Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 182: Against each other (2)

When morning came, Ophelia got dressed in Dante’s chamber as he made haste to move her belongings to his chamber. Ophelia didn’t question it any longer since Dante kept speaking of having to help her with her hand.

"Are the guests awake yet?" Ophelia asked, looking over her shoulder at Alice.

"Lady Valthorn has been awake for a few hours and took a walk to the garden before going to the dining chamber. Your brother has been dressed and should be with Lady Valthorn now. Forgive me, I did not hear about Miss Lowe," Alice apologised.

"It is fine, and you need not worry about Victoria. She is an old friend of my husband and a guest you must respect. The gossip you heard was all gossip. My husband and Miss Lowe were never lovers, so you don’t need to worry about me," Ophelia assured Alice.

"I have heard it was all lies, but that is not why I worry about her return. Her maid influences the other maids since we all believed Miss Lowe would become Lady Hastings. Her return threatens your control," Alice shared her concerns.

"If all the work I have done thus far can be ruined by Victoria’s return, then I have not done my work well. I am not the slightest bit worried about Victoria and her maid. We must keep our focus on Lady Valthorn. Have the maids reported to you?"

Alice nodded her head. "They have. Lady Valthorn was furious that she had to take her dinner in her chamber. She is still angry at the moment and asking for her guards she brought with her, but they don’t appear to be in sight."

"Good. I prefer her to be surrounded by our knights. Tell the maids to keep watching her every move. I can’t have her coming here to disrupt my life. Oh, I have something for you," Ophelia said, walking away from Aliee to get a box. "This is for you."

Alice accepted the box and opened it to find a necklace. "I cannot take this. It looks like one of the necklaces Lord Hastings bought in the capital."

"And I am giving it to you. Consider it a token of my gratitude for how much you have helped me as of late. If you don’t want it, it can fetch a good price. You have seen by now that I am not one to wear these jewels, but I wear them because of his generosity," said Ophelia.

Alice loved the necklace, but she didn’t think it was appropriate for a maid.

"Won’t Lord Hastings be angry that you have given it to me?" Alice asked, still reluctant to take the necklace.

"It was a gift to me. He doesn’t have a say in where it goes now. If you find it hard to accept it, then I shall take you into town so you can pick out another," Ophelia suggested.

"No," Alice replied.

"Then, you must accept it. You have been yearning for me to compliment you, and now that I am rewarding you, you don’t want it. You confuse me, but I shall let it go because I have come to like you," Ophelia said, followed by laughter as Alice’s expression humoured her. "We must go down to see the guests."

Alice handed the box back to Ophelia. "Then, can you keep it here for me? I don’t want to leave it in the servant’s quarters."

"Has no one told you that you are to be moved? It would be quite tiresome for you to have to walk from the servant’s quarters to my chamber daily, so I am giving you a chamber nearby. You can take the necklace there for safekeeping," Ophelia said, pushing the box back to Alice.

Alice was too stunned to speak. Never did she think she would see the day she received a chamber.

"We must hurry to keep an eye on Lady Valthorn. I will walk with Thomas while you put away the necklace. Don’t be long," Ophelia said and then left Alice’s side.

Ophelia walked out of the chamber and found Dante waiting for her. "You did not go ahead?"

"I have been waiting to walk with you," Dante said, offering his hand to Ophelia.

Ophelia placed her hand on Dante’s and said, "It is my hand injured, not my feet. I should be asking if you are well. Do you still feel the curse?"

"No. I think it has been slowly fading away," Dante answered.

"Good. I don’t need to worry about you overhearing all that I do. Unless you still have that ability?" Ophelia asked, suspicious. "Last night you said your ears were sensitive."

"They still are. It seems the beast has gone away, but the hearing and strength faintly remain."

"I will have to bear with it. I truly cannot have any secrets from you. I must prepare you for what you are walking into. Lady Valthorn can be insufferable, and no matter what you say regarding our marriage, she will not believe it. Don’t bother yourself to prove our marriage has worked," said Ophelia.

"There is nothing to prove. Our actions shall speak for themselves. While you are against it, I have been looking forward to speaking to your mother," Dante said, having much to say.

"Then I shall allow you to do the speaking," Ophelia replied.

Ophelia remained quiet as she thought of what she would do throughout the day with Theo and Dante.

When they entered the dining chamber, the knights were already present to have their fill of food while Theo and Giselle sat alone at another table.

Giselle frowned at the sight of Ophelia and Dante walking so close to each other. She expected another day without Dante’s presence.

Still, Giselle stood to welcome Dante.

"Lord Hastings. How wonderful it is to finally see you. I thought you would be too busy to greet your guests again," Giselle said, holding onto what occurred the first day.

"You’ll have to forgive me for not greeting you when you arrived. I had duties I could not turn away from, so I could not greet you. Fortunately, my wife handled your arrival by herself. I have her to thank," Dante said, pulling out Ophelia’s chair as he spoke. "My wife was raised with a kind heart. Who do I have to thank?"

"Who? I am her mother," Giselle said, thrown off by what Dante was trying to say.

"Yes, but from the interactions I witnessed, you spent your time raising Lord Valthorn’s children. I know all that occurred in her youth, so I hope you don’t try to twist it, Lady Valthorn. You may sit," Dante instructed Giselle as he sat beside Ophelia. "I heard you had some questions about my marriage."