Although very little actually changed in the estate following the knight's departure everything felt different. The otherwise noisy kitchen that always smelled of food had become calm without the extra mouths to feed and outside the familiar clammering from the knight's training that Amelia had become so habituated to was gone. Everything seemed to move in a slower pace as if the entire estate had gone into hibernation.
Dario's abcense was the most palpable at dinnertime. She hadn't realised until now how used she had gotten to sharing her evening meals with him. For the first few days after he'd left she still ate alone in the diningroom, but she now opted to have all her meals in her chamber to not remind herself of the oppressive silence that seemed to surround the table. Funny how different things felt now compared to just a few months ago when she'd dreaded his return from the capital so.
It had been over a week since Dario left. On the fourth day Gordon had recieved a letter confirming their arrival at the border but things had been quiet since then. For every day that passed without news her worry for their safety only grew.
For this reason she was thankful that the butler, after much insistance, had eventually allowed her to relieve him of some of his simpler duties. It had proven to keep her mind occupied and although Gordon had been reluctant at first she could tell that he too was thankful for the extra help. The poor man was swamped with the additional work that Dario hadn't had the time to finish.
She mostly kept records of the estate's inventory and verified deliveries, tasks befitting of her standing and likely insignificant in the grand scheme of things but that she found herself enjoying none the less. The work also proved to keep the loneliness at bay as she got to spend her evenings with Gordon in his office while he proofread and offered corrections to her reports.
Tomorrow would be different though as it was the day of the celebration that the marquis would attend. Amelias stomach had been upset the entire day which was why both Gordon and Olivia had requiered her to rest early tonight. But no matter how hard she tried to relax sleep wouldn't come to her.
In the faint candlelight Amelia observed the gown hung by the door in her chambers. It had been delivered from Adeleine's shop earlier that afternoon. To ease her anxiety she tried to imagine it as an armor rather than a dress, but no matter how long she stared at it she could only see draping fabric and the occational glimmer as the the gold passementerie caught the light.
Despite her determination only weeks ago it was as if all her resolve to face the marquis completely vanished as the day approached. Cancelling wasn't an option however, because Dario and Gordon had gone to such lengths to find her an escort.
Just as he had asked of her Amelia sought out Gordon on the day of Darios departure. The butler had informed her that they had been in contact with her father's brother, the man next in line as heir to the viscounty, and that he would advance his relocation as to be able to accompany her to the fiest as a custodian.
"It is customary that an unmarried lady is accompanied by her intended or a member of her family" he'd said, adding while noticing her hesitation:
"I recommend you take him up on the offer though it may be uncomfortble. As the new viscount he has a decent standing amongst the nobles which will be of benefit to you."
Of course Amelia couldn't do else but to agree.
Even while living with her family she had never met her uncle before. She could only assume that her father and him must've had a falling out a long time ago since she couldn't recall him speaking of his brother even once. If that was the case, her uncle probably hadn't agreed to the request out of good will towards her but rather as an obligation towards the duke and by extension the crown. At least she'd like it best that way.
When the clock struck midnight and Amelia still wasn't asleep she decided to leave bed. While sliding her feet into her slippers she wrapped the duvet around her shoulders and seated herself on the sofa by the fireplace. By stoking the embers and adding more firewood she eventually got enough light to practise needlepointing. She'd found that keeping her hands busy seemed to calm her racing mind whenever she bacame stressed. Thus, she remained like that until she eventually fell asleep along the fading flames with the canvas still in her hands.