Walter’s smile was much too bright. Mary could tell that he was enjoying the moment very much, which only served to make her even more anxious. Her lilac coloured dress felt much too tight over her restrictive corset, and the puffy sleeves were in the way as she turned her head towards her front door for what felt like the hundredth time; the lace that ran down her arms irritated her skin in a way that it had never done before. It was not just her dress that was a problem, her light blonde hair was scraped back so tightly off her face that it pinched her skin, and the heavy make-up around her bright, fiery blue eyes felt heavy.
The handmaiden had done too much to Mary today, and she was not impressed by it. Maybe she looked beautiful, even in her own eyes she could see that, but it was not worth it to be in so much pain.
“He should be here soon,” Walter said once more in what he seemed to think was a reassuring tone. He did not seem to understand that Mary did not want him to arrive at all. “It is not like the Duke to be late; he must be stuck somewhere.”
“Right,” Mary replied stiffly. “I see.”
Please decide that you do not wish to marry me; that would take off all the pressure.
Mary had spent all night long fantasising about various ways that this could all go wrong. Since his letter to Walter confirmed that he was not, in fact, married, Mary could only hope that something would get in the way to prevent him from wanting to marry her. If he said no, then surely she could still keep the house?
“Is that a carriage I can hear outside?” Walter leapt up as if he’d been burned, and he hurried towards the window. As he stared out through the glass, Mary could not help feeling that he had made himself much too comfortable in her home over the last few days.
Do not hate Walter, she tried to convince herself. He is only acting on Father’s wishes.
Mary had never had a bad word to say about her father. She assumed that Charlotte had not either, but after seeing her the previous week and learning how she really felt about everything was a true eye-opener. Charlotte resented the man who raised them for choosing a suitor for her based only on the money he had, not the compatibility. That had to be the same here; her father had not seen her grown over the last five years. He made the choice – out of necessity – based on what he thought she might need when she was only thirteen years of age.
This could only spell disaster; there was no other outcome.
“Yes.” Walter turned to Mary with a smile. “He is here. I shall go and let him in so that you two can meet for the very first time.”
Mary did not move. It was as if she was completely frozen to the chair beneath her. An ice-cold sensation encased her heart and ran through her veins, freezing up her whole body.
He is here. Despite what I think, I have to make a good impression. If Walter believes that I am not putting in the effort, he shall strip me of my home. I do wish to make the Duke want to marry someone else, but I cannot be seen to be doing so.
Daisy moved into the room, setting out drinks and snacks for the guests. She could see the troubled expression on Mary’s face, which she immediately understood. All the staff had been coached by Walter on how they were to behave when the Duke arrived today to meet Mary.
“Are you alright, Lady Roberts?” Daisy asked her quietly.
“I ... I think so,” Mary stammered back. “I am terribly nervous.”
“Well, you look beautiful if that helps.”
Mary smiled gratefully at Daisy; it was so kind of her to try and make Mary feel better. She knew how scared she was about today, but it was still lovely for her to reach out.
“Thank you, Daisy. Will you be around, serving drinks?”
“I shall,” Daisy replied with a curtsy. “I will be here.”
Mary was not sure why, but that made her feel a whole lot better. Daisy was not quite a friend, but she was the closest thing that Mary had to one. While there was not a thing she could do, simply having her in the room was a comfort.
As footsteps rang through the hallway, joined in with two booming male voices, Mary pushed herself into a standing position. Her good manners were so well ingrained that she could not resist them even in a state of panic. Daisy scurried over to the side of the room where she would wait by the drinks, leaving Mary exposed and by herself.
She brushed her dress downwards, ensuring that the skirts hung perfectly by her feet, then her hands automatically went up to her hair where she smoothed it down more than it already was.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
Her heart hammered noisily in her chest while she waited. It vibrated against her ribcage while boiling hot anticipation raced through her veins. Any minute now, she would meet the man who her father had chosen for her. If he was anything like Charlotte suggested, then he would be just as horrible as Lord Jones.
“Your Grace, I would like you to meet Lady Mary Roberts,” Walter announced with flair. “She would like to welcome you to her home and thank you for coming to meet with her.”
Mary’s stomach jolted. She was far too shocked to be annoyed that Walter was speaking on her behalf. Duke Edmund Smith was a massive surprise, nothing like Mary suspected. Despite the fact that she was aware his age was much less than her sister’s husband’s, for some reason she was expecting him to be grey-haired, round-bellied, with pink stained skin from drinking too much wine, just like he was.
Instead, he was tall, dark, and very handsome. He actually made Mary’s heart flutter a little bit.
“It is good to meet you, Lady Mary Roberts.”
Oh. His tone was cold, as was his face. The smile that had somehow worked its way up onto Mary’s face fell away when she realised that he truly did not want to be there. Maybe she should have been pleased for that was exactly what she wanted; maybe she should have expected it because she did not much want to be there either, but instead, all she felt was sadness. A hollow sensation filled her.
“Y ... yes, it is good to meet you too.”
She extended her hand and waited for him to kiss it. Despite the fact that it was the polite thing to do, the Duke left her hand hanging in mid-air until she dropped it.
I do not like him, Mary thought angrily. Charlotte was right; he is not a good man. Father has a terrible taste in men. I shall have to refuse to marry him.
But the thought of giving up the family home, even if she did have other options now, scared her. It felt like a huge step that she was not quite ready to take.
“Shall we all take a seat?” Walter asked in a jolly tone as if he could not sense the frosty atmosphere at all. “Edmund, you should tell us more about yourself.”
As Edmund began to speak, he did so with a tone of arrogance. He was clearly very proud of what he had done, and he was not afraid of letting other people know it. Mary could not imagine her father working alongside such a man; he was always very humble about his own achievements. At least in public; maybe he hid his pride inside, but Mary had certainly never heard it.
“That is so impressive.” Walter sounded like he was in love with the man himself. He was being much too kind, encouraging the man to tell him more. “That sounds like it must keep you very busy.”
“Oh yes, it does ...”
Mary could hardly stand to listen. Without even meaning to, she rolled her eyes in a way that she hoped was discrete.