Page 29 of The Jilted Duchess
“Oh dear, I’ll sort that for you, Y-”
“No!” Alexandra winced at her sudden volume and tried to soften her voice. “No, you keep on over there, Mrs. Hopsted. I’m just sorting the papers and then we can dust. We don’t want to get them all out of order by mistake.”
She looked in the drawer once more and noticed a small bundle of envelopes held together with twine. If she hadn't already found the ledgers, Alexandra felt sure she would’ve stood firm in her ‘No Snooping’ rule, but she was now feeling entirely out of sorts. Almost in a trance, she opened the first envelope and slid out a single-page letter on heavy cream parchment.
Your Grace,
Have you no shame? Have you no sense of decency? Have you no duty towards the family you have ruined with your insistence on taking your brother’s rightful place? You should hang your head in anguish, and yet you delight in the misfortune you rain down on our heads.
Allow me to advise you on matters unknown to you, boy. You would do well to be careful in maintaining your friendships and acquaintances. It would be ever such a shame if you were to suffer a fall from grace.
For the second time in a single day, Alexandra froze. She hurried to tear open the second envelope.
Your Grace,
Do you desire to see your own kin destitute on the streets? Was it not enough to bring shame upon us with your sham marriage to that wench, now you seek to strip us of our funds also? You are making a powerful enemy, make no mistake.
I wonder how the papers would react to learning that the Interloper Duke is starving his poor mother and brother. I fear they should not look kindly upon the situation, Your Grace. Perhaps you would like to remedy matters before I decide to do what I must.
“What?” She whispered to herself, a shiver running through her. Her hands fumbled over the third, tearing the corner of the parchment in her haste.
Your Grace,
Still, I have not heard from you regarding the release of our funds. Do you doubt me, boy? Do you think I am not a woman of my word? Be sure, I have felled larger giants than you in my time, and to go against me is to choose a fight you will not win.
I wonder if you think you have more friends than you do? Do you suppose your dealings with dukes and your spurious claims to our estate mean you belong here now? I canassure you that you do not. Those who know and do not know you alike will stand with me when they hear of your cruel mistreatment of a defenseless dowager. Your little harpy cannot protect you in my realm.
Each letter was the same vicious feeling in new, poisonous words.Your Grace…I fear you will soon learn…your little hussy…it is almost too late…society will know of this…On and on she read, her heart thumping. Her hands shook, the pages rustling between tightly clenched fingers. There were no dates, but clearly, time had passed between each letter. How long had these threats been making their way to her husband? Was he ever going to tell her of them?
A distant part of her brain had been attempting to make her aware that the sounds of Mrs Hopsted moving lamps and books around had quietened. Initially, Alexandra had ignored the hairs prickling at the nape of her neck, but at the sound of a throat being quietly cleared, she finally gave in and turned around. Hector stood, leaning casually against the door frame, watching her. A smile hovered around his lips, and his eyes were sparkling, but as he registered the letters still clutched in her hands, the humor in his expression dimmed slightly. “Ye ken, lass, if ye wanted to know more about me, ye coulda just asked.” His tone was light, but Alexandra knew for sure that he wasn’t joking this time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Oh!" Alexandra clasped a hand to her chest in surprise. "Your Grace!"
He looked at her for a long moment from his great height, his expression strange, curious but weighty, like he was measuring her. "This is a pleasant surprise," he said slowly.
"I am so sorry, Hector," she said quickly, the words tumbling from her lips in a rush. Why did she feel like she needed to explain to him fast before he got the wrong idea? It wasn't as though she were banned from his study or like she was doing anything wrong.
But you know it's wrong to read someone's correspondence, Alexandra,she scolded herself internally.You know it full well.
Hector waved a hand easily. "Nae matter, little wife, I daenae mind finding you in my study. Pretties the place up a bit." His eyes were on her hands, though, the hands that were holdingthe letters. She flushed brightly, feeling as though she had been caught in the middle of some great sin.
There was something about Hector when he was serious that was quite frightening. Not in the manner that men were usually frightening, either. It was not that she was afraid he might hurt her or shout at her, but rather that she feared his thoughts. He looked like he might be thinking through very large matters, and like if she didn’t do something, he might come to a conclusion that might be hard and terrible. He was so often merry that his solemnity filled her with a sense of unease so strong that it made her feel quite panicked.
"We were tidying up a little," she said softly. "I think I have found something strange. May I show you? Mrs. Hopsted, please would you leave us?"
The round-faced woman nodded equably, her smile undimmed by the tension in the room. "Of course, Your Grace. I'll be in the kitchen checking on the new girls if you need me. Your Grace," she bobbed a little curtsey to Hector in what Alexandra suspected was a punitive way for his untimely arrival and strange manner, and hurried out.
Hector closed the study door, his large, worn hand resting on the wood for a moment. He was dressed simply, a dark coat over a plain shirt and no cravat at his neck. It was so simple and yet on his large frame the dark colors made him look stern and imposing, like a strange wild creature held in check by craps of fabric. "What is it that ye've found?" His eyes were still searchingher. What was he looking for? Why could she never tell what he was thinking?
Hector was such an easy-to-please, cheerful man, and yet knowing his mind was harder than reading a stone. He never did what she expected! Her own father would have been scolding and screaming had she crossed into his study without his permission, and she was sure from the stories that she had heard in the past that many a gentleman saw his study as his private space never to be encroached by his woman. But Hector -
What was hethinking?
"It's the ledgers." She carefully placed the letters down and moved over to the ledgers, finding the one she wanted and sliding it open. "Come see this, here where a copy of expenses has been filed from the Dowager's household. I understand that you cover the expenses of the household?"
"Aye," Hector crossed the room, a look of interest on his face. "I receive the accounts monthly and send the appropriate funds. What is it that ye've found, lass?"
