Chapter three
Kicking stones aimlessly, she walked home in the dark. The last few days had been useless, with series of thefts and daydreaming about being a Savage duchess just to help her family survive once more.
Horse steps made her look left, sighting Messengers on strong, black horses throwing scrolls around.
From what she knew, they looked like invitations when she picked them up. But the event was what worsened the rest of her night.
FROM THE FORLAND EMPIRE…
The rest of the letter made her tear the scroll in pieces, rushing home before she snapped angrily in public.
When she slammed the door and faced her family, they all had faces of mockery on.
Nathan seemed angry, but forced a grin on, "Ah! There you are sister. We are so sorry. Seems your only plan of getting our home back failed. He's already found a duchess, soon to be wed."
"I saw the invitation," she snarled at them, "And besides, they aren't married yet, are they?"
Then she left for her room, ignoring the erratic laughter her family threw at her, mainly because they knew she could not do anything about it.
Monica stared into the mirror. Any man wants a beautiful, presentable woman. She had beauty alright, but presentable was one thing she was not.
She brought her red hair to her face, frowning because it was rough and unkept. The to-be duchess must have very excellent hair.
Monica then studied her own eyes in the mirror, green as grass. That was one thing she was sure the future Duchess could not afford, "Sorry Your Grace. But there is no way I'll let you marry the Viscount's daughter."
***
Jason tapped his chest proudly, "I knew I could bring this unity once more. I mean just look at us," he gestured to the six of them seated, "Together again after weeks of Philip's boring lessons."
They were on white chairs, fixed in the centre of the major lawn, just beside the lake, providing the best view for coffee. Philip's mind however, was straying away.
"So. Philip…"Earl grinned, "Are we still hunting for our warthog or..."
"I am getting married soon," Philip interrupted while sipping from his cup.
The five immediately stared blankly at him, shocked and clearly displeased by the sudden decision.
Raymond tapped on the table, fighting the sadness in his voice, "Have you spoken to any woman apart from your mother and sister before?"
The Duke stared into his cup, with a mood that showed he was against it as well, "It's arranged."
Earl seemed more concerned than sad, "With who?"
Philip perked his head towards the left side of the lawn at his sister who walked alongside Elizabeth Aflong, "Her."
Peter laughed mockingly, a frown immediately replacing it, "Viscount's daughter?! Not everyone who's fine on the outside is like that on the inside. Do you even know her?"
Philip nodded approvingly, "I know that. She is fine outside." He seemed to intentionally ignore the rest of his sentence.
Still, Earl sensed that something was wrong with his mood, "Are you happy about this?"
"My mother is," he replied honestly, "tomorrow is my introduction and betrothal. You all are invited."
Before any more criticisms, he got up and walked away.
They stared at one another. It was funny how everything had just changed.
***
The butler waylaid Philip, "Your Grace, Your Grace."
Philip turned and faced him, studying the pack of letters in his hands, "Yes?"
The older man continued, "These are several responses from invitees concerning your invitations."
The Duke nodded slowly, "Keep them in my chamber. I will look at them later."
Philip continued in his way, towards his very own Duke office. Pushing the door open, a dark room lined with curtains from up to down faced him. It was massive, and smelled of…records and old letters. He pushed a section of the draperies open and light swarmed into the office, pointing straight at a stack of old scrolls.
Just for reasons of idleness, he went through the letters. Some were from other Dukes to his father, some from Viscounts, others from Earls, then Marquesses.
He smiled lightly, his own generation of Monarchs seemed to hate to put their feelings in black and white. They seemed to prefer to pour it out in horse races and sword fighting.
He frowned suddenly when he found this particular letter from the King of England to his father.
Picking it up, he read it till the last letter. That was when he got the biggest realisation of his life.
From the letter, the duchy he ruled had control over part of Scotland. The King placed this acquired region of Scotland under his father's ownership, which now meant he now owned part of a whole country. But why?!
***
"I am going to the introduction ceremony tomorrow," Monica exclaimed while she looked into the mirror, excitedly imagining herself in the black dress she held.
Miranda shrieked at her words, "Tell me you'll meet the Duke and get our home back!"
Monica faced her sister with a smile, "Patience Miranda. I will meet the Duke. Yes. But talking to him about Scotland will not be a day's affair."
Keeping the dress down, she untied her red hair, shaking it to let the curls dance down her back, "In the meantime, go get me some jewelry from the neighbors. And maybe something to do my hair. I will teach Elizabeth Aflong a big lesson."
She faced the mirror again with a dirty smirk on, "Just so you know my dear, I sent the Duke a letter."
***
The letters were mainly congratulatory, apologetic or felicitating. The Duke smiled at the stack. Maybe being a Duke wasn't that bad afterall.
About to turn his eyes away, he sighted something attractive; a handwriting. He pulled on the sheet and brought it to his face, admiring the italics genuinely.
But then, unconsciously, he began reading it,
I WOULD LOVE TO CONGRATULATE YOU, BUT I AM NOT IN SUPPORT OF THIS WEDDING…
The Duke frowned, walked towards the dark terrace and leaned out, reading some more.
DO NOT GET MARRIED TO THE VISCOUNT'S DAUGHTER, EVEN IF YOU WANT TO. I HAVE MY REASONS. AND IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY… YOU AND I WILL ATTEND HER FUNERAL.
BEST WISHES,
THE SCOTTISH DAMSEL.
Philip threw the letter down, realising he had never been that threatened in his life…and by a lady. Somehow, she managed to instill a bit of fear and doubt in his head. Still, he was not sure if it was all a joke or something he was supposed to take seriously.
And what reason exactly did she have to send such a letter?! His hands rubbed his head fearfully. What to do…
***
"She calls herself the Scottish damsel," wailed Philip to his friends.
Earl smiled, "OH! Just as I like, daring to the core. You have an admirer. Do you think she might be here tonight?"
"I don't know," the Duke continued, "and that is a scary sort of admirer."
Timothy placed a hand on his small beard, faking a serious tone, "But on a serious note, do you think there's something about Elizabeth that made her say that? I mean you don't know Elizabeth."
Philip faced him with a glower, "Have you seen Elizabeth…" he looked down at her in the hall, then back at Timothy, "flawless."
Earl began walking away, "Go get ready. I would like to see your secret admirer, or should I say, the Scottish damsel."
Chapter fourPeople chatted and glasses clinked, typical English style. Philip watched the people downstairs and held his hand out for Elizabeth. She looked at him, in a dark blue velvet suit embroidered with gold patterns, just before she placed her hand in his, "You look splendid."He smiled slightly and stared at her, "You're perfect."With one last breath, they both descended the spiral staircase, all eyes turning to them.All the chatter and clinking of glasses stopped just as a footman announced the procession of the Duke and his betrothed.The couple faced the people, the male with a slight bow and the lady with a curtsy. What excited everybody most was the youth of the two. Fresh and beautiful. The smiles on their faces confirmed their approval already.Moments later, a slow dance began. With Elizabeth in his arms, Philip still had his thoughts straying, looking around for the Scottish damsel, although he did not know what to expect.***A foot stepped through the double door
Chapter five"I will not go mad because of a woman," Philip commanded himself, frowning at Earl who was still smiling amusingly, "besides, it might all be a joke.""A secret admirer sending you love letters is not a prank your Grace. She loves you," Earl teased again.Philip opened his mouth in shock, "Are you mad? I am going to get married to Elizabeth soon."The mood of the room seemed to change, Philip noticed.Peter watched his friend in pity and confessed, "To be honest, none of us wants you to marry that girl. You are lifeless already. She is just going to add to your boredom."Philip sighed, that was true. "She's the only one on the list Peter," he noticed Earl open his mouth to speak, but interrupted sternly, "And no Scottish damsel."The Marquess grinned knowingly.Suddenly...the mansion became noisy as they heard people shouting fiercely. Well that startled Jason, "You are a Duke Philip. You sit here and people barge into your home like this behaving like animals."Philip n
Chapter six"Shut up you foolish girl," cried her mother, "That was the last thing I had of him!"Monica watched her mother in disbelief, "What else do you have to do with the man who did not just betray you and along with his allies, took your home away from you?"Miriam Maitland frowned at her first daughter, shock overcoming all her emotions, "You think love ends that easily Monica? Are you that inconsiderate that you had to give the necklace back to his son?"The younger lady laughed angrily, "I have a reason. With that piece of jewelry, I can get your dignity and property back," then she glowered, "and maybe teach that Viscount's daughter a big lesson!""Is that all you think of? Revenge," her mother snarled, "Monica I loved that man and you have no right to hurt his family."Monica smiled at her, eyeing her mother with hatred clearly in her eyes, "So you never loved father?"Miriam shook her head blatantly, "He was a very bad person."Her daughter immediately made a threatening
Chapter sevenThe air was bright and peaceful, filled with the exotic scent of water and trees.To Raymond, it was a beautiful day.To Earl however, it was the worst he had ever had. Moments before, he pictured knocking Monica off her feet in the first strike, claiming victory and rubbing her ignorance in her face.Now however, he was perspiring more than he expected, flinging his sword continuously to avoid the lady's strikes.The Scottish had a smile on the whole time though she became just as tired. With one final strike, she leaned her sword on Earl's, keeping it there and pressing her weight on it. The Marquess shivered , unable to move his blade away."If you ask me My Lord, you are quite an amateur in this," Monica teased boldly.Earl returned the grin with his usual charm and wit. Almost immediately though, he frowned and snarl his retort, "Well I did not ask you, did I?"Raymond Louis still felt the day was beautiful. Along with the others, he lay on the grass, watching the
Chapter eightAnna Forland watched Elizabeth helplessly.The aura of the room was tense and confusing. Her shock kept her still, not even able to console Elizabeth who was crying an ocean before her.How could the Viscount of Mareda die so suddenly?Carol Garlesh however had the blonde wrapped in her arms, consoling her slowly with pity in her eyes and voice, "It's alright my love. Stop crying."The lady in her arms looked up at her, her eyes sore from tears. Her voice came out as a faint whisper, "He was my father," she stated, as though nobody knew that.The Duchess just stood there as well. Mother and daughter seemed confused, unaware of something befitting to do. Somehow they wanted to cry too but the news was as good as unbelievable.Elizabeth had barged into the empire like a runaway bride, with her ankle length dress hovering above her feet, tears pouring from her eyes.Her Coachman followed afterwards when he noticed the lady was too broken to say a word to the Forlands.He ha
Chapter nine"How could you be so relaxed after my brother's death?" Miriam asked rather demandingly.Monica clenched her jaw, her eyes up to the ceiling in thought. Slowly, she faced her mother, "Oh I'm not relaxed. I'll make sure Elizabeth suffers for this.""And you are so sure she killed her father because?""Ahhhh! She helped kill mine when she was still about six years old. Why don't you think she could kill hers now?"Without waiting for an answer, the younger lady walked away, cooking up new plans in her head. She knew she could make Elizabeth lose her mind without even touching her, and Philip was that way.To her, it was going to be a memorable one, as long as Philip was in the picture. Philip! She groaned greedily, loosening her red hair so it fell down her back. What a different type of elegance he had. Automatically, her mind drifted to the dance.She remembered how she trailed off when she saw him for the first time. His eyes were a magnificent shade of amber, with dar
Chapter tenNormally, the rich were independent of the poor, and sometimes even turned them to part of their wealth.But when that unfortunate moment came that the cream would need help from the less affluent, it normally stirred confusion.But to Monica, it was amusing instead. She tilted her head with a grin while she watched the men, "Oh my…"Absent mindedly, she threw the bag of money back to Braxton and curtsied for the millionth time, "Well I am at your service.""You will have to join us to the empire," Peter informed her.And that was when she realized she had no horse. And what a pleasant idea she thought of then, "Can I ride with you my Lord," she asked while facing the Earl of Vetcom.Instantly, Jason huffed and pulled the straps of his animal, riding away from all of them. Well that made the lady smile in satisfaction.But then her stare travelled to a footman riding behind the Monarchs. How dare he be on a horse while she was looking for one!"Get down," she commanded.Th
Chapter eleven"So… meet the ladies," Philip smirked with pride.The Scottish hid the displeasure she felt with a smile. Anna…Rebecca…And the very same snake she lost contact with a long time ago, Elizabeth…The Duke's sister eyed Monica from head to toe, not a single smile on her face. She did not blink twice before she looked away.Monica was smiling now with her eyes travelling from one lady to the other two. Her next actions seemed practiced.A grin.Wave of her hair.Then a curtsy, "My pleasure."Elizabeth Aflong had that sudden uneasy feeling again. This was the second time her fiance had brought her home, and judging by the way she looked, her marriage was really under a threat. And that same feeling she knew her from somewhere returned."Who are you," she finally asked her.That voice…The lady with the red hair smiled randomly. It was surprisingly exciting to here that voice again, "Monica," she replied and smirked wickedly afterwards, knowing her next words will wreak ha