Page 84 of Taken By the Duke of Stone

Victor had then cocked his head, his expression turning heated, "that dress is very fetching on you."

"What are you thinking about?" the Duke's voice pulled her out of her reverie and she smiled.

"Nothing. We are going to be late to our own wedding breakfast."

He opened the carriage door and stepped out of the vehicle then held out his hand for her. "Are you coming?"

She allowed him to help her out and then together, they proceeded into the hall where their guests were already waiting. For the wedding breakfast, they had invited only a few family friends, including the Forsythes.

"Congratulations, Your Grace," someone said. Lavinia's gaze remained straight ahead for a second before she realized that she was the one being addressed.

"Oh- uh- thank you." She was a duchess now. It wasn't just a word, it came with responsibility. She should have felt anxious of her new title, but all she felt was excitement. She had no plans todisappoint Victor, but she also knew that he didn't expect her to be anybody but exactly who she was.

While Victor was speaking to some acquaintances, she spotted the dowager duchess giving instructions to one of the footmen. It was the last thing Lavinia wanted to do, but she knew she had to speak with the woman and clear the air once and for all. The dowager duchess hadn't been notably rude to her, but she had been standoffish, her eyes full of judgement and doubt. She didn't need them to be best of friends, but the woman loved her son and cordiality should not be too hard for them.

"Excuse me," she began to peel away from Victor's side but his hand tightened about her waist.

"Where are you off to?"

"I need to speak to your mother."

"She does not hate you," he whispered.

She shrugged, "she does not like me either. If you will excuse me."

Lavinia took her leave and marched towards the dark haired woman who stood as regally as any queen. As soon as she spotted her approaching, the older woman stiffened and her mouth pressed into a thin, disapproving line.

"It is obvious that you do not like me," she began and the dowager Duchess scoffed.

"I do not make it a habit to like everybody I come across."

Lavinia's eyes widened in disbelief, "I am not anybody, I am your son's wife and the new Duchess. If you are going to insult my intelligence, Your Grace, then I see no need for this conversation and to be frank, I am disappointed that you are taking the easy way out."

Her eyes narrowed and she drew herself even tauter, "what is that supposed to mean?"

"At least have the guts to admit your true feelings about me," she challenged.

"You want to know my true feelings, Your Grace," the title spilled out of her mouth with a grimace and Lavinia flinched, "I do not think you are suitable for my son, or this title. I do not even think you know what being the Duchess of Wyld entails. It is not just throwing parties and running amok when you think no one is watching. Someone will always be watching and you will have people relying on you. They will all want a piece of you and a girl like you will not know how to stop giving until there is nothing left."

Lavinia's mouth curved up into a smile, "anything else?"

The dowager duchess studied her. "My son is a very busy man. He may not show it, but he has been working nonstop for far too many years now and I hate to see him marry someone who would only become another job for him."

Her amusement fled at once. She wanted to get in the woman's face and tell her that she knew exactly how hard Victor had worked in taking care of both his sister and mother. Lavinia had no intention of becoming a job for him like his mother had been after the former Duke passed, but pointing fingers now would not do any of them any good.

"You think you know me, but you do not," she informed the older woman. "You believe that I am a flighty, wild girl with no sense of decorum or responsibility. Perhaps it is true, perhaps it is not. But what is certainly true is that I love your son with all my heart and because of that, I will never, ever allow myself to become another burden to him. I do not intend to change and mold myself into a likeness of you just to fit this position. I am myself first, a wife, someday a mother, a daughter, a niece, a cousin, before I am a duchess. I will not fit myself into a box to please you or the rest of theton. You can continue to judge me from the sidelines, waiting for me to either fail or change, and believe me, Your Grace, you will be waiting a very long time and will miss out on the lives of your son and future grandchildren."

She paused, allowing those words to sink in, "he married me for me and I plan to continue to be the woman he married. At least trust that your son knows his own mind and is capable of making good decisions," she couldn't help but add, "after all, you trusted a grieving boy all those years ago to make decisions affecting hundreds of lives."

The dowager duchess looked stricken, "I-I mean-"

"I do not want to be your enemy. Do not add the burden of having to choose between us to his plate," Lavinia said softly and then she walked away without another word, straight back to her husband's side.

The older woman watched her walk away and then she smiled.

"What was that about?" the Duke asked, "it appeared rather heated."

She waved her hand breezily, "oh it was really nothing. Your mother has done an excellent job with the meal. Shall we sit now?"

"Of course," he held out his arm for her. "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?"

She giggled, "once or twice, but I would not mind hearing it again."

"I love you, Your Grace," he smiled down at her and she looked up to meet his eyes with an answering smile of her own.

She opened her mouth to say the words back but at that moment, one of the guests let out a horrified screech and they turned to see a white ball of fur dashing through the room and weaving its way through the guest's feet. Trailing the dog was aharried looking footman trying to grab it before it caused more chaos.

Lavinia buried her face in her husband's shoulder and dissolved into a fit of laughter. The Duke let out an exasperated sigh but he was smiling too.

The End?

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