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Being a wife, the mistress of a castle, and part of a family she had never met was quite a lot for Francesca to handle all at once. It helped to have Eloise there, something familiar in all the overwhelming newness, but there was only so much that Francesca could rely on her sister to do. Eloise could not manage the staff for her and had no wise words for how to be a wife, and after a fortnight at Kilmartin Castle, she was as apt to get lost in its many corridors as Francesca was - and get lost they did, many times over, so much that John often had to go looking for one or both of them when they were late to dinner because they somehow gone astray between their bedroom and the dining room.
One of the most daunting tasks that Francesca had yet to manage was getting to know her husband’s cousin. John and Michaela were so close and John clearly wished for them to get along, and yet it seemed every time Francesca tried to speak with her, Michaela had something else to do or somewhere else to be. They’d only had a few polite conversations over meals, none of which had helped Francesca actually get to know Michaela much at all.
So one rainy afternoon when John went into town for business and Eloise accompanied him to pick up her latest novel of interest, Francesca set up tea in the drawing room and lay in wait. When she saw Michaela walk past the door, restless and looking for something to keep herself occupied while the weather was poor, no doubt, Francesca called out for her.
There was a few moments when she thought that Michaela either hadn’t heard her or had pretended not to; but then Michaela turned and walked into the drawing room. “Good afternoon, Francesca.”
“Good afternoon,” she said, smiling as brightly as she could. “John and Eloise are going to miss tea and I would prefer to not have it on my own.”
“I believe John will return shortly,” Michaela said with a reassuring smile. “He will not stay in town long when the road might be flooded.”
“I am sure he will,” Francesca replied, “but I hoped you might keep me company until then. Unless you have other pressing business, of course -“
“No, nothing important. Of course I can keep you company.”
Michaela sat down on the settee opposite Francesca, who poured her a cup of tea. Michaela thanked her and picked up the cup while Francesca picked up hers, and for a long moments the only sounds in the large open drawing room were the slight tinkle of china and the delicate sips of the two of them drinking their tea.
“So,” Francesca said at last, “what do you do to entertain yourself here? At Aubrey Hall, I mostly read and played pianoforte, but John says that the pianoforte is well out of use and shall have to be tuned.”
“Yes, I suppose that is my fault. I never took to my lessons as a child. I always struggled to sit still for very long, always had some other thing I would rather be doing.”
“What could be more rewarding than learning how to play music?”
“Learning to ride a horse, for one. I adored my mare Adhar and I enjoyed spending time outdoors, not cooped up in an old castle.”
“But this castle is so lovely,” Francesca said, “and the outdoors here is, well … it will take some getting used to for me.”
“Yes, England’s land is much more curated than Scotland’s.”
“I suppose, yes, but I meant the weather. It is so windy here, and it rains so much -“
Michaela raised her eyebrows. “Compared to the constant bright sunshine of London?”
“At least in London I saw the sun. Occasionally. It has not stopped raining since we arrived in Scotland.”
“A little rain never hurt anyone. In fact,” Michaela said, putting her tea down and rising from the settee, “I think I will go take a walk out in it now.”
Francesca stood as well, tea sloshing from her cup onto the carpet below from how quickly she moved. “It is dangerous to go out now.”
“It is water falling from the sky, I do not think I will be in peril from it.”
“It has been raining for hours, all the walking paths will be useless. The servants says that the wind has already felled a tree. We can find something more to your taste that we can do indoors, like one of my puzzles!”
“Thank you for the offer, but as I’ve said, I am no good at sitting still. But if you wish to join me, you are more than welcome.”
Francesca sat down again, stiff and ill at ease. “No, thank you. I will stay here and have my tea, and you are more than welcome to return after you find the weather is too treacherous for a stroll after all.”
“As you wish. Good afternoon.”
As Michaela left, Francesca tried to keep calm, to not let her tumultuous emotions make her hands shake so she wouldn’t spill more tea on the carpet. After a few minutes of steady breathing and tea sipping, she allowed herself to look outside the window. As the rain began to pick up, she could see a lone figure in purple, walking along the sodden garden paths and out into the wilderness.
Francesca sighed, more frustrated and confused than she wished to admit. Who would go out in the rain when they had a safe, warm place to stay? She began to worry that she would never understand Michaela, no matter how hard she tried.
*
Returning to Kilmartin Castle, the home she thought she had spent two years believing she would never see again, made Francesca a bit giddy. It was a touch bittersweet and of course it made her miss John as she’d known it would, but most of her heart was so very happy to be home at last with Michaela at her side.
As their luggage was whisked away by the staff, Michaela took Francesca’s hand and pulled her past the entryway and further into the main hall. “You are quite the coach driver.”
“Thank you. I suppose I will have to be if your coachman keeps getting sick on long journeys.”
“Yes, well, it gives us an excuse to make our drives a bit more exciting.”
“Of course you think that is a good thing,” Francesca said, rolling her eyes.
Michaela pulled her close and wrapped her arms around Francesca’s waist, smiling widely. “Do not pretend with me. I saw how much fun you were having.”
“I suppose I was, a little,” Francesca admitted, “even if it was entirely improper.”
“Oh, I think you like you like impropriety more than you want to admit,” Michaela said, eyes sparkling. “In fact, I think you rather like a bit of chaos,too.”
“I love a bit of chaos,” Francesca corrected, bending down to kiss her wife.
Michaela pressed up into the kiss, humming happily, her hands pulling Francesca as close as possible. Francesca was about to suggest they go upstairs and christen Michaela's bedroom, now their bedroom, when Michaela pulled away. “Wait, I have a surprise for you.”
“Is it in our bed, perhaps?” Francesca asked hopefully.
“That’s for later,” Michaela murmured, nuzzling along Francesca’s jawline and kissing her neck before taking her hand. “But I have another surprise first.”
Francesca allowed herself to be dragged down the main hall, a little disappointed but mostly intrigued. Their entire relationship had been a surprise, every step of it, and she couldn't imagine what else Michaela could have up her sleeve.
The answer came when Michaela led Francesca to a tapestry at the end of the hallway, which she pushed aside to reveal a wooden door that Francesca had never seen before.
She blinked in confusion. "How did I not know this was here?"
"You got lost often enough, we thought that telling you about the secret rooms and passages would only make it worse."
"There are hidden passages, too?"
"One thing at a time. Come along." Michaela opened the door and held it for Francesca to go through.
Inside was a small cozy room, with its own fireplace that was already lit and waiting for them. On one side of the room was a set of heavy wooden shelves with Francesca’s books on the first two shelves and on the bottom two -
“My puzzles!”
“Arranged in numerical order, exactly as you prefer,” Michaela said, beaming at Francesca. “And I wrote ahead to the staff to make sure that this was tuned for you when we arrived.”
She laid her hand on the pianoforte, which had previously sat covered in a dusty corner of the library. John had always meant to have it tuned for Francesca, but he had been caught up in local business and hadn’t quite managed to have it done before they’d returned to Mayfair for the season.
Francesca ran her fingers lightly over the keys, the sting of the life she had lost when she lost John mixing with and then being overwhelmed by the joy of the new love she had found. “Thank you, Michaela, for all of this. But are you not afraid that I will hide myself away in here?”
“Not when I give you so many reasons to return to my side,” Michaela said with sly grin. “I know you need a place of your own from time to time, and I want you to have it. Now, are you going to play something?”
She sat down on the pianoforte stool and patted the space next to her expectantly. Francesca laughed and sat down next to her. “ Are you sure you want me to play now? I know that you do not like being still for long and we just returned from a long journey. I thought you would want to stretch your legs.”
Michaela smiled and threaded her arm through Francesca’s. “I don’t mind being still when I’m with you.”
“I’m glad. I like being still with you. But I like our adventures, too.”
“Well, then, after you play me a few pieces, we can go for a walk in the rain.”
Francesca looked out the little window at the far end of the room to see a slow, steady drizzle. “As long as we come in if it becomes a storm.”
“Agreed. I wouldn’t want my wife to be uncomfortable."
"Mmm, your wife. I like that."
"Me, too." Michaela kissed her cheek, then laid her head on Francesca's shoulder. "And I would like it very much if my wife would play me something, please."
"Anything to make my wife happy."
She began to play, her head leaning down to rest on Michaela's, and Michaela sat still and listened.