Page 28 of The Duchess' Replacement

Sarah cringed at the creak of the door. She looked back down the hallway from where she came. No one was there.

With a deep breath Sarah slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind her. After her eyes adjusted to the low light she found herself standing in a small room. By the looks of the covered furniture Sarah assumed it was a study. There was a small desk by the window with two chairs which sat one side of the desk, while a taller chair sat behind it. A small table, covered in a blanket, stood by the door. There was what looked like an oversized chair pushed into the corner.

Sarah stepped further into the room. Her fingertips grazed over the covered furniture. There was no dust on her fingers when she inspected them. Mrs. Bates must come in here often to keep it frozen in time and spotless.

Her brows furrowed. Why are these rooms closed off? This isn’t a guest bedroom like Mrs. Bates said.

The room was painted in soft pinks and greens, which had a calming effect on Sarah. Her eyes roamed over the furniture, the intricate and elegant rug that was plush against her slippers.

“This must be the Duchess’ wing.” She whispered to herself. Why was she not told about these rooms? She was the Duchess now, she should have access to these rooms. Why would the Duke not want her to see these?

Sarah took a deep breath to stop the anger that boiled deep within her. For all that he was, Charles seemed like a logical man, even though she didn’t always understand his logic. Until she questioned him about these rooms, she’ll have to assume there is a good reason.

There was a door to her left that opened to a similar size room. She passed through the door and found an abandoned easel that stood by a big window, in the perfect position to capture the day’s light. Dried out paint pots and unused brushes sat scattered on a nearby table.

Small paintings were stacked against the inner wall. Some finished, some incomplete, all of them landscapes of the land around the estate.

Sarah thought back to what she knew of the Duke’s family. Other than Eli, she knew very little.

She huffed. “Actually, Sarah, you know practically nothing about your husband other than he has a brother and he likes control.” She chided herself.

Sarah looked back at the easel. It was leveled at about her height. It couldn’t have been the Duke who painted these, nor Eli.

“I wonder if his mother painted these.” She was in what she would consider the Duchess’s wing, after all.

Sarah picked one up for closer inspection.

Sarah had a fondness for painting, her father had taught to paint when she was younger and several of her landscapes were hung in her family home.She could tell whomever painted these must have loved their home and were very happy here. The painting depicted a pond with tall cattails swaying in the evening summer breeze. The strokes were carefully made with purpose and intent. Sarah couldn’t help feel the love and respect the artist put into their artwork.

Her fingers felt a wire hanging from the back of the one she held. It must have been hung up at one point. Perhaps she could hang this in her rooms. The colors matched those of her room and the painting was quite beautiful. Sarah couldn’t put her finger on it, but it made her think of her childhood.

Sarah fingered through the other ones stacked against the wall. Most of them had hanging wires on them.

She was in awe of the artistry. “Why aren’t these displayed? They’re beautiful.”

Sarah placed the artwork back down with the others and wiped her hands on her skirt. Mrs. Bates mustn’t have dusted those.

Her eyes glanced around the room around her. Little feminine touches added flair to the otherwise ordinary room. A painting of a flower garden sat next to an empty crystal vase that probably was used to showcase actual flowers from the garden.

Once again, Sarah questioned why such a beautiful room was closed off. She wasn’t known for her painting, but she most definitely could find use for this room.

Sarah wondered over to the last connecting door. With a slight push the door opened to a tiny library. The walls were lined with shelves of books from the floor to the ceiling. There was a small fireplace with a couch facing it, just like the study, blankets and sheets covered the furniture. The walls were a bit darker in here than the other two rooms giving the room the feeling of quiet comfort.

Sarah took the cover off of the couch to reveal an overstuffed teal lounge that looked like the perfect spot to cozy up on a rainy day and read a book.

Sarah’s thoughts drifted to Beatrice. Her sister would absolutely love this little haven, tucked in the back corner of the house. Come to think of it, she, too would love this room if the Duke would allow her to be in here.

After setting the cover on a nearby chair Sarah walked to the wall of books. There must be hundreds here. Her eyes skimmed over the titles and she was delighted to find some of her favorite books amongst them. If this was indeed his mother’s library she had good taste.

She pulled a book off the shelf and began to flip through it. The binding was worn and the pages were rough under her hands.

“What are you doing in here?” Charles’s voice roared from behind her.

Sarah squealed as she jumped from the outburst.

“Charles! You startled me!” Sarah brought a hand up to her racing heart.

Charles’s broad body took up the entirety of the door frame. His massive frame seemed out of place in the small library. His eyes were large, a vein was bulging from his forehead. His hands were restrained at his sides in tight fists.

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