Val nodded, following his mother inside. Archington Manor looked exactly as he had left it, which should have been comforting to him. However, the memories of his time after the accident and before he fled to the far East remained the same, as well.
Many of them flooded back to him as he walked with his mother to the parlor. He shook them away, trying hard to not ruin his first minutes home with his mother. He hated London and everything about high society since the accident. But he adored his mother, and he wanted to enjoy his time with her.
The Duchess led him to the parlor sofa and patted the spot beside her as she sat. She served him some of the fresh tea and pastries displayed on the table in front of the sofa and then helped herself to some, as well. But no sooner than they had had a sip of tea did she set aside her treats and look intently at her son. He placed his saucer in his lap, laughing lightly at the strange look in his mother’s eyes.
“You can see that I am all right,” he said. “Now, will you please worry less, so that we can enjoy our time more?”
The Duchess nodded slowly, raising her eyebrow.
“I can see that you are physically unharmed,” she agreed. “But that hardly means that you are all right. Have you been taking care of yourself overseas?”
Val flinched. His dark brown hair was becoming unruly, as he had not had it trimmed in some time. He supposed he could have done a better job shaving, so that he looked less haggard after the long journey. And he was sure that the dark circles beneath his eyes lingered, even after his nap in the carriage. But he did his best to grin and nod.
“Of course, I have,” he said, glancing over at Frank, who had just joined them and stood at Val’s side.
Frank rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.
“I shall see to my duties, your Grace,” he said.
Val glared at him, though it was with nothing but affection. The man was more of a friend to Val than any other man in theton, and he was grateful for him.
The Duchess cleared her throat, clicking her tongue.
“This is why I wanted you home,” she said.
Val looked at her, bemused.
“Because I am not caring for myself?” he asked.
His mother nodded curtly.
“Indeed,” she said matter-of-factly. “And I want you to marry and find yourself a wife who can help take care of you.”
Val stared at his mother, trying to see if she was serious. When she did not budge, he pointed dramatically to the left side of his face.
“Perhaps, you did not notice, but that is never going to happen,” he said. “No woman would ever wish to marry such a hideous man.”
His mother shook her head. Clearly, she had given her speech some thought, and she would not be swayed.
“You must let go of your insecurities over your appearance,” she said. “You are a wealthy duke with your father’s good reputation when it comes to your dukedom and your business ventures. And it is that very dukedom of which you must think. Bearing an heir to inherit the fortune and title when you pass is crucial.”
Val clenched his jaw, but he did not persist with his argument. He knew that his mother was right. If he did not produce an heir, the family name and title would die when he did. He had already had such a close call with the accident. He needed to think harder about settling down.
Still, he was aware of how thetonwould reject him if he publicly sought a wife. Lady Jocelyn had proven to him that no woman would love him. He could never expect any woman who knew nothing about him to overlook his scars and be attracted to him enough to bear his children. What could he do about marrying, when there was no one who would ever accept him as a husband?
“I should not have thrown that on you the moment you arrived,” his mother said quickly, giving him a sheepish smile. “Let us talk about other things.”
Val sighed with relief. He knew they would speak of it again, but he was glad to forget it for the moment.
“Thank you,” he said. “How have you been?”
His mother’s eyes lit up, instantly melting his displeasure at the topic of marriage.
“I have been very excited as of late,” she said. “I invited the Earl of Dervinshire and his family to join us for dinner tomorrow evening. I wanted to do something special, yet small, to celebrate your return home. I really would appreciate it if you would attend, darling.”
Immediately, Val remembered why he had been so reluctant to return home. He hated social gatherings even more than he hated the idea of forcing his hideous visage on beautiful young women. But his mother looked so hopeful, and clearly it was something she looked forward to greatly. Perhaps, if it were an event hosted in his home, people would be less willing to insult him.
“Very well,” he said with great reluctance. “I will attend.”
