Page 19 of An Arranged Betrothal with an Icy Duke
“And then Miss Edith Tidemore?” The man turned to Edith, a small smile on his face though his gaze lingered somewherenear her shoulder rather than looking into her eyes. “There is another room here, if you please. I believe that you are all to have dinner in your own quarters this evening?”
Edith looked up quickly at the Duke, her heart clamoring but the Duke of Fairglen nodded.
“Yes, that is so.” He inclined his head to her, though his eyes were still pulling away. “Good evening, Miss Tidemore.”
Edith tried to say something, tried to protest but instead, all she could do was turn towards the open door of her quarters and step inside. Tears burned in her vision but she pushed them away quickly, forcing herself to thank the man for the quality and the size of the room. No sooner had the door closed than Edith put her hands over her eyes and let the tears fall. She did not dare let herself sob for fear that the Duke might hear her but the pain in her heart was immense. Not only had the Duke decided where they were to rest for the night and what room she was to have, he was also now informing her that she was to be quite alone, that the dinner she had hoped to have in company was now to be eaten entirely alone.
The door opened again and Edith sniffed, quickly dropping her hands. She was about to give a sharp word to whoever it was who had thought to come into the room without warning, only to set eyes on her lady’s maid.
“Sarah?” The tears which she had only just wiped away then quickly returned, though Edith blinked them away quickly, not wanting her lady’s maid to know the true extent of her upset. Even though she was very fond of Sarah, there was always a worry – a danger – of gossip when it came to the servants. “Oh, how glad I am to see you!”
“Milady.” Sarah’s smile faded. “Are you upset?”
Edith nodded, choosing her words carefully. “I am very tired and there did not appear to be anyone here able to help me to change and, in truth, I found myself a little overwhelmed.”
Sarah’s smile returned. “Well, I am here now. Whatever it is you require of me, I will do. I think your things are being brought in at this moment and since you are to have dinner in your room, do you want to change into your night things?”
Edith nodded. It was a little unconventional but she did not care. Shewasvery fatigued indeed. “Yes, I think I shall.” A little confused, she tilted her head. “When did you arrive? I did not think that you would be in attendance here. I thought that you were to go straight to the Duke’s estate.”
“Your father insisted that I attend with you,” Sarah told her, coming forward so as to take Edith’s coat, gloves and bonnet. “A second carriage followed after yours, milady, so we were not too far behind you. I believe the Duchess’ lady’s maid has gone to attend her also.”
“I see.” Edith kept her tears back with an effort, rather touched that her father had been so thoughtful. “That is very good of him. I am glad that you are here.”
“Of course.” Sarah smiled and encouraged Edith to sit down in the chair by the fire which, while not a roaring blaze, was a gentle enough fire to send warmth through the room. Taking in a deep breath, Edith did as had been suggested, feeling her body relax into the softness of the chair and the heat of the fire. This had been a rather difficult day and the Duke of Fairglen had certainly upset her by his lack of interest in her but for the moment, Edith found herself a little more at ease. She had Sarah, she had a comfortable bed and tomorrow, she would be back in company with her family.
Though only for so long.
The thought was stark, making her shudder lightly. If all went as the Duke expected, if he did believe that she was trustworthy and could do all that was required of a Duchess, then theywouldmarry and then what would she do? She would not have her family for company, would not even have theDuchess’ company for long, for surely the lady would retire to the Dower house, as was expected. And then she would be left solely with the Duke of Fairglen for company… and that, Edith was sure, would bring with it nothing but loneliness.
Chapter Ten
“I do think that you ought to try and converse with your betrothed, Fairglen.”
Henry did his best to ignore his mother’s remark and took another sip of his coffee.
“You cannot simply stare out of the window and pretend that she is not present,” the lady insisted, as Henry groaned inwardly. “It is quite unfair to the young lady.”
“I did not think that you cared one iota for the lady, Mother,” Henry interrupted, a little frustrated that his mother had insisted on coming to have breakfast with him this morning, rather than keeping to her quarters as he had expected. “So why does it trouble you?”
The Duchess clicked her tongue. “You are quite mistaken there, my son. It is not that I do not care for the lady. I am a little disappointed that you have chosen a young lady whose father is a Viscount rather than choosing the daughter of a Marquess or a Duke, but you have said that this is a time to see whether or not she will be able to do all that a Duchess requires and I can understand that way of thinking. Despite my concern, that does not mean that I will ignore her, the wayyouhave been doing! I think it is very important to make sure she feels as welcome as possible, that she is encouraged and hopeful about the future. If she is to be a permanent place in our lives, then what good is pretending that she is not even present with you?”
Henry did not answer, taking another sip of his coffee rather than letting his mother’s questions demand a response from him.
“These last few years have truly changed your character,” his mother sighed, as Henry frowned. “I confess I was hopeful that itwould not linger, this darkness which you hold to yourself, but I see now that it has.”
“I am not of a dark disposition, Mother, if that is what you are trying to say.” Henry took another sip of his coffee and resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his mother let out a prolonged sigh. “I am a good deal more considerate than before, that is all. I will no longer be taken in by a pair of gentle eyes and a soft smile. That is all.”
“You do not need to ignore her, however,” his mother said, quietly. “I understand that you are struggling, that you are sorrowful about the past and uncertain about the future but I can assure you – ”
“I have no sorrow as regards my brother and his wife,” Henry interrupted, sharply. “As regards the future, I believe that I am quite settled and contented. I cannot see any difficulty there, so long as Miss Tidemore proves herself to be just as her father states. These next few weeks should prove that. When it came to Rachel, I did not know what it was I was looking for. Now, at least, I understand what is required of the lady. Her loyalty to me must be unquestionable and she must have not even the smallest hint of impropriety. Oh yes, I shall be watching herveryclosely indeed.” Henry brought himself to a stop, quickly realizing that he had been speaking almost to himself rather than to his listening mother. When her eyebrows lifted, Henry turned his gaze away, choosing not to explain himself any further.
“I think you may find yourself with a very discontented, very disappointed and sorrowful young lady as a wife if you continue on in this way,” his mother murmured, though Henry chose to take no notice. As far as he was concerned, Miss Tidemore’s feelings were of very little consequence. All that mattered was her loyalty to him and to the vows they might soon make.
***
“We have arrived.” Henry looked back at his betrothed, only to see her head turning to look out of the window – the windowoppositeto where he sat. It was abundantly clear that she had no interest in being in company or conversation with him though Henry had to admit that he had certainly contributed to that. In showing her very little interest, why would he then expect or anticipate that she would be at all interested in hearing whathehad to say?
“It is a magnificent estate.”
