Ordained

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Cassius's dreams were punctuated with thoughts of blonde hair and the rustling sounds of pages being turned.

Rolling over he exhaled in frustration as sleep slipped out of his grasp. Sleep had always been an elusive ally for Cassius, deserting him in times of stress or anxiety.

Pretty as she may be, Ottilie Claude had been nothing but a source of stress for him from the moment she had stepped foot onto the estate.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she was so... over exuberant due a desire to impress. If he put himself in her shoes, she must be under immense pressure to more firmly secure an alliance between her family and their duchy.

Accepting that the possibility of sleep was as unlikely as the sun rising in the west and setting in the east, Cassius forced himself from his bed and began the day early. He considered calling for an attendant to help him dress but discarded the idea. If he couldn't be self-sufficient enough to lay out his own clothes, how could he be independent enough to run Marcelia one day?

The sun had barely risen by the time he headed downstairs, intent to return to the gardens before the rest of the house awoke. He tried to recapture the feelings he had enjoyed last night, retracing the path he had walked with Emmeline at dusk. It had only been a brief encounter, but it had seemed to wash away his day of stress and frustrations like water across a sandy stone. All the irritants, the gritty annoying kernels of chatter and frustration washed away till he was left smoothed and calmed. He regarded the effect she had on him with wariness. Why was she such a calming influence on him? Part of him didn't trust it.

The gardens had been a place of solace for him as a child and he regretted having spent less time in them of late. Vowing to make more time outside, he stretched out as he did a lap around the house.

By the time he had completed his circuit the manor was awake. He could always tell when his parents had risen because the servants stopped trying so hard to move silently. They could speak more openly, going about the morning tasks with the usual enthusiasm that always came on sunny days. Waving to a few people, he re-entered the house, heading for his mother's sun lounge where she breakfasted each morning, and where he would most likely find his guest.

Stopping outside the closed door he paused with his hand on the doorknob. Ottilie's lilting laughter sounded on the other side and he closed his eyes briefly. Summoning all his inner strength, he fixed a smile on his face and pushed inside.

...

His day with Ottilie followed much the same pattern as their previous days together. A mind-numbing routine of superficial conversation where she spoke, he listened and the pair of them consumed a seemingly endless amount of tea.

"Miss Claude." He began after their third pot of tea was taken away and replaced. The green filigree design teapot was replaced with a pale pink one, covered in painted cherry blossoms. Cassius stared at it while Ottilie finished her story, seemingly not having registered his interruption. He had to hand it to the staff, he had yet to see the same teapot twice since Ottilie's arrival and it made him wonder just how many teapots were hidden within Marcellus Manor. Several dozen at least by his calculations. "Miss Claude." He repeated, a little louder.

Ottilie blushed scarlet, her pale neck colouring along with her cheeks. "Your grace?" She chirped.

Cassius gave her his best smile, hoping it made him look at ease rather than bored. "I was hoping we might spend some time on the lake today. It will give us a chance to be alone."

He had concocted this plan during breakfast. Twice he had shot his mother a look that said, 'I find this girl insufferable', but his mother had either deliberately ignored him or had not seen. His suspicions leant towards the former.