"Why must I have a bodyguard, Father? I hardly leave the manor, and when I do, it's usually with you." She wanted to throw a fit, just like her step-sisters did, but she could never bring herself to do so. To make a scene just because she was displeased. "I promise to-"
"Eleanor, this is not because I don't trust you but because I don't trust others. So many girls have gone missing, and quite a few of them have been from prominent families like ours." He sighed from his side of the desk and softened his features. "Your stepmother mentioned you girls should each have your own bodyguard, and a female at that."
Ella knew why; she didn't want her daughters to fall for someone below their social status. Still, it would be easier to be around a woman for Ella. "Fine, when do our jailers arrive?"
"I'm only playing, Father, but the question still stands."
"After dinner, they should arrive by then. I want them all to eat first since they have travelled far."
Ella nodded and excused herself from her father's study, curious as to what her guard would be like. It would be nice to leave the manor more often, but to be watched like a child...
"Mary," she called out once she reached her room. "I wish to look nice this evening, we have guests I'll be meeting after dinner." She said to her lady's maid.