How Does George Eliot Middlemarch Portray Dorothea?

In the opulent world of 18th century England, Lady Victoria Windsor, Duchess of Sussex, is a force to be reckoned with. Beautiful, cunning, and determined, Victoria navigates the treacherous waters of high society, hiding secrets and scandals beneath her polished facade. When the mysterious and powerful Duke of Marlborough arrives on the scene, Victoria's world is turned upside down. As she becomes embroiled in the Duke's plans for revenge, Victoria must confront her own desires and the consequences of her actions. Will Victoria's secrets destroy her marriage, her reputation, and her future?

“Pray tell, Emily, what is it you plan to gain from this marriage?” The vehemence of that word—the way it rolled out harshly from his lips—implied she had tricked him, that she had wanted something from him. A belief Emily hadn’t known he held. Her eyes widened in realization, and she sought to correct it at once. Good Lord, was she married to a man who despised her? *** When the earl of Tonfield, Cole Fletcher decided to drop his newly wedded wife at the steps of Blakewood Manor with as much respect as would be given a sack of potatoes, the last thing he expected was for her to move into his ancestral home and do the one thing he rather her not do. As if that wasn't enough, news of his wife's exploits was beginning to circulate around the ton, while Cole wants to keep an eye on his wife and put her firmly in her place. Emily wants her husband to understand she exists. As a wife, as a countess, as a woman! It's a clash of wills!

The Duke was standing in the middle of the room, his hands in his pockets, his head tilted to one side. It was a relaxed, casual pose, and yet the way he looked at her was anything but casual. The deep midnight of his eyes burned and he radiated a subtle, sensual energy that made the air around him crackle. He looked like a man who’d never heard the word ‘no’ in all his life. Unluckily for him, ‘no’ was the only word she had. “There's no reason why I should stay,” Anna clasped her shaking hands together in an effort to still them. “I’m not marrying you.” His gaze flickered, his mouth curving slightly, and she had the disturbing thought that far from putting him off, her insistence was only inciting him further. “But you haven’t heard my proposal yet,” he said mildly. “Isn’t that why you’re here?” “I don’t need to hear it. I already know that my answer will be no.” “Of course. But you can hardly tell your father that you heard me out when you haven’t, in fact, heard me out…. Anna.”

"I will not be your mistress." She spoke, whispering, with her mouth a sigh away from his. He swallowed hard and nodded, agreeing with her even as he closed the distance between them, kissing her to madness, leaving nothing to sanity. Bethany Fitzgerald hated the very idea of marriage and stood against it with everything she was. Charles de Norcrosse had to marry the insufferable Lady Cossington, for it was the will of his late father and he must abide by it. But when fate moved in favour of the Duke of Carlisle and the daughter of an impoverished Land Baron, very little can be done to fight against it.

After Letitia was sold to the Duke of Kerstone, the least she expected was the Duke telling her they were to get married. To say she was bewildered was an understatement. *** "Married?" She echoed his voice in the carriage and the man simply nodded his green emeralds twinkling in delight. Why he seemed happy, she had no absolute idea. He was getting married to her! An uncouth, rude woman! He knew nothing about her! Why in hell does he seem happy?! *** She had planned to marry the man that she loved and he loved her in return and not just jump into the marriage with a man, even though handsome and warm, she didn't know a thing about, though it was the custom and norms of the society very well known to her as well. But what choice did she have? She was sold. He had bought her. She belonged to him now. All of her. Her body and her soul. She had one thing to be thankful for though. Escaping the evil clutches of her Stepmother and her two daughters. Her situation was like jumping from fire into hot oil. Except the hot oil wasn't all that very much bad. Will she agree to marry him or just go along with her plan of running away? But, everyone has a dark side... A dark part they so badly want to bury, a secret they want to keep... Even if it's impossible. But when that secret is threatened after thrown into a life of dramas and setups? Will that secret remain a secret to the end? That dark side, would it still be buried until the end? Letitia really hoped it did. Find out in *THE DUKE'S BRIDE IS A MONSTER!* COVER DOESN'T BELONG TO ME. CREDITS TO OWNER.

The day I learned the truth about my husband, Duke Alistair, and his adopted sister, Liana, I left. I abandoned my title, my home, and returned to my father's palace. A year passed. Then came news of chaos in the duchy. The servant Alistair sent spoke with desperation, “Your Highness, the Duke and your son are lost to reason. If you don’t return, I fear they will burn everything to the ground.” I looked at the blood I'd coughed onto my handkerchief. I nodded. "Fine. I'll go back." The doctor had already given me my diagnosis. Consumption. I had only a month left to live. So I went back. And I played the part of the perfect duchess. I no longer demanded Alistair's loyalty. I even found him three new mistresses who looked just like Liana and sent them to his bed after he had sent her away for me. I no longer made Damian study the arts of statecraft and not forced him to master his courtly duties. Instead, I supported his ridiculous dream of joining the Expeditionary Force. I took the pain they gave me. I wrapped it in the "understanding" they always craved. And I served it back to them cold. But it drove Alistair mad. He threw out the mistresses. He crushed me in his arms. His kiss was a punishment. He bit my lip, drawing blood. "I sent Liana away! What more do you want from me? How can I earn your forgiveness?" Damian cried and clung to my arm. "I'll never call Aunt Liana 'gentle' or 'beautiful' again! Mother, please. Just stop." They didn't understand. I wasn't making a scene. I just wanted to live out my last month in peace. And then, I wanted to die.