Page 2 of Mistress of Darkness

It was far more beautiful than she had expected. The elegant paper-hangings that covered every wall seemed new, and in the most recent Neo-Grecian fashion. From chair rail to cornice, the walls glowed with what appeared to be silk. The blankets and pillows on the bed looked as soft as clouds, and Gwen had to resist the urge to run her hands over them as the footmen deposited her luggage. High windows looked out upon a garden, though winter had left only green hedges and borders. A large dresser and armoire dominated the wall opposite the window and both gleamed with fresh polish. A charming dressing table, complete with oval mirror, sat in the corner.

It would certainly do.

Indeed, though she would be loathe to admit it in anyone’s presence, these chambers were infinitely more opulent than what she had at home. Some days in the Archer household there had not been enough firewood to keep the place warm, nor enough blanket layers to keep out the cold. Hard times had fallen upon her parents in recent years, and it would seem that their burdens would not lighten any time soon, now that Regina had vanished in the wind.

“Thank you, Frances,” Gwen murmured absently. “I won’t require any assistance until shortly before dinner. I will expect to see you back at six o’clock.”

“Yes, Miss,” the girl said, as she curtsied and then hurried out after the men, shutting the door behind her.

Gwen preferred to see to her own things and started by unpacking her trunks. A she sorted her clothes into the various drawers and shelved her dresses in the armoire, her thoughts inevitably turned back to Robert.

His behavior had been so, well, correct, for lack of a better word. But even as she thought it, an explanation sprang to her mind. Was he acting out of pity?

It was true that her family was nearly penniless, particularly now that they’d spent the last of father’s money on a wedding that would not happen. Gwen had no prospects for suitors, and she was nearly at that age that men would begin to wonder why she had no suitors. She sat down on the bed, worry washing over her, even as another explanation assailed her: perhaps she herself had changed.

Regina’s disappearance had not just thrown all their futures into confusion, it had made Gwen see people differently. She’d known her sister so well—or at least she’d thought she had. Now she found herself questioning everyone’s motives for even the smallest thing. Was she also finding the worst in people as well?

She flopped back on the soft bed as her thoughts continued to whirl. Why hadn’t Regina told her of her troubles? What could have been so pressing that she hadn’t come to Gwen first? Indeed, her sister could have gone to their parents. Gwen closed her suddenly burning eyes. Her mother and father had been as wounded as she had been, if not more. Regina would have much to answer for when…

There was a knock at the door. “Miss?” said a small voice. “It’s six o’clock.”