Marianne smiled, his words music to her soul.
“When I think of the future, I think of you,” he continued. “You are the one I want—no, the one I need—beside me through it all. But I must ask, can you imagine a future with me?”
The pleading on his face was endearing, and Marianne wondered if the air around them had heated, as if the sun had somehow gotten hotter, for she wished she had brought a fan with her. She wanted to laugh. Perhaps she was more like her mother than she thought.
“Yes, I can,” she replied, blinking back tears that threatened to spill over her lashes. “I, too, have thought much about the future, and I would like nothing better than to be by your side…forever.”
Before she could blink, he leaned forward and kissed her, and her mind and soul felt at peace for the first time since he had come for her at the house that morning. She no longer doubted they would be together, and she wished to tell him that her feelings for him went well beyond admiration. That, in fact, they went to the point they could be considered love. However, a thought jumped into her mind. The man had enough for the time being for her to add more to what he carried. He did not need her as a distraction, so she decided she would wait to share more of her feelings for him.
When the kiss ended, they stared at one another, and Marianne savored the moment, committing it to memory so she could relive it until a time after the party when he could focus his mind on her as he had once before.
A snicker from the other side of the tree had them both turn toward Julia. “Oh, it is not you two,” she said with a wide grin. “It is the book.”
“How would you know what we did if you were not looking?” Marianne called back with a laugh. Then she turned to William and smiled. “Allowing you to kiss me? Do you realize the scandal if we had been caught?”
“I do,” he said with a laugh as he poured himself another glass of wine. “Then I would have to take you away with me to elope.”
Marianne felt her face heat up and she quickly took a sip of her wine. The thought of marrying this man send pleasant shivers down her spine. “As long as we are together,” she said over the top of her wineglass.”
“As you said, ‘forever’.”
“Forever,” she whispered.
***
Later that afternoon, after Julia and William returned to their respective homes and Marianne to hers, Marianne found herself walking through the small garden at the back of her house. Somehow, the colors of the flowers seemed brighter, the trees taller, and the air sweeter. Her body felt as light as a feather, and she thought she could reach out and take one of the clouds from the sky with ease if she chose to.
It was evident that, once the party was over, William would ask for her hand in marriage, a request Marianne would grant without hesitation. Although she was to become a Duchess, a title for which many would envy her, it did not matter to her, for she wanted William’s love above all else. As a matter of fact, although her father would have gone into apoplectic seizures, she would have accepted William’s hand if he was still a gardener her admiration for him was that great.
Before she had met William, she had thought of love, just as any woman would. However, she also had hoped for the chance to manage her own business, something few women considered. Most women concerned themselves with who they would marry and where they would stand on the hierarchy of society, and Marianne could not deny that she did not wonder where she would stand eventually in life. Yet, William had changed her mind about such things. The titles came and went, just like the money oftentimes associated with them, but happiness and love remained if they were in place to begin with.
“Good afternoon, Miss,” Felix, the family’s gardener, said as he pulled himself up from the flowerbed in which he had been digging. He gave her an unpracticed bow.
“Good afternoon,” she said, giving him a light curtsy followed by a giggle.
The man grinned, his ears reddening, clearly unsure how to respond.
“It is a beautiful day, is it not?” she asked.
“That it is,” he said, wiping at his brow with a dirty handkerchief. “You seem especially happy this day.”
Marianne nodded. “I am,” she replied. “There are many reasons to be happy in this world. We must appreciate and cherish each of them lest we forget.”
“I suppose so,” he said, the confusion clear on his face. “I guess I ain’t ever thought of it like that before.”
Marianne went to respond further but noticed her mother hurrying down the path toward her. The woman grabbed her arm and pulled her further down the path to an alcove with a small birdbath.
“My daughter curtsies to the servants and speaks to them of happiness?” her mother demanded. “Are you feverish?”
Marianne pulled her mother’s hand from her brow with a laugh. “No, Mother. Since I met William, I have found I look at the servants in a new light.” When her mother scrunched her brow, she continued. “Do you not see? They have the same dreams of happiness we do. They care not for title or wealth, for it is something they will never have, and yet they are still happy. Is it not amazing?”
Her mother did not seem as elated by this newfound knowledge as Marianne was. “What has come over you?” she asked. “You act as if you were a woman…” She paused and studied her daughter’s face. “A woman in love?” When Marianne nodded, her mother gave her a wide smile. “Oh, this is a surprise!”
“We have not shared the words, but I am experiencing a great affection for the first time in my life. His smile, the way he speaks, it is all the little things he does that mean everything to me. That is love, is it not?”
Her mother placed a hand on Marianne’s cheek. “Yes, it is,” she said in a soft voice. “I am so happy for you.” She gave Marianne a tight embrace. “So, is this what you and the Duke spoke of today? Something must have been said.”
“He spoke of the future, and although he did not come out and ask yet, he said he imagined me with him in it. Mother, I believe he is going to ask me to marry him.”
“Oh, this is wonderful news!” her mother said as she pulled her in for another embrace. When she pulled away this time, tears trickled down her cheeks.
“Have I upset you, Mother?” Marianne asked with great concern. Was this something her mother did not truly want?
“No,” came her mother’s reply. “It brings me great joy to see my daughter in love. It seems just yesterday that you were here in this very garden taking your first steps, and now you are a grown woman. Although, I realized this some time ago , I must admit that I refused to admit to it.”
“Well, do not cry anymore, for there is much to celebrate.” She felt her face heat up again. “There are some questions I have, though—questions about marriage.”
“There is much we must discuss,” her mother said as they began their trek back to the house. “We must discuss your wedding dress, the invitations, the banns.” Then she stopped short. “Do not mention this to your father, not yet.”
“Oh?”
“He will tell one and all, and for now, you must wait until the Duke comes out and asks.”
Marianne laughed. “This is true,” she said. “Now, tell me, on the day of my wedding, what shall I expect?”
They spent most of the afternoon discussing and planning, and Marianne could not have been happier. To spend the rest of her life with William was a dream come true, and she knew that the future he spoke of was near and there was nothing to stop it.
Chapter Eighteen
Only three days remained before William was to give his introductory party. He rubbed his temples in an attempt to relieve the pounding behind them, but it gave him little relief. His outing with Marianne had provided the first bit of relief he had felt in some time, but that had been several days ago. He found the rigors of his position especially excruciating once he had returned home, for a busy schedule and a review of his accounts awaited him upon his return.
Sofia had come by and they were revie
wing the new businesses, which were close to completion, and despite his aching head, the thought of the money he would make each month from those new ventures excited him.
“I must admit that the rent you wish to charge is quite modest for such new buildings,” Sofia said as she poured him another brandy—his third thus far. “I thought we should increase the prices by fifteen percent. And to make it so your new tenants do not feel swindled, you might want to consider raising the rents of your other tenants, as well.” She sat in the chair beside his desk that had become a regular fixture in the room. “However, you must do as you wish, even if you end up losing money in the end.”
He sipped at the brandy, although in all reality, he did not want it. Numbers bothered him, at least in how he had to constantly go over them.
Mr. Ludlow sat in his usual chair across the desk from William. “Your Grace, if I may?” he said as he closed a ledge on his lap.
“Yes?”
“Such a price increase in rent may cause unnecessary hardship for the tenants,” he explained. “That fifteen percent could very well bring such an increase that many may be unable to pay it.”
William considered the man’s words as Sofia leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Why must he always argue with you? Do you not have the right as a Duke to collect what is rightfully yours? Or should you simply give it away?”
His temper flared and he looked back up at Mr. Ludlow. “The rents will be increased by fifteen percent,” he stated in a tone that brooked no argument.
Mr. Ludlow sighed. “You do not understand…” he began to say as Sofia gasped.
William shoved his chair back as he stood. “I do not understand? These are my businesses, and your constant disapproval of every decision I make is maddening!” If it had not been for Sofia’s calming hand on his arm, he would have thrown something at the man. Did a simple adviser believe he knew more than a Duke? William could hear nothing above the pounding of his head, and he wished he could simply take a powder, lie down, and never rise again.
“Your Grace,” Sofia whispered, “I warned you to be cautious of those around you. Why must you continue paying a man who does not trust you and only mocks you?”
“Your Grace, if I may…” Mr. Ludlow tried again.
“No, you may not,” William shouted. “Your services are no longer required. Please leave whatever ledgers you have with you pertaining to me and send over any business documents you have at your office. Goodbye, Mr. Ludlow.”
He glared at the man until he finally sighed and set the ledger he had been writing in on the desk. Then he turned and left the room.
“William, you have done the right thing,” Sofia said as she refilled the glass he had not realized he had emptied once again. “Just like so many others, he does not believe in you.”
He recognized the sadness in her expression, for it reflected his current mood. “Cannot people see I am great?” he asked.
“Oh, they see your greatness,” she replied as she took his hand in hers. “Just as I do. However, they fear it, for you are powerful. Perhaps the most powerful Duke who has ever lived.”
He found her words encouraging. “I want to be that powerful Duke.”
“Then you must continue to act and walk with such power that none may speak against you. That man advised you on how to care for others but not how to care for yourself. You have a choice, my friend.”
“What choice?”
“Do you become a mighty Duke who others fear? Or do you become the Duke that gives in to every demand?”
He shook his head. “I thought I had come so far,” he said with a sigh, wishing the ache in his head would leave him. “However, you speak as if I have failed.
She squeezed his hand and pushed lightly on his shoulder to get him to sit. Then she looked down at him, and he felt as a child being reprimanded. “You have not failed,” she said lightly, “though you are weak in your resolve. Your grandfather knew that being kind had its place, but he also ruled with such power, none dared defy him. But do not worry, for I will help you achieve the same greatest as your grandfather; no, you shall be even greater than he was, if it is the last thing I do.”
William smiled as he thought again about Mr. Ludlow. The Dowager Duchess was leading him in the right direction, showing him how to stop men like Mr. Ludlow from rising against him. It was a weakness with which he suffered, and he was thankful that this woman cared enough to help him get past it.
“I will be a powerful Duke,” he stated with firmness as he rose from the chair. “There will be no more kindness shown for people who do not fear me!”
“Yes!” Sofia said with a wide smile. “That is the way of your grandfather. Now I see him completely in you. Oh, William, you have made me so happy!” Then she surprised him by hugging him, her head resting against his chest. “I have not been this happy in many years.”
He found her words confusing, but he smiled nonetheless. “I make you happy? Even when I am weak?”
She laughed and pulled away from him. “No, you are no longer allowing those around you to take advantage of you, and that is what makes me happy.” She walked around to the front of the desk. “Now, we must go into the village. I have jewelry to collect, and you must see to the work that is being completed on our…your new buildings.”
Nodding, he rose from the chair and then finished off the rest of the brandy in his glass. He was no longer the weak man he once was, and a sense of pride made him somehow feel taller than he was. He had already dismissed Mr. Ludlow and would do the same to anyone who stood in his way.
***
While Sofia stopped off at the jeweler’s, William walked down to the pub to have another drink. The pain in his head had not dissipated, and the alcohol would help ease some of the pounding—at least for the time being. Even a short-lived relief was better than none at all.
He downed the measure and pointed at the empty glass for the barkeep to pour him another. Something was bothering him, though he could not quite place it. It was not Mr. Ludlow, for he had made peace with what he had done. Nor was it Sofia, for she was only there to help him.
Then his mind went to Marianne, and he smiled as he finished the new brandy in one swallow. In just a few nights, he would see her, and she would be wearing her new gown and the jewels he had purchased for her. No woman could match her heart nor her beauty, and he found simply thinking of her eased some of his distress.
The fact he had lashed out at her still plagued him with guilt, and although she had already forgiven him, he would make it up to her somehow.
He placed two coins on the counter and left the pub just as Sofia crossed the street, her head held high as onlookers smiled at her.
“Did you not buy anything?” he asked. “You were meant to collect a piece, were you not?”
“Yes, the piece you bought for me. Though, I wish to surprise you with it at the party, if you do not mind waiting to see it.”
He smiled, but a thought crossed his mind. Was this woman attempting to impress him, to gain his eyes and heart that belonged only to Marianne?
She seemed to sense his thoughts, for she said, “William, you are my friend. Whenever I bought new jewelry, I would wait to show your grandfather at one important party or another; it was almost a game we used to play. I meant nothing by it.”
William cursed himself inwardly. He was becoming more suspicious by the day, and it bothered him that he was acting in such a way. “No, I look forward to it. I am sure you will catch the eye of many men, as well as the jealous stares of the women.”
She laughed. “The men look at the younger women, I am afraid,” she said. “But I am certain the women would naturally be jealous of a Duchess while she is standing beside a handsome Duke.”
William went to respond, but her eyes lit up and she leaned in to whisper, “Lord Chelsworth, the Earl of Flinton, and his wife are coming our way. He is certainly a man with whom you will wish to do business.”
A couple, perhaps
of the same age as Sofia, approached. The Earl was what some might consider handsome, though his nose was rather large for his face. His wife wore a yellow dress that gave her skin a sallow tone, and she appeared out of breath.
“Your Grace,” the man said, giving Sofia a diffident bow. “It is wonderful to see you on this fine day.”
“Yes, it is,” Sofia said. “Lord Chelsworth, Lady Chelsworth, may I introduce His Grace, the Duke of Stromhedge.”
“Ah, yes,” Lord Chelmsworth said with a bow to William, “we received your invitation, Your Grace, and are honored to attend your party, are we not, my dear?”
His wife smiled. “Very much so,” she replied, her voice so high-pitched William found it nerve-grating.
Sofia laced her hand with his arm once more. “His Grace seeks to expand his wealth in the area of shipping,” she said with a meaningful nod to the Earl. “He has already received several offers, but I believe it would be wise that he speaks with you first.”
William went to interrupt, for she was mistaken in her claim. He had not made such plans nor talked with anyone else of such things. However, she patted his arm and then the Earl spoke again.
“Your Grace,” the man said with a wide smile, “when the time is convenient, I shall tell you what I have available and where I have plans for expanding. To do business with you would be a great honor indeed.”
Again, William went to speak, but Sofia did not allow him the opportunity. “The Duke is a very busy man, you understand.”
William stifled a sigh. “The Dowager Duchess is correct,” he said, though the lie did not sit well with him. “However, we will arrange a meeting at my convenience if you are willing to meet with me.” When the Earl gave an emphatic nod, that surge of power rushed through him once again. “I believe I have time tomorrow, but I must check my diary to be certain. You may make me an offer that is fair, and if you do not, I will do business elsewhere.”
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