Caught Between Brothers

Chapter 3

Soft noises woke Elle from her deep sleep. Someone was shuffling around, attempting to be quiet. It must be her husband. Her brow furrowed. The word was still so foreign to her, just as foreign as her husband. She opened her eyes and sat up. It wasn't Aedan bustling around the room, it was a young girl. From her attire, she had to be a maid. Realizing she was still naked, Elle reached for her sheet only to find it missing. The girl looked up. "Sorry mi'lady." she apologized as she curtsied. "Mi'lord wanted me ter take the sheets away an' wake yer for breakfas'." She lifted her eyes with a small grin. "Oi tried ter let yer sleep as long as Oi could. Yer looked so peaceful." Elle covered herself with a pillow and sat on the bed, staring at the girl. "Uh...thank you, then. What's your name?" Curtsying again, the maid flashed her a smile. "Me name's Rose, mi'lady. Oi'm ter be yer new ladies maid. There's a bath waitin' for yer." She nodded her head towards a steaming tub of water. "Thank you, Rose. You can call me Elle when it's just us." If the girl was going to be seeing her naked for the next however many years, first names should be used. Elle stepped into the hot bath and cleansed herself from the evidence of the previous night. She was still sore and not at all happy with her first night of marriage. Her mother had lied to her. It wasn't at all pleasant. Stepping out of the water, she let Rose help her to dry and get dressed. "They'll be 'avin' breakfas' soon." she stated simply. Elle stared into the mirror as the girl laced up the back of her gown. It was a pale blue fabric with a small ribbon lining the waist. It wasn't one of her own gowns. "Where did this come from?" she asked. "Mi'lord 'ad it made afore we left 'ome. 'e said ter make sure mi'lady wears it for breakfas' on 'er firs' mornin' as Lady Callaghan." Rose was beaming. She must really like her job. A soft 'oh' was the only response she gave the girl. Surely this gown meant that Aedan loved her, right? A beautiful gift from a loving husband? At least that's the best explanation that she had for it. She sat at the small table and watched as Rose fixed her hair. She worked quickly. A few short minutes later, Elle could tell why she had been chosen as her ladies maid. She was wonderful. "It's beautiful." She gasped, touching her hair softly. Rose had braided small strands of hair together, pulling it away from her face. Each of those braids had then been braided together until they formed a large plait down her back. A few strands framed her face, bringing out her eyes even more than they did on their own. "Thank you." She smiled back at her maid. "Only doin' me job, mi'lady....er Elle." She grinned and flounced around the room, cleaning up. Standing, Elle made her way out of the room and down the long hallway to the stairs. It was time for breakfast.

At the bottom of the stairs, she took a deep breath and turned into the doorway of the dining hall. The room went completely silent as she stood there. Looking up to the high table, she could see her mother and father along with her husband and brother-in-law. There was an empty stool between the two brothers, meant for her. All eyes were on her. Shifting uncomfortably, she looked to her husband. It was customary for him to escort her to the table, but all he did was grunt and go back to eating. With a visible huff, Kevan stood and jogged down to meet her. With a kiss on her hand, he guided her back to the table. "Yer look lovely dis mornin'. Oi 'ope yer 'ad a good nigh' sleep. We'll 'ave a long trip ahead av us." She looked at him with wide eyes. "We are leaving so soon?" He nodded as he seated her next to her husband. "Leavin' after breakfas'." He sat to her right and continued to eat. Looking down at her plate, she was quite that hungry anymore. The thought of leaving her family sickened her. Aedan didn't give her so much as a 'good morning'. A nudge on her side made her look to her brother-in-law. "Eat." he whispered. "Yer'll need it." With a soft sigh, she ate small bites of her food, but mostly just pushed it around on her plate. Aedan noticed this after clearing his own plate and grunted at her. Obviously angry, he left the table with a simple, "Be ready in an 'our." Staring at his retreating form with wide eyes, Elle didn't know what to think. Kevan answered her unspoken question. " 'e doesn' loike food ter be wasted when there be families with nothin'." That was...sweet and unexpected. She didn't think Aedan cared that much, but of course, she didn't know him that well. Over the next few days and years, she would come to know her husband better. Until then, she would do what she could to please him and keep him happy. That started with clearing her plate. She ate quickly and then excused herself to finish packing. 

Half an hour later, Elle stood with her family outside their home. Silent tears fell down her face as she said goodbye to each of her family members, including Margo and Franny. Rose came up and ushered her into their carriage. Staring out the window, she watched her family grow smaller as they pulled away. Rose leaned over the space between them and comforted her. " 'tis alrigh', mi'lady. Yer'll be 'appy in yer new 'ome. Twill jus' take some time ter git used ter." Elle could only hope and sat silently staring out her window for much of the journey. Elle woke with a sharp smack on her forehead. Their carriage stumbled along to a stop. Looking around, the girls tried to figure out what had happened. It was dark outside, as they had been riding all day. A footman opened their door and helped them out. "Sorry mi'lady. The wheel 'as broken off." As they stepped away from the broken carriage, Aedan and Kevan came around to see the problem. Huffing, her husband signaled for their things to be put on the other carriages. "Can't be fixed from 'ere. Migh' as well jus' leave it 'ere an' ride with us." He helped the footmen to move her luggage to the various carriages with them. After a few minutes, he led her to his carriage. Rose sat up front beside the driver, as Elle climbed in beside her husband. Still tired, Elle's eyes began to droop. Aedan placed his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Git some res'. Oi'll wake yer when we git there." She leaned against his broad chest with a small smile. "Thank you." she whispered. She liked this softer side to her husband. It wasn't long before she fell asleep in his strong arms.