Why did you have to die, Father? she thought morosely in a way she had not done in years. All of this had dredged up the sadness and loss she felt that he was gone. It was as if the last five years had not even happened, and the funeral had only occurred the day before. I wish that you were still here, Father. I miss you a lot.
Once they pulled up outside the house, Mary felt washed out and ready for some alone time in her bedroom. She was upset that she had dragged Daisy along to the dressmakers with her when she had not spoken with her much, but she hoped that her friend would understand. All Mary needed was some time to think.
Unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
“Where have you been?” Walter snapped at her from just inside the front door. “I have been waiting for you for over thirty minutes.”
Mary resisted the urge to huff at his very unwelcome presence. This was the absolute last thing that she needed today. “I went to visit my dressmaker,” she told him coldly. “I was not aware that we had an appointment today.”
“We do not, but there are things that we must discuss, do you not think?” Walter pumped his fists by his side. He grew weary of Mary and her indecision, and it made him want to do something drastic just to punish her. “I have sent out the letter to the Duke, as discussed, but since we have not received a reply yet, I believe we need to start considering other options.”
A spark of hope filled Mary’s chest; this had to be a good sign that things were potentially looking up, did it not?
“I went to the dressmakers to get a garment made for me to attend some society functions,” Mary replied confidently. “So if His Grace does not see fit to reply, I can marry someone else. I shall still inherit the house then, shall I not?”
Walter scowled. “You have done that without discussing it with me?”
“I did not know I would have to discuss everything with you.” Mary felt stunned; this was not the reaction that she expected from him. She assumed he would be happy that she was not being difficult for him. “I apologise for stepping out of line.”
Walter shook his head as he tried his hardest to keep the string of expletives inside. “I do not see what choice we have. Like I have said to you before, your father was not specific about many details. Maybe that is something I should have pushed for when he was alive, but it is too late to worry about it now. We must just work with what we believe ourselves. I presume if Edmund does not respond to our communication, and if he does not wish to marry you, then I assume we can find another more suitable person for you.”
Mary nodded, waiting for happiness to surge through her. This was what she wanted, what she was hoping for, so why did she not feel better? Was it simply the moroseness she had been experiencing all day continuing, or was it something else?
“So let us talk; we need to plan exactly what we intend to do.” Walter returned to an ‘all business’ mode. “Now that everything has become much more complicated, we have to decide how to make this work. Do you not agree?”
“Yes,” Mary whispered. “I agree.”
Chapter 9
Edmund did not know how to feel as he stood outside Mary’s home for the second time. Coming to meet her again was never in his plans. When he left this house the previous time, it was under the assumption that he would not be coming back. Yet here he was, back again, on his mother’s command.
It might not be so bad, he tried his best to convince himself as his heart raced in his chest. Maybe this time, things will be very different.
Still he could not stop his stomach from churning; his pulse from racing, a thick anticipation flowing through his veins. Edmund could not place it, but there was a deep-seated fear within that did not come from the meeting that lay ahead of him. Could it have stemmed from the fact that he left last time in a hurry after not giving Lady Mary Roberts a fair chance? There had to be a reason he had not sent the letter declining to meet her again, after all. There needed to be a reason that he allowed his mother to convince him to come again ...
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took in a couple of deep breaths. It could not hurt to at least see. After his disastrous experience at the ball with Lady Victoria Hartmon, nothing would seem quite as terrifying. Having her lurching at him, trying to ruin him as he ruined her was utterly scary. That was something that he never wanted to experience again for as long as he lived.
With a tremor racing through his system, Duke Edmund Smith extended his fist, and he knocked upon the heavy wooden door that would lead him into an unknown situation. Just because he had decided to see Mary again, did not necessarily mean that she wanted to see him. Maybe she had only agreed to the meeting because she felt that she had no choice in the matter. If Walter was involved like he always was, then she probably did not.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Walter Thompson smiled brightly as the door swung open. After holding his breath fearfully for hours from the thought that Edmund would not stick to his promise and arrive, he was so pleased to see him standing there in front of him. He had even answered the door himself rather than leaving it to the butler because he simply could not wait. “It is wonderful to see you again. Please come inside.”
Edmund tipped his hat and stepped inside the home. He did all that he could to keep his expression stoic so Walter could not sense the nerves that were rolling off him in waves. At least Walter was happy to see him again. “Thank you kindly for inviting me. I am so glad to be back.”
As they walked towards the drawing room, where Edmund presumed that Mary was waiting for him, Walter asked him a stream of questions about business. Normally, this was the sort of thing that Edmund would love to discuss, but he could not seem to focus on it at all today. It was as if his head was everywhere else. He could not think about business deals and financial gain when the woman that, for some strange reason, terrified him, sat right behind those walls.
“So, Your Grace, what do you think?”
All of a sudden, Edmund realised that Walter had asked him a direct question and that he was being rude by not answering him. He shook his head slightly, trying to rid his brain of the constant stream of thoughts that raced through his mind, and he turned his head to look at Walter.
Just as he parted his lips to ask Walter to repeat himself, another voice broke through his thoughts, grabbing his attention in a completely new direction.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” a soft, female voice sent bolts of emotion darting into his heart. “It is lovely to see you again.”
His heart skipped a beat as he turned to see Mary. Her long blonde hair fell freely past her shoulders. It looked much nicer hanging loose than it did tied up. Not that he did not like it that way, he simply preferred this more natural look. It was also obvious from her face that she had not painted it. This made her blue eyes sparkle more brightly, her skin appear fresher, and her whole face look more youthful and beautiful.