“Busyness suits you, Damien,” Priscilla declared.
Footmen escorted her to her carriage, and she promptly departed with a lighthearted expression on her face. Chloe watched the carriage disappear from the expansive entrance of Castle Rose, a strange emotion stirring within her.
“What is it, Chloe?” Damien asked, his arm resting around her shoulders.
“It’s just… something feels odd.”
“Do tell.”
Chloe paused to gather her thoughts. “I have always played the role of the hostess at Castle Verdier and Thisse, welcoming guests and bidding them farewell. But here…”
Her father, who had left not long ago, and Priscilla, who had just departed, had displayed an unmistakable sense of restraint.
“Have our visitors been acting like guests instead of family?”
Chloe nodded, her lips pursed. “Exactly. They don’t quite seem at ease.”
