7

A voice called out to Izabelle but her focus was blurry. She couldn't see anything as she blinked. Her head was still asleep and she wondered where she was.

"Miss Edwards?" The voice called out again. This time her brain was working and she could feel a cold feminine hand touch her like a feather.

"Yes?" She said trying to figure out who this girl was.

"Thank the stars above. We thought, We thought - " The girl stopped and changed her words though the minor change didn't escape Izabelle's notice.

"Let's get you to Master," She continued while helping Belle to stand up to her feet. It didn't take Izabelle long to register the fact that she was getting used to sleeping in the corridors of the Manor rather than on her bed.

"Wait. Toby! I was searching for Toby when I got lost. Where is Toby?"

"Toby you say? The young lad must be around here somewhere Miss. Do not stress on it. We will send him to you when we find him. " The young maid tried to calm Belle down but she couldn't help feeling something was wrong. Gut feelings are never wrong.

Nevertheless, she followed behind blindly when the maid took her hand and guided her through the labyrinth she has come to acknowledge as Willington Manor.

"How many rooms are there here?" she wondered out loud.

"About A couple of hundred miss. " The young maid said without much thought as they passed another room.

"What need of so many when the man needs not even ten? He is a Lord not a King." She muttered angrily. It was mostly her navigation skills speaking.

"If only you knew M'Lady," The maid said so faintly that Belle couldn't understand.

For no reason, her thoughts went back to the voice in the Rose room. She didn't know what to make of it and for a second she passed it as a hallucination.

"Here we are. Lord Willington will see you now, " she said and opened the door for her to step inside.

The cold feeling came back. The thought of being left alone with him wasn't pleasant the first day and nor a few days later. If anything, the fact that a petal had fallen was enough to have her skin crawling and fear blowing off the roof tops.

"Miss Edwards, " He said in acknowledgement.

"Lord Willington," She mirrored.

"Have a seat," He offered but it bordered the commanding tone.

"I can not see," Izabelle said realizing this was the most humane conversation they have ever had. Lord Willington growled in frustration.

"About Seven steps forward and one step to the right. " He said a second later and Izabelle followed.

As she sat on the soft seat only one thing was going on in her mind, what was he to say?

"Why did you want to see me?" She asked filling the awkward silence with the fist thought on her mind.

"Straight to the question like always." Lord Willington said slightly amused it seemed from his laughter filled raspy tone. This was new to Belle. She couldn't fathom the person in her presence to be Lord Drake Adam Wellington, very captor. Not a single bit.

"A petal has fallen," He said, all signs of amusement gone from his tone.

"I know. Anything else?" Isabelle said trying to control her bitterness.

"Two days," he said in a similar tone.

"Two days what?" How this man thought she could understand his cryptic talk was beyond her. Her mind again went to Toby and wondered if he was alright.

"Each petal now will fall about two days from the other. Sixty to seventy days, give or take for the last petal. Are you ready for the wedding bells my dear? "

"No you arrogant fool. I am not. What makes you think I will agree to marry such a sinister monster?"

Isabelle sighed. Of course that was only in her head, she couldn't say it out loud.

"What makes you think I will marry you willingly Lord Willington? I have said it once, I will say it again. I only want to marry for love and not for a Rose. I only stay here for I do not know better. Like today, I will end up getting lost anyway if I try to find the exit. On top of it you love to threaten instead of trying to love me. "

"You got lost today?" Lord Willington said ignoring the rest. He seemed to avoiding fighting too it seemed to Belle. Reality of marrying a complete stranger must have set in his head too. He seemed only tired. Whoever he was at the beginning is definitely not who it is now. She just couldn't figure him out. Who was this man? What was the real reason behind all the things that have taken place this week? She must have a role in this play, anything other than sitting and marrying.  No one can be that set on tradition that they blackmail a person and keep them captive.

"Aye. I was out with Toby to see the Rose. Sometime around that Toby disappeared to stars know where and in his search I got lost too." Recalling all the events, Izabelle shuddered. She was not going to go anywhere without someone else to take her again.  This place was a maze made purposely to prevent people who did not belong to keep getting lost.

"Disappeared you said? Without telling you?" Izabelle wondered if the Lord knew what happened with Toby. He seemed stressed.

"Um yes? I don't know. He was there while I was in the balcony and then-" Izabelle was cut short.

"Balcony!? You let light in?" Lord Willington yelled and Izabelle shrieked back into the seat. A force in the atmosphere made her stop her breathing.

"It was already open!" Izabelle said not wanting to be the center of his attention while he was angry. The atmosphere became heavier and the Lord started losing control of his emotions. Anger and urgency burst forth as he stood up from his seat and slammed his hands against the wooden table.

"Already open? Stars above. Get out! Becka! Henry!"

That's all she remembered before she blacked into nothingness again.

*Virtual hugs and Kisses to all my readers! *

Love,

Princess_arielanne