“That sounds wonderful. I hope you do not mind,” Agnes murmured.
“Oh, of course not, my lady,” Marion waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I would be honored to show you around. Ella can even come along with us.”
As she said the name, she gestured towards the young girl standing beside the cook, the sweet thing panicking at the sudden attention from the soon-to-be Duchess and bowing with red cheeks.
“She’s the cook’s daughter, and she is quite attached to her father, so she is always here whenever she does not have any duties to attend to. We had just been trying to convince her to leave the kitchen before you arrived.” Marion chuckled lightly.
Agnes tilted her head slightly as she regarded the girl, and the resemblance she bore with Agnes’ youngest sister filled her with an overwhelming desire to care for her as she did her sisters. She had no problem offering,
“Would you like to come along, Ella? The grounds are vast, and Mrs. Safield might wear herself out taking me around. Perhaps she can take a break after some time, and you can take over in her stead?”
Ella stood upright, her eyes wide in what appeared to be a mix of glee and alarm as she declared,
“I’d be honored, my lady!”
Her enthusiasm was similar to Imogen and warmth flooded Agnes’ chest.
“All right then. Shall we?”
Touring the mansion turned out to be a lot more interesting than Agnes imagined it would be. She already anticipated looking around her new home but had tried to tamp down the excitement in a bid to focus her energy more on assisting them if they needed her. But it felt good to assume the role of a guest for a bit and just enjoy the sights.
And truly, the Forestwood mansion was full of sights.
The tour began in the drawing rooms, the lavishly decorated spaces meant to serve as a casual space to greet guests and spend time reflecting on the wealth and graceful decorative sensibilities the hosts had. Then they moved to the ballrooms – Agnes was shocked to find that the house held a number of them that varied in size and style – and the old housekeeper informed them that lavish parties used to be often thrown in the Forestwood mansion.
“Not anymore?” Agnes wondered, admiring the beautiful mural of the ocean that decorated a wall of the last ballroom they had stopped to see.
The hues of blue and green were absolutely beautiful, standing out against the multicolored depictions of fish, underwater plants, and bubbles. Agnes could only imagine what it was like to attend a night of festivities in this ballroom. Although she was not fond of such social gatherings, the room gave off a feelingthat promised to deliver a good time to all who had taken the chance to attend.
“No, my lady. The… the late Duke – God rest his soul – used to throw many of them in honor of the Dowager Duchess. She is quite the social butterfly, and he was always committing to tasks that would let her… spread her wings, if you will. They both hosted numerous parties, in and out of the seasons, and when he passed, Her Grace dedicated most of her time to attending some gatherings rather than hosting anymore.” Marion explained, casting a look of sadness over the marble floors that gleamed beneath the rays of light streaming in through the large glass windows.
“I once heard her say that it used to fill her with pride to be the center of attention during their parties, but no gaze mattered more than that of her husband,” Ella said softly, lightly running her fingers over the frame of a painting. “I can only imagine that it would be difficult to host one now without being able to spot him in the crowd, looking at her and alone.”
It was a very thoughtful thing to say, and Agnes could not help but wonder what the Dowager Duchess’ marriage had been like. Her godmother used to talk about how her friend had always spoken of her marriage as the greatest gift life had ever rewarded her with. Lady Anna mentioned that the old Duke had been Alexandra’s whole world, and when he had passed, she had felt so lost and unsure of how to continue living without him.
Agnes had felt a similar kind of displacement when she lost her father and had been separated from her sisters in the same timeframe, and it had taken her quite some time to rise and put her life back together in order to fulfill the last duty her father had bestowed on her. Still, she could not help but wonder how much the Dowager Duchess must have loved her husband, how good their marriage had been.
During the night, she had thought of how the Duke’s grandmother had expressed her desire to see Agnes and Silas happy together, irrespective of their motivations behind getting married, and it had moved Agnes just how sincere and kind the older woman was. Unfortunately, she was unsure if she would be able to fulfill the Dowager Duchess’ wishes, given the partner she had to work with.
But for a moment, Agnes let herself dream of having a husband who would look at her as though she was the only person he could see in a room full of people.
The next location they visited was the two large libraries with more books than Agnes had ever imagined she would see in her lifetime.
“We have a vast collection of literature, from the classics to very rare contemporary works. Even some highly sought-after first editions. When the Duke is not riding or working, he usually spends most of his time here.” Marion informed Agnes as she explored the shelves.
“Is that so?” Agnes wondered out loud in surprise. “He seems so… active. I would not have imagined he was the sort to settle down to a good book.”
Marion smiled gently, nodding in understanding. “Your impression of him has its grounds, but the old Duke was the one who instilled in him the importance of a mind trained to appreciate the beauty of written words. For a brief moment as a child, he had wanted to be a poet.”
“No,” Agnes gasped with a laugh. “Really?”
“It was a fleeting aspiration, but he was really charmed by the idea. He was a really precious child, once upon a time,” Marion nodded sagely as though she felt saddened that the Duke of that time had been lost somewhere along the way.
Agnes sensed that the air had suddenly lost some of its lightness and cleared her throat, hoping to revive it.
“Well, I am very impressed with all that I have seen so far. The mansion is truly even more of a wonder than I expected it to be. I am also sort of envious that you have been blessed to have this lovely place serve as your home.”
“It’s your home now,” Ella spoke up, blushing deeply a moment later, as though she had not properly thought it through before she spoke.