘Then you should be pleased to know there are quite a few more’.

I sigh and follow him out of the library.

We cross the long corridor, and Damien walks beside me with his hands casually behind his back.

‘This is the main hall. The gardens are beyond those doors. The servants' quarters are on the opposite side of the house’.

He continued walking until we reached a darker corridor that leads towards the hallway of my room.

We walk down the corridor passing my bedroom door.

We stand before an iron door that is different from the doors aligning the hallway.

‘And this?’

That,’ Damien said, his gaze settling on the iron door, ‘is a door you should never open.’

‘Can we go in?’

‘No.’

I frowned. ‘Why?’

‘Because it's forbidden.’

‘That isn't an explanation.’

‘It wasn't meant to be.’

I stared at him.

He looked completely serious.

‘Rule one: Do not open or enter this door.’

‘Are there other rules?’ I ask folding my arms over my chest.

His eyes settled on mine.

‘There are five.’

‘Of course there are.’ I mumbled under my breath.

He turned and continued down the corridor.

‘Rule two: You do not leave the estate after dark.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I said so.’

‘That seems to be your favorite answer.’

‘You'll find it works remarkably well.’

I muttered something under my breath.

He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Rule three: Stay out of the forest.’

I stopped walking.

‘The forest too?’ I whine.

‘Yes.’

‘What exactly am I allowed to do?’

His mouth curved slightly.

‘Eat. Sleep. Read. Annoy me, apparently.’

I fold my already folded arms tighter.

‘And rules four and five?’

Damien's smile disappeared.

‘Rule four: Do not wander the house at night.’

‘And five?’.

He looked toward the tall windows at the end of the corridor.

‘If I tell you to come inside, Elara, you come inside.’

His voice was quieter this time.

This is the first time he's ever said my name.

‘No questions. No arguments.’

I studied his face.

For the first time that morning, he didn't look like he was teasing me.

‘Why?’

Damien held my gaze for a moment.

‘Because there are things outside this estate that you don't understand yet.’

Then he walked on, leaving me with more questions than answers.