Page 50 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
“This is unacceptable,” she hissed. “I will not let this stand.”
Richard pulled out of his mother’s grasp by firmly yanking away his arm.
“You will,” he said. “I love Anne. I am to marry her in one month. And you will not stop me.”
Her mouth fell open, her expression morphing into one of indignation.
“I am your mother, Richard,” she said. “I know what’s best for you. You cannot marry a woman like Anne Huxley. We have discussed her reputation, and how I feel about her. I will not be so easily dismissed.”
Richard looked down at his mother, surprising them both by giving her a tender smile.
“After this evening, I think she and I will both have quite a reputation, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked.
The dowager duchess huffed.
“That’s another thing,” she said, sounding defeated even as she continued arguing. “I cannot believe you would fake a courtship with a woman while Lady Eleanor was so eagerly trying to win your affections.”
Richard shrugged.
“I could never have loved her, Mother,” he said. “Anne is my one true love. I am going to marry her. I only hope that one day, you come to accept this.”
The duchess put her hands on her hips, staring at Richard with tired disbelief.
“I will never accept her,” she said. “I hope you will reconsider.”
Richard shook his head as he turned away from his mother.
“I will not,” he said. “My decision stands. I am in love with Anne, and she will be my wife.”
With that, he walked calmly to his chambers. Even the argument with his mother had done nothing to dampen his high spirits. He would marry Anne, indeed. And their wedding day could not come soon enough.
***
The following month passed in a blur. Susan practically lived with Anne while they planned the wedding. The dowager duchess stayed locked in her chambers, refusing to see him or entertain any company. Even though the gossip and scandal dissipated inside that month in favor of fresher, juicier tales, the dowager turned a blind eye and stood her ground on her proclamation of rejecting Anne. And when she still hadn’t said anything to him the night before his wedding, he began to wonder if his mother might never, in fact, accept Anne as her daughter-in-law.
The wedding day was chaotic. Watson prepared Richard’s bath, which Richard enjoyed while the valet ensured that his dark green brocade suit was spotless and free of creases and wrinkles. After his bath, Watson dressed him with great care and combed back his hair.
Despite its elegance, it was a style more typical of regular social events, as was the color of his wedding suit. But he was marrying a free-spirited woman, one whose personality and fun-loving nature was refreshing and inspiring to him. He could hardly wait to spend the rest of his life pushing the norms of society with her. Starting with their wedding day.
Just as Watson was about to finish, there was a soft knock on his door. Expecting Susan in her pale pink satin bridesmaid’s dress, he hurried over and opened the door with a wide smile on his face. But his smile melted into puzzlement when he saw his mother standing there. She looked him over with an unreadableexpression. Then, she entered the room when he stepped aside to invite her in. She spoke before he could.
“Richard,” she said, seemingly measuring her words with care. “I have been against this wedding from the very beginning. I’m still not certain that I approve, to be honest.”
Richard sighed. He hadn’t expected her to accept the decision, or even attend the wedding. But was she really going to try to talk him out of it again on the day?
“Mother, it’s almost time,” he said. “I do not wish to fight with you right before my own wedding.”
But the dowager duchess shook her head slowly, looking at Richard in the same way she had in the doorway. Only this time, he recognized the expression, as foreign as it was on his mother’s face. It was sheepish and repentant, and his words stopped in his throat.
“I’m not here to fight,” she said. “During the past month, I have witnessed more joy and happiness in you than I’ve seen since you were a boy. I tried to deny it, which is why I avoided you except at meals. But I’ve overheard you talking with Susan, and I see the way your face lights up at any mention of Miss Huxley’s name. While I still have some reservations, I know now that I need to give her a chance. I support your marriage to her, and I will accept her as my daughter-in-law.”
Richard grinned, pulling his mother into a warm embrace.
“That means everything to me, Mother,” he said. “Thank you.”
The dowager duchess pulled away from her son and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“It’s almost time,” she said. “May I escort my son to our carriage one last time before there is another woman to do it for me?”
