Page 30 of A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke
“Not here. Come with me; we must discuss in a secured place if we are not to be heard.” She was already on her way as she finished speaking, leading Louis out to the gardens where there were no walls with ears. Still, silence reigned until they had gone about fifteen feet away from the house. Then she spoke.
“You may speak. Tell me, what have you learned.”
Louis bowed her head slightly, not daring to hold her head high in the presence of her superiors. “My Lady, you must take these words with calmness. I am afraid, they are terrible news and would only seek to upset Your Grace. I had battled with telling you but came to the conclusion that I had to since it is only right that you know of this thing.
Victoria rolled her eyes impatiently. “Halt your parables, Louis and speak in terms that I can understand. I do not have time for such foolishness. You mustn’t forget that I am saddled with planning the greatest wedding of the year. Now, out with it.”
Louis took her time, not saying anything for about two minutes. Despite her impatience, Victoria waited. Her curiosity had been piqued. She knew that whatever was too heavy for Louis to say was something of grave implication. She willed herself not to consider probable scenarios at that moment but still, she could not help wondering if this had to do with Williams. Had he been caught with a concubine? Finally, Louis found her voice.
“My Lady. I regret to be the ball bearer of such distasteful news.”
That was it; Victoria lost her last patient nerve. “Ohh, quit the theatrics Louis and stall no longer! Out with it! What have you learned? Do not force me to pull it out of your mouth,” she warned sternly, and that seemed to do the work.
“It’s your daughter!” Louis blurted out. “The Lady Agnes.” Victoria narrowed her eyes. What did Agnes have to do with anything?
“Last night, Claire could not sleep, so she slipped out of the house to take a night walk in the garden. As she was returning, she saw a man slip out of the house. Of course, she assumed it would be one of the workers, so she decided to make small talk. Howbeit, as she moved closer, she saw the man jump into the arms of another man and engage in a lover’s embrace. She was shocked by this, you see as that is terribly inappropriate, even formidable.”
Victoria rolled her eyes again. And they thought she was dramatic? “Make your point, Louis. Was it one of the servants? Edward, Leandro?” she paused and took a deep breath. “Was it my husband, uhm?” She rather hoped not. Not only would it hurt her, it would be a total scandal!
“The Lord? Of course not ma’am! You see, I was getting to that before you cut me off. I pray thee, do allow me to finish.” Victoria narrowed her eyes at Louis but said nothing. The maid heaved a sigh and continued.
“You see, Claire was very astonished by this, but that was not all. She quickly stepped into a corner to keep herself from being seen and became even more stunned when she heard a woman’s voice. After so many years with this household, it was one she easily recognised too. The voice she heard was none other than the Lady Agnes’s voice! Lady Agnes was the woman in men’s clothing and she was meeting with a secret lover! Claire heard the mistress call the man, Alan, and the name rung a bell. Soon, they went deeper into the gardens, no doubt to the inner one where you keep your lilies, daisies, and roses. She could not follow them of course, so she decided to wait in a better vantage point for their return. It took a while, but she did not move, eager to confirm her suspicions with her own eyes. Finally, the mistress came out of the garden, running. Claire says she appeared distraught and was apparently unaware of her surroundings. A few moments later, the Lady’s lover came out and under the moonlight, Claire could clearly see his features. Indeed, it was none other than the merchant, Alan Sheldon, the Lord’s business associate! Given, they appeared to have had a lover’s quarrel, but it is no longer a secret that the both of them are having an affair. A secret affair! And she is to be married to the future Duke of Yorkshire in no time!”
Victoria’s senses muddled so that it took time for her to interpret and digest what she had just heard. Although she knew that she was only in plain denial. How could it be? Of all her daughters, Agnes was the most sensible. An affair was something she could expect from Isabelle but certainly not Agnes. Never Agnes. She looked back at Louis. The maid could not be lying, neither could Claire. She knew this but still had to confirm.
“Louis, you are certain of this?”
“With my life, My lady. Claire isn’t one to spread falsehood. What would she gain from spreading this?”
Victoria sighed. “I had thought as much. Very well then, thank you for telling this thing to me, Louis. I believe I do not have to remind you to keep your lips closed on this matter. No one must hear of it, not even my husband. Make sure Claire understands that too.”
“You can be rest assured, My Lady. That has been taken care of. If this ever reaches another ear, it wouldn’t be from us.”
“You haven’t disappointed me, so far. I trust you would not want to start now. You may take your leave.” Louis dipped in a little curtsy and with Victoria’s nod, she rose and turned to go back into the house. Victoria resumed her walk, intent on getting her thoughts together. She really could not believe her ears. Agnes! And that merchant? Alan! Oh could you imagine! She decided to engage in a secret affair, and it had to be with a merchant! A merchant of all people! When the entire gentlemen of the ton had been begging at her feet all these years, her daughter had to stoop so low to engage in an affair with a merchant!
She was livid! How could Agnes betray her trust so? She wondered how long this affair had been going on. She thought about the signs she could have missed. If it had been going on for long, then how come she was only just finding it out now? Could Agnes really have been that careful all these years? Well, she was sensible, and despite this foolish judgement of hers, that could not be faulted. In fact, everything was beginning to fall into place, to make sense. Her refusal to get married all these years, the unexplained absences which she always managed to brush off with flimsy excuses. She, Victoria who was very watchful and alert had suspected nothing at all. She had to give it to her daughter. Of course, of course! There were the lingering glances too. Whenever Sheldon came to visit, she would see them cast glances at each other that almost appeared … longing. It had caught her attention, and she had watched them for a few days. Yet, they never seemed to be anything more than polite whenever they spoke. In fact, that happened so rarely, as Agnes usually took her leave whenever he arrived as though she could not stand him. She had simply ruled it off as nothing, at most, that her daughter knew her place and knew that it was far above the merchant’s. That had been long ago. Almost three seasons past! Oh how foolish she had been, worrying about her daughter’s petulance when it came to choosing a husband, not knowing that the answer had been right before her eyes!
She wondered if Agnes considered herself in love with this man, how she had reached the point of a secret affair. Had he wooed her with lies and deceit? What really were the merchant’s plans? Did he hope that he could somehow ruin her for another man, so that they would be left with no other choice than to marry her off to him? Was this the game the boy played? However, she could not see Sheldon as a fortune hunter. Given, her daughters’ dowries were an impressive lot, and Agnes’s had gone higher as she got older without a husband. Yet, Sheldon was wealthy in his own rights and truly had no need for Agnes’s dowry. He had no title, but his forefathers had been successful merchants before him, and he only now carried on the good work. That did not change the fact that he was no noble. She had come too far, worked too hard, to marry off her daughter to a man who had no title, no firm standing in the society. But for his wealth, he was nothing! Marriage to a Duke’s daughter would not bring that title either, and Agnes was not one to believe lies. It only left her with one option. Agnes thought herself in love with the merchant, just as the merchant thought himself in love with her. However, they were both level-headed enough to know that neither her nor Williams would give their blessings, so they decided to keep their love a secret.
A complicated situation, seeing as Agnes was finally going to be married. A thought crossed her mind, and her eyes widened in panic. What if Agnes was ruined? If she had lost her innocence, that would be a more difficult problem to solve. How would they ever tell Nicholas that his wife had given her body to another? Oh dear! The humiliation it would cause! Her head suddenly began to hurt, and she remembered that she had not gotten any rest all day. Why? Why would Agnes choose to bring this predicament upon her? She had thought she had done a fine job raising them up to be ladies. Nevertheless, now was not the time to give in to hysteria. She had to think. Somehow, she couldn’t see Agnes being so foolish as to give up her virtue to a man who was not yet her husband. If it happened that she was right with her trust in her child, then she had one less problem off her hand. The rest would be easy enough to handle. She only had to take Alan out of the picture for good and keep her daughter focussed on her marriage to the future Duke of Yorkshire. A man of wealth, title, and intelligence. A man of equal social standing, a man worthy of her.
As she turned to go back into the house, a plan began to hatch in her head. Bit by bit, she fixed in every loophole to form the perfect, non-fallible plan, and a smile slowly began to settle on her lips. At dinner, she was extremely nice to her first daughter. It would not do for her to suspect anything was wrong. If her plans were to succeed, both guards had to be down. Then, like a vulture, she would strike down on her prey. Oh! Planning the wedding was fun, but this? It was exhilarating!
Chapter 21
After holding herself kidnapped in her chambers for over a week, only stepping down for dinner and sometimes breakfast, Eleanor awoke one morning with a resolve. She could not keep hiding herself away while life passed her by. It wasn’t just ridiculous, it was amusing. She was here, wallowing in sadness and misery while Nicholas went about, readying himself to marry her sister in less than two months. It was enough! She had nursed her wounds, had shed tears, had felt like her world was breaking in two, now she had to take the bull by the horn and take charge of her own life. There was also the fact that she had to be happy for Agnes. Now that the preparations were heavily underway, the least she could do to show her support was to join in the celebration, give her input, especially since her sisters had been so supportive lately. Every day, they would visit her chambers for at least thirty minutes and make small talk about everything and nothing. No one knew what ailed her. The illness lies had sailed long ago. She only told them she wasn’t quite feeling like engaging in social activities so soon after her recovery. Thankfully, they had been quite satisfied with that, and she had come to look forward to their daily visits. So, how could she repay them this way? She wasn’t so cruel. Agnes did not deserve any of this. She had not asked for both her and Nicholas to meet at the library on that rather unfaithful day. Neither had she and Nicholas. They had just been dealt a wicked hand by fate, and now, she had to deal with it.
Someday, she would get over this hurt. Someday, she would be able to spend an hour of the day without having a single thought of him. Someday, when she saw the sapphire sparkle on Agnes’s finger, her heart wouldn’t hurt. Above and beyond, she knew this day would never come if she did not give herself a good chance at recovery. Isolation was not the answer. She had mourned the loss of a love that never was. Now, she had to go on with life.
She stood in front of the vanity, regarding herself in the mirror. She had called the maids in earlier to help her prepare for the day’s outing. Her family did not yet know of her intentions to join them. It was going to be a surprise, and she hoped that they would be pleased by it. It was obvious that she had lost a few pounds. A very minute number, she was certain, yet it was evident when one who really knew her looked at her. Thankfully, that would be attributed to her ill health, not the barrage of thoughts that had refused to delude her in the days since Nicholas’s proposal.
She had chosen a peach gown for today’s outing. Something young, warm, bright, happy. Positive feelings. Perhaps in this dress, with the sun over her head and the fresh air in her lungs, she would feel so much better. It was a high-waisted dress with a raised back. She wore a short-fitted single-breasted jacket over it, and where the sleeve of the jacket ended, her gloves began. She looked good, and as much as she would like to have her hair flow in the wind, she kept it tucked in a straw bonnet, unwilling to give her mother something to complain about today. She looked nice, even if she did say so herself. Pleased with her appearance, she turned to Rachel and held out her hands. The girl quickly understood and handed a cream coloured reticule to her.
“Would you be wanting a parasol, My Lady?”
Eleanor thought about it. A parasol may be terribly over fashioned for a trip to the market. However, if the sun proved to be too stubborn, she would love to have her face protected.
“I suppose a less fanciful one would do. Ahh. Yes, I’ll have the cream, netted one with lace trimmings.” Again, Rachel went to fetch it, and with one last look in the mirror, she concluded that she was good to go. She left the chambers with her maids on her tail. It was just as well that she had left in that time for her sisters and mother were already leaving. Just as Isabelle was about to climb into the carriage, she raised her voice and called out, “Wait for me. I am here.” They all stopped and turned to look at her, the astonishment on their faces as clear as the morning skies. Then slowly, she saw their lips settle into a smile. She too, gave into the smile that tugged at her lips, unable to resist the pull. No one said anything as she picked up her skirts and hurried her steps. When she got to them, her mother chimed, “Well, it’s about time. I have been thinking how long before I had …”
