Finding Him

15l Selfishly Demanding Love

Crossing the wooden floors swiftly, Hadassah found her travel bag in the armoire. She found her day dress and changed into it, placing the wedding dress Lady Talbot had been gracious enough to let her borrow, on the back rest of the wooden chair that sat facing the dresser.

A few minutes later, she was lying flat on her back on the large, Queen sized, four poster bed that manage to nearly occupy the entire bedroom. It felt comfortable against her aching body and soon enough, she felt herself drift to sleep.

She didn't realize how tired she was until she heard the door opening. Her eyelids snapping open, she was just in time to find the Housekeeper making her way out. Pushing herself to a sitting position, she scanned the room and found a tray of food seated on the dresser.

She rose to her feet then, realizing as her feet made contact with the wooden floors, that they were wobbly. Daniel was right; she was exhausted. She had just failed to realize at the time how exhausted she had been.

A plate of rice, chicken and gravy from the ceremony earlier greeted her, her stomach growling at the sight of it; resting seemed to have done well to reawaken her appetite.

She ate quickly, devouring the meal before her with vengeful speed. She emptied her glass of cold water and rose to her feet to take the tray downstairs but soon realized as a loud yawn escaped her lips, that she wasn't quite done with resting. Deciding she would get to the tray once she had slept for an hour, she climbed into bed once more and as soon as her back made contact with the comfortable mattress, she fell asleep.

•~•~•

Hadassah was exhausted, of course she was! It was the only explanation of her slumber for nearly the entire day.

Surely she was asleep as a result of tiredness, he groaned, turning to the side, away from where her still body laid beside him. She wasn't pretending to be asleep and exhausted just to get away from him. She didn't think him repulsive. She didn't despise the thought of being with a disabled man.

It was all he could think about, the only thought that kept him sane all through the night. He laid awake for several hours, making up excuses for Hadassah, coming up with various reasons she would choose to sleep through their wedding night. Still, through it all, there was a small voice in his heart telling him the opposite; she wasn't tired, she pretended to be asleep to get away from him, she was repulsed by him and despised the thought of being with a disabled man.

He rose to his feet after several hours and searched the walls of the room for a window. His fingers brushing the soft fabric of curtains, he pushed them aside and felt the soft sting of the morning sun on his face. It was day break already and his mother would most likely be preparing for her journey back to Birmingham. He would see her off, anything to get his mind off of Hadassah and their wasted wedding night.

Finding the door wasn't as difficult as trying to maneuver through the unfamiliar building. With how badly he was doing getting through the house, he might seriously need to consider hiring a valet. Of course, additional help around the house would put a strain on his mother's finances, considering he didn't have one of his own.

He bumped into every structure of the building and every piece of furniture before breakfast that morning. Hadassah's absence in the dining room helped to heighten his suspicions of her purposeful rejection. When he sent the housekeeper to check on her, she returned with the announcement that she was still asleep.

Lady Talbot kissed him firmly on both his cheeks, her arms encircling him as she did so. It took several minutes to pry her arms from around him and load her into the hired private coach. He waved goodbye to her as the coach began departing the manor, fear creeping up his spine slowly.