The General's Wife Wants to Leave
Chapter 86: Out of the habit

Chapter 86: Out of the habit

When another night fell in the Powel Orphanage, as the usual night she spent before going to bed after doing vigorous activity outdoors during the day, Joanna sat in front of the dressing table, with Lucy helping her to give treatment over her hair that had just been washed.

While Lucy was busy applying a liquid that she took from a glass bottle laying on the dressing tablet on her long, thick locks, Joanna applied another liquid that was contained in another glass bottle on her face, her neck, and her hands.

The liquid that she applied to her body and hair was a sort of essential oil that she personally extracted from certain herbal plants and flowers. There were two bottles of them with different functions, one for the hair and the other for the body. And the room was instantly submerged in the soft, soothing fragrances that were emitted from the liquids once the lid of the bottles was opened and applied.

When Joanna was about to apply it to her legs, as one of her habits, she halted from lifting her skirt up to her knee. Instead, she closed the bottle and placed it back on the dressing table after she decided to skip applying it to that part of her body this time.

After Lucy gave treatment to the young lady’s healthy, shiny hair, Lucy asked permission to leave the room as she felt that she had done the tasks she usually did regarding the hair treatment of the young lady. But this time the young lady suddenly gave her another task that had never been asked before, which was combing her hair.

It was the habit of the young lady to comb her hair, which had just been washed, by herself, as she would take some time, waiting for her hair to almost dry, before she combed it.

But this time was different. Why did she ask her to do that? Lucy questioned that in her mind but did not dare to voice her curiosity. She immediately took the comb from the dressing table, carefully brushing the hair of the young lady as requested.

When Lucy thought that the young lady’s hair had been thoroughly combed as it now flowed down neatly without any single strand tangled behind her back, she set the comb back on the dressing table.

However, to her surprise, just after she placed the comb on the table, the young lady took it and handed it to her hand again, saying that her hair was not neat yet. And it made Lucy turn perplexed while seeking the part that was not neat yet. She carefully observed the young lady’s hair, but she found no entangled hair.

But she once again obeyed the young lady’s request without uttering any question, giving her another set of hair combing instead.

After about two minutes of brushing the young lady’s neat hair, Lucy was unsure if she should ask the young lady whether it was enough or not, as she felt that there was nothing to brush anymore. She just felt relieved that the root of the young lady’s hair was strong. Otherwise, the strands of her hair would fall here and there on the floor due to repeated brushing.

When Lucy was contemplating asking the young lady if what she had done was enough, she could finally let out a quiet sigh of relief when she heard the young lady thank her and ask her to go back to her room before taking the comb from her hand.

Watching Lucy leave her room, Joanna did not move from her seat in front of the dressing table. She gathered her dark locks on one side of her shoulder and continued brushing her neat hair without looking in the mirror.

She knew that Lucy should have found her action to be strange, as she had asked her to do something that she had never been assigned to do before. And it was all caused by none other than the man who sat leisurely on the bed, whose eyes had never left her since he entered the room.

It was solely her attempt to avoid the stubborn gaze that penetrated from behind her. Having Lucy stand behind her made her feel more relaxed, as it could block him from meeting her reflection through the mirror.

Aside from that, she had also prevented Lucy from leaving her room earlier so that she could prolong the presence of other parties between her and her so-called husband, as she still felt uncomfortable with their awkward togetherness.

However, she knew that it was only a futile effort as it was impossible to hold Lucy to stay in her room for the whole night, asking her to brush her already well-mended hair. Thus, she would brace herself to endure sharing a room with the General for another night.

She could have asked for Mrs. Powel to prepare another room for her, but she did not dare act recklessly, considering the General’s warning about the unknown group of people who might come to get her when she was alone.

Another thought to consider was that she could ask for Lucy and Mrs. Powel to accompany her in the room, but they were women who surely did not have defensive skills. Besides, she could not put them in a dangerous situation because of her, which would only make her end up with regret if something bad happened to them.

She could also ask for a mattress and blanket from Mrs. Powel. However, she did not do that, as she had thought about that as well. They had shared a bed the day before, and it would be ridiculuous if she suddenly asked for those things, which would only make Mrs. Powel question more of her action.

Apart from that, she had considered keeping their marital problem confidential, as no one knew about her intention to annul her marriage but her father and the General himself. Therefore, she would bear to share a room for one more night with her so-called husband.

Nevertheless, although he had proven that he was trustworthy and did not do anything without her consent, just as he said to convince her, Joanna could not remove the anxiety inside her. She was worried if he changed his mind and attacked her when she was asleep.

She was also still not used to sleeping in the presence of a man.

The previous day, she was too tired to stand on her ground and to argue any longer, as they also called for the day too late because so many incidents occurred. But this night was different.

They went into the room to call for the day earlier. To be exact, it was actually her normal time to rest. What made it not normal was that the man also entered the room earlier as well, while she expected him to come into the room far later than her.

Slightly glancing to look at the mirror, Joanna felt her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met his, which made her soon avert her gaze away.

She really hoped the General would succumb to slumber as soon as possible, but to no avail. She found him still sitting leisurely with his hands folded behind his head as he leaned against the headboard, showing no signs of retiring for the night.