The Last Waltz

Chapter 12

Poppy and Isaac had been married for a few weeks and not much had changed. Their ceremony had been a quiet one with Boyd and Sally as witnesses and Peter and Mary as Best Man and Maid of Honor. After the civil ceremony they had dropped Mary and Peter off at their friends' house and gone to a party held in their honor at the pub. It had been a lovely day, but it would have been nice to have her family there, and she had felt especially their absence as she had said the words I do.

Later that day, Poppy was given a large room in the castle with a massive bed, a window seat with thick velvet curtains to keep out the cold, a worn hardwood floor that had seen generations of feet polish it to a golden brown, a large fireplace, and plush armchairs. It was a room for a princess, and she had spent her wedding night with a cup of tea sitting in the window seat, looking out at the dark forest below, wishing that Isaac was with her and that they had a real marriage.

Isaac had also given her a large room off the kitchen that once belonged to the staff to use as a dining hall. He thought it would be a good place for her studio because it had plenty of natural light and stone floors.

She had taken a week to decorate it with everything she wanted, creating a nice little nest with armchairs, rugs, and scattered lamps. Everyone had quickly learned that if she wasn't in her room, she was in her studio. The only thing she lacked was easy access to an outdoor space. As it stood now, she had to carry her supplies through the kitchen and into the garden if she wanted to work outside.

That morning at breakfast, Boyd had reminded her that Siobhan would be visiting because there was another house tour. Poppy had expressed interest in learning the history and helping with the tour, but Isaac and Boyd thought it was a bad idea.

Poppy understood their objection that Siobhan might see it as a hostile takeover and cause trouble for everyone. So, Poppy had gone to her studio early and planned to spend the day there. The kitchen was off-limits because the caterers were cooking for the tour lunch.

Despite the precaution of staying out of the way, Siobhan found her anyway.

"So, this is your little studio?" Siobhan asked cattily as she entered the room without knocking. She was still acting as if she owned the place and that it would be hers one day. Who knew? Maybe it would.

Her use of the word little amused Poppy because the space was huge.

"This was filled with junk until recently," Siobhan said as she moved around the room, looking at the few pieces of artwork Poppy had scattered about and the supplies she used to paint. She touched everything as if she were marking her territory.

"It's perfect, isn't it?" Poppy looked around proudly, not letting Siobhan get under her skin with her snide comment to try and convince Poppy that the studio was an afterthought and a rushed job.

"Hmmm," was Siobhan's only comeback.

"Did you need something?" Poppy asked after a few moments of silence.

"I only wanted to make sure that you have everything you need," Siobhan said as she turned toward Poppy with a charming smile.

Poppy understood that she was trying to make her feel like a guest.

"I do, but thank you for worrying about me." Poppy smiled back.

"I see you've put your personal touch on the place." Siobhan sat in one of the armchairs.

"Yes, it only needed a few things," Poppy informed her as she proudly looked around at the space.

"I'm surprised you're not already leading a tour?" Siobahn crossed her legs and smoothed her perfectly smooth skirt.