Josefine_4852

She was kneeling on the cold stone floor of the main hall with her hands tied behind her back. Not daring to face the intruders she kept her head low and her gaze fixed on the ground. 
She was only wearing a nightgown and her messily tied hair had started to come undone, causing lose strands of auburn colored hair to cover her face. She was thin; way to thin as most would probably say. Her beautiful features were concealed by sunken cheeks, dark circles and a dull complexion. 
Beside her was the rest of the family, all of them kneeling in a row with their hands tied back. She hadn’t gotten a good look but from the corner of her eye her father had appeared to be badly beaten...

*** 

The man who had killed her family that night had been truly terrifying. His face was entirely unfeeling as he beheaded them and he did not flinch when their bodies hit the floor.
So why had that man defied the king's orders just to spare her life? 

Amelia thought that her miserable life would continue being filled with nothing but abuse. 
She had not expected that she would be treated kindly, both by him and by his servants. And she had certainly not expected that she would slowly begin to let her guard down aroud him.

***

(Cover art from pinterest)

A thorny path

Amelia was a bit nervous to go to the duke after their previous encounter earlier that day. But that night ended up passing fairly well. When she arrived to his chamber he only greeted her and shortly inquired about how she'd been adapting to life in the duchy before excusing himself, diving back into a pile of documents that looked to have become even bigger compared to last time.


Rather than being bothered by his seemingly indifferent attitude towards her she was glad that she was able to go straight to bed considering how tired she was. And it was comforting seeing how he was holding up his end of the promise of not touching her.


She'd had her doubts about his intentions but it seemed like he truly only needed her to pose as his mistress, at least for now.


The following days passed quickly. Contrary to Amelias worries she was making fast progress in her etiquette lessons. The goal was for her to be able to carry herself with pride and although it was difficult to unlearn what she'd been taught by her previous teacher she was still able to pull thorugh. Far from being hit or yelled at like she had feared Flora sometimes even praised her.


Because of the lessons along with dance practises and occassional dress fittings she was so tired every night that she didn't have much issues falling asleep. Even the nightmares seem to appear less frequently.


In the blink of an eye it was the day before the banquet. The atmosphere in the manor was hectic and servants frequently nearly sprinted down the halls to get their work done. Even Olivia had been assigned several different jobs to do and wasn't around much because of it.


Amelia felt a bit guilty for being able to peacefully enjoy her books amids the chaos. She'd offered her help to multiple servants during the day but they had all declined her offer with panicked expressions on their faces. Because it seemed like her help would only be a bother to them she'd given up by now.


In the afternoon was the final fitting for the banquet gown. Until then she did not have much else to do. It was strange suddenly having so much time for leisure so much so that she was even begining to feel bored.


She closed the cover of the book she was holding with a sigh. It was the second book that she had finished today.


'Perhaps I should try reading a more difficult one" she pondered. Since her reading ability had been improving lately it was not unreasonable.


As she was searching through the bookshelves for something that seemed interesting, someone entered the library. It was a maid that Amelia had seen around the manor but did not know the name of. Even though the maid looked calm her cheeks were flushed indicating that she had been in a rush.


"I apologize for disturbing you, miss Ainsworth. But I just recieved word that madam Adelaine will not be able to bring the dress today. It'd probably be best to get it fixed today since tomorrow will be too busy, so if it's not too much to ask... Is it alright for you to go to her shop? Of course you will have an escort."


"Wait...Are you saying that I can go into town?"


Amelia could barely contain her excitement and it was not only because she had been bored. Because the existance of Viscoint Ainsworth's illegitimate daughter had never been officially announced Amelia had never been able to go with her family when they went somewhere. Furthermore she had rarely ever been granted permission to even leave the estate's grounds. Frankly she hadn't as much as set foot in the city centre since she was taken in by her father.


"Are you saying that it is alright?" The maid looked relieved.


"Yes, it is fine. Do you know when we can leave?"


"I was told as soon as the miss wants."


"Well, then I will get dressed right away" Amelia gleamed.


The day before the banquet (1)