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“In the wing, there is the master suite and three more bedrooms as well as a sitting room for you to use for whatever pleases you. These stairs lead directly into the main living room off of the kitchen downstairs. Had we gone to the left out of your bedroom, you would have found another set of stairs that lead to the back of the house towards the garage.”
I nodded trying to visually remember everything as she talked. At the bottom of the stairs, my two large bodyguards Saul and Dio stood as though they were waiting for their next task from me, but I wasn’t sure what I was allowed to do or worse, what I had to ask permission to do.
Luckily, Molly took pity on me and addressed them for me when I didn’t.
“Mrs. Capasso would like to go outside and enjoy some fresh air.”
Saul nodded and Dio spoke into his wrist like an undercover spy, and I let the formality of it all roll off my shoulders. I was too eager to get outside to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
“Thank you,” I said to both her and the guards as I stepped down onto the marble floor.
“I’ll be around when you return.” Molly said, “Make sure you go check out the pond, it’s magical this time of year.” Patting my arm once, before walking off with a smile to Dio.
“Can one of you show me the pond?” I asked in uncertainty, “Or at least how to get to an exterior door-,” I murmured as I looked around the massive living area. There were large windows, showing off the grounds outside, but no doors.
“This way Ma’am.” Saul nodded his head to the side and led me through the house and into the kitchen that I recognized from before my wedding. “These doors will take you to the entertaining space outside.” He informed me as we walked out onto the pristine patio, I was married on a few days ago.
“Thank you,” I murmured as I took it all in.
Flowers had been hung on the railings and I vaguely remembered a white carpet laid down the aisle but everything else about the event was blurred.
I didn’t remember hardly any of my own wedding, and even though it was arranged and should have been repulsive, I still regretted not taking it all in when it was happening.
Behold another thing my father managed to rob me of thanks to his cruelty.
I walked down the steps to the lawn and noticed that Saul and Dio followed at a distance close enough to reach me quickly if needed but not close enough to hover, and I tried to ignore them as I walked through the lavish landscape.
Fruit trees lined a walkway, and I knew in the spring they would be beautiful with their blooming flowers and sweet scents. I didn’t know if Armarow Estate was where I’d live full time, or if Nicolas would stay here with me if I did, but I knew it’d be hard to find another place to live that topped the regality of this home.
I followed the brick path through more bushes and trees that were blooming with bright reds and oranges as the plants prepared for winter sleep. Tracing my fingertips over the leaves, collecting the dew on them as I went reminded me of a memory from my childhood, but the more I tried to remember it clearly, the more it evaded me.
I focused on it where it sat right on the edge of reality and daydream, lost to the chase, when the path ended and I realized I had found the pond. “Wow,” I whispered and took a deep breath as I looked around the expansive grounds.
The pond itself was large and in the center was a great fountain that sprayed an intricate design of dancing water onto the calm body below before spraying it up into the air again.
Benches and seats lined the grassy edge around the perimeter but what caught my attention the most were the wooden rope swings hung at a couple of different points. Tall wooden structures held up the swings with dreamy vines covering the length of the ropes and on the one closest to me, a wide plank seat beckoned me to take a rest on it.
I walked over to it, looking around to see if my henchmen had followed me or not, and found them lingering at the path’s end like they were trying to blend into the shrubbery in their black suits and ominous size.
I shook my head and gently sat down on the swing, praying it wasn’t old and frayed so I didn’t end up with my ass on the ground.
Much to my surprise though, the ropes hardly groaned with age or fatigue as I let my weight settle into the seat. I kicked myself backward, gently swaying as the cool Autumn breeze swirled around me.
I watched the fountain perform its magical dance and swayed timelessly, enjoying the peace that the area loaned me as my reality drifted away with the breeze.
When warm hands slid over the tops of my shoulders though, I shrieked, nearly toppling off the swing, and looked behind me to find Nicolas smirking down at me.
“You scared the daylights out of me.” I gasped, righting myself on the swing so I didn’t fall off.
“You’ve been out here too long. You must be cold.” He said in place of an apology, and I rolled my eyes as I faced the fountain again. I didn’t know how long I had been resting on the swaying paradise, but the cool ache in my body told me probably longer than I should have.
“Well, I didn’t win a jacket in the barter earlier so-.” I shrugged my shoulders impassively as he chuckled.
“I figured that’d be your excuse.” He said, running his fingers under my hair against my neck. The move was intimate and foreign for us, yet not unwanted on my part either. It was odd. “Jesus, Arianna,” He groaned, “You’re freezing.”
“I’m fine,” I said, flexing my stiff fingers around the ropes and ignoring the way they ached when the blood started returning to the cold limbs.
“Come here.” He walked around the front of the swing and picked me up, ignoring my protests before setting his weight down onto the swing with me in his arms.
