Page 31 of Destined to be a Duchess
No,Marianne thought back.Don’t be stupid.
“I have been provided with everything I could ever need,” Marianne replied evenly, pushing away her doubt. Eliana’s large, round eyes were still boring into hers. The woman never looked away. Never blinked. “But you’re very kind for offering to help me.”
That seemed to relax Eliana. “And you are kind for saying so.”
“I expected nothing less than a warm reception from you. Her Grace has sung your praises from the moment you were first mentioned.” Marianne hated being a bootlicker, but Catherine had stressed the importance of compliments when making friends with ladies her age. They were starved for validation. “In fact, she said that your two families have been close for many years.”
“The duchess speaks true.” Eliana nodded. She raised the parasol slightly, obviously done trying to protect Marianne’s privacy now that she was complimenting her. All the better for the others to hear.
“The Webb and Colline families have been allied for generations, given that we both hold our seats here in East Anglia. My father and the late Duke of Wesden became greater friends than any of the men who came before them. Really, they were more like brothers until the duke’s untimely passing. That makes Anthony and I like cousins. Even closer, I would say.”
Even though Anthony had encouraged Marianne to call him by his Christian name, she knew that was not the done thing. Eliana had to be close with the duke to be speaking about him so casually in front of others. Marianne felt a bit less special because of it. Her stomach clenched at the thought. Anthony had been honest with her about everything—even his father’s death.But he had never spoken to her about his relationship with Eliana.
That begged the question: Why?
A ringlet of dark hair had escaped Eliana’s chignon, caressing the nape of her neck—and Marianne got the sense it had been placed there on purpose, to draw the eye of an observant gentleman, who would see it and be inspired by all sorts of wicked thoughts.
A new question emerged instead: What had she found herself in the middle of?
“And that’s why I’m so glad he’s back. I think it’s time we all returned to normalcy,” Eliana continued. “With the exception of you, of course. You are only just beginning your own journey here. Tell me, what are your plans? Do you intend to stay on with the dowager duchess for good?”
The eyes of a dozen women were slowly shifting to Marianne. She looked over her audience, reciprocating their flat smiles. They weren’t even bothering to hide their eavesdropping, heads tilted in observation like the birds decorating the nearby trees.
“I don’t know.” Marianne shrugged. “I have met some relatives of mine. There was talk of a potential London Season—”
“Yes, there would be,” Eliana interjected, looking at her flock. They all nodded in agreement, like they shared one mind—one thought—between them. “You’re beautiful. The Chambers name may not hold the weight it once did, but that should not stop you from branching out and forming new connections. Why wait for London? I will introduce you to people here. Just point whoever you like out to me, and I will perform the introduction.”
The other ladies cooed and whispered in excitement. Marianne caught mumbled names: Lord Holton, Mr Crofter, Mr Bowers … She should have been pleased that Eliana was offering to match her up with the man of her choosing. After all, Marianne’s life wouldn’t progress much further without finding a gentleman husband.
And yet she couldn’t be glad. Because when she looked into herself and tried to imagine what sort of husband she would like, she saw nothing. Or next to nothing. At the edge of her consciousness, there was a face, a name …
But it was too dangerous a thought to entertain.
Chapter 13
At dinner that evening, that forbidden face was as far from her mind as possible.
And quite literally far as well.
Marianne looked down at her name card, thumbing the edge of the folded paper. She squinted towards the other end of the table, positioned almost as far away from the Marquess of Hindborough, Lady Eliana, and Anthony as possible. She had hoped their hosts would take pity on her and seat her beside the duke.
“It looks like you’ll just have to make do with me,” a voice said beside her.
Patrick grinned effortlessly, eyes darting back and forth as he grabbed the name card beside Marianne’s and swapped it with his own. He hurried back to the scene of the theft, returning to Marianne with a laugh.
“Mr Crofter will be none the wiser,” Patrick teased, winking. “Before you mistake me for your knight in shining armour, I was to be seated beside one Lord Derrish, and the man absolutely loathes my father.” He waved his hand like it was a tale for another time. “I’d take your company over his any day. And Isuspect a friendly face is just what you need this evening. How were things for you so far with the ladies?”
Marianne grimaced, thinking back to the events of that afternoon. After Lady Elaina’s interview on the lawn, the women had gone walking around a nearby lake. Marianne had been tossed from woman to woman, all eager to hear about her most tragic backstory.
“I would have preferred to have been introduced to a hungry pack of wolves.” She hummed out her frustration. “Things could have gone worse. I could have been left alone.”
“I say no company is better than bad company, but to each his own.” Patrick nodded in the direction of Anthony. “Our friend, the duke, looks like he’s of the same mind.”
Marianne stole a few fleeting glances at Anthony. He looked lovely in his dark dinner suit, hair curling around his ears. His face was set in a smile as he spoke with Lady Eliana and her father.
Even from a distance, Marianne could tell how comfortable they were around each other. She shouldn’t have been jealous about Anthony’s relationship with them, and yet she was. The duke had beenherfriend first. Except, she realized with a start, he really hadn’t.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,” she murmured, playing with the edge of her napkin. She was thankful for the gentle dins of conversation and cutlery all around them, obscuring their conversation from the guests finding their seats. “He’s smiling for the most part.”
