A SOFT KNOCK sounded on the door ea

A SOFT KNOCK sounded on the door early the next morning, rousing Fiona from vivid dreams full of crimson colors. In the gray light of dawn, she rubbed her eyes and opened them to see Ruby coming in, a breakfast tray balanced on one hand. The smell of warm bread and bacon wafted through the air.
“Good morning, m’lady. I’ve brought ye—” The maid’s voice cut short as she halted near the end of the bed. “Oh, good morning to ye as well, m’lord. I dinna—” She stopped again, her eyes going wide as Myles lifted his head from the pillow.
Still hazy from slumber, Fiona had forgotten he was there, but the night came rushing back in vivid detail. Him tumbling over the chair, the nosebleed, and the aftermath.
But ’twas daytime now, and the maid stood gaping at her husband, her expression indicating more than just surprise at Myles’s presence. Fiona looked at him and gave a tiny gasp. He sat up and whisked a hand through his hair to smooth it. “What?” His voice rasped with sleep.
Fiona sat up next to him and looked back to Ruby.
“What?” he demanded once more.
“Forgive me, m’lord. You have a bit of a blackened eye,” Ruby answered.
“Bring me a looking glass,” he said thickly.
Ruby scurried to set the tray upon the table and found the mirror where it had been left upon the floor. She brought it to him, her lips betraying nothing, pursed together as they were.
Myles took the glass with some hesitation. He looked at Fiona first. “Is it awful?”
She shrugged. “Not so very awful.”
With a sigh of resignation, he gazed into the glass and let out a huff. He ran his hand through his hair again and held the mirror higher, to see himself in better light.
“Christ,” he muttered.
“Come on, now,” Vivi prodded. “Tell me how you blackened my nephew’s eye. A randy scuffle twixt the sheets, yes?”
“No, ’twas just as I explained. I left the chair in his path, and in the dark, he tripped.” She’d come to Vivienne’s solar in the hope some sewing might purge her restlessness, but the task at hand merely made her neck ache and her temples throb.
Vivienne frowned and plucked at her mending. “Have you worn your new nightgown yet?”
Fiona squirmed in her chair. “You are inordinately interested in my bedclothes. I should think you’d have more important things with which to occupy your mind.”
“Well, I haven’t. I cannot find a man for myself until I’m back at court. You are my only source of entertainment.” She jabbed her needle through the fabric and straight into her finger. “Ach!” She popped the finger into her mouth and mumbled around it. “By all the saints in heaven, how I detest mending.”
Fiona smiled despite her somber mood. “I’m sorry I cannot distract you, but there is simply nothing to tell.”
That was not entirely the truth, of course. There was much to tell, but Vivi would be disappointed it had gone so poorly. As was Fiona, for Myles had not said another word after she’d pushed him away. He’d stared into the fire for so long she’d finally returned to the bed and lain awake for near on an hour, waiting for him to come to bed. At last, she’d fallen asleep and had been surprised to see him next to her in the morning.
“Oh, there must be something. At least tell me you’ve gotten better acquainted since your wedding night.”
Fiona felt her cheeks burn bright. She ducked her head over her own sewing and offered a tiny shrug of her shoulders.
“Haven’t you?” Vivi’s eyebrows rose to the ceiling. Then she chuckled and fell back against her chair. “I cannot think how Myles is holding himself back. I told him to be patient, but I had no idea he’d take my advice so to heart.”
“You told him to be patient? With me?”
Vivi’s expression showed no remorse. “Yes, I did. And I told him to be nice as well. But it isn’t very nice of him to leave his bride chaste as a pockmarked nun. And shame on you for making him wait so long.”
A rush of uncertainty rose within Fiona, and yet she was in no mood for a scolding. “No shame on me. I never wanted him in the first place.”
Vivienne cocked her head. “But you’d have him now, yes?”
Fiona’s shrug was noncommittal. That necklace had felt like a yoke when she’d thought he’d meant to bribe her with it. But when daylight came, she wondered if she’d been too hasty.
“He’s a lovely man, Fiona,” Vivi said, “and a fine husband. Why would you not want him?”
Fiona’s jaw tightened, even as tears puddled in her eyes. “It isn’t that, Vivi. But it’s not so simple. Do you forget who I am? And what pain his family has caused mine?”
Vivienne twisted her mending into a thick knot and tossed it aside. “Fiona, honestly, you carry this burden too far. I know you think Cedric had something to do with your mother’s death, but I’m just as certain he did not.”
“He is your brother-in-law. Of course you’d think the best of him.”
“The best of him?” A delicate snort escaped Vivienne’s nose. “He has been a rogue and a knave. He broke my sister’s heart. And though he’s tried to make amends, I have not forgiven him. Still, for all his flaws, Cedric is a lover of women, not a murderer of any.”
A tingling began at the base of Fiona’s spine and scuttled upward to the nape of her neck. She felt at once both hot and cold. “He broke Marietta’s heart? How so?”
Vivienne stared at her, for once serious, as if she strove to choose her words with great caution. “No one is infallible, you know. Not even those we love with all our hearts.”
“I don’t understand.”
Vivi glanced about the room, as if someone might be peeping through a crevice or listening at the door. She leaned forward in her chair, and Fiona did the same until their faces were mere inches apart.
“If Mari knew I shared this with you, she’d burn me at the stake. But I will tell you nonetheless, if only so you might stop with all this foolishness.” She looked around once more, then locked her gaze on Fiona. “Cedric and Aislinn were lovers.”
Fiona thumped back in her chair, frustration echoing in her chest. “Oh! That nonsense. Myles tried to ply me with the same story. They think to convince me it was my father and not the earl. ’Tis nothing more than rumor and Cedric’s way of tricking me into compliance.”
But Vivienne grasped her wrist, hard. “’Tis a good deal more than rumor. I have proof.”
Fiona’s breath turned to dust in her lungs. “What proof?”
“Come with me, and I will show you.” Vivienne stood up, letting the rest of her mending fall from her lap onto the floor. She held out a hand to Fiona. “Come on, then.”
She let Vivi pull her from the chair and out the door, down one corridor after another, until they stood outside the chapel.
Vivienne clutched her hands and squeezed. “What I am going to show you, Fiona, is not meant to tarnish any memory you have of your mother. She was a woman, same as you and me, forced to make difficult choices.” Her voice was an earthy whisper. “My only wish is for you to be happy here at Dempsey.”
Fiona’s heart plummeted and bounced back into her throat. She had no idea where Vivienne was leading her or what they might discover. She only knew there was no turning back.
Vivienne eased open the wooden door and they stepped inside. The interior of the chapel was dim, smeared with blurry colors made by light shining through the stained-glass windows. Intricate carvings covered the dark paneled walls, and several rows of candles surrounded the altar. At the front hung an ornate cross with Jesus looking down on them in pity.
They walked down the aisle of the nave and turned to the left, toward another door. Vivi knocked softly. “Father Darius?”
Silence answered.
She turned back and motioned for Fiona to come closer, and then she pushed the door open. “Father, ’tis Vivienne. I need a word with you. It seems I’ve sinned again.” She let out a chuckle at her joke, and still more silence answered.
She nodded then and stepped inside Father Darius’s chamber.
“We can’t go in there.” Fiona’s admonishment was barely above a whisper.
“Of course we can. It’s the only way to the sacristy.”
“The sacristy? We can’t go in there either.” What antics had Vivi pulled her into? They were treading over holy ground as if it were no more sanctified than a mucked-up stall.
But in Vivi went, past the priest’s bed and kneeling bench and straight to yet another door. This one small and tucked into a corner. She plucked a taper from his bedside table and lit it. She looked over her shoulder, saucier still. “Stand there, and he’s likely to discover you. Follow me if you’ve no wish to be caught.”
Fiona peered back into the chapel. It remained empty, with no sign of Father Darius. Vivi disappeared into the stairwell behind the tiny door, the meager glow of the candle lighting her way.
With fear tapping on one shoulder and curiosity tapping the other, Fiona closed the door to the priest’s chamber and scampered along behind Myles’s aunt.
Vivienne lit sconces along the wall as she made her way downward. It was a short staircase and opened at the bottom into a room of cupboards, some with locks as heavy as an anchor. A ring of metal keys hung on a peg, and Vivienne set down the candle and scooped them up. She fumbled for a moment until she found the one she sought.
“They should be in here.” Vivi put the key into one of the smaller locks and jiggled it until the thing fell open with a scrape and click.
Fiona jumped at the sound, for in the tiny chamber, it echoed like a slap. “I’m sure you’re not supposed to open that.”
Vivienne cast an exasperated glance over her shoulder. “If God didn’t want me to unlock it, He’d not have left the keys where I could find them. Trust in the Lord, Fiona.”
Fiona thought to ponder this but had not the time, for the cupboard door creaked open and Vivienne shuffled several items aside, at last pulling from the farthest recesses a dusty bundle wrapped in faded muslin. It was tied with a simple leather cord.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

A SOFT KNOCK sounded on the door early the next morning, rousing Fiona from vivid dreams full of crimson colors. In the gray light of dawn, she rubbed her eyes and opened them to see Ruby coming in, a breakfast tray balanced on one hand. The smell of warm bread and bacon wafted through the air.“Good morning, m’lady. I’ve brought ye—” The maid’s voice cut short as she halted near the end of the bed. “Oh, good morning to ye as well, m’lord. I dinna—” She stopped again, her eyes going wide as Myles lifted his head from the pillow.Still hazy from slumber, Fiona had forgotten he was there, but the night came rushing back in vivid detail. Him tumbling over the chair, the nosebleed, and the aftermath.But ’twas daytime now, and the maid stood gaping at her husband, her expression indicating more than just surprise at Myles’s presence. Fiona looked at him and gave a tiny gasp. He sat up and whisked a hand through his hair to smooth it. “What?” His voice rasped with sleep.Fiona sat up next to him and looked back to Ruby.“What?” he demanded once more.“Forgive me, m’lord. You have a bit of a blackened eye,” Ruby answered.“Bring me a looking glass,” he said thickly.Ruby scurried to set the tray upon the table and found the mirror where it had been left upon the floor. She brought it to him, her lips betraying nothing, pursed together as they were.Myles took the glass with some hesitation. He looked at Fiona first. “Is it awful?”Dia mengangkat bahu. "Tidak begitu sangat buruk."Dengan desahan pengunduran diri, ia menatap kaca dan membiarkan keluar huff. Dia berlari tangannya melalui rambut lagi dan memegang cermin lebih tinggi, untuk melihat dirinya di cahaya yang lebih baik.Kristus,"ia bergumam.Ayolah, sekarang,"Vivi Desak. "Ceritakan bagaimana Anda menghitam keponakan saya mata. Perkelahian randy twixt lembar, ya? ""Tidak, ' sungguh hanya seperti yang saya jelaskan. Aku meninggalkan kursi di jalannya, dan dalam gelap, dia tersandung. Dia akan datang untuk Vivienne di surya dengan harapan jahit beberapa mungkin membersihkan kegelisahan nya, tapi tugas di tangan hanya membuat sakit leher dan kuil-kuil nya berdenyut.Vivienne mengerutkan kening dan dipetik mending nya di. "Anda memakai baju baru Anda belum?"Fiona menggeliat di kursi nya. "Anda tertarik inordinately seprai saya. Aku harus berpikir Anda akan memiliki hal-hal yang lebih penting yang memenuhi pikiranmu.""Yah, aku tidak. Saya tidak dapat menemukan seorang pria untuk diriku sendiri sampai aku kembali di lapangan. Anda adalah sumber saya hanya hiburan." Ia Suster jarum Nya melalui kain dan langsung ke jarinya. "Ach!" Dia muncul jari ke dalam mulutnya dan menggumamkan di sekitarnya. "Oleh semua orang kudus di surga, bagaimana saya membenci mending."Fiona tersenyum meskipun suasana hatinya muram. "Aku menyesal saya tidak dapat mengalihkan perhatian Anda, tapi tidak ada hanya untuk memberitahu."Itu tidak sepenuhnya kebenaran, tentu saja. Ada banyak yang bisa diceritakan, tapi Vivi akan kecewa itu sudah begitu buruk. Sebagai Fiona, untuk Myles tidak mengatakan kata lain setelah ia telah mendorongnya. Ia telah menatap ke dalam api untuk begitu lama dia akhirnya kembali ke tempat tidur dan berbaring terjaga untuk dekat pada jam, menunggu dia untuk datang ke tempat tidur. Akhirnya, ia tertidur dan telah terkejut melihat dia di sampingnya di pagi hari."Oh, harus ada sesuatu. Setidaknya beritahu saya Anda mendapatkan lebih baik berkenalan sejak malam pernikahan Anda. "Fiona merasa pipinya membakar cerah. Dia merunduk kepalanya selama jahit sendiri dan ditawarkan mengangkat bahu kecil dari bahunya."Belum Anda?" Vivi alis naik ke langit-langit. Kemudian dia terkekeh dan jatuh kembali terhadap kursinya. "Saya tidak berpikir bagaimana Myles menahan dirinya. Aku menyuruhnya untuk bersabar, tapi aku tidak tahu dia akan mengambil nasihat saya begitu hati.""Anda mengatakan kepadanya untuk bersabar? Dengan saya?"Vivi ekspresi menunjukkan tidak ada penyesalan. "Ya, saya lakukan. Dan saya katakan kepadanya untuk lebih baik juga. Tetapi tidak sangat bagus dari dia untuk meninggalkan pengantinnya Suci sebagai seorang biarawati kuningnya. Dan malu pada Anda untuk membuat dia menunggu begitu lama.Terburu-buru ketidakpastian bangkit dalam Fiona, dan namun ia tidak berminat untuk memarahi. "Tidak ada rasa malu pada saya. Aku tidak pernah ingin dia di tempat pertama."Vivienne mengokang kepalanya. "Tetapi Anda akan memiliki dia sekarang, ya?"Mengangkat bahu dariotto adalah datar. Kalung yang merasa seperti kuk ketika dia berpikir dia telah dimaksudkan untuk menyuap dia dengan itu. Tapi ketika siang datang, dia bertanya-tanya jika dia telah terlalu terburu-buru.“He’s a lovely man, Fiona,” Vivi said, “and a fine husband. Why would you not want him?”Fiona’s jaw tightened, even as tears puddled in her eyes. “It isn’t that, Vivi. But it’s not so simple. Do you forget who I am? And what pain his family has caused mine?”Vivienne twisted her mending into a thick knot and tossed it aside. “Fiona, honestly, you carry this burden too far. I know you think Cedric had something to do with your mother’s death, but I’m just as certain he did not.”“He is your brother-in-law. Of course you’d think the best of him.”“The best of him?” A delicate snort escaped Vivienne’s nose. “He has been a rogue and a knave. He broke my sister’s heart. And though he’s tried to make amends, I have not forgiven him. Still, for all his flaws, Cedric is a lover of women, not a murderer of any.”A tingling began at the base of Fiona’s spine and scuttled upward to the nape of her neck. She felt at once both hot and cold. “He broke Marietta’s heart? How so?”Vivienne stared at her, for once serious, as if she strove to choose her words with great caution. “No one is infallible, you know. Not even those we love with all our hearts.”“I don’t understand.”Vivi glanced about the room, as if someone might be peeping through a crevice or listening at the door. She leaned forward in her chair, and Fiona did the same until their faces were mere inches apart."Jika Mari tahu saya berbagi ini dengan Anda, ia akan dibakar di kayu pancang. "Tapi aku akan memberitahu Anda meskipun demikian, jika hanya jadi Anda mungkin akan berhenti dengan semua kebodohan ini." Dia melihat sekeliling sekali lagi, kemudian terkunci pandangan matanya Fiona. "Cedric dan Aislinn yang pecinta."Fiona berdebar kembali di kursinya, frustrasi bergema di dadanya. "Oh! Itu omong kosong. Myles mencoba untuk ply saya dengan cerita yang sama. Mereka berpikir untuk meyakinkan saya bahwa itu adalah ayah saya dan tidak earl. "Tis tidak lebih dari desas-desus dan Cedric's cara menipu saya ke dalam sesuai."Tetapi Vivienne memahami pergelangan tangannya, sulit. "'Tis kesepakatan yang baik lebih dari desas-desus. Aku punya bukti."Nafas dariotto berubah menjadi debu di paru-parunya. "Bukti apa?""Datang dengan saya, dan aku akan menunjukkan kepadamu." Vivienne berdiri, membiarkan sisa nya mending jatuh dari pangkuannya ke lantai. Ia mengulurkan tangan untuk Fiona. "Datang pada, kemudian."Dia membiarkan Vivi menarik dia dari kursi dan keluar dari pintu, turun satu koridor lain, sampai mereka berdiri di luar Kapel.Vivienne mencengkeram tangan dan diperas. "Apa aku akan menunjukkan kepada Anda, Fiona, tidak dimaksudkan untuk menodai setiap memori yang Anda miliki tentang ibumu. Dia adalah seorang wanita, sama seperti Anda dan saya, dipaksa untuk membuat pilihan yang sulit." Suaranya berbisik bersahaja. "Hanya berharap saya adalah bagi Anda untuk menjadi bahagia di sini di Dempsey."Hati dariotto jatuh dan bangkit kembali ke dalam tenggorokannya. Ia tidak tahu mana Vivienne memimpin dia atau apa yang bisa mereka temukan. Dia hanya tahu ada itu tidak berubah kembali.Vivienne eased open the wooden door and they stepped inside. The interior of the chapel was dim, smeared with blurry colors made by light shining through the stained-glass windows. Intricate carvings covered the dark paneled walls, and several rows of candles surrounded the altar. At the front hung an ornate cross with Jesus looking down on them in pity.They walked down the aisle of the nave and turned to the left, toward another door. Vivi knocked softly. “Father Darius?”Silence answered.She turned back and motioned for Fiona to come closer, and then she pushed the door open. “Father, ’tis Vivienne. I need a word with you. It seems I’ve sinned again.” She let out a chuckle at her joke, and still more silence answered.She nodded then and stepped inside Father Darius’s chamber.“We can’t go in there.” Fiona’s admonishment was barely above a whisper.“Of course we can. It’s the only way to the sacristy.”“The sacristy? We can’t go in there either.” What antics had Vivi pulled her into? They were treading over holy ground as if it were no more sanctified than a mucked-up stall.But in Vivi went, past the priest’s bed and kneeling bench and straight to yet another door. This one small and tucked into a corner. She plucked a taper from his bedside table and lit it. She looked over her shoulder, saucier still. “Stand there, and he’s likely to discover you. Follow me if you’ve no wish to be caught.”Fiona peered back into the chapel. It remained empty, with no sign of Father Darius. Vivi disappeared into the stairwell behind the tiny door, the meager glow of the candle lighting her way.With fear tapping on one shoulder and curiosity tapping the other, Fiona closed the door to the priest’s chamber and scampered along behind Myles’s aunt.Vivienne lit sconces along the wall as she made her way downward. It was a short staircase and opened at the bottom into a room of cupboards, some with locks as heavy as an anchor. A ring of metal keys hung on a peg, and Vivienne set down the candle and scooped them up. She fumbled for a moment until she found the one she sought.“They should be in here.” Vivi put the key into one of the smaller locks and jiggled it until the thing fell open with a scrape and click.Fiona jumped at the sound, for in the tiny chamber, it echoed like a slap. “I’m sure you’re not supposed to open that.”Vivienne cast an exasperated glance over her shoulder. “If God didn’t want me to unlock it, He’d not have left the keys where I could find them. Trust in the Lord, Fiona.”Fiona thought to ponder this but had not the time, for the cupboard door creaked open and Vivienne shuffled several items aside, at last pulling from the farthest recesses a dusty bundle wrapped in faded muslin. It was tied with a simple leather cord.