When everything was done, he took a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk. He considered trying to catch up with Cecily. To his surprise, he found that he already missed her company. Perhaps, they could have lunch at the little teahouse, named Faering’s, after the village.
As he walked, he looked around to see if he could spot the Duchess and her maid. He peeked inside the stores and businesses along the main street of the village. He had always loved how small Faering was, as he never needed to be out in public for very long for errands. But that day, he was thrilled to take his time really looking at the village. He could not wait to share the experience with his wife.
The smell of baked goods wafted to his nose and he paused, glancing up. He realized that he had wandered right in front of the village bakery and he breathed deeply. The smell of fruit and fresh crust and sugar was delectable and he stepped inside. He recalled how much Cecily enjoyed pastries and thought a box of fresh ones would be a nice treat.
He approached the counter and smiled at the baker, who greeted him with a warm one of his own.
“Good day, your Grace,” he said. “How can I help you?”
Val thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he knew what her very favorite pastry was, but he recalled a few she enjoyed.
“I would like orders of your finest strawberry, blackberry and blueberry pastries,” he said.
The baker’s smile widened.
“Right away, your Grace,” he said.
As the baker gave instruction to his employees, Val stepped away from the counter to allow the next patrons to place their orders. He occupied himself by looking out the window and thinking about his wife’s beautiful face. The way she had smiled at him as he gave her money to enjoy herself seemed to have a lasting effect on his mood. He could not remember the last time he had smiled so much.
A nearby conversation pulled him from his daydreams. And a moment later, it stripped him of his wonderful bliss, as well.
“A ghastly affair, that marriage,” one woman was saying.
Val tried to tell himself that the conversation was nothing of consequence to him. But even before the second woman spoke, he knew that was not true.
“How did her father ever allow such an arrangement?” the second lady said.
One of the women clicked her tongue and sighed.
“It is a shame, to be sure,” she said. “No man in his right mind could give his daughter to such a man.”
“A man,” a third woman scoffed. “Hardly. I cannot imagine being married to someone with such a horrid appearance.”
The women murmured in agreement. When Val thought it could not get worse, a fourth woman chimed in.
“I heard that the new duchess is blind,” she said.
The women giggled.
“Thank heavens for that,” the second woman said.
“A true blessing, indeed,” the first one said. “At least that explains how she was able to marry him. Only a woman who could not see his face could bear to be near him.”
The third woman laughed.
“Either she has no idea how hideous he is, or she is as daft as she is sightless,” she said. “Even a blind woman must have more self-respect than that.”
Those words made Val angry. He could hardly believe they would speak so boldly with the very duke whose wife they were slandering standing mere steps away. But a quick glance over his shoulder told him that they were utterly oblivious to his presence there. And a moment later, the baker brought him his order.
At last, the woman looked in his direction, but he turned his face away. He didn’t care whether they realized it was him. Nor did he care what else they had to say about him. They had brought his worst fears and guilt to the front of his mind once more. He had allowed Cecily to marry a monster. And now, she was paying the price for it.
Damn society,he thought as exited the bakery. They had no business placing such harsh judgment on people they didn’t even know. Especially a woman who was as wonderful and beautiful as Cecily. He tried to think of the amazing time they had shared over the past few days and brought back his previous happy mood. But the women’s words had sunk deep into his conscious mind. And their words were ingrained in his brain forever.
He was fully conflicted by the time he reached the carriage. He knew that he and Cecily had worked hard to build a real, strong friendship. But it hurt him deeply hearing what those women had said about him and his wife. He didn’t care as much about what people thought of him as he did about how that reflected on Cecily. And it was clear that it reflected poorly on her.
He could no longer deny that over the past several days, he had started to develop strong feelings for Cecily. He had even allowed himself to believe that the Duchess seemed to have feelings for him, too. But after hearing those women in the bakery, he was reminded of how overly optimistic it was to think such things. He knew he could never expect her to feel the same way about him as he did about her.
Val opened the door to the carriage, instantly greeted by the cheerful chatter of his wife and Greta. They stopped the instant Val stepped inside the coach, and Cecily took a deep breath and smiled brightly at him.
