Chapter 6

After a restless night,

Alessandra was woken by the older woman who had been kind to her

the night before, lighting the fire in her room.

"Oh, Miss, I am sorry to

have woken you," she said quietly. "I was hoping I could do this

quietly, so the room would be warm before you woke."

"That is alright. I wake

up at this time each day anyway. Is the family already up?"

Alessandra asked and saw the woman nod as she smiled.

"Yes, they have just gone

down for breakfast, Miss, but they do not rush meals. You have time

to wash, if you wish. I have put some hot water on your dresser

there."

Alessandra followed her eyes

and saw the welcome sight of the warm water to wash with.

"Thank you," Alessandra said.

"I am sorry, I do not even know your name. How should I address

you?"

"You can call me Margaret,

Miss."

"Thank you, Margaret. I will

get dressed now and go down."

"Do you need some assistance,

Miss?" Margaret asked.

"No, I shall be fine,"

Alessandra replied, eager to get on with the day. "Thank

you."

The woman nodded, smiled,

and left the room to let Alessandra have her privacy.

After climbing out of

bed, Alessandra took her time to enjoy the warm water as she

splashed it on her face. She made herself presentable, and ventured

downstairs, wondering if she would remember how to get to the

dining room.

After a while, she came

across an older man in livery that indicated he was a service staff

member. She timidly asked him where the family was. He smiled at

her softly and asked her to follow him to doors that he opened,

before removing himself and disappearing again.

Inside the room,

Alessandra could see everyone else was already up and enjoying what

appeared to be a banquet of breakfast in front of them. It was so

far removed from the quiet little breakfasts she and her parents

shared in their home, that she felt like she almost wanted to cry

at the stark difference. Looking around the table, she could see

that the only seat left was between her mother and Edward's mother.

Alessandra was relieved, until she realised she would be sitting

directly across from Edward. The shyness, and resulting

embarrassment about the shyness, began all over again.

Edward saw his mother

begin a conversation with Alessandra. He suspected it was a bold

attempt to subtly make the young woman feel at ease. After a while,

he saw his intended betrothed start to relax a little. While the

two women talked, he watched Alessandra. He tried to figure out

whatever he could about her, to file away for further attempts at

conversation that would happen later. She was quite plain in looks,

but that would not bother him. All he had hoped for was someone he

could talk to and be friendly with. So far, that was looking

unlikely, but, for his mother's sake, he was determined to give his

best effort.

To the side

of him , Alessandra's father

was beginning to engage with Edward, asking him about the estate

and his life to date. Edward's father had earlier said that

Alessandra's family had no social standing, but Edward found

Alessandra's parents to both be well-spoken, knowledgeable, and

very comfortable in their surroundings. There was nothing about

them that said they were 'nobody', as his father had

said.

The family chatted among

themselves until breakfast was cleared and Edward's mother

suggested he take Alessandra for a tour of the gardens. Both Edward

and Alessandra looked up at that, surprised at the suggestion that

they go anywhere alone, but he nodded in response. As they both

stood up, Alessandra looked at her mother with a pleading look on

her face. Instead of her mother coming to her rescue, she smiled at

her and encouraged her to go. The two young people walked out of

the room quietly. Alessandra looked at Edward only enough to see

where he was leading her. Passing through passageways and doorways,

they ventured outside.

Edward

led her through different areas of

the gardens, chatting as easily as he could about each one's

history as he knew it. He wanted Alessandra to feel comfortable and

relaxed, but even with his soft nature, he was starting to feel

like it was all a bit of a pointless effort. For whatever reason,

the young woman quite simply persisted in not talking to

him.

They returned to their parents

in the drawing room, not having gotten to know each other any

better at all.