Just an Ordinary Day in the Life of an Ordinary Girl

You walk among the graves and read some names and dates that are carved in. An overwhelming sadness takes over. These are all women, you suddenly realize. And they seem to have died young, some didn't even reach your age.

What's more, they died with short intervals, according to the dates. Every next stone bears a date of three months to two years later than its predecessor.

You come to the end of the row and hold still before the last grave. This is the most recent one. She must have died last month!

This is so strange, you think to yourself. Who could these women be? Thomas has never spoken of this graveyard as far as you remember. He doesn't have any children, and not many relatives either.

The silence is suddenly disrupted by a voice you immediately recognize as being Thomas' voice. "Amilynn! Are you back here, love?!"

You pull up your dress a bit and start running towards the entrance of the garden. Thomas just passes the arch when you fall upon his neck. He is so suprised that the two of you almost fall over, but Thomas can just handle the force of your action. "Hey! There you are," he says smiling.
"I missed you!" you say, almost suffocating the man.
"I missed you too, darling," Thomas answers as he gently loosens your arms from his neck to be able to look into your eyes. "Come, let us go inside, it is cool and almost dark outside."
All you can do is smile while your heart seems to overflow with love.

Thomas puts an arm around you and leads you back to the front of the house. "I know we're gonna be so happy here, Ammy. I'm so glad we don't have to pretend anymore."
"Me too. Still, I feel bad for Margaret," you say softly. You can't help but feel pity for the woman who felt so betrayed by the two of you, though you know that you did the right thing. True love can't be wrong, can it?
"Ammy, don't worry about it. Okay?"

You have now taken the steps towards the front door and Thomas opens the door for you. You step inside.

You know you've never been inside the house before and you're overwhelmed by the splendour of the huge interior.
The space is lighted only by the power of some torches and candles on the wall. Tapestries cover large pieces of wall from roof to ground. Soft red carpet covers the wooden floor.
Some meters before you a staircase offers an entrance to the first level, which is supported by firm wooden pillars in the back part of the hall. In the front part you can see all the way to the top of the house, the ceiling painted with tinsel and a tinge of mother-of-pearl.
On both sides of the stairs, on the ground floor, there are several doors that must give way to many different chambers. And you guess there must be some behind the stairs too, but it's too dark to see anything. Though, for a brief moment, you think you see a figure standing there in the dark, but you can't be sure.

After having given you some time to take in your new surroundings, Thomas disrupts the silence by making some suggestions.
"Amilynn, I shall guide you to your chambers now so that you can unpack and rest a bit before supper is served. Or would you rather have me show you the sitting-room and have a cup of tea?"