Chapter 9

An insufferable man.

That was what the duke was. An insufferable little man that was more of a child than anything else. Insolent, miserable when he couldn't have his own way, and above all completely and well and truly insufferable.

Which was precisely why Olivia was left wondering why she cared so much.

She wondered why she had woken up so early and, of her own volition, joined the cook and helped prepare lunch that morning. They had not planned for it, and after the cook's stunned reaction to her being there they had worked in silence, as she liked to do sometimes. She had not, however, gone there with any intention of doing something for Virginia, which was her usual reasoning for being there. Not that she told the cook that, of course. Instead, she simply told her it was for the dowager duchess and that she was wanting to apologize to her.

This was not exactly false; she did wish to apologize. She had been calm and composed since her arrival at the household, but since the arrival of the duke she had been completely different. To put it bluntly, she was not being the sort of house guest that she wanted to be, that she had always been, and she felt incredibly guilty about that.

That was why they were playing croquet. She did not use words often, nor did she give gifts, but she so enjoyed spending time with her. It had been a game that Virginia had taught her, as her parents had never allowed her to learn how to play. It was too brutal, they said, too improper for a real lady to engage in, and she had listened to them, not that it mattered anymore.

"He likes you," Virginia said gently as they strolled through the gardens.

"The duke?" She laughed, "I rather think he loathes me entirely."

"That isn't true. He may come across that way, but my son does not have the heart to hate. Not anyone."

"Well, he seems to have found a way," she sighed, "Truly, I do not know why I vex him so. I understand that my being here may have come as a surprise, but there is nothing beyond that that could have caused all of this."

"It is quite alright. He simply needs time before enjoying someone's company, is all. I mean, he loves his brother more than anything in the world, yet he has left him in London to come here."

"His brother is with him? Or was, rather."

"Of course. Our dear Scott is certainly… something. He is nothing like William, at least."

"He is pleasant then."

"Dreadfully so."

"Then I believe that I shall like him far more."

"For all of five minutes, perhaps."

"If he is the opposite of his brother, then I believe there is nothing not to like."

"Except for the fact that he has never done a day's work in his life."

"He is the brother of a duke," Olivia laughed gently, "He has no need to."

"No, he certainly does. He chooses not to. He knows that William will handle any matters that arise, and so he does not need to."

"But that is…"

"A flaw. Yes, both of my boys have them. It is not a crime."

"My apologies," she said quickly, "I did not mean to cause offense."

"And you have not caused any," Virginia smiled, "It is perfectly fine to say that they are not perfect. Given the circumstances I would have expected far worse."

"He certainly seems to think he is perfect."

"William? Oh, yes he does. He gets it from his…"

She trailed off, but Olivia knew exactly what she had meant. She didn't like the way Virginia always went silent when she thought of her late husband. There was always so much dead space in the air that she couldn't rid them of no matter what she said. Fortunately, she knew that she was winning by a good amount. One small ‘error' would not lose her the entire game.

Soon after hitting her ball far out of sight, however, she realized that she had been quite wrong about that indeed.

She wondered if the adjusting of her skirt had been what sent him over the edge. She was perfectly aware that he had been watching them, of course, and she knew that they were vexing him immensely, but she almost enjoyed that. Whether he liked it or not, his mother was going to enjoy herself. She simply wished that she hadn't sent him over the edge.

Even so, as he raised his first forkful of the pie she had made to his lips, she couldn't help but watch him. She wanted him to like it, and to say that it was good, no matter how much he infuriated her. She wanted to be told she had done well, and that she was useful and good and all of those things that she hadn't felt before staying there.

For a moment, she swore she could see him smiling. He was enjoying it, she knew it. He must have known she had had a hand in it; she had told him herself that she had been in the kitchens that morning, after all. More than anything, she just wanted to hear him say something good about her for the first time.

"So," Virginia said gently, "After all that, I was thinking that Olivia and I might take a stroll in the park this afternoon?"

"There shall be no need," the duke replied, "I am going out, remember?"

"Yes, but-"

"The last thing I need is for the two of you out in public mortifying me further," he snapped, "No."

"That isn't fair," Olivia huffed.

"In which case, you are more than aware of the location of the front door. You are welcome to go through it any time you like. The back door too, for what it is worth."

"William!" Virginia gasped.

"You know my feelings on the matter, Mother."

"You know mine as well," she grimaced, "Now, I am not looking for a dispute of any kind. Nor am I looking for permission of any kind. I am twice your age, and I will not be ordered around by my own son. Am I clear?"

He seemed to look at his mother, then Olivia, then both of them at once, then shake his head, bewildered.

"Do as you please," he said quietly, rising from his seat.

"William-"

"No, Mother, it is as you said. You are twice my age. You are more than capable of making your own decisions. I do not know anything. I understand fully."

"Come back, dearest. You mustn't leave like that."

"Why not? After all, I thought we were allowing each other to do as we please."

"You know perfectly well that that isn't the case."

"Is it not? Because I tried to put some kind of order in place in this household, and you have gone against me over and over. If you wish to do as you please, then that is all well and good, but you will not chastise me for doing the same. Enjoy your afternoon."

He gave Olivia a look, and she wondered if this was his way of daring her, tempting her to speak against him so that he could prove his point. Perhaps he wanted her to cower, to apologize and beg for forgiveness as he was being so gracious to her. Unfortunately, if that was what he wanted, he was not about to get it.

"Was it good, Your Grace?"

"What?"

"Pardon?" She muttered, before adding, "The pie. Was it good?"

He stared at her. She stared back.

"It was… It was enjoyable, yes."

He seemed confused by her question, and that look on his face did not fade as he turned away, but at least it was better than the anger he had moments before.

He did not even slam the door behind him.

Both ladies breathed a sigh of relief when he left, both of them losing their perfect posture for a moment. Olivia wasn't angry, even though she knew she should be. It was the opposite. She was excited, and one look at Virginia told her that they had had the same thought.

"How long do you suppose we have?" Olivia asked.

"He is going to Coatsworth to complain about us, dear. We have all the time in the world."

"Enough time for..?"

"If we are quick, yes."

And quick they were, springing into action immediately. The pie that she had spent so much time on was left abandoned for someone else to clear away. They had bigger tasks at hand, namely the moving of furniture, and she hated to see Virginia do it so she took over.

"I do not dare think of what he would do if he knew we were doing this," she laughed.

"He will do nothing about it," Virginia assured her, "What he does not know cannot hurt him, and with him going out of his way to complain about us I believe it is only fair that we find some form of revenge."

"How can you be so sure that he is going to talk about us?"

"Because he is angry. He cannot talk to me about it, as I am part of the problem. Therefore, he will find the next best thing."

"And the next best thing is that terrible old man?"

"In your opinion, he is a terrible old man."

"I prefer to see it as a fact. You have to admit that he is quite the busybody."

"Yes, but to William he is the man that brought him here in the first place."

"He asked him to come here?" She blinked, "Why would he do that?"

"You are not to tell him that I showed you this," she whispered, handing her a piece of parchment, "I found this in the study, but as it is strictly off limits I have no business having it."

"What is it?" She asked as she opened it, but she quickly realized exactly what it was.

Every word filled her with anger. It was a letter from Lord Coatsworth to the duke, venomous, slanderous even, filled with speculations about the two ladies. It made her out to be some sort of wanton, a terrible influence, and Virginia to be spineless and easily led.

"So, if I am understanding this correctly," she nodded, frowning, "You are incapable of forming your own opinions, and I am leading you astray with my wicked ways. Is that it?"

"As far as my son is aware, it would appear so."

"I would love to know how he replied," Olivia smirked, "I suppose he believed it immediately."

"I don't believe he replied. I believe he came here immediately, to rescue me from the claws of my captor."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh at the situation. It was nothing but bizarre. She had been a friend to Virginia when she had nobody else. Coatsworth had been nowhere in sight, and she wondered, if he was truly so concerned about her presence there and her effect on Virginia, why he never made his concerns clear to Virginia herself. He had never done so, never even spoken to her at all, but he had made it his obligation to… protect her? It was laughable.

"Do all men do this?" She asked.

"Do what, dear?"

"Believe they know what is best for us, and act accordingly without asking us what we think."

"I cannot speak for all, but in my experience that has certainly been the case. You mustn't hate them for it. They believe they are doing what is right."

"It is not a crime to ask someone if they are happy with what they are doing."

"No, but they hardly ever think to do that. It is a shame, because it is not exactly difficult to do, either."

"This is precisely why I have no interest in marriage. I cannot be in a situation where I am under the thumb of someone that does not care about me."

"Should you ever marry, he will care about you more than anything. I will make sure of that."

"You can do as you please, but that changes nothing. I will not marry. I shall live out my days as a spinster and be all the happier for it."

"If you insist, dear."

"You sound as if you do not believe me."

"I only want you to be happy. Not all marriages are pitiful. Some are perfectly lovely!"

"It is not a risk I wish to take."

But it was, and she knew it was. She had already agreed with the duke that she would marry a gentleman if he found one that she found reasonable enough. She had thought herself clever, finding a way to stay in the home, as there would be no man in all of England that would change her mind, but she found herself realizing that the duke would, eventually, not take no for an answer.

Eventually, he would decide that enough was enough and hand her off to someone else, and as the man of the house he would be able to. It would either be that or live on the streets, and however stubborn she claimed to be she had to admit that a life in a manor house with a man she did not love was a far better prospect than that.

"If you are happy unmarried," Virginia said gently, "I will not force your hand. I believe you would be happier if you were in love, and I think you do too, but I will not enforce that belief onto you."

"Thank you," she replied, "Part of me knows you are right, but I simply cannot bring myself to do it. I am not ready."

"Then you will not marry. It is as simple as that."

"I know what I will do, however."

"What is that?"

"The same thing that you are going to do," she smirked, "Make the most of everything we have. Case in point, you ought to send the footman around and quickly!"

With a laugh, they both continued with what they were doing, and Virginia rushed off to find the footman.

There were problems, to be sure, and things that they would need to navigate, but that would come later. It would come when they were ready. What would come first and foremost was their joy, and that was exactly what they were going to get.

Something joyful, something good, something theirs.