6.

Iris pressed her frame to the door so she could stay as far as possible from the man whom she was bound to for life. When they got off the plane, they were welcomed by a longer fleet of cars with more security men than Luca had back at home. This confirmed he had a stronger hold here in London.

As she sat in the car, she couldn’t help the constant glances she threw in Luca’s direction. She barely knew him but she couldn’t deny the spark of attraction she felt for him even though she knew it was just for his good looks since the man hadn’t made any effort to treat her well. She wished he would look at her so she could have another glance into his dark eyes which seemed to pull her in.

Iris glanced outside the windows when she noticed they were pulling into a large gated area. The large gates were so intimidating that if she wasn’t in the car, she would never dare to come close to it. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she took in the estate that lay behind the tall gates.

It looked like a palace straight out of a fairytale movie. The gardens were perfectly trimmed. Her eyes took in the large fountain in the middle and the spectacular statues that added to the beauty of the place.

Another gasp escaped her lips as she noticed the number of people lined up at the entrance of the mansion as the car rolled to a stop. There were both men and women with at least two wearing similar outfits which made Iris conclude that they must be his staff but she was confused as to why they would be waiting for them.

She looked towards Luca and saw that he wasn’t bothered by their presence and it made her wonder how often this happened. She hoped it wasn’t a constant occurrence because she wouldn’t be too comfortable with people waiting for her like this all the time if she was even allowed to leave the house.

Iris’s door was opened for her as the car stopped in front of the people lined up at the entrance. She stepped out of the car and awkwardly stood there, waiting for Luca to walk around the car and stand by her side. She jumped when his hand coolly wrapped around her waist and tugged her into his chest.

The staff bowed in greeting and a man dressed in an impeccable tailored suit stepped forward to greet them with a bow. “Welcome Sir and Madam.” The man greeted them with a strong and deep English-accented voice.

“This is James. He is my butler and in charge of the welfare of the house” Luca introduced and Iris looked between both men in shock. She had only seen or heard of butlers in books and movies. She didn’t believe they existed in real life but here she was, standing in front of one with the most impeccable character, better than she had seen in movies and books.

Not knowing what to do Iris gave her little bow herself to reciprocate the respect the man had shown her but she was forced up by Luca. When she looked her him, she was startled by the hard glare on his face. “Never bow to the staff” He spat and she flinched “Know your place and theirs. It’s not the same”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know” She stuttered, embarrassed to be told off in front of a dozen strangers.

Luca ignored her and tugged her into the house without another word and Iris stumbled after him, caring not to trip on her feet at how fast he was walking.

“Get her sorted out.” Iris told James before disappearing into the house. Iris stood there with tears in her eyes and she refused to lift her eyes to meet James. She didn’t want to see either the mockery or the pity in his eyes.

However, he cleared his throat and Iris sniffed before reluctantly lifting her gaze to the man’s sad appearance. “This is Berta” He gestured to the woman at the door whom Iris had not noticed yet.

“Hello” Iris whispered trying to smile at the woman but it came out as a grimace. She had to hold herself back from bowing down the same way the woman did as she remembered the scolding of Luca. Berta was an elderly woman that looked over sixty and Iris couldn’t help but wonder why such a woman would still be working for someone like Luca at her age.  

“Berta has taken care of the young master since he was a child and she will also be in charge of everything you need to settle down. If you have any questions that you may not be comfortable asking me or Master Luca, just let her know and she will get you sorted out fast”

“Thank you and it’s nice to meet you. You can call me Iris” Iris told the woman.

“That would not be possible. We cannot call you by your name. You are the lady of the house and must be addressed as such” James rebuked lightly “You will be addressed as young mistress or madam”

“I think I am too young to be addressed as Madam. Just Iris will be fine” Iris said with a tight smile but James was already shaking his head in disagreement.

“I’m sorry but you will have to get used to it. If it's too formal, we can call you Miss Iris but that's as casual as we can get.” Iris sighed in defeat and Berta gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Berta will also be in charge of your etiquette training. Mr Luca has informed us beforehand that you may lack the proper knowledge of what is required of you as the lady of the house especially in social functions”

“I guess so since I haven’t attended any social functions but I can do a lot of house chores”

“Nonsense” Berta snapped, startling Iris “You would not lay a finger on chores as the lady of the house. There are maids for that.”

“Okay” Iris stuttered. She was overwhelmed by the information she was being fed and the new status that had been bestowed on her. She had no idea how to act as the wife of a powerful man and it seemed she always managed to say the wrong thing whenever she opened her mouth.

“Berta will show you to your bedroom. I’ll leave you to settle down” With a curt nod in both women’s direction, James disappeared into the direction Luca had disappeared to and Iris suspected it was to brief him of everything that had happened.

“Please follow me Ma’am” Berta beckoned in another direction

“Please call me Iris. I am not comfortable with you calling me Ma’am or Madam or any titles at all”

“How about I call you Miss Iris then? I won’t be able to call you just Iris. It will be seen as a form of disrespect and I don’t want to give the younger staff the opportunity to disrespect you”

“It’s not better. Just call me whatever you want” Iris sighed in defeat before following Berta across the large foyer and up the large double staircase that stood majestically in the middle of the room.

They walked for a little while through some hallways before arriving at a large double door. Berta pushed the doors open and Iris saw a young girl with a petite body, blonde hair and big brown eyes standing in the middle of the spacious room.

Iris studied the room with awe. It was just as expensive as the rest of the mansion with high-quality furniture and a wide king-sized bed. She had never seen wealth like this before and it felt like everything in the room cost a fortune.

“This is Loren. She will be your personal assistant and will attend to all your needs. She is to be with you always and make sure you have everything you require. While I am to make sure you are properly cared for, I cannot be with you at all times and that’s where Loren comes in. Feel free to ask her to do anything” Berta explained.

“I don’t need a personal assistant. This is already too much for me”

“I promise you will thank me later and it’s also part of the rules. The Rutherford is a powerful family, close to royalty and they are expected to live like one. Take your time to get used to them dear because they won’t change. Anything less than this is a lower standard and Madam Evelyn would never allow it. Mr Luca knew you would be uncomfortable and asked for one instead of four personal maids so you should be thankful”

“Four?” Iris gasped “That’s too much”

“Not for the lady of the house” She said with a smile.

“Loren, Have the lady’s things already placed in their proper position?” Berta turned to the girl.

“Yes, Berta but she didn’t have much so it was easy to put them away” The girl answered and Iris felt her face flame up in embarrassment. She was never allowed much and the clothes she had were given to her by Stephen a week to the wedding to avoid rumours that his supposed bastard daughter was living like a maid. He would not take risks to ruin his reputation.

“Come this way, Miss Iris” Berta called out and Iris walked over to meet her by the bed. Berta pointed to a pointed end that was attached to the head of the bed.

“This switch here is a bell and when you press it, Loren or any other maid around will come to you. There are multiple bells around the house similar to this so if you need something and no one is in sight, you can press this and someone will come to your aid”

Iris gaped at the woman and the bell. She thought she had seen it all but they continued to stun her with the amount of wealth displayed in this house. Even though Stephen was wealthy, he didn’t have this kind of money and now Iris could understand the desperation to get the help of the Rutherfords and why Helen was so adamant on still getting married to Luca. This was the kind of life Helen always screeched about all day in the house back then. No wonder she was so furious at Iris for taking it from her.

Iris looked around the room once more and couldn’t help but notice that there was no trace of any items that belonged to a male or suggested that the room had been occupied before by her husband. She was blurting out her question before she could stop herself.

“What about Luca? Does he sleep here as well?” Iris felt her hope drop to the pit of her stomach when she saw regret on the older woman’s face. She knew she was hoping for too much by thinking that Luca would agree to stay together with her in a room.

“Mr Luca’s room is on the other side of the mansion”

Iris tried not to show how disappointed she was. She expected that Luca would not want to share a room with her but she couldn’t help but dare to be hopeful. Hope that was now squashed on the floor like it was worth nothing.

As Berta was telling her of other things to take note of in the house, Luca entered the room and Iris breath hitched in her throat as she took him in. He had changed and was now in a less ceremonial fit. He still wore a tux that looked like it was tailor-made for him and Iris would not be surprised anymore if he was. The grey tie seemed to bring out his blue eyes more.

“Leave” He said curtly. Berta and Loren left the room and closed the door behind them. Iris scolded herself for feeling a tinge of excitement even though the clenched jaw should tell her nothing good was going to come out of this.

Luca walked towards her and stopped a few feet away from her. He didn't touch her or smile at her. He just stared at her with a cold expression.

"Iris," he said in a low voice. "Don't expect anything from me as a husband. I want nothing to do with you and I won't expect anything from you either but that doesn't mean you get to act the way you like. You are now part of my family and you have a role to play. Don't do anything that will disgrace me or my family because I won't tolerate it."

He turned around and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned and hurt Iris behind. He didn't give her a chance to reply or ask any questions. He just left her alone in the huge room, feeling small and unwanted with his few words.