Chapter 10

“How did it go today with Lady Sophia?” the Duke asked his mother. He had intercepted her in the garden, and the question had been lingering in his mind ever since he had learned that Sophia would be visiting the Estate for some etiquette lessons.

The Dowager was sipping on her cup of tea. She lowered the cup to look at her son with a composed expression.

“I would say that she is a lady in the making,” she observed. “However, there is still much work to do. I do wish that you had given us some more time to prepare.”

Duncan shook his head. “I do not think there is any need to delay the wedding. Her lessons can continue after she is married to me.”

“But the wedding, my dear,” the Dowager interjected, “is going to be a grand spectacle, and you know it. All eyes will be on Lady Sophia, and it is pertinent that she is the best version that she can be.”

“Mother, my decision is final. I do not plan on moving the date of the wedding.” Duncan’s voice rang with an air of finality. “However, this is a good opportunity to finally make use of our privilege. We have access to the best of the best, and I am sure that Lady Sophia can be trained in the time we have.”

Duncan did not really see why she had to go through such rigorous etiquette lessons in the first place. It did not matter to him how straight her posture was. He detested the fact that society was so obsessed with mannerisms, even though he himself had perfected them, but so had everyone else. It was boring to him.

“Well, if you refuse to budge, then I must increase the frequency of lessons,” Anna sighed.

“I hope that you are not being too hard on her,” Duncan said.

“Oh, are you so concerned about your bride to be?” his mother teased.

The Duke shook his head.

“You mistake my concern for something greater than abiding by my duty. I merely wish to not discomfort her too much as it is not the most gentlemanly thing to do,” he replied immediately.

“Very well. I am only training her for her own betterment,” she pointed out. “Mrs. Harrington has been giving her lessons all morning.”

The Duke sighed as he heard the name. He was reminded of his own youth and how persistently her mother had made him take lessons with her.

“Has she not heard of retirement?” he remarked, sarcastically. “I am sure she must be about a hundred years old.”

“Duncan do not say that,” his mother scolded. “She is excellent at her job.”

Duncan shrugged his shoulders. “Anyway, you say that Sophia was taking lessons with her. Is she there with her currently?”

Even though the Duke did not want to admit it to himself, he was curious to know more about Sophia. He realized that in his hasty decision, he scarcely had any knowledge of what she was like, barring the few conversations that the two of them had with each other.

“Yes, well your brother borrowed her for a few moments to give her a tour of the estate. They should be returning any moment now,” the Dowager observed, and then her expression brightened up as she looked in the distance. “In fact, there they are now.”

“Brother of mine,” Jacob greeted Duncan with a cheerful pat on the back, “lovely to see you.”

Duncan nodded at him and then turned his attention to Sophia. “My Lady.”

“Your Grace.”

Their gazes met for a brief moment, and Duncan realized how beautiful her eyes looked in the sunlight.

“Lady Sophia, we must continue with your lessons now,” the Dowager interrupted their moment, pulling at her arm. “We have no time to waste, considering there is such little of it as is.”

“Of course.”

“You are to have your dancing lessons, now. Duncan, you should join us. The two of you must practice your dance for the wedding.”

“You go ahead mother,” Duncan replied. “I shall join the two of you in a moment.”

Duncan watched the two of them leave. As soon as they were out of earshot, Jacob nudged him playfully with his elbow.

“Gazing lovingly at thy beloved, are you?” he teased.

“Do not be ridiculous,” Duncan rolled his eyes at his brother’s childishness.

“Is it really so ridiculous, dear brother of mine? After all, she is your bride to be. What I am suggesting is only natural.”

“You know fair well that our union is born only out of a sense of duty,” Duncan said, irritated. “Do not bring this romance nonsense into it.”

“Oh, but why not? I got the opportunity to speak with Lady Sophia today, and I believe the two of you will make an excellent pair.”

“Why do you say that?” The Duke raised an eyebrow.

“I am a good judge of character,” Jacob shrugged. “I can gauge its… essence, if you will.”

Duncan rolled his eyes at his brother’s theatrics once again.

“Judging people, huh? That does not go very well with your self-proclaimed nonjudgmental nature.”

“Oh, you know what I mean.” Jacob shook his head. “I am merely trying to suggest that I sense there is some chemistry between you two. I am certain you will be love struck soon if you are not already.”

Duncan had no time for his brother’s absurd predictions.

“Love is not something I am thinking of,” he asserted.

“Really, brother? Who are you fooling?” Jacob grinned. Duncan knew that he was only trying to get under his skin now.

“I do not need to fool anyone.” Duncan finally put his foot down. “I am the Duke. There is no need for me to explain myself.”

“As you wish,” Jacob replied, not seeming convinced. “I shall check on you again once you have danced with your lady. You should go now as they may be waiting for you.”

“Ridiculous,” the Duke muttered under his breath. Jacob was just trying to tease him, for Duncan had given no indication that he was trying to blossom a romance with Sophia.

When the Duke finally arrived inside, he found Sophia and his mother waiting for him. Mrs. Harrington stood in the corner.

“Good that you are finally here,” the Dowager noted. “No time to waste now. Please assume your positions.”

The Duke was thrust onto the make-shift dance floor in their drawing room. He extended out his hand for Lady Sophia to take. She took it timidly.

“Now, the wedding dance is of great importance,” Mrs. Harington’s voice droned in the background. “The two of you must be completely in sync — a harmony that is indicative of your time together as a future married couple.”

“Ignore her,” Duncan whispered to Sophia as they danced. “She is prone to be much more dramatic than one needs to be.”

“She is correct though,” Sophia replied. “A wedding dance does seem quite important — far more so than perfecting one’s walk.”

Duncan let out a small chuckle.

“I see that she has been bothering you about your posture, too, then? She is predictable.”

“Focus, you two,” Mrs. Harington interrupted them. “You must pretend as though you are in the ballroom on your wedding day. You must take this very seriously.”

“See what I mean?” the Duke said as he twirled Sophia around. The two of them seemed to be doing pretty well so far, given that they had never danced together before.

“You must forgive me as I do not have much practice,” Sophia whispered to him. “I have not attended many balls in my life, and therefore, I have not danced as much as other girls my age would have.”

“You need to relax, My Lady. You are doing just fine,” Duncan replied. Their gaze met once again, and the same unfamiliar feeling stirred inside of Duncan except, this time, there was no interruption from anyone else.

He saw Sophia’s cheeks redden under the intensity of his gaze, and without warning, Sophia lost her balance and tripped over his foot.

The Duke was quick to act, and he wrapped an arm around her waist tightly to stop her from falling over. The increased proximity only served to intensify the moment as their gazes locked once again.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” she said, flustered.

“It is quite all right,” the Duke replied, unable to tear his gaze away from her. He felt a spark as his hands touched her waist which was delicate and seemed to appear so small under his hands.

For a moment, it was as though they were the only two present in the room…

Until the loud guffaw of Jacob’s laughter interrupted their moment. The Duke let go of Sophia’s waist immediately, having snapped back to reality.

“I believe this is enough for practice,” he announced before making a hasty exit from the room. His hands twitched at the memory of their touches, and he felt frustrated by their proximity.

Surely, he had no business feeling this way.

Jacob was quick to follow him out.

“What did I tell you?” he teased, catching up to his brother’s pace with ease.

“Jacob, I have no time for your useless commentary.”

“The tension in that room…” Jacob fanned himself in a mocking manner. “Oh, surely, we all felt it. It seems that sparks were flying between the two of you.”

“It seems that you have grown more annoying with age,” the Duke replied in a dry tone.

“Annoying?” Jacob feigned offense. “I am merely a humble teller of truth, brother. Do not shun me for doing so. Besides, the two of you will be spending a lot more time together once you are married.”

“Yes, that is the purpose of a marriage…”

“Surely some feelings are bound to arise then, judging from the chemistry that I just witnessed.”

“As far as I am concerned, this marriage is purely platonic. I am sure the two of us can be friends as time goes on.”

Jacob chuckled loudly. “Oh, do not say that in front of mother, or she is bound to have a heart attack. She has been eager for a grandchild, and you must have a nonplatonic relationship for that to happen.”

Duncan pursed his lips. He had thought about children before. However, they were always an abstract possibility in his life since he had no one to make them with. Now that he was getting married, the topic was bound to come up more often.

“I suppose I will have to find a way to appease our mother,” he shrugged. “Why don’t you volunteer as a tribute and find a wife for yourself? You can produce the offspring that our mother wants.”

“Oh, not at all,” Jacob laughed. “I am too much of a free spirit to be tamed down by marriage.”

“But surely not free from the pressure of it?”

Jacob considered his brother’s words for a moment. “Well, it is a blessing then that I am the younger child. Mother is so obsessed with you getting married that she does not have the time to think about me.”

“For now…” Duncan warned playfully. His brother had been teasing him constantly, so it was time that he gave him a taste of his own medicine. “Perhaps you can ask for Lady Barbara’s hand in marriage.”

“For heaven’s sake, no. You are the one she wants, not me,” Jacob replied. “I wonder how she is going to take the news of the wedding. Surely, she expected you to ask her, did she not?”

Duncan shrugged. He was aware of Lady Barbara’s interest in him, but he did not return it in the slightest.

“I am sure she will get over the disappointment eventually.”

“Oh, she is quite the firecracker, is she not?” Jacob asked.

“I do not know. With me, she is very proper.”

“I have seen how she interacts with you. I know for a fact that she will not take to the news kindly. Do you know if she is invited to the wedding?”

“Mother is in charge of handling the guest list,” the Duke replied. “I have told her to keep it small.”

“Please. We both know that is not going to happen. If there is one thing about mother, it is her fondness for grandeur. She will make sure that everyone who is anyone attends the wedding.”

“Then it is a good thing that the wedding date is so near,” the Duke replied with a wry smile. “I am sure that many will not be able to come since it is such short notice.”

“I would not count on that. If anything, everyone must be curious to see you marry Sophia. She has a reputation as you know. Not that I agree with it. It is baseless.”

“Are you referring to the curse?” the Duke demanded, feeling irked that Jacob brought it up. “That is nonsense, and I would prefer if you do not mention it to Sophia. I suspect that it must be a touchy topic for her.”

“I was not going to,” Jacob assured him. “I am not insensitive, nor do I believe in these superstitions.”

“Good,” the Duke affirmed. “Now, I cannot waste my time here talking to you. There are urgent tasks that demand my attention.”

“As you wish. Your Grace,” Jacob teased. “As you wish.”

Sophia could not help herself from replaying her moment with the Duke in her head. She continued feeling flustered for the remainder of the lesson, even though the Duke had now left the room.

“Are you distracted by something, Lady Sophia?” Mrs. Harington asked. “You keep missing your step, and this is the third time I have told you.”

“Oh, I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Harrington,” Sophia replied, blushing. “I suppose it has been a long day of lessons.”

Mrs. Harington cast a sympathetic glance in her direction, but the Dowager was quick to step into the conversation.

“You still need to practice some more. We need to make sure that everything goes perfectly on the day of the wedding,” she reminded them both. “However, I see how it is much harder now that you do not have a dance partner. Perhaps Clara can assist you.”

The Dowager gestured for Sophia’s lady’s maid to join them, and the two began practicing the dance. With Clara there, Sophia felt much more at ease. Familiarity was indeed the biggest blessing.

They practiced for another hour, and then, finally, it was time for Sophia to go home.

“It is a shame that we did not get a chance to have that cup of tea,” the Dowager said as she was bidding them goodbye at the door. “But I have a solution in mind.”

“Pray tell,” Sophia urged, eager to know.

“Well, I believe that we should go out for a picnic this week,” the Dowager suggested. “It would be a nice opportunity for both families to get to know each other better.”

“I will relay that to my aunt. I am sure she would love to do so,” Sophia agreed.

“Very well. I shall send out a formal invitation then as early as tomorrow,” the Dowager decided. “For now, it is time for us to bid farewell.”

Sophia gave her one last goodbye and climbed into the carriage with Clara. With the doors now closed behind them, Sophia let out a breath that she had been holding all day.

“Tired, My Lady?”

“That does not even begin to describe it.” Sophia shook her head, taking in the view outside the window. The estate grew smaller and smaller as the carriage rolled forward.

“I am sure that it must be exhausting,” Clara laughed. “But they seemed to like you. I told you that your worries were unfounded. You did very well.”

“You think so?” Sophia looked at her for some reassurance. She was knotting her fingers in her lap, going over the events of the day in her head.

“Yes. In fact, when the two of you were dancing together, I could just imagine you both will make such a lovely couple. The Duke and his Duchess…”

Sophia’s cheeks burned with embarrassment once again.

“Oh, but I made such a fool of myself. I tripped. That is such an ungraceful thing to do.” Sophia buried her face in her hands.

“I am sure the Duke did not mind, My Lady,” Clara said. “He seemed to be quite relaxed while dancing with you.”

“Did he?” Sophia questioned. “I feel that I can never really tell what is going through his mind. Even though he is my husband to be, he remains an enigma to me.”

“But is that not part of the fun, My Lady? I have never been married, but I suspect that intrigue must be a great thing to feel.”

Sophia shook her head.

“I do not know what romance novels you have been consuming, Clara, but for me, this feels to be the most frustrating aspect. I am to marry a man I do not know much about.”

“My Lady, I suppose it is a good thing then that you have a lifetime ahead of you to figure it out.”

Sophia felt a string of butterflies emerge in her stomach at the thought of it. A lifetime spent together. If the entire thing had not been so utilitarian, Sophia thought to herself, it might have actually been romantic.