Lords and Bandits (#Wattys2017)

Chapter 5

The carriage turned the corner onto a gravel road. Ingrid and I have been traveling for around five hours now and my legs were started to get sore from sitting down for so long.

Ingrid looked out the window and gasped, "It is beautiful."

I looked out my side of the window. The forest was just clearing and was able to see part of what I assumed was a vast property. Once we got past the trees there was a clearing of land of just grass. The path leads straight to the house where it curved and went back down the property a shrubbery garden separating the two paths. The house was gigantic with beautiful carvings on all the pillars and detailed curving towers on either side of the building showing their wealth. What was more surprising than the building was the amount of people outside of it. To the side of the family were rows upon rows of servants awaiting our arrival.

"I think we will like it here," I commented.

"I can assure you M'lady that I have never been in this big of a house in my life," replied Ingrid in awe.

The carriage stopped and the footman opened the door. Ingrid got out and I followed the footman offering his hand.

I accepted smiling, "Thank you James."

"Lady Mary!" I turned to see my beaming fiancé who had stepped out of line coming to greet me, "How I have missed you these past days!"

"As have I, your home is beautiful."

Lord Bedford turned toward his family. There was his mother and father who I had met at my ball and two younger boys one with a light brown, the other with dark brown both of their eyes a brilliant blue and an elderly lady with her hair almost faded completely from black to grey, I am assuming are his brothers and grandma.

"Come and I will introduce you to everyone," I followed as he walked towards his family, "This is my father and mother the Marquee and Marchioness of Bedford, my grandmother the dowager Marchioness of Bedford and my two younger brothers Lord Edward and Lord Stephan."

I bowed and politely smiled, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"We can continue in the sitting room, I am sure Mary would like to get settled in her room," Spoke his mother, her voice flowing with grace and poise.

They all turned and stared walking up the front steps, all the servants going around the back way, Ingrid joining them.

"Christopher!" She called to her butler, "Mary's bags need to be collected and brought to her room."

"Very well M'lady" Christopher bowed and went to go fetch my bags. When he returned with my bags, he led the way turning left for the second flight of stairs. Christopher had to have been in his early forties, his hair beginning to grey.

"How long have you worked here?" I asked.

"Going on twenty years M'lady, started working for the family just after my twenty-third birthday."

"How have you like working for the Marquee and Marchioness of Bedford?" I asked, curious of the family's character.

"It is not in my position to comment on the affairs of the family."

I sighed, "Yes, of course, I did not mean to pry."

"I will say this though; they are good people and have treated me well over these past years." He spoke as we reached the door at the end of the hallway. Christopher opened the door and set my bags down at the end of my bed.

"I do hope this room is to your pleasing M'lady?" Christopher questioned. I took a moment to look at the room. It was much bigger than the one I had at home, the walls were cream on the lower half it was blue with wooden trimming. In the middle of the far side of the wall it curved outwards with a window covering most of the wall, thick dark blue curtains with a light blue pattern hung onto the windows adding another dimension to the room. In the space was a chair and small table with a couple pieces of paper and a pen. To the left side of the room was a giant kind sized bed with blue silk covers and sky blue drapes hanging from the pillars on the bed, at the end of the bed was a dark wooden trunk to put my belongings in. There were two wooden side tables on either side of the bed on with a vase of lilacs and on the other was a gas lamp. I looked to the other side of the room, on the far side was a giant wardrobe that Ingrid would later put my dresses into and beside it was a vanity.