Eleanora shot up out of bed. Night dresses soaked in sweat. She felt her stomach heave. She ran across her room to the chamber pot.
Sitting down at the edge of her bed she attempted to calm herself. She looked back at her empty bed, she examined her dimly lit room. The flashes of her making her way back last night after her first encounter with her new husband. Bathing herself. Then laying down to sleep, by herself.
"Damn William." She cursed. He would ruin her wedding night, even with a brief intrusion. A single dance with him, and he suddenly pervaded her dreams, turning them into nightmares.
He brought back terrible memories. Some mixed with good.
Eleanora had a sense that he intended to stir up more trouble. Her palms began to sweat. Her chest and face went cold. Many possible reasons clouded her thoughts, but she knew there was one reason he was seeking her out.
A loud bang went off in the room. As the heavy wooden door slammed against the wall. Eleanora jumped. Her hand instinctively went for the letter opener on the vanity. Her nerves still shot. She was slow to react.
Her clumsy chambermaid came in dresses on one hand and pitcher of hot water on the other.
Eleanora had just enough time to place it back on the surface before the maid saw.
"My lady. You're up?" Her voice slightly confused.
Eleanora eyed the girl. Her bosoms high her hips wide and her skin pale from working in the house. She was plain and seemed simple minded. She was probably new to maintaining a mistress and house.
"You're late to wake me. I specifically requested to rise before the sun." She opened the curtains just as the sun crested the hills. The girl was only an hour late, but Eleanora wanted to be up before her Robert.
"My apologies. I thought since last night was so eventful. You might want to sleep in a bit." The maid looked down ashamed by her mistake.
Eleanora wanted to scold the girl but restrained herself. "Where is Jane?"
"She is preparing more hot water." The girl avoided Eleanora's eyes. "but she did give me this. The lord's Valet told her it was delivered in the early morning.
Knowing who it was from she pushed the letter aside for later. Just as she hid the letter Jane burst into the room with two more pitchers of water.
That's where the new one learned it from.
"Lady Eleanora your bath should be ready soon." She didn't curtsey or even acknowledge the young maid in the room. Jane just jumped to work.
"Good I have some shopping to do. I would like to leave soon after."
"Oh, but." The young girl looked worried.
Eleanora felt her patience wearing. "What is it, girl?" She raised her brows upset.
"The master expects to eat breakfast with you this morning." Jane made a move to remove Eleanora's clothes to get her into the bath.
"WHAT?" She pushed Jane's busy hands away. "He wants to eat with me? Now? In this house?" She did not hide her disdain or surprise.
"You were just married. Where do you expect him to be?" Jane sounded bored.
"Hunting with the men. Sleeping. Telling his friends about claiming his wife's virtue."
Jane gave her a look about that last part. "The master of the house wishes to enjoy the company of his wife this morning."
"What man wishes to see his wife? My father loves my mother and he would never see her, but if not for our last daily meal." Eleanora walked away from Jane as she unraveled Eleanora's braids. Her back toward her audience.
"I think it is sweet." The small young and now annoying girl whispered.
Jane tensed beside Eleanora.
Turning to face the girl, Eleanora smiled sweetly. This girl was not actually that much younger than Eleanora, she knew Jane was glaring at her. Â Now that she looked at her, she was pretty. She had an innocence about her.
Eleanora took slow calculated steps to her. "What is your name dear?" Her tone gentle. Like when her mother was trying to coax one of her children to tattle on another.
"Mary Ashford." She was beginning to look more nervous as Eleanora stood over her.
"Well Mary, tell my dear. Sweet, husband. That I have left." Even as she said it so soft, Eleanora could see the girl tremble.
"What do I tell him?" Mary asked, voice a little shaky.
Eleanora walked toward Jane. Her arms out, she allowed jane to undress her. "Why you tell him you forgot to not only wake me on time but also failed to inform me he was waiting for me for breakfast."
Mary could not see Eleanora's face, her body silhouetted by the morning light. Just as she opened the door, Eleanora spoke again.
"Oh and Mary. Do you know where my husband bed chambers are?"
There was a long pause "I forgot my lady."
"Do keep it that way. And do see it that you forget to make your way to informing my husband of my absents until after I have left."
"Anything else?" The girl sounded defeated.
Eleanora ignored her, the girl finally figured it out and left.
"You could be nicer?"Jane whispered.
"Speech like that needs to be stopped before she makes her way to my husband's bed. He will have his mistresses, but none will live in my house."
"Still living by that code?" Jane asked filling the metal tub.
"It separates me from the other's," Eleanora said defiantly.
She bathed in silence. Keeping her thought focused on the cleaning of under nails.
Looking at her bed she could see what Jane had picked out for today, they were most suited for a lady to spend her time in her house. "The emerald one"
Jane looked confused, "You are just going shopping right my lady?"
Eleanora nodded. "But I will not be alone today." She picked up the letter sent this morning. Placing the sealed envelope against her nose. It smelled floral like bad memories mixed with white hot evenings from long ago.