The air in this dark hallway smelled better than she ever had. Not a trace of gas, and no smoke, coal or candle or otherwise. Flowers were all around in the vases and sweetened the air. The sconces adorned the walls and not a single one was empty. Her head felt dizzy as she looked at the luxurious place in front of her.
She knew he was rich but that was much more than she had thought. The room was full of the scent of wealth.
The carpet was so thick that her feet sank deeper with each step, growing more and more difficult to lift. And no one was fighting or shooting outside. No one was banging on the door—no shouting of the street sellers, only the rustle of the clothes of the maids.
Who would believe she was standing in front of twenty people in this silence? Their heads were bent at perfect angles. So they could only stare at the ground. The man held her hands and took her to the second floor. Even the touch of the banister beneath her fingers felt luxurious.
He walked to the left and opened the seventh door without squeaking. He offered her a chair but she hesitated. That looked expensive and she had wept for hours on the ground. Only in the morning when she had no energy left, did he bring her here. She did not want to leave her mother alone but he told her that she needed to look decent for the funeral of her mother.
Funeral! She was going to get a perfect funeral. Has Abi ever dreamt of that? No, she was sure she and her mother were going to be buried in the common ground of Grothem streets without anyone in attendance. But he had assured that he would provide her with a proper coffin and lands.
And she could not ask because more. She could not stain that white fur covering the chairs or the soft leathers of the sofa. Her dress was dirty beyond limits.
"Even if you stand, we will not leave immediately. I have asked for clothes for you. But they would not come in a second. You have to be patient for the coffin too. Is there anyone you want to invite to the funeral?" he asked in a soft voice as if he was assuring a child. But she could see a hint of impatience on his face.
She was being a nuisance. But he had asked for this nuisance. She had not come here out of her own will.
"I am dirty. I do not want to add more charges than I am already holding." she swallowed the pain in her voice as she did not want another drama with him. "I will stand but it would be generous of you if you could provide a basin to me." he paused, his eyes moving from her face to her body and he sighed.
She knew he was not looking at her with lust but she still felt a bit embarrassed when he assessed her.
"That is my mistake. I will call the maids and they will help you with the bath and in the meantime, I will send you different clothes to wear," he replied and then went to the far corner and pulled a rope. "This is the bell. If you ever need something, you can pull it. The maids would come to serve you." like they would ever serve a pauper like her. She wanted to roll her eyes but restrained.
Perhaps they would serve her when he commanded them to.
"And you do not need to worry about staining anything in this room. Because this room belongs to you. You can use it any way you like and no one would ever question you." with that, he gave her stunned face a laughing look and shook his head. "I will come to meet you after an hour." When she bowed her head, he left.
But when she raised her head again, she felt dizzy. The room was enormous. She was sure five of her whole house could fit in this single room. Room? How could it even be called that?
Where she was standing looked like a sitting room of the nobles. She had never seen it but she had heard about it in the babbling of her father. There were adjoining doors in the room.
She opened one and drew a few steadying breaths, to orient herself. Big room. Desks. Large bookshelf, the standard assortment of glossy furniture, thanks to some maid's aching wrists. It looks like a big office where she had been once to get herself registered for work. But this one was much better. Like a higher official sitting here and making cheques. No bills he would charge from commoners.
She felt suffocated and closed the door at once. The next she opened looked like a bedroom. There was a large red canopy bed in the center of the room with large closets covering the wall. Another set of sofa and sitting furniture and rugs and pillows on the ground. Thick carpet and a large mirror full of things she did not know the name of. Even the carpet was so detailed that she could see small roses embroidered on it.
"My lady." Abi jumped in her place when she heard a voice behind her. Was she so lost that she did not see the woman coming?
She turned to see two maids standing there.
"We are here to help you in taking your bath." they offered with a bow of their head. But she could see the curiosity in their eyes which were not there before. But she didn't know what that rich bloke had told them. Who was she? She was sure he had not introduced her as his wife. Was he even serious about that part?
"I do not need help. I have taken baths all my life and it has worked well. I only need a basin and a clean towel."