A Scandalous Entanglement

IV

His words were cut short by the slammed door and Devyn found himself marching towards the chambers, towards the west wing but the furthest rooms. He stopped momentarily wondering what or how he was to strike a conversation with his wife.

His wife?

The word sounded strange on his tongue, so strange that she felt more a stranger known to his house than his actual wife. And with what explanation could he use to define her as his wife? They barely talked only unless they were the simple greetings and he had made it point at ignoring her even in the slightest. He wasnt surprised that the memory of her face was hard to come across.

His fingers grasped the door handle ready to push the door open and yet he found himself knocking gently afraid that she would be awoken from her slumber. When he heard no sound, he opened her door but found her room was empty. A sigh escaped his lips and he found himself questioning, for someone that had lived in the same house as he did for five years, walked the same halls and ate from the same plate, what did he know of her? And most importantly where could she be in the house. It wasn't on his mind to have all the rooms searched and the maids summoned because he couldn't find her. What would that make him, a man that couldnt keep his affairs in order? He did however follow the soft warmth to the library and even at that the room was as dark as it was cold. Exasperated he turned for his chambers. Whatever he wanted to discuss with the woman wasn't that important anyway.

"An invite for you my lady has arrived. Lady Clara Leavening has requested for your presence and that of his lordship's. It says she is hosting a ball my lady." Emilia looked up from the book she had been reading. "I never knew I was worthy an invitation to lady Clara Leavenings ball." She opened up the letter and was more than astonished to see her name. "She has never invited me to her home. Even when I extended an invitation to brunch, she politely declined." She got up from her seat for a cookie then sat back down eager to tuck her legs back in the comfortable position they had been.

"Shall you be attending? Why but it is this evening my lady." "This evening?" Alarmed she looked at the letter once more. "She might have forgotten to send your invitation sooner." "That or she found the lord Seymour to be in town and decided to invite him, obviously I being his wife, I had to get an invitation." "So, you shall not be going then my lady?" Her maid questioned. "I think it would do you some good, being cooked up in this house without socialising. It isn't good for your health my lady, if you do not mind me saying." She continued absentmindedly perfecting the numerous pillows that sat on the longue chair.

"Well." She thought, lady Clara Leavening had never not in a life time showed her any kind of politeness even after her marriage. The only time she had ever shown her some form of kindness was during a winter ball were she had audibly without remorse remarked "that style is out of fashion dear." That obviously had caused such an up roar of murmurs that Emilia dared not show her face for any winter ball, and as a matter of fact she had mostly avoided all sorts of balls. Those things were as stressful as they were exhausting.

"Even if I could go, the lord Seymour is busy. It will be rude going without him." "And it will also be rude not attending at all." "Please, this was a last-minute invite. What would she care?" Aside from having one of the many elites attend her ball that is, though attending the ball this even did have some advantage, such as putting some of the rumors of an impending divorce to rest something she was still dreading on discussing but then their was the problem; was he attending? "Thank you Lily." The young maid nodded. With shaky legs, she walked for the door. Seeing her husband was by luck these days as he was awfully busy and had taken it upon herself to avoid him, that and also the many sensations that bubbled down in her stomach took more than long to subside after feeling his presence.

"My lady." She nodded at a maid. She allowed herself the feel of the warm carpet underneath her bare feet as she walked towards the chambers of her husband. Chambers she had never walked into. The thoughts of him being in his rooms this late into the morning struck her as odd. She turned once more and marched down the stairs for his study. A swarm of butterflies took hold of her stomach and she questioned her sanity for trying to disturb his peace.

She was about to knock at the door when one of the potted pants caught her attention.

"Oh heavens." She exclaimed. The maid from before stood at the entrance of the door and with a heartfelt face apologised. "I am terribly sorry my lady. I did not mean to knock the plant down. I tried fixing it but it was to no avail and Mr. Callam said the repair of the pot would be deducted from my wages. I am sorry my lady." She curtsied. "No need to worry about it." Emilia was brutally honest. "The plant is not hurt but rather the pot is. And If I am to be honest, I never liked this pot anyway. It has a hideous colour." The maid blushed a light pink before excusing herself. "Wait. Perhaps you could find something else then for this?" She asked as if the maid was going to leave the flower all up in a mess. "And perhaps have the table cleaned?"

"Good." Emilia murmured to herself. She wore her gloves back on after realising that she was indeed cold and barefoot on the rug a few paces away from her husband's study. Though the chill wasn't what caused the cold sweat on her back.

The simple knock resonated in the quiet hallway and Emilia thought she was a fool for standing by his door. "Enter." Came the cool voice of her husband, bored and impatient. She opened the door a slight angle to revel him at his place behind the table and Callam his trusted butler by the window reading from a paper. "My lady." "Callam." She nodded.

"If this is a wrong time-"

"I was meaning to speak with you. Come in and close the door." Her eyes settled on him, Devyn Seymour with his cold dominance and unloving eyes.

"Callam." The man nodded. "I shall be just outside my lord."

Silence settled between them and Emilia felt her heart rate pick up. "I assume you are here to apologise for the rude outburst you had the other day?" "Excuse you. I would be dead rolling in my grave if I ever did." "Splendid. We can make arrangements for that. You can leave now and call Callam back in." He had barely looked at her rather at the small parchments of papers with figures scattered across his table. He was dressed in the simplest of attires, with his cravat undone and the first few buttons of his shirt open. Her eyes followed the fine set if his hard jaw to the smooth skin that was his neck.

She felt it, the bubbling that settled itself in the pits of her stomach, her breath coming out short. The sweet torments that overtook her body without him barely moving a muscle. "You sir owe me an apology." She stood her ground even as the cold wood ate at her feet. "Pray for what now my dear?"