Ordained

Chapter Eighty-Seven

In the days immediately following Victor's burial, there was a marked change in Cassius. Emmeline couldn't stop herself from seeking him out at breakfast time, it being one of the precious few times she saw him in the day; and something they had made a habit of sharing before the conflict.

Cassius was often already in his father's study when she left her rooms, her having food brought there rather than the cosy dining room they had once shared. At breakfast he ate quickly, ignoring the newspaper placed beside his plate, instead focusing on the mountains of paperwork he never seemed able to make a dent in.

Emmeline had taken to reading headlines aloud to him just for something to fill the air between them. She didn't know what else to say, and Cassius offered little in terms of conversation. Occasionally he would ask her questions, superficial things like what she had planned for the day, or if she liked her food. Her answers were short and felt vapid. The silence would eventually overtake the room and she would leave with nothing but a forced smile and a vague 'see you later'.

He was drifting away from her little by little, more and more each day. She could see it but felt powerless to stop it.

Sitting in the library she felt restless. Clementine sat across from her, working on a particularly lovely bit of embroidery. She watched her maid's hands moving so deftly and wondered if she would ever be able to recreate such a thing. Twice she had opened her book only to shut it again. Tapping her fingers on her knees she fought the urge to get up and pace. It didn't help that her stomach hurt, the ongoing ache only adding to her shortened patience. That morning she had said that she hoped they could spend some time together later and he had only sighed. Sighed! It had made her feel stupid for even suggesting it.

The transition of a new duke was apparently complex, and Cassius had to get up to speed with everything that was happening in order for his new lands to keep running smoothly. She knew this; had told herself this repeatedly, but this did little to soothe her disappointment when she looked over at the chair he usually filled and saw Clementine instead of Cassius.

Snapping her book shut for a third time, she could bear it no longer. She had to go and find him, he was living inside her mind and she needed to get him out so she could focus on something else, anything else. Perhaps if she spoke to him she could move on from reliving the way he had sighed as she left during their breakfast.

His office was empty, her knock had gone unanswered and when she peeked inside it had been as silent as a tomb. Wandering around the manor she saw no sign of him, nor much of anyone servant or otherwise. She grew concerned, where could he have gone to? If he had left the estate he would've told her, wouldn't he? She suddenly wasn't so sure, and considered riding into town just to check.

Half ready to give up hope she drifted outside, hoping that the fresh air would either clear her brain of thoughts of Cassius Marcellus, or reveal him to her. It was growing late in the day, the sunset draping golden orange light over everything. It made the place feel somehow warmer, despite the chilly breeze.

The gardens had a special sound of their own during the evenings, the clicking of crickets, the rustling of light breezes through the shrubs, the shivering sounds of leaves in the wind. Taking in a deep breath she closed her eyes to the smell of spring blossoms when a sudden twinge of campfire smoke caught in her senses. A fire? Unsure if she should be curious or concerned, she followed the smell till she heard distant strains of music and men's voices lingering on the evening air.

The bonfire was a serious distance away from the main house. Emmeline passed the stables, the greenhouses, even the gardeners lodgings before she reached it. A great number of knights who had returned to the manor with their new liege, taking up residence in the barracks that had been scarcely populated before the war. Cassius had told her how many of the men that now followed him either had nowhere to return home to, or no one, choosing instead to remain with their brothers-in-arms. It had made sense to her, and if she was being slightly more ruthless, it was a benefit to the duchy. Having an order of knights stationed permanently in the estate only strengthened them.