Page 19 of Destined to be a Duchess
Maybe she was being an idealistic fool. Maybe she would try to help change the world and find herself completely useless in the end. None of that mattered. She had to try. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t. The people back home, like Sarah, would never forgive her either.
“You look lost in thought, my dear.” Catherine roused her gently. “Is everything all right?”
“I am a little lost. There is so much to consider and so much that needs doing,” Marianne replied, blinking. “But I think this could be a good change—a worthwhile change. You’re right. I should seize the opportunity while I can.” Her gaze drifted to the floor, feeling uncomfortable about asking what needed to be asked. “Nicholas ... my father ... Was there nothing left for me once he was gone?”
Catherine’s cheeks coloured. It obviously wasn’t proper to discuss money. Marianne made a mental note of it. “As I said, Nicholas’ father cut him off after the elopement. If you had been born a man, his title and properties would have been passed down to you, regardless of your long estrangement from theton.As things stand, I’m afraid Nicholas left only his name to you, darling.” She smiled reassuringly.
“But you must not underestimate the power of a name. The status of your birth alone will open many doors for you. While you may not become the Countess of Foxburn directly, any sons you bear could potentially pick up the title in years to come. And any gentleman without a title will not pass up an opportunity to marry the daughter of an earl, for example—certainly not one as special and beautiful as you are.”
“You truly believe that someone would want to marry me?” Marianne said, not meaning to sound as self-deprecating as she had. “Just for the name?”
Catherine nodded, reaching for her tea. “These things may sound confusing to you, but you would be surprised what a landed gentleman would do to climb the ladder. They’re an ambitious lot. In the eyes of a pilgrim, every rung closer to heaven is worth the risk of falling—wouldn't you agree?”
Her tone was mocking, almost diminishing, though it wasn’t at Marianne’s expense. Marianne didn’t know enough about the gentry to pass judgement like Catherine. Comparing the likes of thetonto angels in heaven, however, left a bad taste in her mouth. The nearest vicar would likely have agreed.
“And you will want to secure a marriage quickly,” Catherine continued, her voice serious now rather than joking. “You areone-and-twenty. Not a terrible age to be on the marriage mart, by any means. But you will be competing against girls from all across England, some of whom will be five years younger than you, accomplished, less polarizing, and so forth.
Your uniqueness will shine a spotlight on you for a time. We need to make the most of that while we can. We should formally present you next spring once we’ve acquired all the necessary documents. And once, most naturally, we have met the rest of the Chambers family.”
Marianne looked at the ground. She hadn’t given much thought to marriage until her mother’s death. From what Catherine was saying, it seemed like a necessary evil. There was little chance of finding true love before she was too old to be of interest to anyone—that concept alone made her snarl in disgust. But maybe she could find a kind and decent landed gentleman like Catherine had suggested.
They can’t all be so bad, she thought.Anthony has been an aristocrat his whole life, and he still manages to embody every quality a woman looks for in a man. Gentle, passionate, thoughtful, handsome ...
Marianne cleared her throat, eager to change the topic.
“Who became my father’s heir?” She looked towards Miss Barclay, who nodded, confirming that there had to have been one. “If my father was next in line to become the Earl of Foxburnbut died before that could happen, surely someone had to have become the new earl. Did Nicholas not have any brothers?”
The duchess shook her head. “No brothers,” she replied. “I’ve done some investigating in the few days since your arrival. When the late earl passed, the title was inherited by the son of your father’s cousin.
His name is Gideon Manners. I believe he is not much older than our Anthony. He resides in Suffolk—perhaps a three-hour drive from here? The Foxburn estate has been rented to a different family, and they pointed us towards Manners, now living in Bury St. Edmunds.”
Marianne contemplated the news soberly. She had real, living relatives out there. It was anyone’s guess what they would think of her once they learned of her existence. Under normal circumstances, they probably would have been glad to meet her. But if she had learned anything about aristocrats in her few short days of being one, it was that nothing about them was normal.
“I’ve never had a family before,” she murmured absently. When she looked up, the other women were staring at her expectantly. “I mean, arealfamily with cousins, uncles, and such. For my entire life, it was just my mother and me. Do you think the new earl would want to meet me?”
“Doubtless, he would. I will write to him, and we will find out for definite,” Catherine said. “Now, I shan’t lie. It may take some convincing to make Lord Foxburn see the truth. Many charlatans have falsely claimed a noble birth. Such is not the case for you, and in time, everyone will come to see that.” She turned to solicit Miss Barclay. “Which reminds me ... Has there been any word on those records from Brittany?”
Miss Barclay straightened in her seat. Marianne looked at her, confused, before remembering what Catherine had said on the day of her arrival. Her parents had fled to France after their wedding, and Marianne had likely been christened there.
She could hardly believe that there were years of her life when she had had a motheranda father – when they had loved each other and loved her. Her eyes smarted at the thought, and she lowered her gaze as Miss Barclay started to speak.
“Her Grace tasked me with finding a record of your christening,” Miss Barclay explained. “I followed a lead to a small town in France, where it appears that your mother and father settled once they fled England. I’m afraid it will be some time until the church replies.” She turned to the duchess.
“In the meantime, I’ve contacted some women who worked alongside Anne Buller under the Earl of Foxburn. A few have replied, agreeing to meet with us and testify to Anne’s pregnancy and her escape with Nicholas.
Between their testimonies and the letters Anne sent you, Your Grace, I imagine they would provide sufficient proof to convince even this Gideon Manners of Lady Marianne’s connection to the Chambers family.”
Catherine nodded her thanks for Marianne, who sat motionlessly beside her. There was nothing to do but wait until the records came in unless Gideon Manners was a trusting fellow. From what Catherine had said, Marianne doubted any lord would willingly accept a claimant to their title without solid proof.
“None of this should slow us down,” Catherine said resolutely. “I have more evidence I can dig up and show them if the young earl is not satisfied with that. Few would challenge my word in this area, including the new Earl of Foxburn.
If I say that you are Nicholas’ daughter, as I know you to be, then that declaration alone with be sufficient evidence for most sceptics. Attending the party at Hagram Park would be a perfect opportunity to test the waters. Now,” she sighed, “if only I can get my son to agree ...”
“He does,” a voice came from behind them.
Marianne twisted in her seat, heart skipping a beat as Anthony appeared in the archway. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. The last time she had seen him, he had goneto attend some meeting. How long had he been standing there instead, eavesdropping on them?
“Like Marianne, I agree that we should not delay her introduction to theton,” he said.
