Chapter Three: BARDOLF MANOR
1420 Words
“Welcome Home Mr. Bardolf.”
“Thank you, Grace, take this,” Kyle said to the female servant as he handed over the handle of Amanda’s black luggage to her, with a smile on his face.
“Come, you must be tired after the long flight,” Kyle said to his newly wedded wife, with a smile that she refused to respond to.
He extended his right hand toward her, and she reluctantly held onto it. Almost immediately, Kyle gently dragged her through the stairs, and toward the hallway. They continued walking until they got to the last room on the right, at the end of the hallway.
Slowly, Kyle pulled the handle of the door, and pushed it open, revealing a room with a beautiful chandelier hanging in the center above, a lovely king-sized bed at one end, a talk wardrobe, and many other things that spoke volumes of luxury.
“Come on in,” Kyle said to Amanda, ushering her into the room.
She sighed slowly, and then she lifted up the edge of the long wedding gown, straining to lift it off the ground.
“Let me help you with that,” Kyle said, and then he bent down slowly raised the hem of the dress, and carried it along as Amanda walked into the room.
A few seconds later, the female servant walked into the room, alongside the black luggage, which she rolled through the door.
“Thank you, Grace,” Kyle said in a low tone and the servant replied with a nod.
“This is your room, Amanda, whatever you need is here. Grace will be always available to attend to you. We will meet by seven pm at the dining hall for dinner.”
Amanda watched as Kyle left the room immediately after he said those words, wondering if it meant that they were not to stay in the same room. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Shutting the door behind him, Kyle walked toward the room next to Amanda’s, and then he pulled the handle of the door, and pushed the door open before getting in.
“Welcome Ma’am.”
Amanda looked at the female servant, who remained standing at the spot, and smiling at her. She was sure that she was not older than her, and looked around briefly, to be certain she was the one she was referring to.
“Call me Amy, please.” Amanda said in a low tone, but the countenance on the maid’s face showed that she wouldn’t dare call the wife of her Master by her name.
Amanda turned to take a glance at the room, and she loved it, she had never tasted such luxury in her life, and that was something she definitely hoped to do someday, but on her own terms.
She sighed heavily, and then she turned to look at the maid who stood patiently, waiting for her to give any order.
“Where does Mr. Bardolf sleep?”
“In his room, Ma’am.”
“And where is that?”
“Next door.”
“Oh,” Amanda mumbled softly, and then she looked around the large room, admiring the décor of the room, for the last time.
“Grace right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Grace responded with a smile on her lips, excited that Amanda remembered her name.
“Who else lives in this huge mansion?”
Grace looked at Amanda for a few seconds, wondering why she asked that question, but seeing that Amanda was still waiting for a response, she said softly.
“No one, just the Master.”
Amanda widened her eyes in disbelief, following the response she got from the maid. She was certain that the mansion was going to have more than ten rooms, and that the hall was large enough to be used for a banquet. The courtyard she saw outside the main building, had structures of a Royal castle, and she wondered how only the man was ok with living alone.
“Doesn’t he have any family members? No friends? No visitors come around?”
Grace bent her face almost immediately, with clear signs that she was avoiding the question and didn't want to get into any trouble.
Amanda looked at her for a while, and understanding that she didn’t want to respond to the question, she decided not to ask any further, but the thought of the true nature of the stranger she had just gotten married to remained in her mind.
“I will be leaving now ma'am, to give you time to freshen up. Dinner will be served at Seven, the master doesn't like to be kept waiting.”
Grace turned almost immediately after she said those words, and then she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
All alone in the large room, Amanda gasped, weighed down by the weight of the gown she had on, she moved to the wardrobe with a large mirror on it, and then she strained to remove the gown.
Eventually, she was done in a few minutes, and she dropped it on the floor, groaning at the struggle she had to undergo to take off the white gown.
Amanda looked, and then she saw her reflection in the mirror, a young beautiful girl whose dreams had been shattered for the sake of her family.
“Are you really sure about this Amy?” She asked, but it was clear that the deed had already been done, and there was nothing she or anyone could do about it.
“It’s gonna be alright Amy, all you have to do is fall in love with him, he seems like a nice man.”
“What if he doesn’t love me back?”
Filled with thoughts of uncertainty, Amanda sighed heavily, and then she decided to go take a shower.
“I think it will help with my nerves.” She thought to herself.
“Let’s see what we have here.”
Opening the wardrobe, Amanda saw the numerous clothes hanging in the wardrobe, there were designer bags, shoes, and some jewelry as well. She gasped at the sight of the expensive clothes, she had never worn anything like them, but she had always dreamt of doing so someday.
A few seconds later, while she was still admiring the items in the wardrobe, she heard the sound of a little buzzing around, causing her to turn almost immediately.
“That’s my phone.”
Quickly, she rushed to the black box close to the bed, brought it down to a horizontal position, went down on her knees, and then unzipped it as fast as she could.
“There you are,” She said in relief, as soon as she felt the phone underneath some of her clothes folded inside the box.
Her eyes closed slightly, and her heartbeat increased as she saw the caller on the screen.
Taking in a deep breath, she answered the call and then placed the phone on her right ear.
“Hello, Dan?”
“Hello, Amy. Please don’t end the call! Oh my Goodness, I have been trying to reach you, I was so worried.”
“I am fine,” Amanda said with a tearful tone, as the tears in her eyes trickled down her face.
“Are you ok, Amy? Are you crying?”
“No, I am not, I’ve just got something in my eyes.” She said with the same shaky tone, but she wasn’t sounding really convincing.
“I saw your text, what’s happening? What did I do?”
Amanda wept bitterly as soon as she heard those questions, but there was nothing she could do at that moment.
“Please talk to me Amy, what did I do?” Dan asked with a shaky voice.
Amanda took in enough air, and then she let it out slowly, still trying to catch her breath.
“We are done, Dan. Please don’t call this line again.”
That was the hardest thing Amanda had ever done, aside from marrying a stranger she barely knew, she loved Dan so much, and they made so many promises to each other. All that had crashed.
She wept bitterly, while she held onto the phone in her right hand, more tears streamed down her face to the marble floor.
“Hello! Amanda? Are you ok?” Came the deep voice, followed by a soft knock on the door.
- Writer
