Chapter 99 - Hospitality and scheming go hand in hand
Scarlett idly took in some of the wall decorations—paintings of landscapes, people, buildings—as she climbed the stairs to the top floor of the mansion’s east wing. This floor felt more like an attic than the rest did, with no windows and a lower ceiling, but it was far from ‘lacking’, if you asked her. Especially if you compared it to a normal person’s home in this world.
She made her way down the hallway, stopping to gently knock on the thick door at its end. There was no response. She waited for a bit before slowly reaching to open the door.
Inside was a bedchamber roughly the size of Scarlett’s office, with a large, canopied bed near the center and a table placed between the bed and a mostly empty bookcase. The robed figure of the Countess sat hunched over the table, back turned to the entrance.
Scarlett lightly cleared her throat.
The woman’s shoulders stirred.
“I hope I am not disturbing you,” Scarlett said, glancing around the room. It was surprisingly tidy. She had half been expecting to see broken furniture spread around the place. The smell also wasn’t that bad. Maybe Molly had done more than she needed to and helped the Countess in keeping things clean. The servant would only have had one day to prepare the room, so it was impressive that she had managed it.
At the table, the Countess slowly turned around to reveal her bandaged face hidden beneath her robe. A strange smile formed on the woman’s lips. “Ah, ah. Baroness. No need for apology, no need… Welcome.”
Scarlett approached the woman. “At present, I am preoccupied with other matters, but I wished to pay a brief visit in order to ascertain how things are. Are the accommodations to your satisfaction? Do you lack anything?”
The Countess pulled her arms closer to her body, seemingly trying to cover whatever had been on the table that she’d been focusing on. Scarlett caught a glimpse of what looked like a decorated napkin of some kind right before it disappeared beneath the woman’s robes. Did she do embroidery? That was surprising. Perhaps Molly had given her the materials.
“Everything…” The Countess seemed to think for a moment. “Everything… Everything is good.”
“Excellent.” Scarlett nodded slowly, choosing not to pry into the question of what the woman had been doing. “Despite that, however, I wish to offer you my apologies. Having to conceal yourself in a room like this is not ideal, no matter the circumstances. I will endeavor to ensure that the secluded location is made up for, where possible.”
“There is no problem… No problem.” The Countess shook her head vigorously. “I am…grateful. So grateful… It is just…unfamiliar.” The woman grew quieter, mumbling to herself as she seemed to carry on the conversation by herself.