The next morning, Isoline was awoken by a gentle knock on her door.

“Miss Beresford,” Bess called.

Isoline forced her eyes to open. The room was already bright with morning sunlight. “Yes, Bess,” she said groggily. “Come in.”

Bess entered the room and walked over to the window, throwing the curtain open brightly. “Did you sleep well, miss?” she asked. She didn’t wait for an answer before she was stoking the fire and opening the door to the wardrobe to find Isoline something acceptable to wear.

“I think I passed right out,” Isoline said as she squinted in the light and stretched her arm. “This is the most comfortable bed.”

“Her ladyship has only the best of everything,” Bess said as she laid out a terribly old-fashioned green dress. “James brought your cases in, miss,” she explained. “But they were soaked through and quite a few things smelled of smoke. Jenny, she’s our washerwoman, is going to salvage what she can after a brisk wash and dry, but that will take all day. Mr. Talbot himself is going through your personal items, books and papers and such, and laying those out to dry as well. I hope you don’t mind.”

Isoline climbed out of bed and shook her head. “I don’t mind. I don’t think I have anything too scandalous among my thing, except possibly my books on dream theory,” she said.

Bess prepared the bowl of wash water and helped Isoline remove her sleeping gown. “Dream theory, miss?”

“Have you ever wondered if your dreams have a deeper meaning?” Isoline asked. “Like, if you dream of falling, it could mean you feel as though your life is out of control.”

“I think I would know that without a dream telling me,” Bess said. “Do you often dream of falling? Sounds a bit frightening.”

“Not exactly,” Isoline said. “I just have very…realistic dreams, I suppose. As though I’m not dreaming at all but am quite awake.”

“You poor thing,” Bess said. “Sounds right exhausting.” She helped Isoline towel off and then they got to work putting Isoline into her many layers of clothes. Isoline was surprised by how free-flowing the borrowed dress felt. It cinched up under her bosom, but the rest of the gown was light and billowy. It was nothing like the tight corset and full petticoats she normally wore. She felt almost indecent.

“Are you sure this is quite all right to wear?” Isoline asked as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

Bess couldn’t suppress her smile. “You look lovely, miss,” she said. “I think you’d look beautiful in whatever you wear.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Isoline said, turning to look at herself from the back. “I just think I might send the men into apoplexy if they see me in such a state. How did the ladies get away with such clothes back then?”

“I’m sure the menfolk won’t mind a bit,” Bess said with a chuckle. “And I doubt they will say anything. Lady Granville herself gave the approval for you to wear the things in this closet. They won’t want to upset her by saying anything untoward.”

Isoline nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Bess.”

Bess gave a curtsey. “Lady Granville takes her breakfast in her room. But Mrs. Lawson, the cook, has had a breakfast tray sent for you to the dining hall.”

“I’ll be down shortly, then. Thank you, Bess.”

Isoline took one last look at herself in the mirror and shook her head. Well, there was nothing she could do about the dress now. She had nothing else to wear for at least the day. She wandered over to the window to check the weather. She wondered if she would need only a light wrap or something heavier. As she looked out, she thought she saw someone duck behind a tree. She watched for a moment, but he never appeared from the other side. She shrugged. Aunt Bellamira had a full staff, she certainly had gardeners as well.

She opened the window and put her hand out. The clouds had cleared away from the day before so the weather was warmer and drier, but it was still surprisingly chilly for summer. She would have to get used to this northern weather. She thought a heavier wrap might be in order.

She went down to the dining room and was surprised to see a footman waiting to serve her tea with her breakfast.

“It makes me feel a bit out of sorts to have so many people waiting on me,” she said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Back home we had a much larger family but so few servants.”

“I’m sure you will soon get used to the way things are run here, miss,” he said with a smile.

“Of course…” she said.

“James, miss,” he told her.

“Oh, James,” she said as he handed her a cup of tea. “You are the one who fetched my bags last night, weren’t you?”

“I was, miss,” he said as he moved back to stand by the tea tray.

“That was so kind of you,” she said. “I feel terrible that you were sent out in the rain so late.”

“Not at all, miss,” he said. “We are all just glad that you arrived safely.”

Isoline started to relax a little as she enjoyed her breakfast. She thought that it would be awkward having so many servants around. She worried they might think that she was beneath their dignity to serve. She was of no importance, after all. Nothing like the Dowager Duchess of Payne. Isoline might be a distant relative, but her family carried no title and did not have much money. In fact, since her father had more or less disowned her, she was basically a poor relation in need of her grand-aunt’s charity. But there was nothing but politeness and respect in the tone and actions of the staff. If anything, she felt well-cared for by them all, as though they thought she was a lost puppy in need of their coddling.

“I suppose I should call on my aunt now,” she told James when she finished her meal.

“Her ladyship usually stays in her rooms during the morning,” James explained. “She has breakfast and then reads or works on her correspondence. She doesn’t tend to socialize with anyone except her maid until she comes down for luncheon. I believe your mornings will belong to you as well, miss.”

“Oh,” she said, a little disappointed. She was being given free room and board in exchange for being Bellamira’s companion. It felt strange that she was not being called on to…companion. What exactly would Bellamira expect of her anyway? She supposed they would have to discuss her duties at luncheon.

“I think I will explore the house and grounds a bit then,” she said. “I will need to learn my way around eventually.”

“Of course, miss,” James said as he walked over to the wall and showed her a dangling cord. “Most rooms have a cord like this. If you need anything, just pull it and someone will be along shortly. Though…” He paused.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I just realized that many of the rooms and cords haven’t been used in many years. Some could be in disrepair. If they don’t work, I think you could just stand out in the gallery and yell. Someone will be sure to hear you.”

Isoline laughed, and James couldn’t suppress a smile even though he was trying. “If I get scolded for screaming from the gallery I’ll be sure to let them know that James had given me permission.”

He smiled as he opened the door for her to leave the dining room. As she walked back to the main staircase, she was surprised that the house already felt less imposing than before. She nearly skipped up the staircase to the first-floor gallery. She realized that for the first time in months, she felt happy. Even when she had been engaged to Cyril, she was anxious about her future, concerned about marrying a man she didn’t love. Would they be happy? Would they grow to hate each other? What did she know about marrying into the nobility? Would her mother-in-law be as kindly toward her after the wedding? How long would it be before she became a mother? What did she know of raising children? After she called off the engagement and her father announced his plans to disown her, she had been even more miserable and was then terrified of the future.

Now, she still did not know what the future held. How long would she stay? What if Bellamira died and didn’t make her an heiress. What if she died and Bellamira did leave her an inheritance? Would her dreams ever go away? Would she ever marry? Would she end up an old spinster like her aunt? But all of those questions, while important, did not seem pressing. For the moment, she was taken care of and happy. What was it Bellamira said about the secrets to a long, healthy life? One of her tips had been no stress. As she breathed in deeply, she could certainly imagine that a life without cares or worries would contribute to a healthy and optimistic outlook.

She headed down the hallway opposite the direction to her bedroom to start her exploration. She started to open the first door, but then she realized that she didn’t know which room was Bellamira’s, and she didn’t want to walk in unannounced, so she knocked. After a moment, she didn’t hear anything, so she carefully turned the knob.

The door was locked.

She pouted in disappointment. The next door was also locked, as was the next. She couldn’t imagine why the doors were all locked, but then, she didn’t see a reason why they would be unlocked either. The rooms were unoccupied, so maybe having them locked meant they knew the rooms were at least left neat a tidy, even if they did get a bit dusty. The housekeeper probably had a schedule of which rooms to dust when and kept the doors locked the rest of the time. It made sense, but didn’t leave much for Isoline to explore. She wondered if the housekeeper would be willing to loan her a key.

At least the hallways themselves were somewhat interesting. Artwork seemed to hang on every available space, and not just paintings of old relatives. There were landscapes and still life, classic works in the Greek and Roman style, and even a scroll in an oriental style. Someone in the Granville family certainly had an appreciation for art. Isoline made a note to ask her grand-aunt about it when they spoke.

With exploring the house not an option, Isoline decided to explore the grounds instead. As she exited the front door, she was pleased to find that the temperature had increased from when she had tested the air that morning. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh smell of the countryside. As she stood on the porch, she surveyed the land before her. Indeed, there was nothing else to look at but land. There was not another house or even a steeple to be seen. She knew there was a village somewhere nearby, but it was probably too far away to walk to.

She knew the grounds were expansive—they would have to be to support such a large house—but she had no idea just how large they were or what was to be found thereupon. But what was the fun of exploring if you knew exactly what you were going to find? She set out walking with no particular destination in mind. She assumed it would be easy enough to find her way back to the main house.

The stables were not very far from the house, and the grooms gave her a polite nod when she entered. By now, all of the staff for the entire estate must have known that Bellamira’s niece had arrived. One of the grooms asked her if she would like him to saddle a horse for her. She told him no, that she was happy to explore on foot for now, but she was glad to know this would be an option in the future. She did enjoy riding. But for now, she was excited to be in the middle of nowhere and was looking forward to being alone for a few minutes.

She was surprised to see that she wasn’t nearly as alone on the giant estate as she would have thought. Every so often, she would come across a man or a small group of men working the fields or with animals. After she left the barn, she came across sheep and pigs and the men tending them. Even when she came across a stream, a man in wading pants was fishing and some women were washing clothes.

She kept walking, hoping to find a bit of solitude eventually. After a long while, she stopped running across people. She crested a small hill and looked in every direction. She could not see the house. She suddenly realized that in her quest to be rid of people, she had also become completely lost. She was exhausted.

“Idiot,” she chided herself. She sighed and plopped down on the ground to catch her breath and let her feet rest. She thought about James’s recommendation to simply holler if she needed anyone, but she didn’t think anyone would hear her out here. And if they did she would certainly look crazy for yelling. She wasn’t quite desperate yet, though, so she took a moment to enjoy the view and the quiet.

The view was certainly stunning. She had never been in such a rural area before, and the gently rolling hills and bright greens of summer filled her with peace and happiness. She thought that she could live here for the rest of her life and be perfectly happy.

“Beautiful,” a voice behind her said.

She started and looked up. A man was standing behind her. Her breath hitched in her throat. His hair and eyes were dark and he had a sun-kissed bronze to his skin. He was wearing a white shirt that was slightly open at the chest with the sleeves rolled up and black pants. He was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen and had to tear her gaze away to keep from staring.

“Yes,” she finally said. “It is. I’ve never been in such a place.”

“You are Isoline, Miss Beresford?” he said more than asked in a delicate, lilting accent she couldn’t place. “Her ladyship’s niece.”

“I am,” Isoline said as she stood. “I just arrived last night.”

“I heard,” he said. Isoline saw he was smiling. And not just politely, but a large smile as though he were the happiest man in the world. His smile was infectious and she could not suppress her own. She looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Yes, I suppose everyone has heard by now,” she said.

“Very nearly,” he said with a laugh. “At least everyone on the estate. But I’m sure the word will spread through the village today.”

“You live on the estate?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I rent a small cottage over that way.” He pointed in a direction, but Isoline was quite turned around and could not tell if he was pointing north, south, east, or west or somewhere in between, but she nodded as though she understood.

It then dawned on her that she had no idea where she was and was completely alone with a strange man.

“I…I should head back,” she said. “My aunt will send someone to look for me very soon.”

“Of course,” he said. “Don’t let me keep you. I just saw you here and wanted to introduce myself.”

“But you didn’t,” she said.

“Didn’t what?” he asked.

“Introduce yourself,” she said. “You haven’t told me your name.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head in embarrassment. “Forgive me,” he said. “I am Auberon. Auberon Drochia.”

“Drochia?” Isoline asked. “What an interesting name.”

He nodded. “From the old country,” he said. She assumed he meant one of the old countries on the continent, but he didn’t indicate which one. “But we have lived here for many years.”

“Here?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “In England or on this estate?”

“Perhaps both,” he said, and they both laughed.

Isoline was feeling easy and comfortable in Auberon’s company, which told her she needed to excuse herself, more firmly this time. She wasn’t lying when she had told her father she had no desire to marry. She didn’t want to ever lead a man into heartache again.

She moved to leave. “I really must be going,” she said. “But it was very nice to meet you.”

“And you, dear Isoline,” he said.

The way her name fell from his lips was like music to her ears. She longed to ask him to walk with her, so talk to him more and stay by his side for as long as possible, but she couldn’t. She shouldn’t. She started to walk down the hill but remembered she didn’t know the way back to the house. She paused and looked both this way and that.

“The manor house is that way,” Auberon said, pointing in one direction.

She blushed and nodded her thanks. “Of course,” she said as though she had known all along.

As she walked down the hill and back toward the house, she was sure she could still feel his eyes on her long after she had left his sight.