All Chapters of His Father's Bride : Chapter 61 - Chapter 62

I left before dawn. The manor still slept beneath darkness when I stepped quietly into the corridor outside my room with my traveling cloak wrapped tightly around me. Only a few lamps burned dimly along the walls, their weak golden light barely touching the endless shadows stretching across the carpets. Everything felt unbearably still. As though the house itself held its breath.Two servants waited silently beside my luggage near the staircase below. John had arranged for a carriage to collect me before sunrise specifically to avoid attention, gossip, and most importantly— William. The thought of him sent a sharp ache through my chest instantly. I had avoided him all of yesterday. Ever since I sent that letter to John I could not face him. I had said my final goodbye to Katherine and David goodbye this morning. They were asleep but I visited them and kissed each of them on their forehead. I descended the staircase slowly while the servants lifted my luggage carefully toward