“Oh, Henry. I love you so much. It’s never going to be the same without you. I shall be so lonely. However, shall I survive?”she cried.
“Shhh. Do not say that Elizabeth. You shall do just fine. You have Nicholas, and you have the memories of our love to carry on with. Thirty years together. That is going to count, right?”
“Right.”
“Good. In that case, do not be sad, and do not think that surviving will be difficult. You are strong, and you will do so, just fine. Nicholas will take care of you too. Of that I am certain.”
Nicholas was the only child they had been blessed with, in all their years of marriage. At first, Elizabeth had worried he would be unhappy with her and seek another wife or a mistress, but he never said a word of complaint to her. It never crossed his mind, not even in the three years it took for her to become heavy with Nicholas. He had loved her through it all, cherished her like she was the only woman he saw and remained faithful to her. That was something many women of the ton could not boast of.To think that they had had to grow in love.
“Do you think we should let him know?”
Henry thought about this for a while before responding.
“I would rather not. At least, not now. He would be so devastated, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth nodded, agreeing with him.
“Speaking of Nicholas, since I would be... leaving, do you not think it is time for him to take a wife? We have given him enough time to bury his head in those books of his, do you not reckon? He is not getting any younger, especially at twenty and seven summers. I declare, we need to get him married.” It was a thought that had plagued his mind in the past weeks, and he only hoped his wife would agree. She raised her head at that.
“You are right. He has spent enough time in his books. However, Nicholas has not so much as declared any interest in any young lady of the ton, or his peerage for that matter. I doubt he would be kin on the idea of marriage so suddenly, Henry. If it must happen, then we shall have to find a wife for him from a respectable household lest he makes a wrong choice, especially with the season coming around.”
“Indeed. Indeed. I would very much like to see him married before I go. We know a number of ladies from reputable households. We could think hard on whom to arrange for him. I would prefer a mature lady who has not only just left the schoolroom. You know how Nicholas is. He would need an older lady with developed senses who would arrest his attention, longer than those books of his.”
“Ahh. Yes. I can think of a few families, but all of them have daughters who are already married, betrothed, or just out of the schoolroom. It shall be hard to find such a lady, Henry.”
This placed him into deep thoughts. She had to be one who could engage Nicholas in sensible chitchat, not the meaninglessness ones from air-headed schoolgirls, for Nicholas would accept nothing less. But... Who could such a lady be?
He thought and thought until he remembered his dear friend, Williams Birmingham, the Duke of Cambridge. He and Williams had attended Eaton together and remained business partners until now. How was it that he had not quickly come to mind? Indeed, Williams had three daughters, all of whom were unmarried, and the eldest daughter was the perfect age he sought for his son. Eyes twinkling, he looked up at his wife.
“Elizabeth. You must remember Williams, the Duke of Cambridge. You and his wife, Victoria, have met for tea a number of times, I presume I am correct?”
She seemed to think for a few seconds, her brows furrowed in confusion before clearing with realization. “Ahh. Yes. Yes, you are. Although, I do not care for the Duchess; I remember quite well that they have three daughters, ripe for marriage, and yet to be promised.” Her eyes lit up as she put two and two together, and Henry saw another reason why he loved this woman. She had wit that could not be matched.
“You are thinking of Agnes Birmingham, are you not?”
“Aye. I knew you would figure it out. I have met with the young miss, a few times. Lovely child and sensible too. Aye. I think she would do just fine for our Nicholas. And that family, I have heard not of a single scandal to tarnish their good name. I do not think we could get a better match for Nicholas.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth replied, bobbing her head.
“In that case, we shall write a letter to the Birminghams and have it delivered before the season commences. We must know if they would like such a union between our families.”
“Of course! Howbeit, I do not conceive that would be an issue. We have just as good a standing as them, after all! Nicholas is also a fine young man. One of the most eligible bachelors in all of England, except the Prince of course, even if I do say so myself.” She sounded like it was absurd to even consider that anyone would reject them. It was only to be expected from a mother who was as proud of her son as she was of Nicholas.
“You shall get no arguments from me, dear wife. If it is settled, you shall call the scribe and have him draw up a proposal. Then, we shall send James to have it delivered to their manor in Cambridge.”
“I shall do just that. Oh Henry, if things go as planned, it is going to be a wonderful season!”
“Indeed Elizabeth. It is.”
Chapter 2
One of Victoria Birmingham’s favourite times of the day was her traditional afternoon tea with her friends in her drawing room, which was her fondest place in the manor. From the regal furnishing and the comfortable chairs, to the windows which opened out to the field and pond, affording her visitors a lovely view, one could say that the reason why the Duchess organised these tea parties in the first place was to show off her exquisite taste. She never hid the fact that she had singlehandedly redesigned the drawing room after marrying Williams, for the state in which it had been before was tasteless and terribly old-fashioned. In her words – a sight for poor eyes. So she went to work immediately and had her dear husband ensure that the drawing room was made to her taste. Now, it served as a good place to afford her much needed company in this country life which got terribly boring without the season to keep her busy.
There was always so much juicy gossip to be shared during these visits, and this was why she hated to be interrupted. Out of courtesy, her guests were expected to wait until her return before saying anything further, but she knew that was not the case. She could hardly fault them since she was just as guilty of the same offence when positions were reversed. She was the one to continue discussions as soon as the hostess made excuses for her leave, insisting that she could be filled in later. For this reason, Victoria was of the opinion that the few minutes of her absence was usually an avenue to discuss her. Everyone in her household knew better than to disturb her with unnecessary matters that could be attended to later. This made her wonder why the butler, Edward, was standing by her side this beautiful afternoon, trying to gain her attention. Miffed, she halted the ongoing conversation with a hand in the air and turned to him, giving the haughtiest look she could muster.
“Yes Edward? Do you care to inform the ladies and me why you have decided to interrupt our tea session this afternoon with such lovely weather outside?” There was absolutely no need to bring the weather into play, she simply liked to overkill.
The butler tried not to shift on his feet; notwithstanding, it was obvious that he was not happy to be in this position.
“My apologies, my ladies.” He bowed, one hand folded on his back as he did, while the other remain fisted by his side. They nodded at him, and although he could not see, stood up just in time – it came with years of practice.
“I have only been sent to inform Your Grace that My Lord has requested your presence. I informed him of your session, but he insisted I come for you. He says it is matter of urgency, and I am not to return without you.”
Victoria’s expression softened a bit on hearing this, but it did not stop her from feeling put off by the interruption. Still, she knew if her husband was taking her away from her guests, it really was something which needed her immediate attention. Hence, she rose on her
feet and proceeded to regard all the women seated around her ballroom, with their ladies in waiting. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine, she lifted her head, feeling like the self-proclaimed Queen she was.
“Ladies. You must pardon me, I pray thee. We have all heard from my butler’s mouth, and it is common knowledge that I must not keep My Lord waiting. If you would be gracious enough to excuse me for some minutes, I shall return as soon as I can manage to leave the Duke’s presence. I do hope this is fine by you, and I am permitted to take my leave?”
A murmur of agreement went round, and she smiled, pleased that they had not answered differently than she had been expecting them to. Her asking for permission had only been a matter of courtesy, after all.
“Well, in that case, we shall continue this discussion upon my return. Enjoy yourselves.” Her voice was as cheery as it could be, but no one could lie that they had not detected the note of warning in them. Before she left, she gave her maid who was in charge of pouring the tea, a wink,and the woman who was named Betty, curtsied. Since her ladies would be leaving with her, she could trust Betty to keep her ears open for any gossip that would be shared in her absence. Her own servants were her tested and trusted gossip mill, as long as the Birmingham household was concerned, and very little went on without her knowledge in this house.
Nodding to the women in her drawing room again, she lifted her skirts and let Edward lead her to her husband.
As they walked, she nodded at servants who greeted her, none of them able to meet her gaze. It pleased her greatly that they revered her so. Although she knew they only respected her so much because of the fear she had instilled in them. Well, it worked perfectly for her. She was of the opinion that inferiors had to be afraid of their superiors, tremble constantly in their presence, so as to be constantly reminded of their place. She was a ruthless woman who loved power and wealth, relished it, took maximum advantage of it, and felt no guilt, whatsoever.
Indeed, she was an arrogant aristocrat, through and through. The model for propriety and a perfect example of the personalities the ton comprised. She knew that she had very few true friends because of this, but it bothered her not in the slightest.
Soon, they arrived at the Duke’s study, and she dismissed Edward.
“I do not have to be announced to my own husband in my own home, Edward.”
Her ladies-in-waiting stayed behind, not needing her instruction to do so. It was common knowledge that the Duchess did not welcome an audience when she wanted to have a private word with her husband.
She found her husband, the Duke of Cambridge lounging on the chair by his desk.
“You called for me?”
He looked up at that, and upon meeting the eyes of the only person she had ever genuinely loved, a bright smile spread across her face.
“Ahh. Victoria. There you are,” he greeted, rising on his feet so he could come to her. She gave him her cheeks as he reached her, and he promptly placed soft kisses on them as he loved to do.
“I am terribly sorry for calling you from your tea session. You must forgive me. I only could not keep this exciting news to myself any longer, you see.” He was already going back to his desk. She too began to follow, but his words caught her attention, halting her in mid-stride.
“Exciting news, you say? Pray, tell me what it is!”
The Duke chuckled at this, and she flushed. She knew he must be thinking about how much she loved gossip, or in this case, news. He stopped and turned to look at her.
“First, you have to affirm that you are no longer angry at me, dear wife; you know I hate it so much when you get cross with me.” He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips to press kisses along her knuckles. She watched him until his eyes pulled her and held her hostage. The feel of his cool lips against her skin and the intensity of his gaze sent thrilling sensations up her nerves, travelling to settle down in a pool of arousal, just beneath her belly. His eyes began to twinkle as a smirk stole across his lips, and she knew her arousal must have sent flashes through her eyes.
She looked away quickly, withdrawing her fingers, but it was already too late, and again, William laughed at this.
Her lips twitched with a smile that was fighting to break free, regardless of how hard she tried to keep her frown on. Darn him!
“Give in to it Victoria. You know you can never stay cross with me. As soon as you smile, I will take it that I have been forgiven, and share this good news with you. I can only imagine that you are dying to hear what it is. I promise you it is worth it.
He knew how to get her, alright. More eager to hear this news than she was to keep playing mad at him, she gave into the smile that tugged at her lips and flashed him her perfect dentition.
“Now, that is the Victoria I know.”
“Oh hush! This had better be worth it, or else, the Victoria I love will be back in a snap of fingers. Now, out with it! Tell me.”
“Tsk tsk tsk. Still lacking of that virtue, I see?” He winked at her, and she smiled cheekily. While he hardly ever made her feel beneath him, Williams was the only one who could tease her and go scot-free.
“Tell you? Oh, but Victoria, why in the heavens shall I do that when you can see for yourself? Come, my dear.” He took her hands, and she quietly let him lead her to his desk.
As they got to his desk, he dropped her hands so he could rummage through his desk for the envelope that had arrived earlier. He sighed when he found it and then retrieved it to hand over to her. She eyed the mischievous grin on his face as she took the envelope. The seal caught her attention, and she began to examine it.
“This seal looks awfully familiar, Williams. I simply cannot recall whose it is at the moment. It is broken. If you have read it, why can’t you just tell me?”
“And what will be the fun in that, my love? Come on now, read for yourself.”
Eyeing him suspiciously, she opened the envelope and brought the letter out of it, curious to know what the mystery was all about. She handed the envelope over to her husband and proceeded to unfold the letter. When she was done, she began to read.
As she read, her brows furrowed as she tried to fathom why Williams was showing her a correspondence from his business partner and friend. Then she saw it, and her eyes widened, as her heart started to thump in delight. Still, she kept her excitement in until she was done reading.
“Oh my, Williams! But this is amazing!”she cried out. “TheDuke of Yorkshire wants Agnes to be married to his son, the future Duke? Oh, but Williams! However, did this happen?”She was beyond excited; she was thrilled, and it rang in her voice as she spoke. This was great news indeed! Seeing her daughters married to nobles had always been her dream. To see that would come to pass, it pleased her so.
“I think it is as they have said. They feel it is high time Nicholas took a wife for himself, and they believe Agnes will be a perfect match. The footman arrived with the letter just as your session began. I knew this would be something you would make an exception for as you would not want to receive the news late. Now, was it worth it?”
“Oh, but a thousand times over! I would have been much more put off if you had kept this from me any longer. You did good Williams. Now, you are forgiven.”
“Hail Mary, mother of Jesus! Music to my ears!” he cried, dramatically.
She finally laughed, covering her mouth as she did so, for she never wanted to be anything but prim and proper.
“Oh Williams! Stop it. I am so thrilled by this proposal. Of course, we must speak to Agnes at once and send a message to the Duke and Duchess, confirming our acceptance of their proposal. I have no doubt this would be an excellent match.”
She began floating around the room – for she never paced – as plans began to hatch in her head. As soon as Agnes accepted this proposal – and she would, for Victoria was on her last patient nerve when it came to that first daughter of hers – wedding preparations would begin! They would use the biggest parish, of course, and the entire ton w
ould be present. It was to be the grandest wedding of all time after all. Her daughter was finally going to get married, and no one would stop her from throwing the best wedding of all seasons. One that would only be rivaled by Isabelle’s, which would come next.
A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 2