Unexpected Circumstances: The Handmaid by Shay Savage

Author:Shay Savage [Savage, Shay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shay Savage, LLC
Published: 2016-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6—Slowly Comprehend

Looking sideways at Branford, I tried to meet his gaze and judge if he wanted me to accompany the Queen of Silverhelm, but he wasn’t looking at me. He kept his focus on King Camden, whose steel blue eyes stared back at his nephew.

“My lord?” I questioned softly, trying to get his attention. His hard look met mine briefly and softened. Then he looked back to the king.

“Go along,” he responded. “I’ll fetch you shortly.”

“Yes, my lord,” I replied and then looked back to the queen, who continued to smile at me.

“Follow me, dear.” Her kind voice echoed softly through the hall. She started to lead me back toward the main doors and then stopped suddenly. She spoke quietly to herself as she turned around. “Perhaps a different route would be preferable. Let’s go this way, shall we?”

I was confused only for a moment. When I realized we would have walked through what was undoubtedly a hall full of nobles just outside the doors, I was quite glad for Queen Sunniva’s forethought since I definitely did not want to walk through all those people in my current state. She led me back behind the twin thrones where she and King Camden had been seated and down a small corridor to a staircase leading upward. It was narrow and somewhat steep, so I tread carefully to keep from tripping. Sunniva held her beautiful layered skirts up a bit as she climbed the stairs, and I tried to keep up with her strides.

At the very top, she opened a wooden door and stepped into a wide corridor. The corridor was open to the outside along one wall with a ledge overlooking a courtyard below. Light from the sun as it descended in the sky shone through, cascading prisms of color over the walls and floor.

“Branford’s chambers are that way,” Sunniva said as she held her hand out to her right. She shook her head and chuckled. “I suppose I should say Branford’s and your chambers, shouldn’t I? We’ll go there soon so you can get comfortable. Camden and I are down this way. Ida is here, in the center rooms.”

Though we hadn’t been properly introduced, I had assumed the dark-haired woman who had slapped Branford must be his sister, Ida. Sir Parnell had been right—she was obviously quite angry about the wedding, and I couldn’t help but wonder: in her eyes, how much of that would be my fault? I knew how the minds of nobles tended to work, and when blame could be placed on those that served, it was. Branford had already demonstrated such an act.

Continuing down the corridor to the left, I glanced briefly out over the ledge and was surprised to see greenery on the inside of the castle. Taking a step closer so I could get a better look, I saw a beautiful garden, surrounded by the high walls of the castle, but completely open to the sky. It was a glorious oasis in the middle of the cold, stone walls.

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