Everything she had ever owned while at the abbey had been plain at best. Well crafted, but made of simple fabrics. There had been no frill or luxury to speak of.
Then, in the few days she was living with her parents, she’d been relegated to wearing her mother’s secondhand gowns. Aside from her wedding dress, which had been crafted just for her, the only thing Emilie had ever worn or owned had been the habit of a novice nun or her own mother’s castaways.
So, she did not know what to say about the beautiful, luxurious gowns that were being held out before her.
“Ye said these are the simpler gowns?” she asked.
Despite herself, Emilie reached forward, running her fingers over the beautiful fabric.
I shouldnae want this. I shouldnae be dreamin’ about slidin’ this over me body.
Emilie couldn’t help but think of the orphans she and the other nuns would help. The poor bairns would go hungry for days unless someone took pity on them. And yet, here she was, dressed in lavish fabrics.
A rush of shame flowed through her. The cost of such a gown would feed those bairns for weeks. Emilie tried to stamp down that thought. She wasn’t the one who spent the money, and the truth was, she didn’t have a choice but to wear what Archer prepared for her.
The dresses her mother had sent with her were ill-suited and not something that the Lady of the Clan should conceivably be wearing.
The maid began putting them away for her, and Emilie stepped up to help her.
“Me Lady?” the maid asked, giving her a glance of confusion. “Are ye tryin’ to help me?”
Emilie just blinked at the girl. “Am I supposed to just stand here and let ye do it when I’m perfectly capable? We can have it done in half the time.”
“But… ye’re the Lady,” the maid retorted. “Ladies daenae help. Nae like this.”
Emilie paused for a moment. Her entire life had been spent in servitude to others. It was second nature for her to help. It had been all she had ever known.
For her to just step back and let others do things for her, without ever actually offering to assist? It was not something that Emilie thought she could do.
“I’ll be helpin’ ye,” Emilie said, a little more sternly than she had intended. But she didn’t want the maid to argue back with her. “We’ll get it done faster this way.”
The maid blinked at her again, but eventually she nodded and turned back to her work.
Just as Emilie had said, they got it done much more quickly with the two of them side by side.
“Do ye ken which one ye’d like to wear today?” The maid asked, prompting Emilie to shake her head.
“I’ll want to look at them for a few moments,” Emilie advised, pointing toward the door the maid had just come through. “But I can dress meself. Thank ye, for yer help.”
The young woman looked like she wanted to protest further, but she did not. After a few moments’ pause, the girl simply bowed before turning on her heel and retreating toward the door.
Emilie stood in front of the armoire, staring at the gorgeous gowns that had just been brought in for her. It had been barely any time at all while she was residing within Castle McGregor.
And already, she was starting to go back on her vows. She was tempted by the luxury, tempted by the man that she was now married to. She was trying to rationalize going against them, going against the promises she held deep in her heart.
I must find a way out of this marriage.
Emilie leaned forward, finding the plainest of the gowns that had been brought to her. It was a cornsilk blue, almost the exact color of her eyes. The fabric was soft and luxurious, supple as she ran her fingertips across it.
But it had no frills and no patterns; the fit was a bit looser around the bust than the others. And it would be the only one that suited her needs.
She began dressing, panic welling up in her chest as she did so. More than a few times, her hands slipped as they fumbled with the buttons.
Emilie had to find a way out of her marriage. But how?
She ran through all the things she had learned about her husband thus far. He seemed aloof at best. Distant from his children. And was someone who seemed not to suffer fools lightly.
Then, it occurred to her.