by Abigail Agar
He sat back in his chair and scrutinised the words. They were not right; maybe he should have taken the time to plan what he was going to say, but he had written down those words now. It was too late unless he wanted to start again. That would not be a good idea. If he started again once, then he knew that he would do it a million times.
‘After spending time with Lady Mary Roberts, I feel like I would like to progress forward with the request that Lord William Roberts set forth for us. I would like to get married.’
The thought of seeing Mary walking towards him down the aisle in the local church, where he had always planned to get married, filled him with intense happiness. The idea of committing the rest of his life to her did not scare him even one little bit.
‘I shall ask Lady Roberts formally myself,’ he added, hoping that he could keep a little control of the situation. ‘But I wanted to inform you of my decision first since you are the executor of the will.’ He needed to throw in a little bit of flattery to keep him onside. ‘After all the hard work you have put in, I at least think you deserve to know first.’
It was not the longest letter in the world, nor was it the most eloquent, but as Edmund signed off the paper, he felt good about what he had done. The ball was rolling now, and things were finally moving in the right direction. He just hoped and prayed that Walter would take the hint and would let Edmund propose to Mary in his own way. Not that he knew what he would do just yet…
I shall have to go ring shopping, he thought happily. I will need to get some roses for Mary or some other nice flowers. I have to make it special. I need to make it the most special day of her whole entire life … until her wedding day, of course. I want that to be even more special. Then I want to spend every day of her whole life making her happy.
He grabbed hold of an envelope and put the folded paper inside. Then he wrote Walter’s address across it, just like he had done on all the other letters he had sent to him with regards to Mary. Only those letters were arrangements to meet with her, and this was a piece of paper that would change the course of both their lives forever. It weighed heavily in his hands, but not in a negative way. His heart was within that envelope, and he hoped that Mary’s was too. Judging by the intensity of the moment they shared together at their bookshelf before, she liked him just as much as he did her. He hoped that like would turn into love.
Edmund’s pulse hammered loudly but with excitement and not nerves. Heat and happiness warmed his chest; this as the best feeling in the world. An amazing feeling that he was sure would only get better. Soon, he would hear back from Walter, and then he would propose formally to Mary. Once she said yes, if she said yes, they could get started with the rest of their lives together. Happy. In love.
***
Walter breathed a sigh of relief as he read the words in front of him written by Duke Smith. He had suspected that things were heading in the right direction and that everything was going to plan, but to have that confirmed after what felt like forever was wonderful. He had been dealing with this nightmare of a will clause for far too long. He would be so glad for all of this to be over and done with so he could return to what he wanted to do.
“Perfect,” he muttered to himself as he picked up his quill to write out a reply. “Just perfect.”
‘Your Grace,
Thank you very much for your letter. I was very pleased to receive it. I am certain that Lady Mary Roberts will be very happy to learn of your request to marry her too. Now that I have received this information from you, I shall start legal proceedings with regards to the inheritance of the house, and I shall also be in touch with regards to the dowry also.
Do let me know when you plan to visit again.
Mr Walter Thompson.’
After Walter had written out his reply, he tucked it into his pocket to post and left his office to get into the carriage to go straight to Mary’s home. Maybe Duke Smith had been hinting that he wanted to tell Mary about the marriage proposal himself, but Walter could not take any chances. He needed Mary to know what was coming because he did not want to give Edmund a chance to back out of his promise. He did not think that he would, but he could not take chances. He had been alive for long enough to realise that nothing good could come out of taking chances and trusting in people.
***
“Lady Roberts?” Daisy looked panicked as she called out to Mary. It was hard for her to pull her head out of her copy of Frankenstein since she was so lost in the storyline for yet another time, but there was desperation in Daisy’s tone that grabbed her attention. “Mr Thompson is here to speak with you.”
“He is?” Mary placed her book carefully on the table beside her and stood up. She brushed her skirts down and touched her face gently, hoping that she looked presentable for this unexpected meeting. “I am not expecting him today; did he say what he wanted?”
“He did not?” Daisy shook her head rapidly. “But he said to let you know that he has something urgent to tell you.”
“Right.” Mary nodded as her heart raced in her chest. “I see, yes.”
What can it be? Walter did not come to her home without some news to share with her. Sometimes it was wonderful news, often not so much. Mary was not sure why, but she felt a little fragile. She got the impression that any bad news would break her.
With tentative footsteps, she made her way downstairs to where Walter stood in the hallway. As he heard her coming, he glanced upwards and smiled serenely at her. Maybe that expression was designed to help her relax, but it did not. Mary knew that something Walter considered to be good news did not necessarily mean that she would agree.
“Good morning, Mr Thompson,” Mary declared professionally and politely. She had become almost expert in hiding her feelings well. “What a wonderful surprise to see you here.”
Walter waited until she had fully descended to the bottom of the stairs before he spoke out. “Yes, Lady Roberts, it is lovely to see you again.” He folded his arms across his chest, revealing just a small glimpse of the letter in his hand. “Today, I received word from His Grace, Duke Smith.”
“You … you did?” Mary could tell that this was not just another meeting arrangement. It was written all over his face. “And what did it say?”
“His Grace has declared his intention to marry you.”
Mary felt a burst of intense excitement, followed by the calm sensation that could only come from knowing that the pieces of her life were finally all coming together. This was what she had been wanting for so long. To hear it was incredible.
“That is wonderful,” she gasped. “I am very pleased.”
“Yes, I thought you would be,” Walter drawled. “So now that you are officially engaged, I would like to let you know that I am about to start legal proceedings on the home.”
“Right, yes of course.” The home in which she had spent her entire life was about to become officially hers, and that was not even the part that she was most thrilled about. “That shall be wonderful. Thank you.”
I need to tell Daisy, she thought as Walter continued to talk to her, filling her in with the finer details. And Charlotte too, this is wonderful. I am engaged …
Maybe she did not quite feel engaged; there was nothing to suggest that things were different, but she knew. The knowledge was there that soon she would be a Duchess, married to a Duke who she cared for very much.
Chapter 14
As soon as Edmund walked through the door into Mary’s home, he could tell that she knew. Walter had clearly informed her that he wanted to marry her, and now she did not seem to know how to act. Her face was flushed; her feet kept on moving, and she did not know where to place her hands …
It was adorable; she looked wonderfully cute, but at the same time, he felt a little infuriated. He was hurt that Walter did not take the hint that he wanted to tell Mary himself. Still, at least it appeared to be clear that she would not turn him down. That helped the tight knot of panic to loosen in his chest.
“Goo
d afternoon, Lady Roberts,” he said smilingly while tipping his hat to greet her. “It is lovely to see you again. You look beautiful as always.”
Mary glanced down at her cream coloured lacy dress that cinched in nicely at her waist and ran delicately down her arms until it splayed out at the wrist. She had spent hours agonising over what she wanted to wear today to see Duke Edmund, and now that he had given her such a wonderful compliment, she was ecstatic. She was also glad that she had taken the bold decision yet again to leave her hair hanging naturally and her face make-up free. Edmund seemed to like that look when she went with it the time before, and here he was admiring her yet again.
“Thank you very much,” she replied with pink stained cheeks. “You look very good yourself.”
In his dapper, suave suit that fit his body perfectly, Edmund looked just like the Duke he truly was. It made Mary happy to think about the time when she might be on his arm officially, as his wife. Maybe it was not something that she had been looking forward to at eighteen years old when she first got the news, but now she could not wait.
“May we go and sit down?” Edmund indicated towards where they usually went to talk, and Mary nodded. Hot anxiety raced through her body; she struggled to keep her expression stoic, but she forced herself to move.
Walter stayed close to the pair. Despite the fact that Mary already knew of the impending engagement, he wanted to be certain that Edmund was going to make it official. He had to ensure that everything went exactly to plan, that was his only job, the only thing that he cared about once he was inside the walls of the Roberts family. Walter Thompson was nothing if not a very meticulous man.
“Shall I get someone to bring in drinks?” he asked in a bright tone while flicking his eyes between the pair. “I can call in the maid …”
“Daisy,” Mary said suddenly, wanting her friend to be recognised for how much she did for the family. “Her name is Daisy.”
“Right.” Walter furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Mary did not seem to be the quiet girl he first encountered anymore. “Yes, Daisy. I shall get Daisy to bring us in some drinks.”
As Walter left the room, Edmund smiled at Mary encouragingly. This was just another thing that he liked about her; her caring nature. There were not many people in the upper, privileged classes of society that knew the names of their maids or cared about the living conditions that the working classes had to suffer within. The fact that Mary was passionate about it made him think about it more too.
“Is Daisy your friend?” he asked her softly. Mary smiled as if to herself, and then she nodded. “That is wonderful to hear.”
Mary held her head high and boldly asked, “Are you not friends with all the staff who work in your home?”
“Actually …” Edmund tapped his fingers together as he spoke. “We do not really have many staff members. Not compared to most of the families in London. My mother does not like to have too many people fussing around her.”
He could remember having many people working for them when his father was alive, but that had dwindled after he passed away. He had not much thought about it until now. It was not that they could not afford it because he had plenty of money that he brought into the family home, it was more that she preferred to be independent and do things herself.
“Your mother sounds like a very interesting woman,” Mary remarked. “I should very much like to meet her.”
“Oh, my mother would love you,” he gushed happily. “My mother will like you very much.” The smile on his face only fell slightly when he remembered that Mary did not have a mother of her own … or a father. “I should erm … I should take you to meet her soon.”
Fortunately, Mary was not impacted by the mention of Edmund’s mother. She had never had her own, so she did not know how to miss her. “I believe I would like that very much.”
Edmund parted his lips and got ready to start the proposal that he had been working on. It may have to be slightly edited now that Walter had ruined it somewhat, but he still wanted to find a way to make it work. His fingers curled around the ring box that he had in his pocket, the band and gem that he had spent a while picking out, but before he could say anything, Walter walked back into the room with the maid that he now knew was called Daisy, right behind him,
“Here are the drinks,” Walter announced, either unaware or ignoring the thick, tense atmosphere. “Is tea alright for everyone?”
Edmund sat back in his chair and kept his expression stoic. He did not want Walter to know that he was annoyed at him for ruining his proposal yet again. “Yes, tea sounds wonderful.”
As Daisy darted between them, pouring them all drinks, Edmund made sure that he thanked her for making the drink for him, just like Mary did. He could already feel himself becoming more of a conscientious person just for getting to know her. Daisy gave him a grateful smile; she had seen it too.
“Well,” Walter said as he took a much too noisy sip of his drink. “This is just lovely. Is there anything that anyone wishes to discuss today?”
He glanced meaningfully at Edmund, making the Duke’s blood boil. He had just been about to ask the big question before this silly man walked in. The last thing he needed was to be made to look foolish. “I think it might be nice for me and Mary to have some time to ourselves,” he said through gritted teeth.
Maybe it was not customary to spend time without a chaperone, but surely it had grown past that now? Walter had left them alone for a short while last time anyway.
Walter bristled; he did not want to miss the big moment when it happened. He wanted to see it with his own eyes to know for certain. Maybe it would be good enough to see the ring afterwards – presuming there was a ring – but still he did not like it. Unfortunately, judging by the look on Edmund’s face, this was the only way that things would progress.
“I see,” he said carefully. “That is fine. Shall I leave the room?”
He pushed himself upwards slightly, but Edmund shook his head. “No, it is fine. The weather is lovely. Maybe Mary and I should take a walk in the gardens.”
Mary’s entire body tightened; she knew what was coming and was not sure that she was totally ready for it yet. Not the wedding and moving forward with her life, but the actual proposal itself. Having never been engaged before, she did not know what to expect.
Walter nodded, agreeing to free the couple to go outside alone.
Edmund moved into a standing position, and he extended his hand to Mary. With her lips curling upright, she reached forward and allowed him to grab her hand. As their skin connected, her heart raced at a million miles an hour, and those sparkles flew through her once more. As her heart danced about in her chest, she allowed herself to be pulled up, and she walked arm in arm with Edmund towards the back door that led out into the gardens surrounding her home.
The sun beat down upon the couple, making the grass and the flowers seem that much brighter. Mary breathed in deeper, inhaling the lovely scent of the outside world, even taking a moment to really listen to the beautiful song a bird in the tree tweeted. For the first time in a long while, the outside world felt like something that needed to be admired.
“It is lovely,” she commented idly, almost forgetting what they were doing outside as they walked. “I do very much love it here.”
“Yes, yes.” Edmund wanted to focus on the words that Mary was saying to him, but it was hard when he could not stop thinking about what he had to do next. “Lovely, yes.”
I need to find the words, he thought desperately as he moved. He put one foot in front of the other calmly enough, but internally he felt a mess. Why has my mind gone completely blank? Everything that he had prepared to say, all that he had planned fell apart at the time when he actually had to speak them aloud.
“Are you alright?” Mary felt compelled to ask. “You appear to be very …”
“Distracted?” he offered. “Yes, I know. I do seem distracted.” He let out a sound that was supposed to be a laugh, but it sounded far too
strangled for that. “I do apologise, that is not how I like to be.”
Mary squeezed his arm. Suddenly she could see how nervous he was about everything. She had been so wrapped up in her own fear that she hardly considered what Edmund might be going through, “No, I understand that,” she told him kindly. “I know you are not normally like this at all.”
He glanced down at Mary, feeling the sunshine rays from her happy mood wash over him. Before her, he had not realised that anything was missing in his life. Now he could not imagine going through a single day without her brightening up his life. It would be even better when they were married too; he could see her all the time. There would be no more scheduling appointments or making arrangements, no one else impinging on their time.
Never mind, I shall just speak from the heart.
With one decisive move, he swung around to face Mary, and he dropped to one knee. Looking up at her with a shining love in his eyes, he let the words flow. “Lady Mary Roberts, I know that you are already aware of my intentions, but I would love to be able to ask you myself.”
Mary nodded with tears welling in her eyes. She expected the chat to be more of a formal one; she assumed that they would merely be discussing the practical details and was not aware that it would be quite so romantic.
“I would love you to be my wife. I think …” Edmund paused and smiled. “I am falling in love with you.” Mary gasped audibly. This was like her dream coming true, and it felt wonderful. “So, do you think that maybe you would like to … get married, I mean?”
“I … I would,” Mary stammered. “I would like that very much.”
She did not know how to act while Edmund slipped the ring onto her finger; there was a sensation inside of her that all she wanted to do was dance. She felt the intense urge to wrap her arms around Edmund’s neck and to hold him close.
Soon … she told herself desperately. Soon I shall be able to hold him however much I want.