THE EX-WIFE'S REVENGE

EpisodeTwo

CHAPTER TWO

THE STRANGER IN LACE

Aurora woke up in the morning, still in her wedding dress in her new home. This was when she took time to look around their room. The walls were decorated with paintings which depicted meanings unknown to Aurora. There was the large frame of the wreck of a transport ship on the left side of the room and a lion fighting with a horse on the right. In the middle of the room hangs a gigantic and beautiful chandelier over the beautiful picture of angels drawn on the ceiling. On the tables in the room were either pottery art or sculpture of many different beautiful designs. The bed looked like that of a princess with the roses been a woven part of it. For a while,she was lost in the beauty of things and forgot about her predicament. A knock was heard on the door.

“You can come in,” Aurora said in bits. She thought it was Kingston. Three girls came in smoothly in line. Aurora maintained her composure once again.

“We are your personal maids," the one who looked like the eldest among them spoke up.

“Can I get your names?” She asked, surprised. Why would Kingston get personal maids for her,she thought.

“Jade, Emery and Monroe," they answered respectively.

“I," Emery said,” am your makeup artist and skincare therapist.I do everything concerning your skin appearance, both natural and artificial for anything, anything,she said with a wide smile.

“I,"Jade went next,” am your wardrobe manager. I do everything about your outfits.

“And I," Monroe said softly,” I am your personal maid. I will take care of your room," she said with a smile.

There was something off about her, Aurora thought. Each wore a smile, but Monroe’ seemed empty yet convincing.She shaked off her head and prepared to get changed.Even after trying to seem calm, her mind still wandered,” Why would Kingston get her personal essential maids?”

Soon she was changed and was informed that dinner was ready.She went downstairs only to meet Kingston at the table. He smiled and urged her to sit next to him. He held her hand as she sat and squeezed it a little. Aurora perceived another perfume from the one she knew last night, but he was changed and all dressed. He must have applied another one after the bath, she thought to herself as she tried to eat.

The table was silent and movements were awkward as only the clattering of knives and forks could be heard. Aurora thought of something to say and decided to ask him about his parents, since she never knew him well till they got married.

“Well," she started as she cleared her throat,” I wanted to ask about your parents, since we didn't get to know each other well before marriage.

“My parents are Sir and Lady Sinclair, as you know, who are British, so I guess there's nothing else to know about them," he answered nonchalantly.

“What about your siblings?” she pressed on.

“I have two other siblings, a male and a female. They're all grown now," he answered again, but in a cold tone this time.

Aurora didn't get the signs that he wanted her to stop answering, but she felt too inquisitive and continued.

“Do you know my stepfather before now?” she asked lightly this time.

Kingston stopped abruptly, looked at her in a scary way and continued eating. This made Aurora's suspicions linger even further. She didn't dare ask him about where he went to last night either.

After breakfast, she went around the house. It was like a castle with so many servants. She didn't understand why Kingston would want to live in a large house without his family. There was no sign of CCTV inside the house except for the men in suits standing in some positions in the house. She went to the garden, met and greeted the old lady.She was a lover of flowers, and so she had a wonderful time with her. Before she left, the old lady, Georgia, held her hand and breathed deeply,

“Be strong, my daughter, and always be on the watch," she said and continued her work.

Aurora felt confused and curious at the same time. She thanked the old lady and left. Moving around the house,she discovered that there were areas that were bound from movement, not like they had been renovated either. Besides, there weren't any men stationed there and so Aurora decided to go and take a look,a very risky thing to do.

The hallway had rooms with inscriptions on them; office, storage, archives etc. She walked gently past them when she heard a giggle in the next room, the records room. She tried peeping through the door when she pushed the slightly opened door. Immediately, she rushed back to the last room to hide. She heard footsteps coming and was so scared for her life.

”Who is there?” he asked in a coarse voice. She didn't recognize the voice, but she clearly knew it was that of a man.

Stood there for some seconds and began checking room after room. He had opened the one that Aurora was in when the female voice spoke up.

“It must be the wind, I didn't lock the door."

He stopped almost immediately and said,

“You can go now”, and that Aurora was able to see, a girl dressed like Monroe hurriedly walking off. He closed the door and, after standing there for a while, he went back to his former place and locked the door. Aurora waited for some minutes before she left quietly and went straight to her room.She went in to meet Monroe cleaning her room, but she wasn't in the dress. She saw the perfume which the man had lingered on her as she walked past Aurora.She excused herself, but Aurora wasn't satisfied yet and tried hugging her to show gratitude. This helped her confirm the smell. But then,she still wasn't sure as she sat back down to feed on her thoughts. She remembered the old lady’s words of being watchful, and she thought aloud,” Who is this man who could be in the forbidden area with a lady?"