Chapter 36

Indeed, Eden had discussed the story with Ian and Ian in turn had asked his men to search for her discreetly so as not to alarm the guests.

“Please excuse me, Milord.” Jackson whispered in Ian’s ear.  “we've caught her.”

“Put her in isolation," Ian replied coldly, "and don't let anyone come near her until I go, not even a gutter rat.”

“Yes, milord.”

“Let go of me!”Colin  Screamed as she struggled on the guards' grasp.

“Don't even think about getting out!”

The guards threw her into a dark room

“Open this door immediately! I've got to go, open up , Open up!” She shouted, banging on the door with all her might.

"I was wrong. What's going to become of me? Am I going to end up so miserable? I just wanted Ian to choose me over that peasant."

The door opened and Jungkook appeared and Colin pounced on him 

“Master, milord! I... I... I deserve death. Have mercy on me,”

“I was wrong, a fool like me should not have offended her precious master, I beg you, forgive my stupidity. I just wanted your love; she cried, clutching Ian’s pants; you're going to be kind, aren't you? I can count on your great kindness, can't I? Master!”

“My Wife has given me full authority to punish you as I please.” Ian replied in a cold tone that made Colin shiver.

Eden had gathered the maids who had dressed her. They confessed that it had been Colin's plan, and it  was to humiliate her so that Ian would abandon her. And take her to the northern forest, which is infested with wild beasts. 

Colin had been deliberately mean to Eden, and Ian wasn't about to let her go that easily.

After gathering all the evidence of Colin's intentions from the servants she had been harassing for years, Ian ordered that Colin be Flogged three hundred times, before dragging her before an imperial court. She was sentenced ... for contempt of the nobility and attempted murder. 

In the end, she paid for her crimes with her life. Afterwards, the servants came to apologize to Eden and ask to be punished accordingly.

Eden found the housekeeper in the pantry, a list in her hand.

“Mrs. Knight, would you have time to show me some of the rooms in the castle?”

“Of course, Milady.”

Mrs. Knight put down the list and smiled at her.

“Precisely, I was going to check the condition of the furniture... Last month, I was sure we had enough beeswax to last several months, but I must have underestimated our needs... Where do you want to start?”

“The master bedroom floor, please.”

Eden gave way to the housekeeper and followed her up the stairs.

“I'd like to see exactly how many guests we can accommodate, and in what way," she explained.

Ian must have many friends, and Eden was determined to be a good hostess. 

Perhaps a little human warmth and goodwill might make people forget her lack of sophistication and his unfamiliarity with the ways of the aristocracy.

While the masters' apartments were at the central part of the building, the guest rooms were in the wings. Mrs. Knight led her to the west end, and began to show her around the rooms.

“There are six here, Milady. They are more suitable for bachelors, as they have no en-suite toilet.

“The little room at the end could be turned into a shower room, couldn't it? With all modern conveniences…”

“Running water, Milady? Inside?”

“Yes, even several shower rooms, if possible. It's much nicer, don't you think?”

“I'm not sure, Milady,” replied the housekeeper, clearly dubious.

It must be a rather radical idea for many people, but Eden, who still remembered the tepid water tub in the vicarage, was keen on the idea of modern plumbing.

“Don't you think it will be a lot of trouble, all those pipes” Mrs. Knight ventured timidly.

“Pipes and cisterns, enough to have flushes and taps,” Eden said.

“Fortunately, Milord Viscount is a man of progress," sighed the housekeeper, as unconvinced as ever. “The late lord would never have agreed to it.”

“Would he?”

Eden was surprised. Ivan had always struck him as a man concerned with his own comfort.

“I hope we'll soon be able to hold receptions," Eden added, changing the subject.

She preferred not to talk any more about Ivan, and it seemed to her that the housekeeper wasn't keen on it either.

“Yes, that will be fine,” said Mrs. Knight, who seemed genuinely happy about the extra work ahead.

There was nothing more to be said about the state of the guest rooms. Their refurbishing could certainly wait until Eden could rid her own apartments of their pink hangings.

Eden and the housekeeper had now retraced their steps, almost to the doors of the master apartments. Eden opened one and discovered a small, dusty living room.

“What's this?” She asked.

“A boudoir long out of use, Milady. It must have been a small apartment, because there's an adjoining toilet. But now it's more like a storeroom.

It was large enough to make a bedroom, and Eden thought at once that the nanny could make herself at home here. 

Her own apartment was next door, and a connecting door could easily be drilled. Jimin had found her nursery. However, she could hardly mention it to Mrs. Knight. 

Although she was eager to start work immediately, she would have to wait until her pregnancy became official.

“Shall we take a look at the east wing, Mrs Knight?” Eden asked with a smile.

“Yes, let's. On this side are the rooms we reserve for couples and single omegas. They all have their own bathroom.”

“There are a lot of them, " Eden Commented when she'd had a chance to look around, but I don't think they're very big for couples' rooms. 

Perhaps it would be possible to break down the partitions to create larger ones?

“These rooms are a bit old-fashioned, it's true, Miladay. The late lord didn't think much of it. We only received alphas and... omegas here.”

“Omegas?”

“Yes, Milady. I can't really call them noble omegas, if you know what I mean…”

“Yes, I do know what you mean.”

"My God," Eden mused. “Ian may have had an omega before, but at least he wasn't inviting prostitutes into his castle."

Eden thought, however, that Ivan might well have organized real orgies at Fosse Warren without Mrs. Knight knowing. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Knight. I'll go back to my room and rest for a while. Would you ask for a cup of tea to be brought up?”

“Yes, Milady”

The housekeeper bowed, the bunch of keys jingling lightly in her pocket, and Eden returned to her boudoir, trying not to drag her feet too much. 

Ian had asked her to rest, and she didn't want to disappoint her alpha.when all was said and done, she  was indeed tired…