Page 43 of Wedded to the Loveless Duke
The Duchess of Bedford linked her arm through Eleanor’s and led her towards the edge of the room. “Shall we take a turn? I have not seen your father here tonight. Is he well?”
Eleanor’s anxiety over her father’s absence came roaring back to life, and she frowned. “I have not heard from him. My husband believes that my father may be away tending to business or simply on holiday somewhere too far away to attend.”
“You sound as though you think it is not the case.”
“I have no reason to believe it is not,” Eleanor confessed. “Only, he has never missed an event of this magnitude. He always took care to teach me never to do so either if it is within my power to avoid such a snub, especially where the King is concerned. It is so very out of character that I cannot help thinking something has gone awry.”
“Surely he would send word if it had! Your husband would not keep such a thing from you.”
“Of course, you are likely right, Madam.” Eleanor sighed. “I am being silly, and I should enjoy the evening instead of fretting over my father’s absence. Besides, he and I are no longer close due to how my wedding came about. We parted poorly.”
The Duchess of Bedford nodded sadly. “Your husband mentioned that to mine. You must not judge your father too harshly, though.”
“Please, we should dispense with the formalities if we are to talk openly with one another.” Eleanor straightened and glanced at the dancing couples. “Call me Eleanor..”
The Duchess of Bedford laughed. “I shall call you Eleanor if you prefer. And as we are on familiar terms now, you may call me Anne.”
“Thank you, Anne. As for your remark, I feel justified in judging my father harshly when he lied to get me to my own wedding and failed to inform me I was to be wed until we were quite literally walking down the aisle. He did not even plan to tell me my intended’s name. I cannot see how such behavior could warrant mercy in my judgment.”
Anne hooked her arm through Eleanor’s and hugged her close. “Sometimes our fathers must make difficult decisions that would make them seem the villains in our eyes, Eleanor. What we perceive is not always the whole truth of the matter.”
“You speak as if you have experience.”
“My father arranged my wedding with my husband without my knowledge or consent as well. He was desperate to keep me from becoming collateral in the fight to keep his estate’s debts from dragging him to financial ruin. Had he not found Henry willing to step in to marry me, no man would have accepted to marryme shortly thereafter. Henry’s name protected me, and I found my happiness even if I had not expected to back then. My father gave me no word of explanation, no reason for his decision or what happened. I learned of it later when his money finally ran dry and he took his own life because of the shame of it.”
The story was heartbreaking, but it wasn’t Eleanor’s.
“My father had no debts and no reason that I can see, Anne. He paid off my husband’s debts in exchange for his marrying me. While I am happy with Phillip and eternally grateful that the good Lord saw fit not to curse me with a terrible husband, it does not excuse what my father did.”
Anne sighed and patted Eleanor’s hand. “Well, perhaps not. I only meant to remind you that there is often more to the story than we see, just as there is likely a good reason for your father’s absence tonight.”
Eleanor smiled sadly. She didn’t want to argue with her friend, but at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to agree either. “Perhaps so. But I think I see our husbands looking for us.” She pointed to the two men, who had spotted them and headed their way.
“They likely wish to dance.” Anne groaned. “Henry does not have your husband’s talent for dancing, I am afraid. Fortunately, he has not yet managed to do worse than bruising my toes. We have hired an instructor, and he is making some progress, but I fear it is not enough to save my feet.”
Eleanor laughed. “Perhaps Phillip can teach him a few things.”
“We shall have to beg him to do so at the next opportunity,” Anne agreed.
Eleanor tugged her forward. “Well, there is no sense in delaying it, is there? We had best meet our fate.”
Anne laughed and followed along without protest. The two women joined their husbands for the next waltz. The Duke of Bedford was, indeed, a spectacularly bad dancer, and Eleanor and Anne spent the entire dance laughing over it as the two couples danced together. Eventually, Eleanor’s worries over her father and his motives for marrying her off as he had were soon lost in the enjoyment of the music and the rhythm of the dance.
CHAPTER 16
“You seemed to enjoy our last outing to the market,” Phillip remarked as he and Eleanor surveyed the latest repairs the builders had done in the greenhouse.
Eleanor stopped to examine the fountain at the center and then glanced at him. “I did, though I admit that the excursion to look for a dress for the King’s ball was quite exhausting.”
“Then next time, I shall ask Mr. Beaufort to come to the house instead.” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Do you like the fountain? I had them model it after the painting of Diana The Huntress that you liked so much.”
She leaned into him with a smile, shivering as his breath tickled the side of her neck. “I do like it. It looks beautiful with the water finally flowing as it was intended to.”
“Indeed, though I must admit…” He put his hands on her hips and straightened, pulling her into him. “The Goddess of The Hunt cannot compare with the beauty standing right here in front of me.”
Eleanor blushed. “You give me more credit than you should.”
He laughed. “Someday, you will see yourself the way I see you, and you will know I am not exaggerating.”
