Widow's Peak

Chapter 8:

Chapter 8:
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Morning came faster than I thought it would. I was tired from traveling; sleep came easily. It did not take long in my large new bed for me to fall asleep. It was far more comfortable than the bed I slept in at Janine's. However, I still awoke before the sun, going to look out the window at the waves below. It was not as tranquil as it was outside at Janine's, but it was far more beautiful. Widow's Peak was a land expertly chosen. Shrouded in mystery and beauty, there must be an endless stream of rich, ambitious men and women moving to the exclusive island.

I'm sure everyone here knew each other. It seemed that the residents came with a list of criteria. Wealth, charisma, intrigue, and of course, beauty. Would I ever fit in here? I did not grow up in a mansion in a town where everyone was privileged. I was a homeless girl. A girl who by chance happened to be found by her long lost father just after his death. Would my father have come for me if I was a boy? There is no place for homeless boys except the street. What would have happened to me? Would I have died as a baby, or perhaps, my mother would have kept me with her?

From the way people spoke of my mother, she did not do commitment very well. It was unfortunate that she became with child, and even more unfortunate, that it was me. Mrs. Culver was surprised to say the least when she walked into my room, after the sun had risen, to find me sitting by my window, lost in thought. Pleased, but surprised. She said it gave me more time to prepare for my tour. Just like that, my stomach knotted with nerves again. A small part of it was due to the fact that I would be meeting new people, people who had very high expectations of me. But, the biggest part was due to Lucian.

Darkly handsome and mysterious, he was sure to have many women in Widow's Peak vying for his affections. It's a wonder that he's not yet married. Maybe he was not ready to take a wife, or maybe he didn't want one. I'd heard of men not taking brides, building their empires, and growing old with no one to surround them. Most left the furthering of the family line to brothers. I'd also heard of men only taking wives to breed sons to pass on their fortunes too. I'd never heard of anyone doing what my father did, and passing on their estates to their daughter. If there was not a son, the closest male relative would usually be chosen.

According to society, I should not be in charge of an estate. Not even for the short time until I marry. Which I knew would have to be soon. I wondered if Irvin was going to act as my father, and arrange a good marriage, or was the choice entirely up to me? Mrs. Culver made her husband come heat the water again, and we went through the same process we did the night before. This time, though, she picked a lovely gold day dress for me to wear. She piled my hair up on top of my head with a clip, and situated jewelry on me. It was almost unbelievable how effortlessly rich I looked. I finally fit in the dresses I'd seen the high society women back home in.

They would look down on my simple dresses, sniffing the way they did when they knew they were above someone else. I wished they could see me now. The heiress of a large estate on an elite island, with an otherworldly attractive man accompanying me for the morning. When Mrs. Culver pronounced me finished, she shooed me out the door, saying I was running a bit late. I hurried down the corridors, careful not to mar any of Mrs. Culver's work. I found Irvin and Lucian waiting for me by the door, talking quietly. They both turned my way as they heard me approach. Irvin got this dazed look in his eyes, and I knew I'd rendered him speechless yet again. Lucian's eyes were devoid of any emotion. They wandered over me a few slow times, and his dark gaze made me blush involuntarily.

"You make a habit of being tardy, don't you Ms. Valerie," Lucian asked, and I was shocked out of my thoughts by his voice. I blushed even more, turning wide eyes on his teasing face. I didn't think Lucian would ever say something like that. I didn't think he had a comedic side at all. Irvin chuckled, looking at me to say something. I smiled sheepishly, "my apologies. Apparently, it takes a while to look presentable." Both men burst into a few fits of loud laughs at that, Lucian giving me a look so indulgent, that it left me stunned for a few seconds. Was he flirting with me? I shook my head inwardly, not jumping to conclusions. He was probably just trying to make a friend out of me to make sure he would stay a business acquaintance of my father's. Well, of mine. Or, my future husband's.

Irvin met me halfway, and offered his arm, "Lucian here will give you a full tour of Widow's Peak with his carriage. He'll treat you to a lunch in town, and then bring you back here. Unless, of course, you enjoy his company, and would like to spend more time with him." I blushed again at Irvin's obvious attempt at putting us together. My simple tour had turned into a tentative day. My cheeks were going to explode before the day was out. No doubt, Irvin would invite Lucian for dinner again, or suggest that I visit Lucian's home for dinner. If anything, I thought Irvin would be more partial to me marrying Jonathan, the mayor. Then again, besides Irvin, they were the only two men I'd met in Widow's Peak so far. There were probably a handful of other handsome, eligible men for me to marry just outside that door.

First though, I knew I had to make my presence known, befriend people, and hopefully get some information about my mother and father that Irvin wouldn't tell me. Maybe Lucian would tell me some things, or I could find a friend on this tour today who was alive when it happened, or at least heard about it. As prominent as my father was here, I'm sure people talked about the woman who ran off carrying his child in the middle of the night. And, his long lost, mysterious daughter who was finally back home, taking over his estate.

The story was probably all over the island. I would get my tour with an audience all rushing to catch a glimpse of me. They'd be sadly disappointed, I had to say. Hopefully, someone would find me interesting enough to draw me into their well chosen circle of affluential people.