Chapter 29

Marie opened her eyes, blinking as she tried to adjust her vision to the dim lighting of her room. She had cried herself to sleep, that she was sure of. The last thing she recalled was coming home with the doctor and drinking one of her grandmother's tonics.

Everything after falling onto her bed sobbing seemed like a lifetime ago. Judging by the light that filtered through the gap in the drapes, she assumed that half the day had already gone. She rolled over and reasoned with herself that there was no use in even opening the shop when nobody would use her services.

"I'm glad to see that you are awake at least. I thought I would have to douse you in cold water this morning," Elaine came into the room and placed a tray on her dresser before opening the blinds.

"Did you have to do that?" Marie propped herself up on her elbow, realizing that she had gone to sleep fully clothed.

"I did; a bit of light will do you good." Elaine nodded and headed back to the tray, bringing it to the bed before perching on the end.

"What time is it?" Marie tried to swallow, feeling the ill effect of crying for far too long.

The corners of her grandmother's mouth hooked into a smile. "Aren't we just full of questions this morning? Sit up straight and drink your tea. It will put a bit of color back into your cheeks." She waited for Marie to prop herself up before placing the tray on her lap.

Her stomach growled when she smelled the fresh toast and eggs. Things had happened so quickly the day before that she hadn't realized that she hadn't eaten. She couldn't claim to have much of an appetite, but even she couldn't run on nothing at all.

"That's right, you eat up. I have a lot to do today; I have to check on Janey, and then I have an appointment for tea." Elaine began to tidy the room when Marie reached for a piece of toast.

"Did the doctor say what is wrong with her?" she asked through a mouthful of toast and egg.

Elaine shook her head. "He said it's nerves. Now, I am not one to agree with men when they equate a woman's illness to her emotions or nerves, but I'm afraid that I'm inclined to agree this time. I was sitting by her bed last night after checking on you, and she kept mumbling about letting you down and needing to make things right. That poor girl is making herself sick from worry."

"Oh, I think I had better talk to her." Marie placed her piece of toast back on the tray and dusted her hands.

"Don't you dare!" Her grandmother suddenly whipped around and pointed her index finger at Marie. "You need just as much rest as she does. And I do not contest the fact that you didn't open your shop this morning because God knows how hard you've worked these past years, and you had a shock yesterday."

Marie felt herself paling again when she recalled the conversation with Dominic. They had said goodbye, possibly forever. There was every chance that they would bump into one another in the street, but nothing would ever be the same.

Elaine pursed her lips and nodded. "That expression is exactly what I am talking about. You need time to allow things to set in. You must decide whether you will fight for the love that you had or let things be; until then, I suggest you stay in bed. I have my hands full with you and Janey, and I am not missing my tea this afternoon."

"Who are you having tea with?" Marie decided to let the matter rest and not argue with her grandmother.

"The dowager, of course. Who else would I be having tea with? Have you ever known your grandmother to enjoy such frivolous activities as tea? Such nonsense can only come from that old goat," she grumbled despite the smile on her lips.

"Grandmamma, you know that the Duke and I won't be getting back together…" she began to protest but bit her tongue when Elaine whipped around to glare at her.

"And how does that affect my friendship with his grandmother?" She narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"I thought the two of you were trying to get along for our sakes," she admitted sheepishly.

Elaine scoffed. "Believe it or not, young lady, old people are entitled to make friendships of their own. Our lives don't always revolve around our grandchildren's decisions—no matter how misguided and stupid those decisions may be at times."

"You can't blame me for thinking that; the two of you hardly ever say a kind word to one another." Marie pursed her lips.

"Huh! That's the problem with you young people these days, you think that everything should be bright and fair as a May morning all the time. The slightest whiff of something different and you run for the hills!" her grandmother retorted sharply.

Marie felt her heart sinking again as she cast her eyes on the tray of tea.

Softening a little, Elaine came to the edge of the bed and perched on the side. "I didn't mean to be so harsh, Marie. I apologize." She reached out and took Marie's hand, enveloping it in her own.

The tears began to brim in her eyes again. "Is this how it will be from now on? Will everything remind me of him and what happened? Even the things in which I used to find joy?"

"For a time, at least. Believe it or not, I have had my heart broken more than once in this life. It will linger for a while. You will think of him when the birds sing or when you drink your favorite kind of tea. When bad things happen, you may even find yourself getting angry at him, but this will fade in time. It's the price we pay for falling in love."

"Did I love him?" The tears began to flow freely down her cheeks as she looked into her grandmother's eyes which held all the wisdom in the world.

Elaine sighed heavily and pursed her lips while patting Marie's hand. "Only you can answer that question, my darling. I can't speak for your heart."

"I think I did, and I might still." The well of tears suddenly erupted as she felt her heart breaking all over again.

Why did things need to be so difficult? She had seen her clients in love, but never had she thought that it could hurt as badly as it did for her. Everything seemed so dark, as if she had lost someone very dear to her, yet they weren't dead.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, my dearest. None of us can go through life and never experience the pain of heartache. That is the unfortunate truth of life. To err is to be human, and to bleed is to be alive. Or so all of the great poets tell us. It will pass in time; you just need to ride the waves that will inevitably come and go." Her grandmother attempted a smile, tilting her head to the side as she searched Marie's face.

Her attempt to smile instantly failed as her emotions ruled her expressions.

Is this how things will be for the rest of my life?

The dire ache that numbed her body seemed like an endless pit that would swallow her whole.

"Well, I should be off. I can't keep that fancy old goat waiting; she grows restless if she doesn't have a slice of cake at regular intervals." Elaine shook her head, yet the fondness in her eyes was unmistakable. The bond between the two women seemed to have become unshakable.

Marie managed a small laugh through her tears.

"You stay in bed and rest today, dear; let the emotions come, and allow yourself to feel them," Elaine reached out and touched her cheek again.

"Thank you, Grandmamma. I don't know what I would have done without you." Marie felt grateful that she had her grandmother; she wasn't sure how she would have faced the situation if she had been on her own after her parents' passing.

"You would have faced it just the same as you have faced every other situation that life has thrown your way. You are a strong woman, Marie, never forget that."

She watched as her grandmother left the room and shut the door.

Is this how things are going to be for the rest of my life?

She questioned herself again, feeling the unmistakable urge to do something about her situation. She may have fallen in love and had her heart broken, but she'd be damned if she was going to sit back and watch the world pass her by.

Placing the tray to one side, she gripped the edge of her sheets and flung them off of her legs. There were reasons to rest, yet having her heart broken by a Duke didn't seem like a valid enough reason for her.

There was an entire world out there just waiting for her to conquer it. And Marie Webster would not sulk.

Her quill scratched over the piece of parchment as Marie scribbled a few more names onto her list. All of the men she thought would make good matches for her had high ranks within parliament or had like-minded philanthropic ideals.

She wanted to aim high yet not so high that the man would think himself above her. She sat back in her chair and surveyed the sparse list of names. Things would have to happen fairly quickly if she was to save herself and her grandmother from ruin. She would need to see herself married before the end of the next season.

Looking at an open ledger beside her, she quickly did a few calculations in her head.

Perhaps before the end of this season.

Her savings would carry them through for a while, but that too would eventually run out if she didn't drum up any business in the meantime.

Looking out the window, she suddenly noticed a lady walking on the other side of the street with her daughter. Recognizing the faces of the people that Janey had mentioned as potential clients, she quickly got up and made her way to the door.

The street outside the shop was bustling with carts, horses, and carriages as people went about their daily routines. She looked both ways before quickly hurrying across, dodging a cart that had suddenly rounded a corner.

"Watch where you are walking!" a crotchety old man with a cart full of fruit yelled at her and shook his head.

"My apologies!" she yelled back and hurried along.

The ladies she had seen were nearing the end of the street when she finally caught up to them.

"Lady Shrewsbury?" Marie pasted a smile on her face and called after them, lifting the hem of her dress off of the dirty stones.

The older woman glanced back, her expression instantly changing as she laid eyes on Marie. "We do not have time to speak today; good day, Miss Webster." She placed her hand on her daughter's back before hurrying along.

"Mrs. Shrewsbury, would you please just wait for a moment?" Marie tried again, following closely behind.

Stopping when a few ladies turned to stare at them, Lady Shrewsbury rounded on Marie. "This is hardly acceptable behavior," she growled in a low breath, nervously glancing at the women who were keeping a close watch on them. She looked down her pointy nose at Marie.

The girl at her side seemed to cower behind her mother. Her light brown hair and mousey features combined with a round face and large brown eyes gave her a wide-eyed expression of innocence.

"I didn't mean to inconvenience you, Lady Shrewsbury. I was wondering if you and your daughter would like to come in for a cup of tea. My shop is just across the street." She pointed to the bright red door that stood out like a sore thumb among the others that dotted the row of shops.

The woman recoiled as if Marie had slapped her through the face. "I know very well where your shop is and who you are, Miss Webster. We will not be needing your services, thank you very much." She tried to grip her daughter's shoulders and spin her around, but Marie took another step forward.

"If you would just give me a moment of your time, I'm sure that I will be able to help your daughter…" Her words trailed off when Mrs. Shrewsbury whipped around, her large brown eyes irate with anger.

"Help us with what? Finding you another match under the guise of helping someone else? We all know what you did with those poor young women you used as decoys before trying to snatch up the Duke for yourself. Tell me, Miss Webster, have you gotten married yet, or has the Duke of Wiltshire seen the light and gotten rid of you? I find the fact that you suddenly gave up finding matches for him just so that you could spend more time with him astounding! Five matches—was that really all it took for the Duke to fall for your ploy?"

Marie could feel the blood draining from her face as a small crowd gathered across the street to witness the altercation.

How does she know that the matches have stopped?

She reasoned with herself that anyone could have spotted her and the Duke around town and made the assumption, but five matches was a very specific and informed number. The Duke hadn't even gone on all five dates. He had gone on three and then snubbed the others. Whoever had spread the rumors had known the inner workings of her business.

"I find your lack of propriety utterly distasteful, Miss Webster, so please do not contact us again." She thrust her nose in the air and spun around with her daughter, marching away from Marie.

The crowd across the street began to snigger as ladies pointed and whispered, yet none of that affected her. She had gotten used to the ridicule over the past five years; the scorn and gossip was nothing new to her. The thing that was making her question everything was the fact that the person who betrayed her had to be close to her.

Clenching her fists at her sides, she ran across the street without looking.

Men yelled profanities at her as horses neighed at the sharp correction of their reins. A carriage almost toppled over as the driver quickly pulled the on the reins, directing the horses away from Marie.

"Are you mad, woman?!" a particularly irate man yelled at her, waving his fist in the air.

Entering the shop without looking back, Marie hurried to her desk and quickly reached for a piece of parchment and a quill. The women who had been set up on the dates had no idea of the others unless they had somehow gotten together and put two and two together. Yet the final lady lived in Brighton next to the sea, so the chances of her knowing that her blind date had been with the Duke of Wiltshire were slim to nothing.

The only other people who would have known about all the details were her grandmother, Janey, and possibly the dowager, who had personally approved all of the matches.

Pulling on her coat with haste, she ensured that the back of the shop was locked before making her way out the front again.

She looked up in surprise to see the Duke's carriage waiting for in front of the shop.

"I am under strict instructions to take you wherever you need to be, Lady Webster." The footman still addressed her with the same formality as he had before. As if she and the Duke were still courting.