My Deceitful Marquess
Page 2
Sonia’s health changed much to her relief. A few days later the weather was very good, and she seemed to get used to the movement of the boat. One day she wanted to go on deck. There Sonia met several people who enjoyed the magnificent sunny day.
Sonia was sitting with her umbrella. She was covered from the inclement sun when her brother joined her. “Good morning, sister.”
“Good morning, Edward.”
“Are you feeling better?”
“A bit.”
“You must try to distract yourself so you don’t think of your discomfort.” He placed a hand over hers, but Sonia withdrew her hand. She was hurt by her brother’s words on the day that he talked to her mother and because he was helping her father in his plans to marry her off.
“I just learned that Angustias Walton is also on this ship.”
“Angustias?” It was strange that she was traveling to England.
“She seems to be traveling with her cousin and his wife, who is English, the daughter of a count and I imagine she will be her chaperone. The idea is to present her to society and marry her off with someone of the nobility.”
“Her too? For God’s sake! Have all the parents’ gone crazy? We are sent like a batch of cattle for the nobles of England to choose the best cow.”
“Sonia! Take care of the way you speak,” he chided.
“I’m just telling the truth. They are not interested in the least of our feelings. They only care to get rid of their daughters, but if they can be related to the nobility, so much the better.”
“It’s totally exhausting talking to you. I’m going to leave you alone so you’ll settle down a bit, but think about changing your attitude, Sonia. It’s not going to help you if you keep having tantrums like a spoiled little girl.” Edward left.
Sonia decided not to listen to him because all that would do was to make her feel bad and bother her more than she already was. She looked at the crystal clear water and felt the breeze caress her face. That seemed to relax her and then she thought about her future and what awaited her in England. She couldn’t understand a parent’s eagerness to send their daughters for the social season to get a husband. Now poor Angustias was in the same position as her. An heiress like her and with the same curse of having to look for a man of their same social standing and with her family’s approval. Up until now, Sonia hadn’t seen her on the boat, but she remembered that they attended the same events. Sonia thought that she was a nice and very kind girl. She didn’t dislike her, but the problem was that Angustias dressed like a widow in dismal colors like brown, black, gray, and sometimes in purple. Those colors didn’t do justice to her pretty skin or her eyes, but her mother, as Sonia had heard was an extreme fanatic and thought everything was a sin. The poor girl was tied to her mother. Angustias barely went anywhere and Sonia couldn’t understand how they wanted to marry her off to someone of the nobility when she looked like a frightened bunny every time someone talked to her.
Weeks later, the ship arrived in England and Sonia could only thank God and fight the strong urge to kiss the ground. She’d had the impression that she would never touch the earth again. All that time in such a small space with only water ahead and the company of her maid and her pompous brother could have ended her sanity. She used to go to eat in the company of the captain and other important passengers, but she was bored by the constant talk of the war or the gossip about who had a good reputation or who was about to lose it. So there came a time when she ate her breakfast and dinner in her room and only left in the evenings to get some sun. Now that they had finally reached their destination Sonia set out to see the streets in detail. It was not very nice out there. The atmosphere was dirty and smelly. All kinds of men, from the very well dressed to those who were sweaty and loading huge boxes walked close to her. She had to cover her nose with a handkerchief and thanked God that there was a carriage waiting for them. Sonia and her maid entered and waited for them to finish placing their luggage on top. Her brother entered, gave the carriage a small tap, and it pulled out.
As Sonia continued to cover her nose from the terrible smell, she could see the streets crowded with carriages. The streets were so narrow that she could not understand how the carriages and pedestrians could fit in the same space. That there was room for the itinerant businesses they had on the sidewalks. At that time it was raining, and the streets were wet and apparently very slippery because she saw a poor woman land on the ground violently due to a fall.
“Oh God, this is chaos,” Sonia said, surprised by what she saw and the terrible noise.
“It’s no stranger than what you’ve seen in New York,” her brother said.
“It doesn’t look anything alike,” she replied. “It may be very crowded, but there’s a lot more space and less noise.”
“No, dear,” her brother laughed, “the parts that you frequent are like that. You have never gone to the streets where the factories are or approached the places where the working class live. That’s why you’re surprised.”
“Maybe.” She looked at him sideways. “But if the rest of London is like this. I am not crazy enough to want to live here.”
“I’m sorry to say there’s no turning back. Here is where you will live if you marry.” He looked annoyed at her and then relaxed a little. “But don’t worry, when we pass this part of the city things will improve. All London is not so dirty and disorganized.”
“I hope so, Edward. I don’t like what I see at all.”
“The landscape will change in a few minutes. Our house is very beautiful and the section where we will live is the most exclusive.”
Sonia could see that what her brother said was true. About fifteen minutes later, they entered a section full of imposing houses, very beautiful and elegant. Her mood seemed to improve and as she left the carriage Sonia smiled for the first time since she got off the boat.
“Is it worthy of you, Your Excellency?” asked her brother, watching her look at the house.
“It seems comfortable ... yes, I think it will be sufficient,” Sonia replied, just to annoy him.
Sonia entered with her maid, while two servants and the footman, carried their luggage into the house.
“I want to take a bath,” Sonia said to her maid and at that moment an older, plump woman appeared. “Welcome, Miss.”
“Thank you.”
“My name is Gertrude. I’m the housekeeper and I’m here for whatever you need.”
“Thank you, Gertrude.”
“Could you please tell me where my room is?”
“Yes, miss.” She motioned for Sonia to follow her. “Please follow me.” She went up the stairs and walked through a large hall with rooms to each side. Sonia’s room was the second one and when she opened the door, she could see that it was larger than she expected. In fact, the house seemed to be bigger than what was seen from the outside.
When Sonia entered her room, and she saw the bed she went to sit down. Sonia was really exhausted and just wanted to get some sleep.
“Thank you, Gertrude. Could you please tell someone to prepare a bath?”
“Immediately,” said the woman who left her alone with her maid. Her maid began to take the clothes from the trunks and organize them in the closet. Sonia lay back for a moment but inadvertently fell asleep.
“Miss, your bath is ready.” Charlotte woke her. “I’ll help you get undressed.”
Sonia let her do everything. She was so tired that she didn’t want to move a finger. When she was already seated in the bathtub Sonia felt her maid undo her styled hair and then carefully comb it. Sonia stared vacantly and thought about everything that was to come. It was a nightmare having to acquire a husband with a title. “My shoulders, head, and everything else hurt.”
“Don’t worry, miss. I’ll give you a massage and you’ll see how the hot water helps too.” Her maid started combing her hair and then picked it up again in a looser bun than the previous one. “Everything’s going to be all right, miss. Don’t worry.�
�� Charlotte massaged her shoulders with oil of roses. “You’re very tense, but in a while, you will feel better.”
“Thanks, Charlotte, you’re so good to me.”
“It’s my duty to make sure you are always well, miss. The truth is that I do it with pleasure,” she smiled.
“You’re the only one I can talk to about things that I don’t tell my friends. I don’t know if it’s because we’re almost the same age or because I like you.”
“Perhaps both.”
“It’s so difficult to have someone to talk to openly. I sometimes end up having conversations with my mirror.”
“You can tell me anything, Miss. You know I would never tell anyone.”
Sonia sighed at the delicious sensation of the massage on her neck and shoulders. “What am I going to do? Everything is so confusing now.”
“Everything will get better. Just wait and see. Tomorrow you’ll go to see your relatives and your cousin will explain to you how things work here.”
“I hope so,” Sonia said without much hope.
“Now just stop thinking and relax. When you’re rested, you’ll see things differently.” Charlotte continued the soothing movements on her back. Then she touched her shoulders, pressing down on them, releasing the knots that Sonia had during the whole trip. Between the massage, the steam of the hot water and the relaxing odor of the rose oil Sonia slowly closed her eyes.
Three hours later, Sonia woke up and everything was dark. She got up from the bed to see that the sun had already set. She touched the little bell on the wall and called her maid. Sonia vaguely remembered having risen from the bathtub and with Charlotte’s help had gone to bed.
Her maid came up almost immediately and brought a tray. “I was about to come upstairs to see you. Do you want to have dinner?”
“I’ll eat downstairs, Charlotte,” Sonia said. “I imagine my brother expects me to accompany him.”
“Mr. Edward had dinner a while ago, Miss. He told me not to bother you. That you were tired. He also said that tomorrow you would see each other for breakfast and then go home to visit your cousin.”
“Well, Edward is very considerate of late.”
Charlotte smiled. “Rest tonight so that you’ll be ready for tomorrow. Do you need anything? Do you want me to bring you something for dinner?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m not hungry. Go to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow if I want to be presentable to go to my cousin’s house after breakfast.”
“All right, Miss. Have a good night.”
Sonia was no longer sleepy. She stayed in bed reading a book and thinking of everything that was to come.
*****
The next morning, Sonia looked out of the window and all that she saw was a thick fog that fell over the street. The day was cold, and she didn’t feel like going out to see all those carriages stuck in the narrow streets. She looked at her brother who was looking at the newspaper.
“What will we do today?”
“In an hour we will go to our cousin’s house. You should finish getting ready. Then come back downstairs and then we will go.”
“I’m ready.”
He looked her up and down. “Very well, then go do something. I’m still reading the newspaper.”
Sonia looked at him with a piercing gaze and then went to her room. She stayed there for a little over an hour looking at some dresses that needed to have the hem fixed and gave them to her maid to repair. They were beautiful and practically new, but she always damaged the hem of her dresses. Her mother told her that it was because she didn’t walk like a lady. After an hour, her brother sent for her and the two of them left to visit their cousin Horatia and her husband the Viscount of Exeter
They had a beautiful house in Mayfair but Edward had told her that they only used it for the months that the Viscount had to be in London. The house where they lived most of the time was in the country. A footman opened the door and led them to the blue room where they would meet their cousin. Five minutes later they were hugging Horatia.
“By God, Sonia, you look splendid.” Horatia looked at her from head to foot.
“Thank you so much, cousin. You look great, too. The time you’ve been married has agreed with you.”
“No, dear. What has agreed with me is the country air. Very soon I would like for you to come and visit my house in the country.”
“Thank you, Horatia. It will be a pleasure to visit you there,” Edward said.
“And your husband?” asked Sonia. She was eager to meet the man that her cousin fell in love with.
“He’ll be here later. I told him that you would visit, and he told me that he would come for the four o’clock tea. Right now he’s very busy with political issues, but I’m sure he will be on time.” Horatia sat next to Sonia. “Tell me how my aunt and uncles are doing.”
“Mama is very well. Beautiful as always.”
“I really miss my aunt. She always has a kind smile and is ready to help everyone. And my uncle? Is he as bad-tempered as ever?” Horatia said with a laugh.
“He’s the same, cousin. You know he doesn’t change. At home we do what he says and nothing else.”
“Don’t be so exaggerated, Sonia. You only say that because you didn’t like his decision to send you here to get married, but he only wants the best for you.”
Sonia rolled her eyes. “If you say so,” she replied to her brother, but she looked at Horatia. She was familiar with Edward’s demeanor.
“And speaking of that ... I have many things to tell you. We have to go to several places. You must go to the dressmaker to have a new wardrobe made for the occasion.”
“I brought a lot of clothes. I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“I’ll have to see them. You know that fashion is not the same and although American’s believe they wear the latest fashions. Here American fashion is often out of date. And if there is one thing that is unforgivable in a young lady who is presented to society it is that she wears old-fashioned dresses.”
“You know more than I do,” Sonia looked at the exquisite dress that Horatia wore.
“Don’t worry, my dear.” Horatia patted Sonia’s hand. “When you make your debut in front of the prince, you will be more than ready.”
Edward stayed with them a little longer and then said he would leave them alone to talk about women’s things. Meanwhile, he would take advantage of the time to arrange some business, but that he would return for the tea at four. When he would meet the viscount.
When he left the two cousins who had always maintained a good friendship via correspondence they had more time to get comfortable and talk about things that they couldn’t speak about in front of Edward.
“My dear cousin. It’s been so long. How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
“More than eight years. We were little girls when you were last in New York visiting my parent’s.”
“Oh, yes. That’s true. Time flew by. I still remember them taking us to the doll stores and buying us everything.” They both laughed, remembering that time.
“It’s nice to see you here and know that if you marry a nobleman, we can see each other much more often,” Horatia said excitedly. “I confess that sometimes I feel a little alone. Father and Mother are a bit far away from London. Even from our country house. Selina lives in Edinburgh. Which is a little closer but is still too far for us to see each other frequently.
“Your husband doesn’t keep you company?”
“Oh yes! Ralph is a very attentive man and spoils me. He tries to spend as much time as possible at home when we are in London, but his political affairs in the House of Lords, occupy his time quite a bit. I have some acquaintances that I see regularly. We have tea. We talk about things without importance and gossip, but nothing else. They are superficial friendships. It’s not like talking with family.”
“I understand. I have a very good friend in New York. The rest are just social acquaintances.”
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�Then we won’t have to worry about that.” Horatia smiled.
A girl arrived at that time and brought them a tray of tea and biscuits. Horatia thanked her and poured her a cup of tea next to a plate of different types of biscuits. While she placed one in her mouth she looked at Sonia for a moment. “You are not very enthusiastic about the idea of getting married, are you?”
Sonia was surprised. “Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know ...” she explained it a bit more in detail. “Perhaps, because most of the debutantes have a certain look in their eyes. Their cheerful gestures show how much they are excited to meet the gentlemen and how much they want to find their prince charming, but in your case, that isn’t true. You haven’t spoken about it at all. You have not asked me where we can go or what kind of things you have to do to look beautiful that day.”
“We talked a while ago when Edward was still here,” Sonia said, trying to evade the topic.
“That’s not true,” Horatia laughed. “I was the one who put forward the subject, but you didn’t say anything.” She placed a hand on Sonia’s arm. “Don’t worry. I know that you are nervous. I also spent some time being nervous until I met my husband at a dance and knew he was the chosen one of my heart. Something similar will happen to you. You just have to wait and try to look even more beautiful than you already are. Although, you don’t have to worry about that. I will take care of everything,” she said confidently.
Sonia wished it were as easy as her cousin explained that everything would happen, but when the debutante had no interest in getting married, the story was very different.
CHAPTER 3
Her cousin planned to pick her up the next day so they could go out together to see some sites and maybe take a stroll around the park. They went to the dressmaker who saw Horatia and was all smiles and very attentive.
“Good evening, Lady Exeter.”
“Good afternoon, Augusta. I brought you, my cousin, Sonia Hearst today. She is a newcomer from America and is here for the season.”