In Rapture (Destined) (4 page)

“Thank
you, Hargrove.” Malinda watched the door sway closed behind him and did a quick
twirl inside the room. She could not believe her fortune. She continued her
perusal of the room. A dark blue sofa, matching armchair, and short table were
arranged at one end of the room to provide a sitting area. The fireplace was in
the middle of the room, and a large white bearskin rug sat in front of it, with
two armchairs on either side. Small wooden tables were sitting next to them.
Malinda stifled a yawn and decided she could look around more in the morning.
She could see that a wall opened to the right, probably opening up into another
small room, and while she was curious about this room, the exhaustion of her
journey had finally caught up to her. She pulled her lavender dress up over her
head and let it fall gently to the floor. She kept her chemise on; while it was
so worn and thin it did little to keep the air from touching her skin, it at
least covered her enough that her body was hidden from view. She walked over to
the bed and opened up the curtain. She wondered what side of the bed she should
choose, but as Lord Timberlin was not here, she decided that it really did not
matter tonight. She pulled back the thick comforter and slid underneath it. The
crisp cool sheets whispered against her body as she shivered slightly against
the chilled fabric. It took only a few moments for her body to warm up, but
once she did a cocoon of warmth rocked her silently to sleep.

Chapter 6

The
aroma of sweet rolls made for a delicious awakening for Malinda. She opened her
eyes and found a steaming cup of tea, along with the biggest breakfast fair she
had ever seen. Sweet rolls, fresh fruit, eggs, biscuits, and a few slices of
ham were laid out, welcoming her stomach to the first feast of the day. Malinda
threw back the covers and shuffled quietly across the floor. She sat down and
started to fill her stomach. It was not surprising to find that it was quite
delectable. She took her time and savored each bite, basking in the different
flavor combinations.

When
she finished eating, she noticed that her belongings had been brought up while
she had slept in. Malinda quickly walked over to the bags and extracted her
brown day dress to wear. Before dressing, she washed as best she could from the
basin of water sitting on the dressing stand, then put on her dress and her
soft kid slippers. She was about to check out the room adjoining the master
chamber when a knock sounded on the door.

“Enter.”
A severe looking woman entered the room. Her hair was gathered back in a strict
bun, so tight that it stretched the skin back on her head, making her eyes look
a little stretched. There was no kindness in this woman, not one single bit.
When Malinda read her aura, she could see the dark holes eating away at the
dull yellow hues surrounding her, making it quite clear to her that this would
be an unpleasant encounter.

“Good
morning, Lady Timberlin. I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”

“How
may I help you, Miss…?”

“Cordelia
Everheart, my lady. I would say I am at your service, but I regret to inform
you that today shall be my last day at Wickford Manor.” The smug look on her
face brought out the haughty lines of her face.

“And
what, pray tell, are your duties here at Wickford Manor?” If Malinda would have
to go about replacing Ms. Everheart, she would need to know what purpose she
served within the manor.

“Sophia!
Enter.”

Malinda
did not like the loathing that entered the young woman’s voice, and when a
small girl walked quietly into the room, she liked the tone even less. The dark
haired girl entered so quietly that Malinda had to look twice to make sure her
eyes had not deceived her. “And who is this beautiful girl?”

Cordelia
snorted. “I’m sorry, my lady. This is Sophia, Lord Timberlin’s daughter. She’s
a wretched little thing, don’t let her appearance fool you. Don’t turn your
back on this one.”

Malinda
sized up the matter right away. It was clear that Ms. Cordelia Everheart was a
browbeating chit who had handled this poor mite of a girl with an overly stern
hand, for she could see the way the girl flinched whenever the maid walked
closer to her. “That will be all, Ms. Everheart. You may gather your things and
leave at your convenience.”

“My
lady.” She curtsied low to Malinda and then yanked on Sophia’s arm. “Back to
the nursery with you.”

“Leave
her. I will make sure she sees her way to the nursery after we have become
further acquainted. I suggest you leave before Lord Timberlin hears how harshly
you have treated his daughter in his absence.” Fire lit her eyes as she peered
over at the woman standing before her. She saw uncertainty enter the woman’s
eyes and a slight trembling of her bottom lip; however, there was very little
time to address the matter, for when she opened the door a large beast lunged
through it, almost toppling Ms. Everheart in the process. Sophia raced over to
Malinda’s side and clung gently to her arm.

“Well,
I never!” Ms. Everheart trounced from the room, her skirts swishing loudly with
each step.

“Mule!
Stay. Lay down!” The large mastiff followed her command immediately, but
whimpered his displeasure. “Don’t worry little miss. This is Mule. He’s very
sweet, really he is. He just missed me last night and was anxious to see me.
Would you like to pet him?”

Malinda
could see that Sophia was torn. She wanted to cling to her side just as much as
she yearned to pet the large dog with the lopsided grin. When she saw the sad
nod of her head, she knew that Sophia was not quite ready to make friends. She
patted her gently on the head and stooped down to her level. “Would you show me
to the nursery, Sophia?”

The
little girl nodded solemnly to her, then tugged her arm to follow her. She
never once let go of her hand and Malinda had the feeling that this child was
desperate for love. She followed her slowly through the halls, knowing that it
would be quite easy for her to get lost in all the twists and turns. There was
no way she was going to find her way back to the master chambers without help,
but hopefully she would find someone to assist her along the way.

Before
they left for the nursery Malinda sent Mule downstairs to rest by the great
hearth. She would let him outside to run later. After the dog trotted off they
began their journey. When they reached the nursery Malinda was appalled. There
were no toys, very few books, and no place to actively teach a child. There was
a chair in the back corner facing the wall, and the small cushion on top of it
was so worn it was easy to see that Sophia had spent a lot of time in it. When
they entered the room the girl walked over to the corner and sat down to face
the wall.

“Sophia,
what are you doing, child?” Her heartstrings yanked so violently inside her
that if she were holding something breakable she would have smashed it against
the floor. The poor girl turned around and looked up at her with eyes that were
close to shedding tears. She never answered her, just turned back around to
face the corner.

Malinda
walked over to the corner and put a gentle hand on Sophia’s head. When the girl
flinched away from her touch, Malinda felt tears form in her eyes. No child
should ever have to be this alone or frightened. It made her very concerned
that Lord Timberlin would ignore such abuse, for what did that say about her
husband? “Come here, Sophia. We’re going to find you a much better place to
play.” Malinda held out her hand and waited for the girl to grab it. She waited
patiently until the girl finally decided to trust her. “Will you help me find
where the dining hall is?”

She
was answered by blinking eyes that spoke much more than words ever could.
Malinda tried her best to hide her angry mutterings about indecent upbringings
as she crouched down to Sophia’s level. “Well, we’ll just have to go on a grand
adventure together then, my sweet.”

Malinda
and Sophia walked down the halls and, when they found stairs, they walked down
those as well. Sophia’s blue eyes were opened in awe as she took in the world
around her, although it was certainly hard to tell who was the most impressed
with their surroundings. Malinda had not had a chance to look around the night
before, but now that she did, she was amazed that anyone could live in such
luxury. There were fine tapestries hanging on the walls, and each wall had the
same fine satin wall papers, but in different elegant light colors that seemed
to darken anytime the light hit them. Fingers of light swept across the wooden
floors as the sun’s rays filtered through the stained glass windows. The colors
danced on the floor like rainbows and Malinda and Sophia both were captivated
by the beauty. Malinda could have stayed trapped in this moment in time
forever, but while she stood there she heard a small tummy rumbling and knew
Sophia must be starving. When they turned the corner, she saw a young lady
carrying sheets, and Malinda said a silent thank you to the powers above.

“Excuse
me?”

The
woman turned swiftly and took a moment to take in who was addressing her. “Lady
Timberlin?”

“Yes,
and you are?”

“Gretchen,
my lady. How may I assist you?” Her red curls were trying to escape the mop hat
that scrunched around the top of her head.

“Gretchen,
the little miss and I would like to eat. If you could lead us to the dining
hall and instruct the cook to prepare some of her finest breakfast fare, it would
be greatly appreciated.” Malinda hoped that her voice sounded like that of a
lady. She had never really given orders to anyone before, for she had been
taught to be self-reliant. She would have to get used to this life.

“Yes,
of course. Please follow me. You were almost there, my lady.”

Gretchen
was right. After another few turns they made it easily to the large dining
hall. She pulled lightly on Sophia’s hand as the child had suddenly frozen in
place. When Malinda turned around she saw what had made the child pause.
Hanging above the fireplace was a large painting of a lady with a face that was
incredibly familiar. She looked back at Sophia and saw her cringing next to
her. The child had the same pouting lips, the same chestnut curls, and the most
beautiful blue eyes that Malinda had ever seen, up until she saw the eyes
looking at her from the fireplace. She could see that the painting brought
great fear to the child. “Gretchen?”

“Yes,
my lady?” The maid was turning to leave, but had turned back around to face
Malinda.

“Please
cover that picture. I will speak to Lord Timberlin about its removal when I
next see him.”

The
maid gasped, and her hand came reflexively to her mouth. “But my lady….”

“No
buts, Gretchen. There is great fear in this child because of that painting. I’ll
not have my daughter living in fear a moment longer.”

With
her admonition two things occurred. A spark of a smile lit up Gretchen’s face
in clear admiration, and Sophia’s ears had perked up when the word “daughter”
came out of Malinda’s mouth. Malinda nodded her head at Gretchen, then smiled
warmly at the child. She had not known that Lord Timberlin had a daughter; it
was something Bradford Marcus had not shared with her. Perhaps he had not
known, but it made no difference. Malinda had known what it was like to have
been born into such melancholy. She had lived her entire life without a mother
because of it. She would not let this little mite live one more day without
knowing what a mother should be to her, even if Malinda had not the slightest
idea of where to start. When Gretchen came back with a large white sheet and
covered up the painting, Sophia’s hand squeezed hers ever so slightly. “All
right Miss Sophia. Let us sit, so that we can eat.” Malinda saw the beginnings
of a timid smile creep up the girl’s face.

When
an older woman came into the room laden with trays of breakfast goodies Malinda
saw a bright ray of sunshine fill the room. Sophia was smiling so brightly that
even the older cook was caught off guard. Malinda heard a humbling sniff as the
woman attempted to quell the tears that clouded her eyes. “Thank you very much.
It’s Gertie, right?”

“Yes,
my lady. Hargrove told me you arrived when I saw him this morning. I hope your
breakfast tray was satisfactory. Forgive me, my lady. I usually let one of the
maids bring out the food, but I must admit my curiosity got the best of me.”
Gertie was short, with a short cap of gray curls that fell just below her ears.
Her green eyes looked curiously at her.

“Of
course, Gertie. I am pleased to meet you. This morning I had some of the finest
food I’ve ever eaten. It was so good I had to bring the little mistress down to
eat with me.” Malinda cupped a hand over her mouth and pretended to tell Gertie
a secret. “Of course, it was just an excuse to get more food.” She winked
mischievously at Sophia and stole a muffin from the plate with a sly smile.
They were rewarded with a tiny giggle.

There
was an audible intake of breath and Gertie walked closer to Malinda, bowing
down for Malinda’s ears alone. “My lady, I do believe that is the first sound
we’ve heard from poor Miss Sophia in years.”

Malinda
nodded her head at the cook. “Miss Gertie, perhaps later you and I can sit down
to discuss the ins and outs of Wickford Manor. I find I need to be more
acquainted with the routines and with whatever information the lady of the
house needs to know. As you can see, I come from humble beginnings and I will
need some help adjusting to life here.” Malinda gestured to her simple dress as
she squirmed underneath Gertie’s gaze.