Chapter 335: Castle Catherine
Rose stood in front of a building almost as big as the castle. The compound stretched wide with open fields for at least five hundred horses to run freely. Even in the dark, Rose could see how far it stretched.
She stopped the horse in front of the main building as did Thomas and the knights. They had ridden in the dark with only the torches the men held, but Thomas was determined not to stop until they reached their destination.
The journey ended up being a little slow, as galloping through the snow in the dark was a terrible idea, but Thomas’ stubbornness kept them moving, and eventually, they got to the town of Haiyes, and it was smooth sailing from there.
Haiyes wasn’t as big as Furtherfield or Stonegate, but there was something about the town that put it almost on the same par as the capital. Rose could not quite put her finger on it as she went through it.
A servant rushed towards her as she sat atop the horse. Rose got down while the servant stood to the side, bowing slightly before withdrawing and taking the horse with him.
Rose lifted her head and saw she had to tilt her head all the way back to see the top of the large doors that made the entrance of the castle. There were two torches on the side of the doors, lighting up the space.
Rose could smell the burning coal and the smoke that floated in the air. She looked around, but other than the trees that lined the path leading up to the main house, all Rose could see was the snow covering everything.
"Welcome, Lord Thomas, Sir Mark..." a voice said, welcoming the knights.
"Fabian," Thomas said curtly. "Tell His Highness we have arrived." Thomas stepped up, standing next to Rose.
Fabian smiled and bowed. "His Highness is well aware of your presence, and he has instructed me to make sure you receive a very warm welcome. I am sure the journey must have been hectic."
Rose tightly gripped her coat. The crown prince knew she had arrived. Was he waiting for her inside? Her stomach knotted, and she suddenly felt hollow.
"Please, come in, and as for the lady, welcome to Castle Catherine, named after His Highness’ late grandmother, the late Queen Catherine Ravenor." Fabian spread out his hand in a grand gesture to welcome them.
Fabian was visibly younger than Henry, and there was a bright air about him. He spoke with confidence, but his tone was also polite, and he didn’t seem snobbish as he addressed Rose.
"Thank you," Rose said as she curtsied. It was the polite thing to do, after all Fabian had addressed her so respectfully.
He smiled tightly, then turned his attention to Thomas, who was already walking forward towards the doors that led into the house. Rose was hesitant to follow after him because she knew exactly what was waiting for her behind the doors.
"Lord Thomas," Fabian was saying as he started to walk beside the lord. "Your room has been prepared, and a bath has been readied. Dinner will be served as soon as you freshen up, my lord."
"Hmm," Thomas said dismissively, then turned just before he walked through the doors.
As soon as Rose felt Thomas’ gaze, her legs started to walk again, and she took a reluctant step forward.
Fabian, also noticing Thomas’ stare, assumed he was also asking about her chambers. "Your lordship need not worry," Fabian said immediately. "His Highness has given very strict orders that she be well taken care of. I will personally see to that."
Thomas glared at Fabian for his assumption, but instead of speaking on it, he just walked away, heading straight for his room. Two servants hurried after him.
Rose saw Thomas rushing away and nearly called after him. He was annoying and a brooding man, but his presence was comforting and in his own chaotic way had her best interest at heart.
"Right this way, Lady Rose," Fabian said, walking right by her side.
Rose smiled awkwardly, unable to ignore that he had called her ’lady’ again. It was clearly not a mistake, and he intended to keep calling her that. She was unsure how she felt about it, but Rose didn’t ask him to address her differently.
"I am the butler of Castle Catherine. If there are any questions or requests you might have, don’t hesitate to let me know. I will lead you to your room, and the maids will help you get ready for dinner."
Rose nodded as she followed after him. He eagerly led her through the doors of the mansion. She expected nothing less as she stepped into the building. From the marble floor to the paintings on the ceilings and to the stained glass that caught the light from the chandelier, this castle was magnificent.
Rose’s neck tilted as she walked through; she caught sight of a statue of a cat, but it seemed more like a panther than a cat. Unfortunately, there was no time to get a closer look, as Fabian was already leading her up the stairs.
"Your room is this way," he whispered.
Rose nodded and made to walk up the stairs, but Fabian was not moving; he seemed to have a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Might I have your coat, Lady Rose? It is mightily warm in here. However, if you choose to keep it on, that is fine."
"I’ll keep it, please."
"Fabian," he quickly added. "You can address me as Fabian."
Rose held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. She wasn’t so sure she would be able to call him by his name when he referred to her as Lady Rose. Surely, the butler must know who she was and why she was here, yet he was treating her like an actual lady.
The rest of the way was quiet, and it wasn’t that Rose didn’t have questions; rather, she was too tense to ask them. Her legs felt heavy as she walked on the carpet following diligently after Fabian.
Suddenly, Fabian came to a stop in front of a double-doored room. He opened the doors and stretched out his hand to gesture for her to go in but didn’t attempt to step inside the room.
"This is your room," he said with a small bow. "The maids will be with you shortly. If there is anything you need or..." he paused and peered into the room, "disapprove of, please let me know."
"I will, thank you," Rose replied.
She looked past Fabian, into the room as she slowly stepped in. The room was spacious, with a wardrobe that spanned from one end of the wall to the other. Rose thought it was a little ironic, as all she had could fit in a satchel.
She heard the doors shut and turned around, but all she saw was the closed door. She was alone in the room. She turned her gaze back, as she couldn’t help but stare at the room.
The room was brightly lit, and the fireplace burned and sent sparks into the air. There was a dresser beside the four-poster bed and a single chair by the fireplace. The carpets and drapes were a deep wine color that gave the room an exquisite look.
Everything had gold embroidery or embellishments—from the chair to the carpets to the drapes—both for the bed and for the windows.
Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could smell lavender, but it smelled like it was a part of the room. Did they use it to wash the carpet and the drapes?
Rose was still looking around when she heard a small knock and then the doors opened. Two young maids walked into the room.
"Lady Rose," they called with a curtsy.
Castle Catherine was certainly different from the main castle. Rose tried her best to seem receptive; the girls were so polite she wanted to seem the same way.
After they helped her clean up and washed her hair—Rose hadn’t been able to do so in a while—they got her ready for dinner. At first, Rose had been worried about clothes; the only two she had were in no state to be worn for dinner, especially a dinner of this caliber, and her coat was on its last legs. It needed deep washing.
One of the girls strutted towards the wardrobe as though she had been in this room multiple times. "Lady Rose," she called as she opened the wardrobe wide. "Do you have any preference?"
Rose didn’t hear her question; all she could see were the dresses in the wardrobe. That didn’t make any sense—she was certain she didn’t have that many dresses. Bailey the seamstress had made some dresses for her, but they were certainly not enough to fill up the large wardrobe.
"Whose dresses are these?" Rose heard herself ask.
The young maid looked very confused, and she turned to her counterpart. "I believe they are y-yours," the other said with an unsteady voice.
"Mine?" Rose confirmed that she heard the maids right.
Both of them nodded. "His Highness has informed us that everything in here is for you. Or perhaps... are the dresses not to your liking?" she asked with worry.
"No," Rose replied. That was certainly not the problem.