Forged In Love

Chapter Four

Charlotte's statement took Henry aback. Her father was dead? When had that happened? He had only been informed by his own father of this marriage arrangement two weeks ago. Then again, that was when he had finally come home from the war. How long had she known she was to be married off? All of this was running through his mind as they entered the dining room. The smell of the food was like a punch to the gut, it stopped him short. It was such a marvelous smell. Roast duck and vegetables, one of his favorite meals. There were loaves of fresh bread and creamy butter. It felt like it had been ages since he had had a proper meal. He really hadn't stopped traveling since he came back to England. Henry's abrupt stop had caught Charlotte's attention, and she was watching him intently.

"My lord, is everything alright?'

"What? Oh, yes. It was just the smell of the food that caught my attention. I realized I hadn't had a proper meal in some time. I have been traveling since returning to England."

"Well, I hope it is to your liking. The cook has been hard at it all day."

Charlotte felt a little stupid at not realizing he would be hungry. He had been on the road for days, and they had packed light so they could travel fast. She had better order him a bath for after the meal. She was shirking her duties as lady of the manor, and she didn't want him to think she was unfit. There would be plenty of other reasons for him to think that later. Too much hinged on him marrying her and he could still refuse. Finally, they took their seats at the table and wanted to be served. The room they were in was done in a beautiful light blue with gold accents. The walls had gold embossed plants on top of the the sky blue. The molding around the ceiling and the plaster design in the middle of the ceiling were also gold. All the furniture was deep cherry wood and the chairs had blue cushions, even the large area rug under the table was blue and gold. The combination of the colors made the room feel bright and airy, but also showcased the wealth of the manor in a pleasant way. None of the decor was over done and Henry rather liked it. There were also three large windows along the far wall that were draped in the same light blue. As Henry continued to take in the splendor of the room, a plate was placed in front of him and his glass was filled with wine.

As everyone began to eat, Henry had to restrain himself from gobbling his food down. It tasted of heaven, and he wanted to be filled with it. He thought it best not to appear like a beast in front of his future wife.

"Lady Charlotte, you said your father died. When did this happen?"

"He passed away about a fortnight ago."

"So soon. Should we postpone the wedding, surely you are still mourning."

"No I am not. I should be completely honest with you, my Lord. My father barely acknowledged my existence my entire life and only partially performed his duties as duke."

"I see, well, if all the paperwork is in order, and you have no objections, then I believe that the sooner, the better. How long will you need to prepare?"

" I can have everything ready by two days from now. Is that agreeable?"

"I think that will do nicely."

With that out of the way, Henry continued with his meal without much more conversation. As far as he could tell, she seemed like a good match. She was beautiful, intelligent, practical, and seemed to be happy with the match as well.

Henry sat back from the table and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He was so stuffed that he could take a nap in this very chair.

"That was delicious. Roast duck is my favorite."

"I have had your belongings taken to your room and had a bath drawn for you. I would think after your journey a nice soak would be welcome."

"Thank you very much Lady Charlotte. Afterward i would like to discuss some more things with you. Pick up from our earlier conversation."

"That will be fine, however I will be down in the village. I have things i must attend to, but you are welcome to join me there."

"I would very much like to inspect the village and meet the people. I shall join you there."

The butler, Nigel, led Henry up the stairs and to his chambers. He was greeted by rich colors of burgundy and mahogany. The room felt warm and mysterious. There were dark corners and bookshelves full of leather-bound books. There was a fire in the fire place. It both warmed the room and brought a wonderful wood smell to the room. There were two leather chairs by the fireplace that had furs draped on them, and a bear-skin rug. This was a very masculine room. The large bed was done in burgundy as well and had furs at the foot. A large tub was waiting for him in the middle of the room, and it had a small table next to it. On the table was a drying cloth, a bar of soap, and a glass of whiskey. Henry could wait to be rid of the traveling dust that clung to him. He would really enjoy a leisurely soak, but he wanted to be quick and meet up with Charlotte...or should he think of her as Lottie? He rather liked the shortening of her name. It was playful and something told him that she might be as well.

"Will there be anything else, sir?"

Henry had forgotten that Nigel was still in the room.

"Yes, thank you, Nigel."

With that, the butler bowed and left the room. Henry undressed in a hurry and lowered himself into the tub of hot water. Oh it felt glorious. Henry submerged himself and grabbed the soap as he came back above the surface of the water. It smelled of sandalwood and mint. After soaping himself from head to toe, he reached for the whiskey and sipped it. It was the smoothest he had ever had. Henry wondered if this was local and there was more. He would enjoy a glass of that before bed. Having finished his drink, Henry dunked himself one more time to rinse. He gave himself a little shake to help get the water off before grabbing the cloth and stepping out of the tub. Henry felt like a person again now that he was clean and dry. He opened his trunk and removed clean clothes and a second pair of boots. The fire popped and crackled as he dressed himself and once again Henry thought about a nap. Surely, after a good night's rest in bed, he would be back to himself. He wasn't old enough to need afternoon naps, he chuckled to himself. Henry chose to wear all black as this was a simple trip to the village. He didn't need to wear anything fancy. Even in plain clothes, people could tell he was more than a common person, not that Henry was trying to hide his station. He took one last look at himself in the giant mirror on the wall and left the room. There were more important things to deal with than how he looked. As Henry left the manor house he could feel the eyes of several servants on him and knew it was going to take them time to become accustomed to his presents. With that thought, he set off to the village.