Chapter 39: A bitter reality
The rest of the day went along without any hitches. Arabella was left to her own devices since she'd come back from the gardens.
The young woman ran a warm bath and lounged in the tub to unwind, gently massaging her muscles to unbind the knots that the day had left behind.
Through the great window facing the tub, the stars in the night shone bright, remarkably embedded against the midnight blue coat varnishing the sky.
Arabella wondered whether her mother counted among those precious beads that hung far away out there in the vastness of the cosmos, watching over her every decision and action... Would she have been proud or let down by Arabella's choice to flee home?
"Arabella?" Katherine's voice shattered the bounds of her daze, calling her name from behind the door of her room.
"Come in!" Arabella hastened to stand and picked a towel large enough to cover all of her important bits.
Katherine was in the bathroom in no time, a soft smile on her, "You look radiant!" the vampire's eyes went up and down Arabella's figure.
The shade of red around Arabella's cheeks deepened as a nervous laugh escaped her, "Thank you, Katherine. What can I do for you tonight? Am I being summoned?" she attempted to put distance between herself and the cause of her blushing face.
"Not exactly," Katherine guided Arabella in front of the mirror and picked up the hairbrush lying near, "The Lady wanted us to pay Mr Kallum's shop a visit for a fitting session. Everything has to be perfect for the ball, you know," she pressed the soft brush against Arabella's head, grooming her hair from its roots down to the very tips, slowly repeating the process over and over as she spoke.