Chapter 63 Chapter 63
Violet
I noticed the way she didn’t quite meet my eyes when she spoke. Or how she avoided talking about this leash I felt around me.
But she kept walking, still pointing out corridors while talking nonstop and I let her.
And even as I tried to smile, my mind kept circling back to the missing figure I couldn’t stop searching for.
Instead of nervousness, I felt dread.
But I pushed the door open quietly, praying to not find the maids waiting for me, to let just this night be over so that I could return home.
I had barely texted mom after my arrival here and thankfully she hadn’t pestered me about returning soon.
Family dinners at my home were filled with joy and laughter, not this soul sucking exercise.
I sighed as I looked at the maids, all five of them smiling at me.
My gaze slid past them to the bed and that was when I noticed the dress.
It had been laid out carefully across the covers, the fabric fanned in graceful folds as though someone had taken their time arranging every inch of it. A soft ivory tone, neither too pale nor too bright, with a faint sheen that caught the dim evening light.
The neckline looked modest, the sleeves gently structured, and delicate embroidery traced the hem in tiny flowers.
Beside it lay a pair of shoes with low heels, polished pearl white with narrow straps and a slender necklace resting neatly in a velvet case.
Everything looked muted, faint and catastrophically dull as if I was about to pose for an 18th century oil painting. Then I recalled Cassie’s dress from the morning and told myself, mine isn’t that bad.
The head maid clasped her hands together and smiled warmly.
“Lady Aurelia selected this personally for you,” she said, her tone carrying an unmistakable note of pride. “She believes the color will flatter your complexion beautifully, Miss Violet. The undertone will bring out the warmth in your skin and create a graceful contrast against your hair.”
Another maid moved closer to the bed and smoothed her palm lightly across the fabric.
“The embroidery is handcrafted as well.” she added softly.
A third maid nodded along, her face bright with admiration.
“And the necklace is so elegant. Lady Aurelia dislikes excessive glitter for first dinners. She prefers food to be the major focus.”
They were all smiling and I longed to be seated on my dining table, wearing my pink pajamas and slurping on hot soup while listening to mom and dad’s banter.
As though awaiting my approval, or perhaps my gratitude.
I stared at the dress again, trying and failing to see what they saw.
For a moment I remembered the yellow dress I had chosen earlier but I told myself I will be here for just a few hours and it wont matter later.
I forced a small smile.
“It’s… lovely,” I said gently, my tone calm, polite, careful. “Thank you for preparing everything.”
Their relief was immediate.
The maids moved instinctively into motion, guiding me toward the vanity table. I watched myself in the mirror, not entirely certain whether the girl staring back at me felt like me at all.
Still, I nodded whenever they asked whether I was comfortable, whether the necklace felt too tight, whether the shoes pinched anywhere.
I offered small smiles and murmured my thanks as they stepped back at intervals to evaluate their work, rearranging one fold of fabric, re-pinning a faintly rebellious strand of hair behind my ear.
They were so earnest and certain they were making me perfect.
And I didn’t have the heart or perhaps the courage to tell them I felt like a sketch drawn in a stranger’s hand.
At last, the head maid clasped her hands and smiled faintly.
“There,” she said, her tone full of quiet satisfaction. “You look… exactly as Lady Aurelia imagined.”
I lowered my gaze for a moment, then lifted it again and offered them the softest smile I could manage.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
All the earlier anticipation of meeting the man and family I had only imagined through the lessons in history was long gone.
I rose slowly from the seat, adjusting the fall of the dress as I turned toward the door.
“I suppose I should head down,” I said gently. “Cassie will be waiting for me”
The head maid lifted a hand politely, stopping me with a mild shake of her head.
“Forgive me, Miss Violet,” she said, “Guests of the manor are not to walk unescorted during formal hours. It is part of the household etiquette. You must wait until someone arrives to accompany you to the dining hall.”
I blinked, caught off guard.
“Even… for a family dinner?” I asked, trying not to sound as startled as I felt.
Her lips curved in a faint, apologetic smile.
“Especially for a family dinner,” she replied. “The Deveraux place great value on propriety. It signifies respect toward the house and its members.”
“Right,” I murmured. “Then… I’ll wait.”
They stepped back, forming a quiet semicircle along the wall, half fearing I would run towards the door the second they looked away.
A part of me hoped Cassie would burst in, complaining again about lace sleeves and ribbon trims but the minutes stretched, and my thoughts drifted restlessly.
A soft knock sounded against the door and the head maid promptly went to open it.
For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the width of the doorway as I looked at the face I hadn’t seen after stepping out of the car.
Elijah stood in front of me, eyes narrowed.
Dressed in a dark suit that fit him with quiet precision, the line of his shoulders crisp beneath the fabric, the collar of his shirt open at the throat in a way that should have looked casual but instead felt… deliberate. The light from the corridor cast a faint shadow along his jaw, and his gaze lifted, meeting mine with a stillness that made the air in my lungs feel suddenly too thin.
His eyes lingered for a brief moment, sweeping over my face, my hair, and the dress as if he wanted to say something but decided against it.
Then his expression settled into that careful, restrained neutrality he seemed to wear like armor.
“Miss Hayes,” he said quietly, “I’ve been sent to escort you to dinner.”
The maids bowed their heads subtly behind me and finally walked out of the room like their job was finally done.
And for a few seconds, it was just him and I, staring at each other.
Of all the people I had braced myself to face tonight including Cassie’s relatives, unfamiliar elders, possibly Lady Aurelia herself, I hadn’t truly prepared for the possibility of standing this close to him again.
I was dressed in a version of myself molded by someone else’s expectations while my heart struggled to decide whether his presence steadied me or made my world tilt all over again.
I swallowed, forcing my lips into a polite, composed smile.
“Of course,” I murmured, my voice soft but steady as he extended his hand forward.