by Abby Ayles
But she was not a pauper anymore, was she? She had moved on from that life. Now, this was her life. A life of wealth and status and riches beyond measure.
“I should be very grateful to you for that,” the duke replied.
Dinner soon arrived, and the evening wore on. Thea returned to her room and was relieved that she was left to herself. She did not know what the duke might have in mind for the days to come, but she was amazed at how comfortable she was for now.
Thea wondered if she would manage to remain so or if everything would once more be turned against her.
Chapter 14
His new wife, Thea, was far more cheerful at breakfast that day, which the duke was relieved to see. They had still spoken very little and treated one another as fellow heirs of nobility rather than as husband and wife, but he thought that, for now, this was much more suitable.
With time, they would learn more of one another and come to live as husband and wife, but he wished to allow the duchess to be more comfortable before things changed between them. They still were barely able to manage a small conversation.
The Duke of Sandon left just after breakfast, knowing that he had best visit his mother one last time without his new wife. He had not yet prepared the duchess for his mother’s behavior and thought it best to see her alone.
Arriving at her estate, the one which they had previously shared, the Duke of Sandon prepared himself for whatever lecture may come next.
However, upon greeting his mother, he found her entirely changed.
“My son, what a blessing! Married? And how is your pretty, new wife? Oh, indeed, she seemed quite lovely from the distance at which I saw her,” she said in a complimentary way.
Joseph was taken aback but smiled despite himself. His mother was being kind and speaking highly of his wife. He had never expected this from her.
“Yes, indeed, Mother. She is well. And I am quite glad for the ways in which she had made herself comfortable at the estate,” he said cheerfully.
“Has she spoken too much? Oh, I do hope she is no chatterbox,” his mother commented disgustedly.
The duke scoffed. “Mother, she is the complete opposite. It is difficult to get a word from her, which is how I know that she was happy upon seeing the home and all that is available to her. She is going to finish the furnishings and will help to create a beautiful home for us,” he commented in relief.
“Oh yes, well, of course she is happy with the home. She was a pauper before this! She had best be eternally grateful for all that you are providing her with,” the woman said with a bit of an edge in her voice.
“Mother…” the duke warned. Yes, perhaps he had hoped too soon that his mother would accept his new wife.
“Oh, I know. Don’t worry. I’ll not turn into any sort of dragon. I’m simply saying that I would be surprised if she remained unhappy after seeing the beautiful things that you have provided her,” she said.
“Yes, of course, Mother,” the duke replied dryly.
“Why don’t you bring her this evening? I should very much like to meet her properly. Dinner would be lovely. Would you be willing?” she pleaded.
Unused to this side of his mother, the duke agreed, deciding it was as good a time as any to introduce his wife to the other most important woman in his world.
The Duke of Sandon returned home and found his wife.
“My mother would like for us to go and meet with her. Would you enjoy a dinner at her estate?” he asked.
There was a sense of hesitation that he saw in her eyes and he could not blame her for it. He tried to broaden his smile. She gave a small tilt of her head in acknowledgment.
“Yes, it would be lovely to meet her,” she said, as if trying desperately hard to mean the words.
The duke spent some time getting ready and hoped that his wife would do the same. When he saw her again, he remembered that the new dresses did not fit.
The duchess looked well in her older clothes, but he saw how they did not suit her current station and it was evident that his mother would notice as well. He did not wish to embarrass his wife, but he understood that she had likely not spent her first day in the new home bringing the three dresses to a proper fit.
For a woman like the new duchess, her old clothes were still very much ideal. She would not see them as problematic in the least. They were comfortable, nice, even, for the area in which she had lived.
Explaining to her that suddenly she must dress like nobility would be difficult. It was not the identity she had grown accustomed to.
Still, he said nothing, but sensed her discomfort as he had the night before. She recognized that she was underdressed but could not seem to reconcile what exactly made her so.
“You look lovely,” he said to set her at ease.
“Thank you,” she replied quietly, clearly uncertain of his honesty.
“Do you enjoy the house?” the duke asked.
His wife looked at him with eyes wide. “Most certainly. It is an amazing thing to behold,” she replied.
“I’m glad for it,” he said, unsure what else he ought to say.
After another hour and a half in the coach, the third that day for the duke, they reached his mother’s estate. He saw in Thea’s face the same awe that she had had upon seeing his own. But he retained the pride of knowing that his own was more exquisite than his mother’s and it would soon have her own eye upon it, bringing it new life.
They were greeted by the staff and entered the home when the Dowager Duchess came rushing out quickly to the entrance with her neck dripping in golden jewels. The crimson of her gown, for she nearly always wore shades of red, was both rich and youthful.
“Oh, how lovely it is to meet you! Let me have a look at you,” she said, enthusiastically.
The duke watched with pride as his mother fawned over his new wife, ushering them in for dinner. They were rushed more than anticipated. He would have liked for a bit of time in the parlor to speak and for his mother and wife to get to know one another.
Upon dinner being brought out, his mother finally opened her mouth again to learn about her son’s new wife.
“Now, tell me about your father,” she began.
The duchess opened her mouth awkwardly and answered as best she could. “My father, Mr. Caulfield, is a very hard-working man. He is a simple merchant, but he has worked his way well into the world. The majority of his clients are nobility and businessmen,” she answered.
“Really? How fascinating,” the woman said through a thin veneer of falsehood. The duke sensed that everything was about to change, and the conversation would not be pleasant.
He had warned his wife that his mother could be bracing at times. However, he had not expected the viper to reveal itself so.
“Well, I expect it is nothing so grand as your own family,” the duchess said quietly with a polite smile.
“True. We can’t all be from good breeding, now can we,” the Dowager Duchess said.
He saw his wife’s smile falter slightly.
“My son tells me that you will be overseeing the furnishing of his new estate, is that correct?” she asked.
“Indeed, Your Grace, I shall. I am quite comfortable in that area thanks to my father’s work,” the duchess answered.
“And I expect you shall be the one to determine your father’s price? After all, if he is as much a pauper as they say, I anticipate that having his daughter decide how much a nobleman pays him will be quite the treat,” the woman said through a bitter smile.
The Duke of Sandon was growing deeply concerned and this swiftly transitioned to anger. He saw the wounds that were growing within his new wife and was unable to sit by quietly.
“Mother, please,” he scolded, feeling the rage beneath his skin.
“Please? Oh dear, I cannot understand what you mean. What do you ask of me?” she asked with a manipulated innocence.
“I ask that you do not treat my wife like this,” he said harshly with a glare.
“Treat her how? Oh dear, are you misunderstanding me? We are simply having a conversation. I should like to get to know the girl. Is that so wrong? She is your wife after all. I should very much like to know her,” his mother replied, trying to play a victim who was simply misunderstood in all of this.
“Well, you must know, Your Grace, that I shall not be deciding anything in terms of cost. That will be discussed between my father and my husband,” the duchess interjected, trying to close the conversation to further scrutiny.
“You see?” the duke asked, hoping his mother would discontinue her words.
“I see only what I have already seen. That you married a woman who has intentions of her own. She is very clever, to be sure. I am impressed that her charms have worked on you, son. I had thought you were cleverer than this,” she added with a gentle bitterness.
“Perhaps we ought to be leaving,” the duke said, standing, his whole body shaking from his anger.
“Oh, you do take things so personally. What at all is the matter?” she asked as if she were the one being offended.
“Mother, you are not to speak to my wife thus ever again. I understand that this new situation is difficult for you, but I shall not have you disrespect her. You know nothing of her,” he said harshly as the duchess seemed to shrink away from the argument.
“Nor do you. Tell me, Son, what do you really know of your new wife? Nothing at all! You cannot tell me that she is a good woman when you do not even have reason to know that yourself,” she scolded him.
The duke tried to temper himself. He could not believe his mother was behaving so, but he also knew that he was not able to show the fulness of his anger. He would have to remain calm to keep the peace.
“Goodbye, Mother,” the duke said with finality, gesturing for the duchess to come along with him.
His wife stood, cautiously, and they left quickly.
“I have never been treated in such a way! And by my own son!” his mother exclaimed in distress as they departed.
The duke opened the door to the coach before the coachman even managed to get down from his seat to do so. Letting his wife in first, the duke followed. Soon they were on their way back to his estate.
The duke sighed, leaning back in his seat. “I am sorry you did not have the opportunity to eat more than the soup,” he apologized to his wife. He felt exhaustion wash over him and knew he must look as awful as he felt.
“Think nothing of it,” she replied quietly.
“And I am deeply sorry for the rest of it,” he added.
The duchess remained silent, but he thought he saw a glisten of a tear. The duke worried deeply for his new wife and how she would handle the gossip and slander of society as a woman unaccustomed to being in the eye of the public. If his own mother could not accept her, how would the rest of the country?
It had been his own fault. The duke was frustrated by his decisions and how they were impacting her now. Why had he allowed all of this to come about?
When they arrived at the estate, he allowed her to retire to her room, but ordered the kitchen staff to make something to be taken to her for dinner. He himself was not hungry and anticipated his wife had lost her appetite as well, but he could not risk her going without food.
The duke also called for Mrs. Markley as he sat in his study.
“Mrs. Markley, might you be able to have one of the girls go into town tomorrow? Find one of my wife’s dresses and take measurements. Have some new dresses made for her. Five, at least. She has plans to take in the other three, but do not fret about those just now.
“Please have them tailored to perfection, I do not care about the cost,” he ordered.
Mrs. Markley nodded her head and left the duke to himself. He did not think dresses would mend all of these difficulties, but if he could help to minimize them, it would be worth it.
Otherwise, his new wife would be in a worse state than he had ever imagined, and it would all be his own fault.
Chapter 15
“Oh, my beautiful!” Thea exclaimed upon opening the door to the parlor.
“Your Grace,” Margaret laughed with a curtsey.
“Good heavens, please never address me so. To you I shall always be simply Thea. I cannot imagine a world in which those I love have to call me by my title merely because I married a titled man,” Thea said grudgingly.
“And I cannot imagine the thought of wanting to avoid a noble title!” Margaret exclaimed in reply. She continued to look around the home, amazed by every detail.
“I cannot even imagine living in such a place…” she said quietly with her mouth open.
Thea had her friend sit. Mrs. Markley came to ask what she might bring.
“Tea please, Mrs. Markley,” Thea requested politely.
“Tea only?” the housekeeper asked.
Thea looked at her, uncertain as to what else they might have.
“You would not like any cakes or pastries?” Mrs. Markley prompted.
Thea and Margaret looked at one another with wide eyes and excitement before nodding joyfully to Mrs. Markley who left with a grin of her own.
“As you wish!” she called over her shoulder.
“You are able to order cakes at any time you please?” Margaret asked in a hushed tone.
“So it would seem,” Thea laughed.
“Oh, do tell me about all the other wonders of life as a duchess. Is it utterly magnificent? It must be. I cannot imagine it not being amazing,” Margaret continued.
“Well…I suppose there are benefits of living here. I mean, you have seen the beauty of the home and the fact that I am able to order what I like whenever I should like it,” Thea pointed out.
“Yes, it is truly magnificent,” Margaret replied with delight.
“But there are a great many challenges as well,” Thea continued.
Margaret looked at her with concern. Just then, Mrs. Markley came in with the tea on a silver platter.
“The cakes will come presently,” she grinned before taking her leave again.
“What challenges, Thea?” Margaret asked.
Thea was quiet for a moment, not wanting to divulge everything to her friend. But knowing that she would scarcely have another opportunity to tell anyone, she finally began to speak honestly.
“Well, it is very clear that society will not accept me as I am. My new husband’s mother utterly detests me for my rank and I cannot blame her when it is all she has been taught. It is strange how those who can afford education are the very same who live in ignorance,” she explained.
Margaret nodded sympathetically, adding another lump of sugar to her tea.
“And we have been married for only three days, but I have spent the majority of that time here. It is very lonely. I miss my family terribly,” Thea confessed.
“Oh, dear Thea, they miss you too! I know they do. But they are excited for you. We all are. You have such a grand life here!” Margaret said again.
Thea sighed. “It is very difficult to explain, Margaret. But not all riches are worth what they require a person to give up. I would trade them for time with my mother and father any day. And to be with Delia and see what comes of Georgette. You must understand, it is so difficult to be away.
“I know our home was smaller, but it was full. There was love and family. Here, it is empty. Large and empty and I’ve no one really."
Margaret was clearly unable to fathom this. She looked around the room as if to remind Thea of her surroundings and how fortunate she was.
“I understand that I have much now, materially. But I also have the displeasure of being spoken down to by his mother, when I would give anything for a hug from my own. You are my first visitor, Margaret,” Thea said, adding the last bit as a reminder for the loneliness she felt.
“Why has your family not come?” she asked.
“Delia wrote to me yesterday, saying that mother and father will not come until we have been married for a full two weeks. They desire for us to hav
e time to get to know one another and enjoy marriage. But truly, save for mealtimes, I scarcely see the duke,” Thea said.
“Well, he has a very good reputation, Thea. They say he is a kind man. You really are fortunate to be married to him,” Margaret said.
“I have heard all of this as well, Margaret. I have heard how fortunate I am. I have heard that he is a kind and gracious man,” Thea repeated with frustration.
“But how am I to know what sort of man he is when he will not even speak to me?” she asked.