Chapter 24

Marie sat between her grandmother and the dowager duchess as they sipped their tea in the little sitting room of her house. She hadn't ever imagined that she would be in such a strange situation.

"Have you been using the salve that I gave you to rub on your knee?" Elaine narrowed her eyes at the other woman over the rim of her cup.

Elizabeth scoffed and shook her head. "You mean that grey paste that smells of fish? I have, can't you tell?"

They seemed to bark at each other with every sentence, yet Marie could tell that the women had found a kinship with one another. They were more alike in ways than neither of them was keen to admit.

"I can. You aren't leaning on your cane as much, and you hardly needed help coming into the house." Elaine held her head high with a smirk, her usual red scarf covering her hair.

"If you knew, then why did you feel the need to ask? Are you trying to be superior, or are you going senile?" Dominic's grandmother shot back with a smirk. "You would think that your salves would smell better with all that knowledge floating around in your head."

"If I am lording my superiority over your head, then it's only because I respond in kind to the company I am around, Your Grace. And just for the record, only your salve smells of fish; the rest of the people who require my services have nice-smelling salves. I thought it might teach you a thing or two."

The dowager glared at Elaine before turning her attention to Marie. "Tell me, young lady, why is it that you have not yet accepted my grandson's proposal?"

Marie was caught off guard as she swallowed her sip of tea, almost choking on the hot liquid.

"I know that it is a bit abrupt of me to ask in such a manner, but time is of the essence here. I'm not going to live forever, and I want to see him happily married."

She took a moment to compose herself and placed the cup back on the tray.

What do I say?

Telling the truth would more than likely start a debate between the two older women that she wasn't willing to referee.

Elizabeth chewed the inside of her cheek. "I know that it isn't fashionable or even advised to accept a man's proposal right off the bat, but it is dragging on a bit now. One must not seem too eager, but one must also not keep a man waiting too long."

"I'm not sure what the Duke has told you, Your Grace, but I was never keen on the idea from the start." Marie decided to broach the subject as gently as she could.

"And why is that?" Elizabeth placed her cup of tea back on the tray and sat up straight with her hands in her lap.

"First of all, we come from two different worlds. Dominic is used to a life of pampering and luxury while I have had to fight all my life for what I have." She thought back to the time after her parents died, and she and her grandmother had fought tooth and nail just to survive.

Dominic was used to everything being at the tips of his fingers while she had taken low-paying jobs before deciding to use what little inheritance she had to start her business. Their worlds were so far apart that it almost seemed impossible to her, even if that wasn't the main reason for not thinking that the marriage would work.

"Bah, that's not a reason not to get married." It was her grandmother who chimed in now, scoffing at her reasoning. "Your grandfather and I came from two entirely different worlds. He was given to a life of service, and I was used to the wide open planes of the world as I traveled with my parents from town to town." Her eyes filled with fond longing as she sighed over her cup.

"What kind of a life is that for a young woman?" Elizabeth barked at her.

Elaine narrowed her eyes. "The life of a traveler, and it's far better than one where women are left to grow old and sour. My mother was thinner than a twig when she made old bones."

Elizabeth waved her reply away as if she were swatting a fly and turned back to Marie. "Although your grandmother spouts nonsense most of the time, she is right on this matter. Coming from the same background does not necessarily guarantee a life of happiness. My late husband was a duke, and I was one of the finest young ladies of the ton. This did not stop us from having our struggles in life. Money does not dispel problems; only love can do that."

Marie froze, feeling her pulse quicken.

How do I know if I love him?

She had spent so much of her life trying to make others see what love truly meant that she hadn't stopped to consider it for herself. Opposites attract had always been her motto and even her advice to the couples she matched, yet when had they realized that it was love? Was it the fluttering feeling she felt every time he walked into a room? Or even the way her mind drifted to him throughout the day when he wasn't there?

She sighed, despite her best efforts, feeling the sting of his decision not to have children.

The dowager reached out and patted her hand. "I know that sigh dear. Are you wondering if you truly love him?" Her eyes were softer now as she met Marie's gaze.

"The mere fact that you are wondering if you love him or not says a great deal about how you feel. James McFunnugh asked you to be his wife, and did you even doubt for a second whether he was the one for you or not?" Her grandmother spoke in a soft voice as if she were a child again.

"No," Marie shook her head, realizing what her grandmother was trying to say.

"We always know, even if you don't realize it for quite some time. I didn't think I loved my husband until after our first child was born, and then I suddenly realized that I had loved him from the start. It was as if every touch and shy glance declared it." Elizabeth's eyes shimmered with emotion as she drew back.

Marie's breath caught in her throat as she thought back to the day he had stormed into her shop, demanding that she stop trying to find him a wife. She hadn't realized it then, but she had thought of him every day since then. His presence lingered in her mind, but did that mean that she loved him? She thought of other people as well, like her parents who never left her heart or even Janey and her grandmother who were the only family she had left.

"Anything can be overcome, trust me on that matter, my dear. My grandson may not have realized it yet, but I am more than certain that he feels the same things that you do." Elizabeth blinked back her tears and reached for her cup again.

"But what if he never wants to have any children?" Marie asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the tray of tea before looking up.

The room suddenly grew quiet as Elizabeth lowered her cup into the saucer.

Elaine held her breath, looking from Elizabeth to her granddaughter.

"I didn't know that he had told you about that. Please don't misunderstand me. I wasn't trying to trap you into a childless marriage. Dominic's heart has been broken by the passing of his parents. I have tried to show him over the years that losing them don't mean that something like that will ever happen again. Yet his mind is stuck on that night. He can't seem to move past that storm." Her voice was almost broken as she spoke from her heart.

Marie swallowed hard, seeing the same kind of pain that had been etched into Dominic's face.

"I was hoping that being loved by someone as exceptional as you would show him that having children is just as much a part of life as dying. As hard as it is to say, the fear of death cannot keep us from living. What is the point of living if we constantly fear death?" A single tear fell down her cheek before she could stop it.

"I didn't know that the Duke had experienced such a tragedy," Elaine let out a heavy sigh that seemed to shake her body. "Have you told him about your parents?" She turned her head to Marie and searched her face.

"The opportunity hasn't presented itself." She fought against the lump that had formed in her throat.

She had thought about telling Dominic of her parents' passing and everything that had happened to her after that fateful night, but she had gotten distracted when he'd pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Things had gotten out of control again before there had been a chance for her to open up.

Elizabeth leaned forward and placed her hand over Marie's once again. "Do not tell me what happened, but tell my grandson next time the two of you are alone again. And please, for the sake of everything good, do not give up on him too soon. He is as stubborn as an ox, but his heart is true when it comes to the things that matter. His reluctance to have children stems from a place of hurt, not a lack of compassion and love."

"For once, I agree with the old goat. She has not spoken a word of sense in the short time that I have known her, but I do believe that she is right on this matter," Elaine smiled at her granddaughter.

"Instead of agreeing with me, why don't you hop back to that little kitchen of yours and cook up a salve that does not smell like the backside of a fishmonger's cart?" Elizabeth lifted her nose in the air, glaring at the other woman.

Feeling the mirth building in her chest, Marie shook her head and laughed. It was times like this that she couldn't help but be grateful for everything she had in life. Her business was in danger, and she wasn't certain how things would turn out at the end of the day, but at least she had people in her life who cheered her up. She counted herself lucky to have Dominic's grandmother among those people. She seemed harsh and cruel at times, but her heart always seemed to be in the right place.

"Perhaps I will make you a different salve; it might help that sour demeanor you seem to lug around with your air of superiority." Elaine joined her granddaughter as she chortled.

"I shall have you know that this demeanor comes from fine breeding. Several generations of cousins had to marry each other to achieve this regal face." Elizabeth narrowed her icy blue eyes again, failing to hide the twinkle of amusement in them.

Marie erupted into a fit of laughter when her grandmother seemed shocked. The two women were more entertaining than any show that had ever been seen on the London stage.

Elizabeth smirked and pushed herself up before reaching for her cane. "There now, I like you better when you have nothing to say. I think I had better take my leave before you come out of your daze and suddenly realize how funny my joke was. At least your granddaughter has a better sense of humor than you do."

Marie wiped her eyes and stood up when she'd finally regained control of her breathing. It had been quite a long time since she had laughed so hard.

"Now, my dear, please do not lose hope. These things can be conquered, I am sure of it. Open your heart to Dominic, and you might be surprised." A warm smile spread over her lips as she reached up and touched Marie's cheek. "My grandson is not a fool, he knows a woman's worth, and he certainly sees yours."

Her heart skittered when she sobered up. The brief moment of respite had made her forget about her worries, but it all came back to her at once.

I need to speak to him.

She wondered how he would react when she told him that she wanted to have children. She wasn't certain if she loved him, but she was certain of that. Their life together could be filled with laughter if they came together and created life.

Her breath caught in her throat and burned in her chest when she realized what she had been thinking.

When did I become so open to a life with the Duke?

Her throat suddenly felt dry as she thought of how life had changed so subtly in the space of just two weeks. Had it not been that way for all the matches she had done before? All the women who had fallen in love had done so without even realizing what was happening. It had been a gradual change until their hearts were almost bursting.

"I will walk you out; I do not trust you not to trip over your own cane." Elaine stood and ushered the dowager duchess toward the door.

"Finally out of your daze?" Elizabeth cackled to herself, leaving Marie behind to sort through her feelings.

Walking over to the window, Marie watched her grandmother help Elizabeth into the carriage. Everything seemed so impossible at present, yet she hadn't dreamed of the fact that a woman as elegant as the dowager duchess would be drinking tea in their house.

Stranger things happened, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that children would be the deciding factor between her and the Duke.