Chapter 1: Unintended Meeting

The carriage stopped in front of the steps to large mansion doors and on queue the coachman stepped down to open the carriage door for the lady. After stepping down she dusted the skirt of her dress not wanting any possible creases as she was about to be acquainted with the Rickhorns. First impressions were important after all.

Walking up the stairs, the butler appeared at the door opening it wide for Rosette to enter. "Good evening Lady Woods, I am the mansion butler, Tufan. I trust that your journey was a pleasant one?" said the elderly butler with a crisp but kind voice.

"Good evening, and yes, it was rather pleasant, thank you." she replied with a bright smile.

It was late already, she thought, judging by the inky black sky. A yawn escaped from her mouth before she could stop it. Noticing this, the butler said, "Your room has been set up and the bed has been made if milady would like to retire for the night."

"Oh thank you, but I don't think it a rather good idea to go up to my room just yet when I haven't greeted the family."

"No no no, it's fine milady." the butler quickly reassured her. "Young Master Rickhorn has company and I don't think he will be available this late." he said with a smile that also looked a bit nervous as if not wanting to disturb the master and his 'company'. "Also, Lady and Master Rickhorn are gone for a business trip, leaving only the Young master."

"Oh? When will they return?"

"It should be a month until their arrival. They had only left yesterday afternoon." he informed her. So it seemed she won't be meeting them in months. She nodded and decided it was best that she rested for the night.

The Rickhorns were family friends to the Woods, although Rose has never met the family before, her parents often told her many stories of how they have done business together and how good a relationship they held with the Rickhorns. Her mother and father had gone off to the Eastern Country for a holiday together and thought it best that their daughter not live alone in the house, as she was an only child, so they had sent her off to stay with the Rickhorns. But it seemed as they too were off, though she was not alone, the mansion had many servants and the young master was home as well.

Tufan showed her to her room as well as got the maids to bring up her luggage for her stay.

She made her way to her fourposter bed. How luxurious, she thought. One would think that the room was one of the master bedrooms and not a guestroom. The décor was spectacular. There was glimmering gold and crème here and there. Silk curtains and drapes. Cloud like soft carpets surrounding the magnificent four-poster bed which looked like nothing short of a fairy tale. Although the room was only lit up with the candles at the time, she was still able to admire the splendour of the heaven-like room.

Not wasting anymore time she started to unpack her things even though the trip to Capitol was long and tedious, she wanted to get this part out of the way. After filling up the previously empty wardrobe, which was the most beautiful one she's ever seen, along with everything else in her new room, she realised that she was thirsty. She got out of the room to check if there could be a maid in the corridor but it was empty. Glancing at the clock that hung on the bedroom wall, she noticed that it was one o'clock. "I think I'll try to find the kitchen without asking anyone, I'd hate to be a bother." she said mumbling as she walked down the corridor, then down the stairs to the first floor. Finding the kitchen was surprisingly easy.

Walking back to her bedroom with her glass of water in hand, she heard voices. On the opposite end of the corridor from where her room was, there was the butler handing a bottle of wine and two glasses to a woman standing outside one of the bedroom doors wearing nothing but what seemed to be an oversized shirt, seemingly a males, which barely covered her thighs. Tufan then left and walked to the other end of the corridor into another room with sheets on his arms. Just when she was about to turn around a man stepped out of the room, bare chested, ruffled dark hair and barefoot.

Rosette was frozen in place staring at the nameless man. The mysterious woman turned to him, both of them oblivious of the audience, she placed her hand on his chest and said with a drunken smile "I'll see you in the morning then?" his face was expressionless, almost bored. He looked down at the shirt she wore and responded, "You can keep the shirt". This made her smile wider and giggle, then walk back into the room.

When the door closed he turned to see Rosette, stuck and staring. She noticed how the button of his trousers was undone leaving the zip the only thing keeping them up. Her eyes then travelled up from the V shaped lines on his abdomen above the trousers, to the hardened abs and then slight chest hair.

Finally her gaze met his dark onyx eyes and her face flushed with embarrassment. He lifted an eyebrow seeing as she continued to stare. Finally she looked away. Her lips parted and just as she was about to speak he said, "Rosette Woods is it? Please do enjoy your stay." his face still expressionless, and then he walked right past her. She could only assume that he was the young master, DeAndre Rickhorn.

As soon as he was out of sight, she ran back to her room and shut the door, trying her utmost best to compose her embarrassed self. It seemed that she wasn't the only guest in the mansion. Who was that woman? It's perfectly normal for a man to walk in the corridors of his home shirtless...isn't it? No, of course not! I've never seen a naked man in my life, let alone half naked! He must have known that he had guests other than his company and he still had the nerve to walk around like that? Though, he was beautiful I must admit...

Deciding that she was much too tired to think about her eventful evening, she slumped onto the her bed and without changing into anything more comfortable, she fell into a deep sleep.