The Fourth Mistress

Music Recommendation: Breaking -Rework - Mattia Cupelli

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This morning, Louise had been nervous when she had walked down the aisle. But after hearing what Graham said, the same nervousness now had evaporated in thin air. She removed her wedding gown before wearing a new dress that had been stitched from Mr. Burnell's shop. Pulling out the pins from her hair, she combed it before tying it in a black ribbon.

Walking around the room, she picked up her wedding gown to take a look at it. Once people would find out about her marriage with Graham, she knew they would look at her differently. But this was something she had already thoroughly thought about. It was just a stroke of mere bad luck that had led to the last three women's death, and she wasn't going to follow it. Her wedding gown was here to stay in the manor and not to be returned to the Burnell's shop.

When it was time to sleep, both Louise and Graham slept on the same bed, each taking one side of the bed. They had their back against the surface of the bed, facing the ceiling of the room.

Most of the lit candles in the room had been blown out, while some had been left untouched in the corner. Being new to the place and the surrounding, Louise couldn't fall asleep immediately. She listened to the sound of the clock on the wall tick.

Hearing the sound of the clock gave Louise some sort of comfort, like a lullaby that she was used to hearing since she was young. When her eyes moved to the corner in the direction where Graham was asleep, she saw his eyes were closed.

"Would you like me to blow out the remaining candles?" he asked, surprising her by his sudden question.

"No, that is fine," replied Louise in a low voice. Not minding the little brightness coming from the candles that would mostly last an hour or two. "I didn't know you were awake."

"It has been long since I last had company in this room," answered Graham. He said, "My apologies. It isn't that your presence bothers me."

"I guess that makes the two of us," she said, a small smile appearing on her lips. If the situation was different, Louise would have apologized for the inconvenience. But they were husband and wife now. It was customary for a married couple to share the same room and bed.

Louise then turned to lay on her side, facing him and watching him. He opened his eyes as if he sensed her eyes on him. Her eyes traced the lines and curves of Graham's face. His features were strong and manly, his face holding the same expression of seriousness on it.

"What hour do you go to work in the morning?" asked Louise as it was something that had not come up in their previous conversations.

"I leave the manor by nine thirty. If you have work to attend to, I would be more than happy to drop you by Mr. Winkle's office before heading to mine," Graham offered her.

Considering the distance between Reed's mansion and the main town of Habsburg, walking to her workplace, which was near the main town like before, was out of the question. Louise nodded her head. "I would be happy to ride the carriage with you."

"That's good to hear," Graham replied. Like her, he turned to his side to see her. "I can pick you up while heading back."

"I don't mind walking to the centre of the town from Mr. Winkle's office. I would miss walking terribly," said Louise while he held her gaze. She could tell that Graham wasn't keen on her hobby of walking. And after what happened the last time, she understood where his concern stemmed from. "The walk isn't that long and it comes on the main road. It will give me enough time to stretch my arms and legs," she tried to convince him.

After five seconds, Graham finally said, "Fine. I will wait for you at my office."

"Thank you," Louise smiled, happy that Graham was keeping his word of allowing her to do certain things as she wished.

"Have you always been this assertive?" he questioned her, a hint of curiosity laced in his voice.

Louise smiled at his question, "I think so. After my parents passed away, Uncle Hugo and Aunt Merlin took me in and loved me too much. And according to some of the townsfolk, it spoiled me. Turning me the way I have turned."

"People always have a lot to talk about," murmured Graham.

Though his words were nonchalant, Louise wondered if there was more to his words.

"What do you think?" she questioned him back. "About my assertiveness." The serious look in Graham's eyes changed, and she noticed a faint smile on his lips. Did he ever smile fully? Asked Louise.

"I think it is one of your charming qualities," came his direct answer, and Louise' cheek was quick to heat up. "Let me go and close the windows," he offered, and Louise saw him get out of the bed. He made his way towards the windows and closed them before he returned to bed.

After having the little chat with Graham, Louise slowly started to drift into a deep sleep. Unbothered, neither by the light from the candles nor by the sound of the wind that had increased outside the manor.

The following day, rays of sunlight passed through the closed transparent windows. Louise woke up to an empty bed next to her. Her hand unconsciously reached the space, feeling the surface cold, and she wondered if Graham had woken up early. Sitting upright on the bed, she pushed the sheet away from her body and placed her feet on the soft rug carpet.

She had decided to go to work tomorrow, which left her with free time today to accustom herself and see how things worked out in Reed's manor.

Hearing a sound behind her, she turned and saw it was Graham, who had stepped out from the other side of the divider after taking a bath. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. Water dripped from his wet hair, sliding down from his broad shoulders to move down further and to be soaked into the towel. She hadn't expected her morning to be this colourful, and she cleared her throat to catch his attention.

"Good morning, Louise. I hope you had a good sleep," Graham wished her, who seemed unbothered by his current appearance.

"Y-yes. I had a very good sleep. How about yourself?" She tried not to ogle at him and started to fold the blanket she had used at night.

"It was good," she heard him reply from behind as he pulled open the closet door. Once he finished wearing his trousers, he caught Louise, who had finished folding her blanket and was now folding his blanket.

"You don't have to do that," said Graham to her, "We have servants in the manor to do that kind of work and the bed is made differently."

"Oh," responded Louise, looking down at the folded blankets. She realized if the maids or the other family members were to see two blankets on the bed, they would come to realize that she and Graham had not consummated their marriage.

Graham then said, "I am sure my family is eager to have breakfast with you. You can go wash yourself so that you can join everyone in the dining room."

Louise dressed in a presentable manner, and before she left the room, she noticed the needles of the clock had stopped moving. Looking at the time, she guessed that it had stopped somewhere after she had fallen asleep. She walked down with Graham and entered the dining room to have breakfast with the other family members.

She greeted everyone in the room, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Louise," Alison greeted her while the rest of them offered her a small nod.

"Good morning, Aunt Louise," Alison's daughter wished her and Louise couldn't help but wished her sweetly.

"Good morning, Molly," Louise then took a seat that had been pulled for both her as well as Graham by the butler.

It was eight forty-five in the morning, and everyone at the table had been dressed as if they were ready to go out. Back at home, Louise would have still been curled in the bed. She had been lucky to wake up early today.

"I hope you were able to sleep well, Louise," came the prim and proper tone from Lady Viola, whose tea was being poured in her teacup by a maid.

"Yes, thank you," Louise offered a small bow of acknowledgement.

Lady Viola gave a curt nod, "Good."

Soon breakfast was brought into the room by the maids one by one, keeping the food on the table and serving it to Reed's family. Louise tried to stay put and keep her hands to herself so that she wouldn't help herself and let the maids do their job.

"Would you like some orange juice, milady?" asked one of the maids.

"Yes, please," replied Louise, offering the maid a polite smile.

The dining room was eerily quiet, with people barely speaking to each other while they concentrated on having their breakfast in silence. Louise could tell that this was very normal here, to be enveloped in silence while she had grown up surrounded by chatter and laughter.

"Come on, dear. Eat quickly so that we won't be late," said Alison to her daughter, who was taking her own time in finishing her breakfast.

"I am full, mummy," said the little girl.

"Has she started to attend school?" asked Louise in curiosity.

Her sister-in-law smiled, "Yes. She is now learning how to read well and write sentences. Haven't you, darling?" she asked Molly, who nodded her head.

"That is wonderful," replied Louise. "Even my uncle had me go to a woman who was a retired governess near our home. It made it easier for me to learn."

"You are right, I was worried about-" Alison began but was interrupted by her mother.

"Alison." The room turned quiet, and Lady Viola turned to look at Louise and said, "All of us here are used to having our meals in a peaceful and quiet environment, Louise. It is how we like to have the environment here."

She did notice that, thought Louise in her mind. "It must be difficult to have food when you attend soiree's because of the noise and people around," she said to her mother-in-law, who didn't appreciate her talking even after the subtle words to be quiet.

"It is, but we have to try to adjust and follow what the majority often does," the woman offered a slight smile to Louise.

It was the first day after her wedding, and Louise didn't want to debate with Viola. She felt it would be too early to start one, and she concentrated on her meal.

Soon after breakfast, Alison left with her husband and her daughter to go out. The other family members dispersed from the dining room, and Louise followed Graham to see him go off to work in the carriage. This left Louise to roam around the manor in leisure.

The manor was beautiful, and Louise only wanted to drown in its beauty. She walked outside the manor, coming across one of the walls to see the climbers covering it with tiny flowers. She walked around the paths by herself without any servants' help. And while she spent her time outside, Viola Reed stood in one of the rooms and front of the window, watching the girl who was her son's newly married wife.

"She seems different than the last three," said Lady Agatha, who stood with Lady Viola in the room.

Viola stared at Louise, who had been roaming outside for almost an hour now. Her lips set themselves in a thin line and a grim expression on her face.

"Wouldn't it be better to have a maid around her? Especially knowing how delicate the girls these days are," suggested Lady Agatha.

"She refused," said Lady Viola.

Lady Agatha, who was Lady Viola's sister-in-law, stared at the girl who appeared to be enjoying the view of the garden, walking bare feet that made both the women frown. The woman said, "Actually, she reminds me of Lisa," mentioning Graham's third wife. "She seems to have a similar liberal spirit."

Hearing the third daughter-in-law's name, Viola's face slightly hardened.

Back in the garden, Louise was enjoying her time before she finally made her way inside the manor.

As she made her way through the corridors, she met one of the servants, and she said, "The clock in our room has stopped working. Please get it fixed."

"Yes, Lady Louise," said the servant, bowing his head, and he left to check it.

She placed her hands on her back, strolling while watching the interior and walls, the space and objects of the manor. Never would she have imagined that she would one day come to live in a manor as big and beautiful as this. While walking inside the manor, Louise noticed there were no portraits of any of the wives, and the portraits were of only the present family members. Though she wasn't necessarily looking forward to it, she was still curious about how Graham's previous wives looked.

Her footsteps on the floor were light, and she noticed how each servant of the manor was working diligently without having to be told twice. On her way, she caught sight of the maid, who had looked scared when Lady Viola had tried to appoint her as her maid.

"Emily?" Louise called the maid, who turned around with slight anxiousness in her eyes.

"Yes, milady? Is there something you would like me to help you with?" asked the maid politely.

"Did you know where the older family portraits are stored in the manor?" asked Louise.

The maid nodded her head, "They are kept in the cellar of the manor, Lady Louise. Lady Viola has the keys to it. Would you like me to go and fetch it for you?" the maid asked her.

"No, that is fine. I will ask her myself," smiled Louise.

When she got back to her room, she noticed the clock had started to work again. The servants were quick with their jobs, she thought to herself. Going to the bathroom, she poured water on her feet and wiped it with a dry cloth when she heard nothing but silence.

Dropping the towel to the side, Louise made her way to the front of the wall. The clock had stopped again. And strangely, it had come to a stop at an odd hour. The same hour as she had noticed in the morning.

Four past eleven.