Faylin pulled up her dress exposing bloody bandages on her inner thigh. She sat on the wash room floor, with her back against the door and untied the bandages. The cloth stuck to her skin and pulled at the healing shallow cuts. She pulled the red stained bandages away and placed them on a ceramic plate. Faylin dug into the centre of her corset and pulled out a Picot knife - a small ornamental knife with a two inch blade and a loop on the handle. She slipped the blade from its sheath and made a new cut on her leg.
I'm a bloody fool for getting into this mess.
Faylin hisses through the pain. The blood trickled down her leg and onto the new muslin. She wiped the blade on the blood stained clothes, returned it safely to her corset and tied new bandages over the fresh wound.
"My Lady?" Called a young voice from the other room.
Faylin stood and fluffed her skirts back into place. She checked the fabric for any blood. The red of her dress would hide any tiny drops of blood. She pulled down her corset and opened the door.
"Viu, you know I never sleep late when I'm on my cycle. The clothes are in the wash room."
The maid bobbed a curtsy. "I will dispose of them immediately. Please, my lady, call for me when you wake. It is unbecoming of a lady of your status to dress herself." Faylin waved off her comment. "I have brewed a pot of canalily tea to help with the pain."
The maid walked into the wash room and picked up the plate with the blood stained clothes. She curtseyed and exiting the room.
"Thank you, Viu." Faylin said.
Faylin slowly walked over to the writing table next to the window; making sure not to brush the fresh cut on the inside of her leg. She poured a cup of tea and looked out over the gardens. Spring was here and the flowers had begun to flourish. A second spring was more than she had hoped to see of this prison. The Volus estate boasted some of the most extravagant gardens in Ealria. The water garden, outside Faylin's window, was one of her favourites. In spring the different types of water lilies would open up and pepper the ponds with bright pops of colour. At the centre of the garden was an octagonal gazebo she enjoyed relaxing under.
"Viu," Faylin said. Viu stopped fixing the bedsheets. "I would like to eat my first meal in the water garden. I'm rather hungry so make sure the serving sizes are generous."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, my lady. The Duke returned to the estate late last night and wishes for you and Lord Lyrll to join him in the small dining room."
Faylin looked longingly out the window. She sighed as she took a sip of her tea.
"Allow me to bring out some options for you to wear today." Viu said.
"I am already dressed." Faylin looked at her maid with a puzzled expression.
"The Duke prefers when you wear blue or green, my lady." Viu hesitated.
"I am aware. But I want to wear red today."
Faylin poured another cup of tea and walked over to her vanity. Viu began brushing her hair. Faylin marvelled at the clarity and extravagance of the mirror before her. The looking glass was a foot and a half wide and three foot tall, with a gold frame. Even after all this time, she felt it was incredible that a glass mirror had been made at this size without imperfections, not to mention the sheer cost to make. Ilrune Volus was careful with money, refusing to spend gold on frivolous trinkets. Yet this mirror existed within his estate. Faylin wondered if perhaps it had been his late wife's.
Faylin looked at her reflection and lowered her eyes. She detested her masculine square jaw and large forehead. Her mother had always hated her unnerving amber eyes, that saw too much. She focused on her exposed shoulders. Bold black lines curved and intertwined over her shoulder like armour. A large black circle made up of interlocking lines with three overlapping Phy symbols in the centre. The lines curved together at the back of her neck connected to the same symbol on the other shoulder. It baffled her how everyone else saw unbroken pale skin.
"How would you like your hair today?" Viu asked.
"Up, twisted into a crown on my head."
"Good choice, my lady."
*****
Lyrll Volus was a younger version of his father; the same ginger hair, cut short and swept backwards but a clean shaven face; the same burnt umber eyes; and slightly crooked smile that most women swooned over.
Faylin looked away in disgust as he flashed a smile at her. Her amber eyes saw more than just his appearance. She saw that he favoured his left arm with a sword despite the fact that he was right handed. His left leg was almost healed from his last duel. Cilion had been ecstatic over beating his older brother, it only took one drink to get the information out of him. Faylin knew that the loss hurt Lyrll's pride more than the physical wound and kept the information tucked away for later.
"Fay, must you be so indifferent? I thought we had grown closer." Lyrll blocked her way as she continued to ignore him.
The corridor was wide with a rug running the length of the space in a deep Volus blue. Lyrll moved swiftly in front of her as she tried to walk around him.
Faylin looked up at him. "We did and I have learnt things about you that make me want to keep my distance." She stepped sideways and he followed, blocking her progress towards the small dining room.
"You learnt that I can hold my liquor better than you. Has that hurt your pride? Or was it because it hurt when we went to bed?" He leaned down and continued at a whisper, "It won't always hurt like that. Once you get used to the act it will be pleasurable." She raised her hand to strike but he caught it mid air. "No need for violence, dear." He smiled down at her. "Though it is nice to see something other than indifference, even if I have to settle for anger."
She twisted her hand out of his grip and took a step backwards. "I detest men like you. Instead of taking the time to fall in love with a woman, you ply her with liquor till she can't refuse. Then climb on top of her and do as you please."
"So tell me what mysterious timeline do I need to figure out? We have lived in the same house for over a year. I have gone out of my way to try and get to know you. You enjoy horseback riding but refuse all of my invitations. You enjoy tea and walks in the gardens but abandon such pursuits when I am there. How much more patience must I have? You finally start to show interest in me and want to enjoy evenings talking and drinking. Like any man I assumed your advances were genuine. But you want to blame me when we fell into bed together. And to clarify, I enjoy taking women into my bed who don't fight, kicking and screaming."
"Of course, you prefer your women so drunk they can't say no." She shot back.
"If you never wanted to marry me then why did you accept the proposal?"
"My brother accepted on my behalf," only after I convinced him to.
"uh, hum." Ilrune Volus interrupted. "This is not the time nor place for this conversation."
Ilrune stood at the far end of the corridor. Faylin and Lyrll broke apart. They looked down with slightly flushed cheeks, like children being scolded by their governess.
"Shall we break our fast and eat? Perhaps it will put you both in better spirits." Said Ilrune.
"I find my appetite has entirely disappeared." Faylin said. She turned and started walking back down the corridor.
"Father, what am I to do with her?" Lyrll asked, exasperated.
"Don't worry, son. She will come round once you give her a child. She simply lacks a purpose in life. She will settle down after marriage."
Faylin quickened her steps. She resisted the urge to ball her hands into fists as they watched her walk away.
*****
Viu watched as the chefs masterfully cut segments of uesu onto a plate and garnished a bowl of ginger oats. Viu picked up the tray and stopped. Head maid, Rein, looked down at the tray with a questioning expression.
Rein always had a stern look on her face. Her grey hair perfectly pulled back into a tight bun and her lips were pursed in disapproval. She was fiercely loyal to the Duke. She had started out as a scullery maid and worked her way up to personal maid. When the Duchess had passed Rein took over the everyday running of the house.
Viu looked down.
Rein's gaze bored into Viu. "Viu, if Lady Faylin wishes for food she must eat at meal times."
"I know but she is very head strong and threatened to come down here herself if I refused." Viu said. She shifted her weight between her legs.
Rein looked down at the tray with a puzzled expression. "Why have you prepared fruit and desserts? Only last week she had new dresses ordered because she had put on weight. Surely meat and bread would be better?" Rein asked.
"Lady Faylin refuses to eat meat at the moment."
Rein pursed her lips in thought and waved Viu into her sitting room. She closed the door and turned back to the nervous young maid.
"You mentioned the other day that Lady Faylin is dressing herself each morning. When did this start?"
She looked down in thought. "Let me see. It was just before her last bleed. Three days plus sixteen, then another two pantheons. Which is close to fifty days."
"As her ladies maid do you track her cycle and leave out clothes close to the time?"
"Yes, I do." Said Viu.
"Continue to track her bleeds but only provide her with cloth once she asks for them. If a half pantheon goes by after her cycle should have started and she doesn't ask for them, inform me at once."