Delia began to feel a strange sort of peace in the Duke's private residence, a home that was beginning to feel more like her own than the Ellington manor ever had.
To keep her mind from spiraling into anxiety about the future, she sought refuge in the one thing she truly understood, the one skill that was undeniably hers.
Dye making.
She went to the back of the house, where a small, detached room was located amongst the gardens. It was Eric's private dye laboratory. He often frequents it when he wants to experiment. The moment she stepped inside, she felt a sense of calm. The room was organized and clean, but it was also a space of creation. Jars filled with powdered pigments in every color imaginable lined the shelves—deep indigos, rich madder reds, and sunny saffron yellows. A large workbench held mortars and pestles, glass containers, and small scales for precise measurements. It was a craftsman's paradise.
