The bouncing, jolting carriage journey carrying Athena and Craig to their new start at Fairfax Manor seemed never-ending. A journey of one hundred miles was a severe distance when trying to transport so much equipment, tools and design material.
Though the cousins shared an intense loyalty, Athena had not confided in Craig about her concerns about Baron Oliver. The meeting in the study had seen no further attempts at flirtation and she had decided to regard it as purely a misstep on his part.
She could not help but observe a sly grin on his face throughout her detailed presentation. His rich brown hair had shone in the sun glinting through the window and she shook her head at the recollection.
Nonetheless, contracts had been signed to construct a vast lake complete with an ornate, romantic pagoda at its centre. The extensive mile-long driveway was to be replanted with vivid foliage and in Oliver's words "enliven the Gothic monster of a house" as it currently stood.
During the carriage ride, Craig had kept his wounded heart secret. Maintaining a resolute silence on the topic whilst his mind raced with replayed memories and exchanges. As he cursed his foolishness, his anger towards her treatment of him only increased.
By the time six hours in the carriage had passed he had determined that all women could be damned to hell. He made a silent promise to never offer his heart to a woman again.
Their conversation was instead focused on the task at hand. To many, it would seem dull but they shared a love of engineering and design and discussions of water tables, manpower and excavation made the hours pass.
Athena knew the labourers assigned would not follow her instructions with respect. Conversely, Craig, could never quite get the respect of his employers, he preferred to be filthy and exhausted at the end of the day rather than explaining the technicalities of iron manufacture over a card table.
Finally, they arrived at an inn for the night. Whilst the carriage men sorted themselves and the horses, Athena changed into her deep purple cotton dress belted with a broad plum ribbon under the chest. Her brown hair hung down in loose curls whilst the blonde Craig wore a smart dining shirt and trousers, highlighting his huge build. In the dining room of panelled wood, both pairs of vivid green eyes dazzled in the candlelight.
They shared a large table with various other travellers from the area. Athena was approached by an older woman from the village nearest Fairfax Manor.
"I hear from your Cousin you're destined for Fairfax Manor" she slurred, clearly worse for wear. She wore a tightly bound ruby red dress. Athena nodded silently, but couldn't fight her curiosity.
"Do you know the brothers of Fairfax Manor?"
"Only by reputation, which is something to make you blush!" she cackled and slapped the table with merriment.
"I have not heard much about them apart from their being orphaned relatively young?"
"Well, all that power and money so young doesn't always bring out the best in a man I can tell you."
"What are you implying?" Athena's curiosity raged at the woman's vague notions. Finally, the woman lowered her voice and motioned for Athena to lean in closer. Practically inhaling the wine fumes from the woman's drunken breath she muttered her tale in a hushed whisper.
"After completing his education he took himself around Europe to...educate himself on the intimacies of our sex. Miss, the very rumours of the places and boarding houses he frequented would appal you. He has no interest in a wife or domesticity, he's just a savage beast"
"How do you know all this isn't rumour?"
"Because my nephew works the stables at Fairfax and has heard many conversations between the gentlemen. I'm Nancy Mellor, my nephew is Thomas Mellor if you think to doubt my provenance"
Athena was shocked, at both the information and her lingering curiosity about just what would occur in a notorious boarding house. She was not naive enough to have no concept but had never been romantically involved in her twenty-four years.
"I can hardly believe it, I was stood with Baron Oliver only a week ago and he seemed a gentleman like any other."
"Oh, Miss you mistake me...I was referring to the elder brother, Baron Felix. You watch yourself around that cold-hearted deviant."
"My goodness…" was all Athena could manage whilst Nancy took another large gulp of wine, her unravelling blonde curls getting messier with every dramatic gesture.
"I'll tell you the worst tale I heard, a mistress of his in Paris dared to tell him she loved him. He threw her into the busy street completely naked and left the city the same afternoon!"
"That's appalling!"
"I also heard that he was so demanding and rough of his lovers that some were permanently injured" and her eyes widened dramatically, her hair now a crows nest thanks to her wild gesticulating.
The level of hyperbole snapped her back to reality and the realisation that she was holding onto every word of a drunk woman.
"Well, I thank you for the warning but I must be retiring, it is another long journey tomorrow"
Nancy lolled back into her wooden chair and eyed Athena sullenly as she stood up and left the room.
"Take care young lady! Ask after the young servant Claudette if you doubt me! "
The parting words echoed down the corridor as she made her way back to the room. In a daze, she undressed and repaired to her bed. Alone in the dark, she tried to calmly unpack the conversation.
The vulgarity of the topics discussed by Nancy both repulsed and intrigued her. What kind of man would act like that. If he was a savage should they not reject the contract, perhaps this was why only Baron Oliver had been involved so far. She felt ashamed of her initial repulsion, had she judged his character wrongly?
The deepest recesses of her mind ached with the unanswerable question...what would he think of her, and what did she want him to think?
An early start saw Athena and Craig leave the inn well before dawn. Whilst he regaled her with tales from his new acquaintances from the Inn, it was her turn to be lost in her thoughts. Whilst she knew the tales Nancy Mellor had spun must be exaggerated she was still intrigued. Finally, the carriage arrived at Fairfax Manor. A long gravel driveway leads to a dark grey Gothic Manor house. Stark turrets and arched windows looked over the surrounding lawns, meadows and forest. Both Athena and Craig smiled in excitement as they approached. The change they were going to make was unparalleled. An arched double wooden door opened as they exited the carriage and two women stepped out to greet them. One in a black senior servant's uniform, her hair in a grey bun.
Athena dressed carefully for dinner, by trying to wear something charming, yet understated yet professional. Finally, she decided on a mint green and white dress with a wide white ribbon tied under the bust. Her hair was loosely up with some curls escaping and falling in delicate tendrils. As she waited in her quiet room for Lily to summon her, the impatience built to a crescendo. As the time neared nine, she accepted she wasn't being summoned tonight. Her embarrassment at such a start made her cheeks burn and her eyes sparkle. She headed out of the bedroom and headed to the kitchen to find her meal. As she strode down the corridor and quickly took the stairs she stopped at the sound of voices. It appeared to be a study where at least two people had retired for a drink and a smoke. Slowing her walk to minimise noise she headed away and to the other end of the hallway. A door behind her banged open sudde
A daily routine was established by the end of the first week. At dawn, Athena and Craig would quickly go over their aims for the day then after breakfast Craig would join the men in their labours. Athena would then be based in the library for her drawings and assessments or walk around the grounds trying to gauge the success of the designs from every vantage point. Any issues found or were hers to cost and find solutions for. Invariably Oliver would appear and entertain her with amusing questions about the design. To humour him she had produced a sketch of a maze area complete with a confused Oliver at the centre. He had guffawed and promised to show Felix. The mention of his name did more to her nerves than all of Oliver's flattery. Lily and Sophie, anothe
The Manor was finally brought to life the following Friday as half a dozen carriages containing the guests for the weekend's hunting arrived. Tonight there would be fine dining, music and entertainment followed by a dawn start on horseback. Athena too had found new energy. The manor had transformed as it hummed with activity, the grey stone walls no longer intimidating, instead, they were a welcome source of strength within the harsh landscape. Oliver assured Athena during their conversations she could borrow a horse named Tempest. His original promise of accompanying her to the stables had fallen by the wayside, however. She had not chased up his attention though, aware of the implications she could give by hounding him. Attempting to avoid the buzz of new
The evening’s festivities saw Athena worrying about what to wear, something she never normally cared about. Lily kindly informed her what the other visiting ladies had taken out for the evening so she could wear a similar style. Out of sheer relief, Athena had wrapped the gentle Lily in a hug, thanking her for preventing her embarrassment.She wore a tightly wrapped purple evening gown. Underneath that layer was a white semi-corset bodice that offered a good hint of cleavage. The sleeves were three-quarter-length but not puffed out as per the trend. Instead, they clung to her limbs, highlighting her youthful figure.Around her neck, she wore her gold circle locket, and her hair was styled into a stylish nest of curls with sparkling pearl pins placed within.
Stood silently at the top of the stairs Athena did not dare turn around. The severity of his voice had rendered her frozen to the spot. The sound of heavy footsteps climbing the stairs to reach her pounded in time to her heartbeat. Finding herself fighting a tingling sensation in her lower stomach in anticipation she kept her eyes firmly to the floor. He quickly completed his ascent. His pace slowed as he stalked around her silently, his body close to hers like a wolf readying for the kill. Her eyes slowly lifted from the ground upon seeing his black leather boots in her peripheral vision. Finally the footsteps stopped, he was stood directly in front of her, and her eyes slowly travelled the full length of his body to meet his own. His dark suit and waistcoat fitted his large figure, he couldn't look more perfect if he tried. Although his jaw was set sternly, his eyes an intensely dark brow
As the day started and the house buzzed once more with activity, both Felix and Oliver looked for Athena to appear for breakfast. She remained irritatingly absent and Oliver joked that perhaps she had run off to the nunnery instead of riding. Whilst some at the group had laughed Felix had stood up and walked away silently, disappointed in his brother. Partaking in the hunt were Oliver, Felix, Lord McDonald, Lord Dacre, David Buxton and Harold Lupton who had arrived late. Athena was the only female rider but as the men strolled out of the large doors chatting they found Athena already mounted on Tempest. Felix could not help noticing her excellent posture upon the horse, her green eyes shining with grim determination. Her hair was tightly pinned under a black bonnet glowing coolly in her ruby red tightly fitted riding habit that w
Felix’s lips embraced with a passion that took her breath away. She closed her eyes and basked in the passion and strength of his embrace, eagerly returning his kisses and searching for more of him. Knowing her hands were held tightly by her side was so frustratingly teasing, she longed to run her hands over his chest, or through his hair. His tongue lapped gently at her mouth causing her to open it more fully. She found herself softly finding his tongue with her own, trying to experience as much of him as she possibly could before this dream ended. She let out a loud gasp of pleasure as his mouth suddenly left hers and instead started planting a mix of gentle and rough kisses up her neck. She shuddered as his hot breath teased her skin. The little ki
“You don’t think there is enough there to make with work with Octavia then?” “There isn’t, but to turn back now would condemn us both.” “What changed?” “You did. I saw how happy you were in the hotel the other week and I realised I am never going to experience love like that. My life is a sham. Octavia is a sham.” “Is there a chance that in time love will grow or are you fundamentally different people? For my part I thought you two would prove a good match in time,” Felix offered in consolation, trying not to provoke Oliver into anger but eager to learn the truth.” Oliver sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling, his dark eyes glittering with the threat of tears. “I treat her poorly on our engagement meeting. Bit too rough with her if I am to confess and it has ruined any…possibility of future relations.” “Have you apologised?” “No.” “That might be all it takes. When there is no apology, the heart hardens. But it ca
The wedding day finally arrived. A riot of colouring flowers greeted guests as they arrived at Hadden Hall, once again admiring Athena and Craig’s garden redesign. Re-treading the same driveway she had left less than a year earlier Athena was stunned at the transformation of her life. Prickly, quiet, and somewhat lonely, now metamorphized into a kaleidoscope of joy from which she saw no end in sight. With her husband, still a foreign word upon her tongue to describe the man she gazed at so adoringly across the room, she had found herself. His touch, gentle and rough caresses had unlocked parts of her soul that she hadn’t even realised were hidden. Every night they came together in an exploration of varying power, teases, and softness. She was surprised to find how much she enjoyed overseeing Felix’s pleasure, how readily he submitted to being tantalised by her. Her body, no longer a practical skeleton design to move earth and plant flowers could be a device for both
The evenings darkness had enclosed London's streets as Oliver travelled towards his destiny with ever increasing anger. Bouncing along the cobbles his mind tortured him with all his errors. The loss of Lady Daphne as a potential love, his upcoming marriage to a woman be did not love. Overarching all of these was a wild jealousy of Felix and Athena. Their easy way with each other and the transformation in Felix was unbelievable. Finally carriage pulled up around the corner. Oliver threw some gold coins at the carriageman, requesting he wait outside. As he walked towards the casino his resolve melted away. Stood outside the nondescript building he was baffled as to why the place had held such a hold over him. Why had this standard columned building haunted his dreams and pulled at his sanity. He knew inside was a bar, a ledger with his fat credit line ready to play and a bar stocked with enough alcohol to drown out the misery. This time winning money wouldn't s
Oliver had regained his old swagger as he zipped around London with Octavia in the final week before the wedding. There were balls to attend, gentlemens clubs to smoke cigars in, too many functions to name. He was surprised just how well Octavias scheme had worked. As soon as the announcement hit the formal papers, not just the gossip rags all the invitations came flooding in. Hidden Hall was going to be overrun with the nations best, brights and richest young lights with him at the centre. He had left Octavia back at the hotel with her sour faced mother after an early dinner. She had seen through the match but prudently kept her mouth shut. Annoyingly Octvaia remained reverted to some kind of virgin state since their encounter at the bridge. Late at night, after several claret glasses he did occasionally replay that moment
At Fairfax Manor life had continued steadily, it had been almost three months since they got married, two months since Athena and Felix’s shock marriage and the summer was now at an end. Craig was busy ensuring the manor was fully prepared for winter winds and storms, checking supplies for the skeleton staff that manned the manor in Felix’s absence. He was also responsible for ensuring standards did not slip alongside Mrs Clarke. Thankfully the small teams of people on site were all dedicated to preserving the great hall and all rejoiced in seeing the owner happy again.Athena wrote frequent letters to both Lily and Craig separately, each one dealing with matters of business, finance and matters of the heart to the other. With Craig’s tuition Lily had become adept at reading and writing, improving from a basic knowledge to literate in just a few short months. Sophie was no
He spent a few more minutes wandering back up to where the horses were, his mind racing with a strange mix of fear and excitement. Weaving his way back through the glade path he heard the noise of the waterfall once more.“Felix…” came a sultry, low call that made him almost trip over the overhanging tree roots. The temperature dropped noticeably once out of the midday sun, the cool shady air was delicious. He realised he was sweating and damp from his searching after her. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. In the small lagoon, the water at waist height, wearing nothing but a small smile stood Athena, her curling, chocolate-brown hair completely free and hanging down past her rib cage. Her eyes sparkled with victorious happiness as she registered the surprise on his face.“Athena…what are you…&r
The following weeks in Naples seemed to pass by in a dizzying blur of tours, palaces, churches, and sightseeing. Athena drew almost every day, delighting in the colours and shape of the architecture whilst Felix happily studied the engineering behind the buildings. They could spend entire afternoons quietly in each other’s presence, each happily absorbed in their own pursuits with the occasional glance and smile towards the other. Every so often whilst Athena was at her easel, he would softly approach, tuck away a stray hair and kiss her bare neck causing a shudder of pleasure to rush through her. She did not know that it was taking all his self-possession not to grab her and pull her to him greedily as he did as soon as they were alone. The way her green eyes sparkled and surveyed the world around her captivated him, she was a G
Deep in one of the groves of the Haddon Hall estate, Oliver paced in an agitated state. The days since Octavia’s letter had dragged and he was eager to know her grand plan. He was also keen to be intimate with her, certain she would want to be, given that she had no qualms at his party. He had a weakness for pale blue eyes as Claudette and Sophie could attest but Octavia’s were unique. The iciness to them never seemed to fade, even in the throes of passion she appeared to be calculating her next move like a boa constrictor whereas he was a man of pure instinct. The fact those instincts had almost left him bankrupt and homeless he did not consider flaws in his character. Finally a gentle pattering of feet amongst the fall leaves alerted him to her presence. She was wearing a fine, lace covered day dress of cornflower blue, her cle
The hotel was the grandest money could buy. A royal suite had been arranged and every other room on the floor too to ensure absolute privacy. Felix wanted to avoid snooping guests or waiting staff and paid handsomely to avoid being troubled. They arrived via a back entrance, the day had only just passed midday and Athena realised she was faint with hunger. Felix recognised her pale look and immediately requested one of the other suites he booked be prepared for dining. Feeling like a boat caught up the crest of a wave she watched all of these events as a bemused onlooker. In only five minutes she had been exposed to the true grandeur of Felixs wealth. Just in the suites he had spent more money than Athena had ever earned with her contract. The yacht he had charted was eye-wateringly expensive and now she was part of tha