Muddled Ledger

The cawing of the birds overhead brought shadows that ran along the titles from the sun that was high in the sky before they passed by. Gwen settled back in the wicker chair seated in the conservatory, drinking a spectacular cup of tea that Cosette had brewed for her earlier that morning and taking in the peacefulness that was accompanied by the raw sounds of nature.

She was getting drowsy from the sound of the irrigation system, the water droplets playing rounds in her ears as they settled onto the flowers and vegetation.

Gwen took another sip of the tea, washing away the bitterness that lingered from the bittersweet chocolate that Isaac gave her earlier, and was suddenly startled when Silas came through the doors in a haste that alerted her.

Silas lifted an apologetic hand which made her ease back into her chair. "My apologies, Your Grace. It isn't anything pressing."

Gwen shook her head and settled the delicate teacup on the small golden-tipped plate. "It's fine. What is it?"

"You said that you wanted to do some work, correct?"

She brought her hands together excitedly. "Yes!"

It had been a few days since she visited the knights quarters and had willingly resigned herself to stay inside the mansion in her bedroom working on her own personal project of writing letters to her family and taking great care of the stationary that Cosette gave her since it was at least keeping her busy for the time being.

She had recently sent a letter to her family back in Caddell, and she was happy to receive a quick message back which only included mean words from Brennon, a small reminder from Adrien, and encouraging words from both her parents which encompassed the whole family quite well.

She hoped that they would visit soon when Maximillian returned since she found it somewhat embarrassing that her father was so close to him when she had never even seen her husband's face.

Avery and Lauren were also keeping her company, chatting and whatnot, but most days, they were often needed for other work that Cosette needed help with which Gwen had resigned as necessary since her handmaidens were also trying their best, and she was glad to see them being comfortable with the rest of the household crew.

"It is done now. Cassian approved of your works, but he had to sift through the documents firsthand to seal those that are waiting for His Grace."

Gwen nodded. "When do I start?"

"I can show you the way to His Grace's office right now."

"Yes, please," Gwen said.

Cosette peaked her head beside Silas's shoulder. "You can leave the cup there, Your Grace."

"Thank you," Gwen smiled before waving her hand at Silas. "Lead the way."

Silas shifted his body to the side, so that Cosette could squeeze through, and Gwen followed him out as they went down the hallway past all the glass domes that were connected in the area of the conservatory, creating a large band of glass walls that enclosed them.

He took a sharp right, and Gwen realized that it was a shortcut that went along one of the small courtyards that were inside the mansion which made their walk across the mansion easy.

The office was located on the east wing of the mansion, and when they finally stopped in front of the double doors that took up the end of the hallway, Gwen opened the door first.

The study was gorgeous and rivaled the beauty of her father's, and she marveled at the lovely bookcases that spanned up toward the ceiling that was glass. There was a desk pushed against the wall that was straight across from the door and a small alcove to her right that had a room that was caused by the books.

The desk was extremely messy with random documents strewn around the room and even on the table with the small couches around it, but at the same time seemed to be put together in the way that the stacks of papers were piled in groups. It was a place where she could definitely see a man stationed with a strong air of masculine taste seen through the furniture and other details in the room.

Gwen slowly crossed the office and shuffled the papers together on the desk that seemed to be conveniently placed on top for her and absently flipped through them with all the words flying through, but she would take her time to look through them later and comb for the information that she needed.

She glanced up at Silas and waved him over. "Are these all the documents that I need?"

Silas nodded. "Yes. You don't need to finish them today, but you can place the papers into this drawer when you have finished."

Gwen leaned over to see the drawer that Silas pulled open that had the rest of the ledgers neatly organized. "Perfect. Thank you."

"I'll leave you to it. Don't hesitate to call Cassian for help."

"Of course," Gwen agreed. "Where is he?"

"He's speaking to Cosette right now. He'll be in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Silas," Gwen said softly. "I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem, Your Grace. I'll see to my leave."

Gwen smiled with a quick wave with Silas closing the door behind him with another dip in his head before the crack of the door disappeared, and she glanced back down to the papers in her hands.

The numbers were unfamiliar to her, but she was able to put the pieces together when she skimmed the material since she had read some books on what she needed to do to prepare herself for the role that she had decided to step up to. The novels that her father had suggested she read, she wished that she prioritized them more since they would have come in handy.

The ledger was a collection of transactions in a record that was meticulously recorded. There was nothing wrong with it per se, but there were some accounts that were out of order and some that needed to be placed in due to the random notes on the sides and margins with quick and angry slashes judging by the muddling handwriting.