~Not Edited~
Ella fell asleep sometime later on from the exhaustion of weeping almost endlessly. She had a tough time adjusting to a proper sleep and dream peacefully of her usual adventurous imaginary characters and quests, and it was probably due to the state of sleep she was in, and a particular being. However, she never had a hard time adjusting to Amos's dark vision and his voice echoing throughout Ella's dreams or more likely nightmares.
"Deal or death?" Amos's masculine voice echoed repetitively.
"Milady? Milady?" Another feminine voice distracted Ella's conscious. "Milady?" The voice said once again, sounding so real and close this time.
Ella fluttered her eyes open in slow motion as she tried to figure out the coming of the voice, noting that she had just awoken from her slumber as Amos's dark vision faded away. She lifted herself slowly up from the cold, pure white marble floor as she tried to adjust to her still weary vision until she could finally see clearly.
She still hadn't noticed yet that the mysterious feminine voice that had sounded so real and close was coming from the maid that was standing right before her.
"Milady?" The maid said once again, causing Ella to shift her gaze from the marble floor towards the lady with confusion furrowing at her brows.
Ella also noticed two other ladies standing just behind the lady who had caught Ella's attention first. They were all wearing the same faded blue dress, white aprons, and white hats. Straight away Ella clicked to who they were but was still quite confused.
Ella didn't really know much about how nobilities lived their daily lives considering she was just a commoner but she knew about maids, servants, butlers, footmen and many others that worked and served for nobility. It wasn't that hard to identify their line of work especially by their line of dress and formal address towards nobility.
It took her a bit of her time to finally say something, though.
"W-who are you?" Ella said half weary and confused.
Of course, Ella knew who exactly they were but she was still oblivious to the fact that she was in the duke's presiding residence and seemingly will soon be his wife. Well, Ella did not know when will they be wedded and surely that went on Ella's list of questions to ask the duke. Not that she was thinking of asking him nicely or asking over a cup of tea. Nay.
"Milady, I'm Freda and the duke has assigned me to be your personal maid. We will -" she gestured to the other two maids. "- be providing and attending you with all your needs as you may wish it whenever it may be."
Ella finally lifted herself stiff self of the hard ground as she came to eye level with her new assigned maids.
That made Ella frown. She didn't want anyone of lower-class as herself to be serving her as if she was high class. However, it would only be a matter of time until she was one. Unfortunately.
She looked at her new personal maid and studied her appearance. She was of the same average height as Ella and looked to be just around Ella's age or so. She had golden blonde hair tied up into a low tight bun. Ella specifically studied her features and was quite envious to see that this beautiful and gorgeous young girl was a maid. She had a slim angular face that consisted of the deepest brown eyes flustered with her thick and curly eyelashes. She had a small nose and faint pink lips plastered with a small smile hinting at its corners. Her figure was quite fragile like a glass about to be broken if not treated carefully, but she was exceptionally being held as too good and beautiful to be a maid for Ella.
Ella noted the other two maids' appearances as well. They both looked like twins but it wasn't hard to identify the difference they both resembled. They looked either younger or just at Ella's age as well. They both had the same colored brown hair and were of the same height but much shorter than Ella. They both had the same angular face and the same normal physique. But they had different features. The maid to Ella's left had icy-blue eyes and complex features, while the maid to the right had light brown eyes and soft and delicate features.
Ella mustered a genuine smile for the maids because they all looked rather uneasy or so.
"Thank you, Freda -"Ella started courteously. "But it is my wish that you do not serve nor attend for any of my needs whenever that may be. I dislike seeing people of my status serve a commoner as myself. It is not right."
She must have inflicted a trigger of fear within the maid because she abruptly bowed along with the other two maids who bowed in trail
"Please, milady. If you must insist, his grace will surely not be pleased that we have not followed as what has being instructed for us to do. Please, I beg of you, milady to reconsider your words." Freda said in begging tone.
Ella was quite stunned and yet wholeheartedly cautious of what she had just said. Maybe she could at least save these ladies a whole lot of hell letting loose from their instructed grace, judging by their quick actions and begging tone.
"Fine." Ella finally answered feeling regret and sorrow for the maids and what they must be going through.
They must have found peace in their selves because they abruptly stood back up straight and beamed with gladness at Ella's reply.
He must be pretty scary. Ella thought suspiciously towards the duke, noting that she was not at all.
"Thank you, milady," Freda said in glee, smiling with the other two in lead.
"If it is right in your eyes, then it is all I can do," Ella said returning the smile. "But please, call me Ella. And it is nice to meet you Freda and may I ask for your names?" Ella said looking towards the two maids.
They both stepped forward and bowed before Ella as the maid with blue eyes answered first.
"My name is Lizabeth, milad...err...Ella."
"And my name is Delia, Ella." The maid with brown eyes later replied.
Ella chuckled at their formality.
"It is nice to meet you Lizabeth, Delia, and Freda. And please, from now onwards you will not be formal with me and we'll get along just fine." Ella replied.
The maids hesitated for a moment but smiled anyway.
"Yes, Ella," Freda replied.
"Adequate," Ella said as she began to walk around and analyze her 'until further notice' room.
She studied the room and its breath-taking structure. To her far right, there was a comfortable and probably expensive settee facing a fireplace accompanied with two arm chairs on either side of the settee. And above that fireplace hung a great painting of Dalton Castle. It was so beautiful and realistic that Ella took a bit of her time to admire the painting.
To the center of the back wall, a queen-sized canopy bed situated that area. The canopy bed consisted of a color that was a dark blood red for the canopy curtains, the thick bed sheets and the so many countless pillows of different sizes formed in an orderly display. Ella walked around to the left side of the bed and slowly sat down on its edge as she ran her hands over the softness of the warm woolen sheet. It was so soft that Ella closed her eyes as she admired and breathed in the rose-like aroma scented within the room.
Ella opened her eyes and noted to the far left of the room which was right before her, there was a short set of stairs leading towards a large golden bathtub, and not far to the right side of that tub stood a plain white panel screen and also a long varnished wardrobe. But to the left side, there was an average sized drawer occupied with a large fancy mirror.
Everything was perfect and probably too much. The walls were covered in flowery patterns of a soft cream color. There was various animal fur used as carpet occupying different parts of the room. Also, in a few areas of the room displayed a few pot plants and flowers that were too beautiful to describe which species they derived from.
Ella shut her eyes once again but this time she in focused and solemn silence.
Wealth. Power. Nobility.
Three words that lingered around Ella's mind and senses. Three words that she despises as much as the first time she realized that she did.
But something was different this time and it inflicted in Ella's conscious to lie down on the warm bed spreading herself upon it until Ella recalled back Amos's last comment last night.
"Be ready by seven tomorrow morning."
She immediately sat up and turned towards the wooden door to where her new maids were still waiting in silence.
"Freda, what time is it?" Ella asked curiously.
"It is six o'clock." She replied almost instantly.
Ella took the time to ponder upon Amos's last comment whether to listen to him or not. But Ella wondered why he wanted her to be ready before then. Nevertheless, she went with getting ready early and then explore the castle with the spare time left she had before seven.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Aye, Ella got ready early. She refused the help from her new maids and dismissed them as she had a fast warm bath.
She looked into the wardrobe and was displeased to see that there were only fancy and very expensive dresses, not that she wasn't expecting it. So, she only went back to wearing her purple dress which was smeared with dirt and wrinkles from last night's incident. But nevertheless, Ella did not care about that.
She dried out her hair and placed it into a loose high bun, with a few strands falling at the sides of her face. Once she looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied with her appearance, Ella made a start on her exploration, noting that it only took her half an hour to get ready so it was probably half past six now.
When she stepped out, the guards were still there but they had no impact of stopping Ella. She went down the hallway to where they had arrived from and noted the beautiful scenery before the castle. The beautiful sunshine had risen already displaying a perfect view of the grassland emanating from the castle walls.
She continued down the staircase and only continued straight ahead down the wide hallway instead of making a left nor right turn. She kept heading down the hallway making a few left and right turns noting that there was only red carpet, stone walls, paintings and pot plants leading her pathway whenever she kept going.
Ella finally arrived in front a very interesting large wooden door. As she made the motion to open the door a very unlikely gut feeling differed in not doing this at all.
It's not bad until we find out. Ella said internally as she grabbed the black metal door handle and pushed it open.
A small gasp escaped Ella's lips. Inside the presumably normal room, Ella was astounded at the unbelievable sight she was currently witnessing; a library that seemed to be in a form of a study.
Aye, the room was practically a ginormous library and it was the biggest one Ella has ever laid eyes upon in her young life. The walls were elevated with countless books until it reached a clear opening of a glass window overlooking a magnificent view of the castle gardens.
Ella began to stride slowly around the room as she scanned through the countless books, mesmerized at how there were so many and that she just wanted to read them straight away.
Aye. Ella, if she wasn't out exploring or whatsoever, loved to read in her own spare time and since she only read the books her mother and sister possessed, she never really had much to read except the same old stories. But now, she couldn't wait to jump right into any and all of the books here in this supposed library or study.
Ella made her way to the large oak desk that lay opposite the window and noted how the books and papers upon it were placed in an orderly display.
But there was something else that caught Ella's attention. A dark red rose lay alone upon the center of the desk. She reached out and grabbed the thorny stalk holding it close beneath her eyes, studying its unique display while breathing in also its wondrous scent.
She was bemused at how fascinating the beautiful rose was, especially seeing that it was freshly lying on the desk.
Strange. Ella thought mysteriously.
As if answering Ella's mysterious thoughts, a well-known masculine voice catches Ella by surprise.
"Unconscious beauty."
Ella slowly turned around to find a dashing duke in his black attire with his sleek black hair combed neatly to the back while he wore his usual devilish smirk.
Interestingly, Ella suddenly felt a strong desire to ravish the duke and his disturbingly handsome features. However, it was all just in a matter of time before the feeling went away, realizing how ridiculous it was.
Damn you! Ella protested inwardly, directing it towards the duke.
Ella only mustered up a stern and tedious look while squaring her posture into a more critique measure, making sure to either match the duke's or at least be of a more brave state than what she was not so long ago.
Ella was puzzled, though at what he meant. And as if reading her mind, he spoke once again striding powerfully around Ella towards his supposedly desk, making sure to never loose eye contact with Ella.
"Dark red roses represent unconscious beauty," Amos said in a fierce but informative tone. "They can be captivating and yet enticingly enigmatic. Although they do have an aura of mystery, they leave nothing virtually unsaid." Amos takes a deep breath as he arrives in front of his desk before sitting down on the designated seat behind it. "They are a bold expression of love."
Ella followed Amos until she was back facing the desk to where he presided. She was astounded at how he knew something about red roses or in that matter flowers, and quite amusingly its meaning.
But there was something else behind the duke's knowledge of a red rose. There was something else in his tone of voice when he said the word love as if there was more to the duke than what meets the eye. And it was causing Ella's heart to beat unusually fast.
Nevertheless, Ella only remained silent as she continued to study the duke.
There is something. Ella thought.
"It's substantial to see how you understand the way I handle time and surprisingly place as well," Amos said as he leans forward interlacing his fingers on the desk. "Being my wife will require a lot of punctuality."
Ella still held the rose within her hands, holding it close to her as if protecting it.
"What do you want?" Ella asked carefully, unsure as to what he wants with her this early morning.
Amos wasn't surprised at Ella's comment. What he was surprised at though was her dress; the same dirty purple dress that she had worn last night. He wasn't satisfied to see that she was wearing such a dress in his castle when he already prepared clothes for her, especially since she'll be the duchess of Westland soon or so.
"Didn't you receive your new personal maid?" Amos said in calm contempt.
"Yes, I did. Why, if I may ask? Is there something wrong?" Ella said normally not noticing Amos's internal fury.
"Yes, there is something wrong and it's what you're wearing," Amos replied, shooting Ella with a dark but unreadable expression.
Ella looked down at herself and couldn't seem to depict how wrong her dress was for him, all until she realized finally the meaning of his reference.
"If you think becoming your wife means wearing fancy clothing and all then you shouldn't be bothered because I will never be anything to you but a deal." Ella sneered, shooting daggers towards the duke.
Amos formed a sly grin to his lips as he looked deeply into Ella's whirling pools of emerald green eyes.
What are you doing to me? Amos thought as he fought the urge not to devour her irresistible beauty and attraction.
"You're forgetting something Ella," Amos said as he diverted his eyes towards his desk. "Now, you are just Miss Ella Pearson." Amos pauses as he looks back to Ella. "But soon, you will be Lady Ella Knight and Duchess of Westland, and when that happens you will be who I want you to be and do what I want you to do. That includes respecting your husband and his wishes, whether we made a deal or not."
Ella burned with fury, despise and killer thoughts, while Amos only found the situation as amusing as usual.
You wait, you so-called Duke of Westland. You just wait. Ella thought as she tightened her lips into a thin line.
Seeing that Ella only remained quiet, Amos jerked back in his seat as he relaxed into it before saying:
"Now, as to your first question, what do I want? Well, to make this clear, we will need to discuss the terms of my intentions of coming up with this deal in the first place." Amos said as he lifted both of his legs up and placed it on the desk one over the other while lacing his fingers behind his head.
Ella was totally taken by surprise and was in real shock at his action.
Di-did he just? Ella thought shortly. Who is this duke?
Amos saw Ella's jaw drop in quick action causing him to smirk amusedly.
You have no idea who you are dealing with. Amos thought mischievously. You have no idea.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
My good folks,
This is the first chapter that took me longer to write than usual. And is the longest chapter yet with over 3K words!
Question(s): How do you like Ella and Amos's relationship?
The part of the rose was obviously searched up on the internet and I have acknowledged the resource that provided the info. Dedicated to just-life!
And WOW! Thank you sooo much for the 1K reads, the comments and the votes. Please continue to vote and comment and stay in tune with my story! I would really, really love that! And you never know, you could be on my dedication list :)
Oh, and feel free to be my editor and correct any mistakes I have, and tell me what I need improving on or doing!
Yours undoubtedly,
Miss Riah❤