The next morning, she woke to sunlight streaming in through the windows. The fire had been lit again, crackling softly in the hearth. The other side of the bed was cold. He had been gone for hours.
Alina sat up, brushed her hair from her face, and tried to remember the last time she had slept so deeply. She couldn't. Perhaps exhaustion had finally taken what fear could not.
The door opened without a knock and a maid entered, avoiding Alina's gaze. She carried a dress over her arm and placed it at the foot of the bed without a word.
Alina stared at it. It was made of grey wool that looked like something a novice nun might wear if they were asked to scrub floors. It had long sleeves, a high neck, and was absolutely ugly.
"Is there a shortage of sackcloth in the castle," Alina said, "or did someone raid the scarecrow's wardrobe?"
The maid's eyes flickered up, then down again. Without saying anything, she turned and left, closing the door behind her.
"Well," She muttered. "At least I know where I stand. Somewhere between servant and prisoner."
She got up and washed quickly. She wore the grey dress, then took out her mother's locket from her trunk and wore it for the first time in her life.
She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. The dress was loose in some places, tight in others, and scratchy against her skin. The colour made her look pale and tired. She noticed grey shoes by the door, which were also ugly.
"Perfect," She said, and stepped out.
The corridor stretched in both directions, identical and endless. Alina stood there, turning slowly, deciding where to go. After a few minutes, she chose the right corridor and walked down it.
The castle was like a maze. Corridors opened into halls that opened into more corridors. Staircases were everywhere.
Servants passed her carrying linens or trays but none of them looked at her. She felt like a ghost, walking through the corridors they couldn't see.
At first, she was grateful. She didn't want their pity or their curiosity. But as the minutes stretched into hours, her stomach began to growl and her feet began to ache, gratitude turned into anger.
She wasn't a ghost. She was a person who was hungry and lost and had absolutely no idea where the kitchen was because no one had thought to tell her. No one had told her anything. She didn't know where to eat, where to go or if she would ever meet the man who owned her.
She was just supposed to stay invisible.
A maid hurried past her carrying a tray of covered dishes, and the smell of fresh bread made Alina's stomach clench so hard she nearly doubled over.
"Excuse me…"
The maid kept walking.
"Excuse me!" She called louder this time.
The maid turned around a corner and disappeared. Alina just stood there, clenching her hands and breathing hard.
Two maids appeared at the far end of the corridor, walking towards her. They were deep in conversation.
"The cook is in a bad mood today, so don't…"
"She is always in a bad mood, what's new?"
"Breakfast will be in the kitchen…"
Breakfast.
Alina began following them, keeping just far enough behind not to be noticed. They walked through a maze of corridors, down a narrow staircase, through a big door, and suddenly they were in the kitchen.
It was enormous, thrice the size of the one at her home, with multiple hearths, ovens and a large central table. Cooks, maids, and kitchen boys were in chaos. The smell of bread baking, meat roasting, and pastries filled the air.
Alina stood at the door, unsure what to do.
A woman looked up from the central table. Her face was red, and flour covered her apron amd arms. She looked at Alina from top to bottom and sighed.
"The new one," She said.
"Yes. I'm…"
"I don't care." The cook gestured towards a small table in the corner, pushed against the wall. "Sit."
Alina sat and a moment later, a plate appeared in front of her. The plate was filled with leftovers: cold porridge, a slice of bread, and a small piece of cheese.
Alina looked at the plate, then at the cook's back and then at the maids and kitchen boys who moved around her like she weren't there.
She shook her head and began eating. The porridge was bland. The bread was stale, but at least the cheese was good. She was in the middle of eating when a man came and stood in front of her.
"Miss Ashworth."
She looked up, still chewing. He was a middle-aged man who looked very serious.
"I am the duke's steward. I'm here to tell you of the household schedule and your place within it."
She swallowed.
"Finally. Someone who acknowledges I exist. I was starting to think I had died and this was hell."
His expression didn't change. He had dealt with difficult people before.
"You may visit the library during the day. It is on the second floor of the east wing. You may also walk in the east garden when the weather permits. However, the west wing is absolutely prohibited. You are expected in the duke's chambers by ten each night. No other areas of the castle are accessible to you without permission."
Alina put down her bread and smiled.
"And when do I meet the man who owns me? Or is that also by appointment?"
"You're in his bed, miss, according to the arrangement."
"Arrangement is between two parties." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "So far I'm the only one who showed up. He fell asleep within a minute. I've had more engaging conversations with pillows."
He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. He didn't know how to answer that.
"Cat got your tongue or does the great Duke of Ravenmoor not pay you enough to lie convincingly?"
"If there's nothing else, miss…"
"There's a lot. But you won't answer, will you? So off you go then. Run along and report to your master that the new furniture talks back."
He left without another word. Alina watched him go, still smiling as she finished her cheese.
Afterwards, she went to the library. The library was not on the second floor of the east wing. It was the second floor of the east wing, and half of the third floor. Alina stood at the entrance and forgot to breathe.
Shelves stretched in every direction. There were reading nooks with velvet chairs and small tables scattered throughout. There were also globes, maps and paintings of various scholars and poets.
She walked forward slowly, her fingers trailing along the books as she passed. There were books in Latin, French, English, History and so on with a separate section dedicated to poetry.
She pulled a random book and opened it to read.
She sat on a chair and for a moment forgot where she was. At that moment, she was just a simple girl reading poetry.
She didn't know how long she had been sitting there when she heard faint voices outside the window.
She stood up, walked to the window, and looked down into the east garden.
It was beautiful. The garden was lush, green and well-maintained. Beautiful flowers were everywhere with a small fountain in the centre.
She noticed two people walking arm-in-arm towards the hedges. The woman was blonde and young. She was wearing a beautiful and expensive gown with diamonds on her neck and ears so big that Alina could even see them from the window.
The man was tall and had broad shoulders. He was wearing black. His back was turned to the window, but Alina didn't need to see his face to recognize him.
She knew he was Austin, the Duke of Ravenmoor. The man who owned her. The man who couldn't be bothered to meet her, to speak to her, or to acknowledge her presence.
And here he was, walking in the garden with a woman who was holding his arm like she had been born holding it.
Alina watched them walk in the garden, laughing at something until they disappeared behind a hedge.
He already has a woman, and yet he bought a bed warmer?