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“Shall we go to the east wing first or the west wing?” Abigail asked as they stepped into a corridor that led to several wings of the house.

“I suppose the west wing first,” Ava replied. “It has not been used in quite a long time.”

“Indeed, Your Grace.” Abigail nodded once.

When they finally walked into the west wing, Ava was impressed.

The ceilings were high and adorned with elegant plasterwork. Tall windows lined a side of the corridor, overlooking the grounds.

“How many rooms are there in this house?” she asked.

“I am not quite certain, but there are rumors that it could very well be sixty if we do not count the servants’ quarters,” Abigail responded.

Ava nodded. The house had five floors, and already she could count at least ten rooms on the second floor of the west wing.

As her lady’s maid went to open the door to one of the rooms, Ava could not help but compare the Duke’s estate to her father’s manor.

Notley Manor had only a dozen rooms, and she had ensured that they were kept sparkly clean at all times, even when they didn’t have guests.

She knew now that managing a house of sixty rooms would be quite the challenge, especially since she was not quite used to a house of such size.

Instead of shying away from the challenge, however, Ava was excited by it. Moreover, there were far more servants in the Duke’s estate than in Notley Manor. Therefore, she would not need to exert herself so.

The door protested, creaking rather unhappily when Abigail finally pried it open.

“Please tell the butler to ensure that the doors are oiled frequently,” Ava instructed.

However, when the door fully opened to reveal the room beyond, her resolve faltered.

The air that hit her, even as she stood by the door, was old and stale, and she could not help but wonder just how long the room had been locked, unused.

She could not see the chamber properly due to a thick film of dust. It was as though she had just stepped into an abandoned cave.

“Since when has this room been locked?” she asked.

“I am not certain, Your Grace. I only started working in the kitchen when I was fifteen, and I have never heard of the rooms on the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors ever being opened,” Abigail replied.

Perhaps a decade, perhaps not.

Ava wrinkled her nose as she slowly stepped inside the room. The drapes by the windows were covered in more dust, and she did not quite know what the original color was when the brown film of dust was the only thing she could see.

There was a rather large bed at the center of the room, still made, almost as though its former occupant had only stepped out for dinner. The only thing that suggested otherwise was the cobwebs that hung from the canopy and the thick dust that covered everything.

A settee was tucked in the opposite corner, and one look at its frail frame told Ava that the years had taken their toll on it.

Despite the room being so old and dusty, she could imagine a time, long ago, when it was occupied. Since her husband did nothave any siblings, she concluded that the rooms were probably not used when he was a child.

If the Duke’s grandfather or great-grandfather had sired many children, then this room might have belonged to a girl who would have dressed for balls in front of the vanity to her left and slept in the large bed.

The girl might have run down the corridor with her brothers and sisters. The girl might have been the eldest child just like her, burdened early on with responsibilities, or she could have been the youngest daughter like Stella, spoiled and pampered by all. Or perhaps the room belonged to a boy.

Tears welled up in Ava’s eyes as she pondered the history the room might be hiding. But then she quickly blinked them away.

Why am I crying over a simple room?

She pushed her feelings aside as she imagined what the room would look like if it were cleaned and dusted properly. She could picture the bed with its silken covers and gleaming posts. She could picture the vibrant rug and the way her feet would sink into it.

And yet, even as she stepped out of the room moments later, she found herself disturbed by thoughts of the past.