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Chapter 15
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My Mother’s Choice Chapter 16
The duke stared down in to his brandy glass. He should be upstairs by now, waiting on his new wife, not in the library. gathering his courage, he poured another glass and drank. This was not how the day was supposed to run. He’d had no desire to take a wife and certainly not to yoke himself to the odd duck that had washed up on the doorstep yesterday. Eventually, he would have had to make a decision, but he had been enjoying the relative quiet in the house without the presence of his mother. He would get the estate back in order first. And something would have to be done about Achie. An uneasy truce atleast. They’d need to work through enough of the old problem so they would not be at each other’s throats. He had no real desire to throw his only living relative from the house for good, but it might be necessary if no solution could befound.He’d never intended to bring a wife into the mess that existed now. But one had forced her way into it and now he had another problem to deal wi
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 17
‘What in God’s name are you doing in the kitchen?’And why must everything you say to me be shouted? she screamed back in frustration , rubbing her temples.The duke was standing in the doorway, his arms folded in front of him. His words rolled over her in a torrent. ‘I came to your room, expecting to find you waiting, and had to look through the whole of the house before I found you.And here, of all places. Did you expect to sleep next to the fire, like the kitchen cat? Was I to call the servants to locate you? Wouldn’t that be rich? To have the household know that his Grace has had a wife for less than a day and already misplaced her.’‘Because it is all about you, isn’t it?’ she snapped. ‘And about what people think. That is why you had to marry me. That is the only reason I’m still here and I expect you’ll have cause to mention it whenever I make a mistake for the rest of my life.’‘If you wish to stay in this house, then, yes, it is all about my wishes. And if I say that what pe
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 18
The day dawned uncomfortably bright and early, and Gwen pulled the hanging curtains shut against it.After her visit from the duke the previous evening, she was at a loss as to what she could possibly say in the morning. No doubt her bags were packed and waiting for her in the entrance hall. But would he think to arrange transportation, or assume that she could purchase a ticket from her own funds?She laughed bitterly. As if there were such a thing. Her purse had been emptied by the trip to ThornHill , and showed no signs of magically filling itself for the return trip. And if she should return, where would she go? Her father had made it quite clear that there was to be no turning back from this course, and while the parting had been sweet, she knew he was sincere in his desire to get rid of her, for her own safety and his peace of mind.Unless she abandoned all pride and made a living on her back, as more than one nobleman had suggested. And what fool thought it better to be the who
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 19
So her husband had left the marriage bed still cold and ran off to to London to be with his… She deliberately buttered another slice of toast and bit into the corner, chewing as it turned to sawdust in her mouth. Well, there was no reason that it need bother her in the least. She had expected something of that sort to happen. And this was neither a love match, nor she some exciting girl. ‘It is all right, Archie. Thank you. You are right. It is better to know how things stand.’He sighed in obvious relief. ‘Good. I am glad you are taking this so well. And remember, as I offered before, if you need a strong arm to support you, and my brother is nowhere to be found, you can always call on me.’‘Thank you.’ She smiled suspiciously back at him. ‘And now, my dear, I must be off. To see about the responsibilities you would have me attend to.’ He sighed. ‘To appear as idle as I do requires a surprising amount of effort.May I have the honour of joining you at supper this evening?’‘Of cour
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 20
Barrister Williams and Williams had been family friends and solicitors since the first duke, when the two names on the sign had belonged to the ancestors of the man currently in the office. Williams the elder was retired now, but his sonCharles, a man slightly older than Authur himself, kept the name on the sign out of respect and simplicity. After several years at Oxford, there would be a new Williams in the office, and it hardly seemed necessary to repaint.Charles ushered him in to the oak-panelled office and seated him in a heavy leather wing chair before taking his own seat behind the enormous desk. ‘And to what do I owe this honour, your Grace?’‘I have a problem, Charles.’‘We have a problem, then. As I must always remind you, do not feel that you need face these things alone. Your problems are ours also.’‘This one, I might. The utmost discretion is required.’ ‘Discretion is my watchword.’ Charles replied.Authur smiled. There were times at Oxford when discretion was the las
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 21
Authur entered his third stationer’s shop of the day, with a growing feeling of despair. Perhaps Charles had been right when he’d offered to make the inquiries himself. But, since there was no telling what he might find at the end of the journey, he had wanted to do the leg work himselfAnd he’d discovered that there was indeed a Lady Gwen Lewis, aged three and twenty, daughter of Sir Anthony, but that neither had been seen in years. Sir Anthony had run through the family fortune after the death of his wife, and was,rumored to have ran off to the continent like a filthy coward, or quietly put a bullet through his brain. What remained of the family goods had been sold at auction years ago, but the daughter had not been present. There was no known family, although one would have expected to hear of an aunt or female relative of some kind to step forward and claim the girl. The name Lady Danbury did not appear in any of the accompanying records, nor was it familiar to those questioned.H
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 22
The staff stood before her, terrified. Clearly, they had heard the dispute downstairs, and were all hoping that the next sacking would be someone other than themselves.She tried to return a gaze that was cool and indifferent. ‘By now, you all know the fate of Mrs Martha. This will, of course, cause a certain amount of disarray downstairs ,but…’ she paused to run a hand along the woodwork and wipe the smudge into her handkerchief ‘… I care more for the state of things upstairs , and doubt that anything I’ve done could create greater disorder than was here already.’She smiled. ‘My difficulties with the previous housekeeper were based solely on the errors in the accounts and the state of the house. I assume that these problems are now solved. If I am mistaken, I wish that you will come to me and that we can reach a solution. I will be replacing Mrs Martha shortly, and we will manage as best we can until that point.In the mean time…’ she presented a list of tasks ‘…I would have you be
My Mother’s Choice Chapter 23
Supper that evening was a very different affair than breakfast had been. After a short nap, she had composed herself and returned to the kitchen to confront the cook. The woman had been wary at first, but when she was told that she might choose her own ingredients and order what was needed to undo the artificial famine created by Mrs Martha, she seemed most happy with the change.Gwen, at Parton’s insistence, allowed her hair to be dressed and changed into her only decent gown for supper.The gown was a burgundy satin that had been much more fresh fifteen years ago, when it had been one of Lady Danbury’s ball dresses. They’d cut down the puffed sleeves, removed large amounts of skirt to hide the worn spots and managed, by trimming the train and adding some lace from another gown, to create something almost presentable.Archie met her at the dinner table and kissed her hand. ‘Enchanted as always, my dear. You look lovely this evening.’ He looked over his shoulder at the destruction on
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