Six

William sat in a chair beside the bed in the dimly lit room at the inn. He watched Sara as she slept peacefully, her chest rising and falling with each breath. The room was quiet except for the occasional creaking of the wooden floorboards.

William couldn't help but admire the way Sara looked when she slept. Her face was relaxed, her lips slightly parted, and her hair cascaded down the pillow. He had always found her beautiful, but there was something about the way she looked now, vulnerable and innocent, that stirred something within him.

He reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers grazing her cheek softly. Sara stirred slightly in her sleep, and he froze, worried that he might wake her.

Sara woke up immediately and covered her body with sheets.

"What are you doing?" She was scared. She settled for a while, trying to see if he had done anything to her while she slept.

William laughed and threw her clothes outside to dry.

"Dress up and come out for breakfast. We will leave after that. Your family must be worried by now," He said, and he excused her.

Sara came downstairs; her hair was packed up. William sighed.

"You are falling in too deep, William," He reminded himself.

Sara sat beside him.

"We should have been on our way by now, but you decided to sleep in late." He wanted to bring up a discussion.

Sara ignored him.

"I am sorry about everything that happened yesterday, from the carriage to the room. I am not usually like that," He said.

Sara ate slowly and continued to ignore him.

"Help me out here, Sara. I am trying my best for us to be on good terms, but you are trying to be difficult," He yelled again.

Sara laughed.

"You have made it clear to me that you do not value my opinions. You are forcing me to marry you, and you can see that I am clearly against it, but no, you went as far as to bribe my friend and my family into accepting this. You are clearly blackmailing me, and you think everything will be okay?" She shouted. No, your grace, I do not want to be in the same room with you, talk less of having a conversation with you, but I cannot, and why is that? Because I am to be married to you, and you own me," She finished.

William laughed.

"Finish your breakfast quickly; let us go home," He said, saying nothing else.

They reached home later than planned. The rain had made the road inaccessible.

   "Aunt Mary…" She stammered as she stepped into the house.

Aunt Mary came to her.

"You silly girl, what were you thinking? You are lucky that your uncle is not around at the moment. He would have given you the beatings of your life," She scolded her.

William followed Aunt Mary to the drawing room.

         "I want the wedding to be moved up. I cannot wait any longer. It should happen as soon as possible. Sara may do something to herself, and I would not want that," He told her.

Aunt Mary laughed.

"You still want to go through with this? I heard some of the guards say she was pregnant. One of my daughters will be a good fit for you. She is fit to be the duchess." Aunt Mary still wanted to try.

    William laughed.

"She is not fit, but one of your daughters is." The wedding will be in three days. Start getting her ready. I will send the location, and all the preparations will be done by my family. It will be a small affair with only a few friends and family," She told him.

Aunt Mary sighed and got up.

"I need to talk to her before I leave. Keep a close eye on her. I do not want her to run away again," He said.

Aunt Mary nodded.

"Yes, your grace," She responded.

Sara sat quietly in her bed. She knew Aunt Mary would not let her go like that. That meant the duke had told her not to do anything to her.

"I am coming in," The duke said.

Sara laughed.

"As if I had a choice," She said.

William sat on her bed.

"The wedding has been moved up. It will hold in three days," He told her.

Sara tried to muffle her cry, but she couldn’t. William could hear her.

"Aunt Mary will brief you on the plans. After the wedding, you will move in with me," He told him.

William left after

Sara stayed in her room and refused to eat. She cried through the night.

The next day was pretty hectic.

William sent seamstresses to pick the dress she would wear to the wedding.

      "Oh my. Sara is so lucky. She was just introduced, and she is getting married to London’s most eligible man, and all this in less than a month," One of the twins said.

Sara was sad, she never wanted this. All of this was happening without her will, and it was not fair. She would not do anything; if she ran and his grace caught her again, he could collect a special license and marry her that same day. This world was only made for the rich and powerful to make their way.

Sara stood still as the maids tightened her corset to fit the dress.

"I think it needs a little amendment. She has thinned out, and the measurement needs to be readjusted," Aunt Mary said.

       "What do you think, Miss Sara?" Her maid, Rose, asked her.

Sara sighed.

"Do whatever you want; I am not interested." She spoke and went to her room.

Aunt Mary stood tall and regal in the drawing room, her sharp eyes fixed on Sara.

"Pay attention, child," Aunt Mary snapped, her voice cold and commanding. "You are to be the Duchess of Mayfield, and with that title comes great responsibility."

Sara nodded, her stomach churning with nervousness. She had always been a timid girl, and the thought of marrying a Duke and taking on such a prestigious role was almost too much for her to bear.

"Your first duty as the Duchess will be to oversee the household staff," Aunt Mary continued. "You must ensure that they are all properly trained and that they carry out their duties to the highest standards. Any sign of laziness or disobedience must be dealt with swiftly and severely."

Sara tried to take it all in, but her head was spinning with the weight of it all. She had never even managed her own household before, let alone an entire estate. How was she supposed to do this?

"And then there is your duty as a wife," Aunt Mary said, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial tone. "The Duke is a powerful man, and you must know how to keep him happy." "Finally," Aunt Mary said, fixing Sara with a stern gaze, "You must bear children. The Duke will expect heirs, and it is your duty as his wife to provide them."

Sara felt a flush rise to her cheeks as her aunt went on to explain the intricacies of being a good wife to a man like the Duke. She had never even thought about such things before, and the thought of being so intimate with a man she barely knew was almost too much to bear.

She drilled Sara on all the necessary skills, from how to dress and behave at formal events to how to please the Duke in the bedroom. Sara listened to her, her mind reeling with all the new information. She had no intention of laying with the duke, much less of getting pregnant for him.

She was going to go through with the marriage and then find an escape route later.