Page 11 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
Chapter 4
Adorra sat in the manor library sipping her tea while her maids did some sewing around her. Her hand trembled as she set her teacup down. The cup rattled against the saucer as she tried to settle the shaking of her hand. It had been a month since she had witnessed her husband's brutal murder, but it hadn’t lessened the nightmare.
It haunted her every day and every night. It took her hours to fall asleep at night because she still worried Lord Gothar hadn’t been the only target that night. Her whole life was now a living torture. When she dragged herself from her bed every morning, she felt like she was the living dead. Her eyes always felt like sandpaper from a restless night of tossing and turning.
She had been covered in Lord Gothar's blood that night, and no matter how many baths she took she felt like she could never get it to come off. It was always there, lingering, haunting.
She was still unable to believe Edmund was dead and that she would never see him again. She felt as though life was against her. It was as though she would never be happy, never allowed to have a family. It wasn’t like she was asking for much.
Looking up from her cup of tea, Adorra glanced over at the guards who had been posted to watch over her ever since that horrible night. Her advisors had suggested she keep guards around just in case the murderer came back for her. No one had any idea if the person who had killed Lord Gothar would come back to kill her.
She did wonder why the murderer hadn’t killed her. She’d been right there, nothing more than a sitting duck. If the killer wanted to kill her, he would have done so.
Adorra had been in that room alone for most of the night while she’d waited for Lord Gothar. If she’d been targeted, the killer would’ve had the perfect opportunity to off her, but she was willing to put up with the guards for now. Just in case her advisors were right about the killer’s motives.
With a sigh, Adorra leaned towards the closest window so she could look out at the bright and sunny day. People bustled around going about their daily chores around the manor. She was envious of them. None of them had been affected by her recent ill luck.
Was she always going to have such ill fortune? Perhaps she was destined to be alone for the rest of her days.
She sighed. That was an unpleasant thought.
Her parents had died, her sister was missing and probably dead, and now she was a widow at a young age. It was as though life was telling her to give up already, and she was starting to take the hint.
Adorra hadn't left the manor since Lord Gothar choked and died on his own blood in her chamber. She wasn’t ready to go back to court and face the wagging tongues of the ladies there. Rumors would be floating around. There were always rumors at court, and she needed the ladies of the court to have something else to talk about before she went back.
She also refused to go anywhere near her old chamber ever again. For now, she remained in another room on the other side of the manor. She’d ordered a new wardrobe and everything. Nothing in that room was ever going to be touched by her again. She just couldn’t. All those objects would just bring back her nightmares.
People had tried to convince her to leave the manor for court, but despite the horrors she’d experienced here at her home, she wasn’t ready to face the ever-watching eyes and prying ladies at court. She needed this to die down before she could face the ladies of the court. How they’d love to sink their teeth into her tender flesh and rip chunks out. And in her tender condition, she would be easy prey.
Shifting her gaze back to the guards, she frowned.
No one had believed the way she’d described the shadow. When she had said the shadow had been at least seven feet tall, eyebrows had been raised. She didn't know why they weren't taking what she said as the truth. She had been there after all. The shadow had been swift, yet built heavily like a man.
They all believed she’d been exaggerating what had happened. That she had been too delirious to recall what had happened accurately. She rolled her eyes. She may have gone insane afterward, but she knew what she’d seen. It wasn’t like anyone could forget it.
If the killer was still out there, she was sure he wouldn't go unseen. There couldn't be too many men built like that roaming around. There was still the persistent question of why he killed Edmund and why the killer couldn’t have waited until after her wedding night.
Although, there were some theories about that as well. The guards believed the killer had struck then because the wing of the manor was essentially empty of people to give the new couple privacy. Which meant it would allow the killer more time to slip in and out without drawing attention to himself.
Adorra still wasn’t sure what the killer had gained from her husband’s death though. It wasn’t like this mysterious man had gained something… if anything, she’d been the one to gain something.
She knew there were some people who thought she did it, but thankfully most didn't think she would have been able to take down a man let alone lift the type of sword that would’ve been used to deal such a wound, but that wouldn’t stop the rumors.
Every day there were people around her yet every day she felt completely isolated. Isabel had tried to cheer her up by suggesting a ride to put some distance between her and the manor, but Adorra had declined. So far the only place she enjoyed being was in the library where the silence of the books eased her mind. Their stories took her away from the cruel realities of life and brought her closer to Jasmine.
“Adorra!” A voice penetrated her thoughts. “There you are. I have been searching the whole manor trying to find you.” Isabel exclaimed as she exploded through the library doors in a rustle of fabric.
So much for the idea of having some silence in the library. Now she knew how Jasmine felt every time Adorra had found her reading away in some nook or cranny.
“Yes, here I am.”
“Don't look so sour, Adorra.” Isabel plopped a seat down next to Adorra on the couch cushion.
“Why should I not be sour?” She shifted slightly on her seat to give Isabel some more room.
“There will be other men and other chances for a happily ever after. Lord Gothar was a great man, but there are more like him, I promise you.” Isabel’s hands landed on hers, and they gave her a comforting squeeze.
Adorra raised an eyebrow, “Thank you for the speech. Unfortunately, I do not think myself ready for finding another man. You will have to forgive me for not taking your advice.”
