Marienne's life was completely undone when her village went up in flames. Badly burned and her eyesight lost, she awakes in a strange place, with no knowledge of how she arrived there. Her savior was the enigmatic and alluring Victor, the Lord of Az...
Author's Note: If you've been with me on this journey up to this point, I'm glad you're still here. I've been noticing plenty of speculation about what's happening in this story up to this point, and I'm hoping this chapter answers a few questions, and creates a few more! I can't wait to see what you all think of it. I'd also like to prompt you to answer this question at the end; what do you think Marienne will end up choosing, and why? I'd love to hear from you!
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I woke up with a hammering inside my skull that made me wish I had passed in the night. I groaned, sitting up and clutching my aching head in both hands. Slowly, I collected my stray thoughts, and the events of last night began to coalesce.
Victor had walked me back to the room, or rather, half carried me while I stumbled along beside him. I hadn't drank so heavily since Mid-Winter's celebration, and this morning reminded me why.
Regrettably, I had slept in my shift. I expected to look over and see a massive blue swath on the floor, but it seemed Amelia had already been in and out of my room, and had hung up the dress. I cautiously made my way to the bedside table and found a washbasin and a pitcher of water. I'm still astounded that I managed not to spill it everywhere.
Splashing the cool water on my face and washing up helped tremendously for my mood, but my throbbing temples refused to cease. A knock on the door almost sent me spiraling. Grumbling, I made my way to it and jerked it open.
"Amelia." I said. It was both a statement and a question.
"Good to see you're awake. You were snoring most profoundly when I came to check on you earlier." Her voice was playful and light.
I stared at her dubiously. I will always maintain that I have never snored in my life, no matter what anyone has to say about it. I sighed and stepped out of her way, admitting her into the room.
Once inside, she guided me over to the chair and began untangling the snarled mess that was my hair. Part of me wished she wouldn't, as any small tug only reminded me of the discomfort in my head, but deep down I knew to leave it alone would only spell disaster for tomorrow. Still, her touch was as kind and gentle as she'd ever been.
"M'lord would like to see you for tea in the garden, if you're feeling up to it." She offered, speaking softly.
I really didn't feel like doing much else besides sleeping off this dreaded headache, but I didn't see how I could politely refuse either. "Well, I may not be in the best of spirits for it, but I'll do my best if that would please him."
"Marienne, I think you and I both know anything you do will please him." She chided me sternly.
I turned in the chair to face her, wincing as the brush caught in my hair. "I don't know why you would say that. I'm a village midwife, or at least I was. It's not like I transformed into someone else when I came here."
She huffed out her breath. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. After all, you can't see the way he looks at you. You are far from the first woman to reside in these halls, nor are you the only beauty to grace them. But it seems m'lord fancies you best of all." She turned me back around to start setting up my hair for the day.
