Chapter 3

As William stepped down onto the gravel driveway, he was greeted by the imposing fa?ade of the estate he had left so long before. It should have been something of nostalgia, but he knew that he would never feel such a thing as that.

He didn't want to go inside. He knew that he needed to, but he did not want to. Fortunately for him, he did not need to drag himself to the door and knock. As he made his way towards the entrance, the doors swung open, and there, standing in the doorway, was his mother. Her eyes were lit up with joy at the sight of her son, and she hurried forward to embrace him.

"My dear William!" She exclaimed, "How wonderful to see you!"

William returned her embrace, feeling a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of his mother. She did not seem outwardly angry with him for his absence, and he couldn't help but notice that she was the picture of health.

"Mother," he said, pulling back to look at her, "You look radiant as ever."

The duchess laughed, brighter than he recalled it being.

"Oh you, ever the charmer," she said, gently swatting his arm. "Yes, I have been quite well of late, but enough about me. Come, let us retire to the drawing room and discuss your journey. I am sure you have a lot to tell me."

Together, they made their way through the opulent halls of Bolton Manor, William's heart aching as he looked at the portraits seemingly still hung with pride. His mother chatted animatedly about the latest happenings in the countryside, regaling him with tales of the local gossip and the comings and goings of the neighboring families, and again, William wondered what exactly their neighbor had been referring to in his letter. She seemed… perfectly well.

As they settled into the armchairs in the drawing room, the dowager duchess poured them each a cup of tea, her hands moving with practiced grace. William watched her closely, searching for any sign of the troubles Lord Coatsworth had alluded to in his letter, but all he saw was the same loving mother he had always known. No traces of illness in any way.

"Mother," he began, unable to shake the nagging feeling of unease that still lingered in the back of his mind, "There is something I must speak to you about."

"Of course, dear, and I am quite sure it pertains to your sudden visit. What is it?"

William took a deep breath, steeling himself for the conversation to come. There were only so many ways that he could tell her about what Lord Coatsworth thought of her, and he almost wished that he didn't have to tell her.

"I received a letter from Lord Coatsworth," he explained, retrieving the letter from his pocket and handing it to her, "He expressed some concerns about your well-being, and I couldn"t ignore them."

"Oh, William," she said softly, setting the letter aside, "He has been quite bothersome of late. I had hoped to spare you from worrying about such matters, because I assure you that I am quite well."

"Then what is it that Lord Coatsworth is so worried about?"

The duchess hesitated for a moment before meeting her son"s gaze with a steady look.

"There are... difficulties, my dear," she admitted, "Especially given the passing of your father, but please believe me when I say that I am doing far better than I was."

William"s heart ached at the weariness he saw in his mother"s eyes, and he reached out to take her hand. She had handled his death alone, and regardless of how he felt about the situation, she had deserved more than facing it all alone.

"I should have written to you, Mother," he said gently, "I do apologize for what happened, but I-"

"It is perfectly fine. Thank you for apologizing, though," she whispered, "That means more to me than you could ever know."

Truly, she was the same as always. She was kind and understanding and loving, and he finally regretted having left her for so long.

"Mother, it truly is so good to see you," he said, suddenly standing, "But I'm sorry to cut our reunion short. There"s something I must attend to."

His mother"s brow furrowed in concern.

"Oh, William, whatever could be so urgent? You have only just arrived!"

"I had a rather... unfortunate encounter on the road."

"Good heavens, William, are you all right?" She asked, "Those roads can be terrible at times, but you're an experienced driver."

"I"m perfectly fine, Mother," William reassured her, though his jaw tightened with the memory of the confrontation, "But there was a young woman who caused the carriage to veer off the road. She appeared out of nowhere, and I had to swerve to avoid hitting her."

"How dare she be so reckless!" She exclaimed, "To think that anyone would dare endanger my son"s life in such a manner!"

"I'm quite sure she didn't do it on purpose," he laughed in spite of himself, "She was chasing her dog, but I must say that she was completely unapologetic about it. In fact, she had the audacity to argue with me before I continued on my way."

His mother"s lips pressed into a thin line.

"It"s clear that the girl was nothing more than a troublemaker. I trust you gave her a piece of your mind."

"I did, Mother."

"Then all that matters is that you"re safe, my dear. Now, let us not dwell on such unpleasantness. We can send someone else to handle the matter. You are here to see me, in the terrible state I am apparently in, and so I should like to spend as much time with you as I can."

Soon enough, she sent some men away to return the carriage and, taking her son's hand, led him out into the garden.

His mother's smile brightened as they talked, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that didn"t go unnoticed by William. He wondered what thoughts were going through her mind, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her.

As William walked beside his mother, he also couldn"t help but notice the bustling activity around them. Servants hurried to and fro, far more than he remembered.

"Mother, I must say, the household seems to be livelier than I remember," William remarked.

"Yes, I"ve taken the liberty of hiring a few extra hands to help manage the estate," she explained, "I do hope that you do not mind."

William nodded in approval, though he had to admit to himself that it felt rather excessive for one lady to have so many helping her.

"Of course, Mother. But do you not find it a little much?" he asked, his brow furrowing with unease, "The commotion is rather overwhelming."

Virginia"s smile faltered slightly, though she quickly recovered her composure.

"Nonsense, William," she replied dismissively, "I must ensure that Bolton Manor runs smoothly, especially with the influx of guests we've been receiving lately."

William's curiosity was piqued by his mother"s mention of guests, but he pushed the thought aside for the moment, focusing instead on the matter at hand. He made a note to himself, however, to discuss this with her later, as this may well have been precisely the "wrong sort" that Coatsworth had warned him about.

"Very well, Mother," he conceded.

Virginia regaled William with tales of the recent renovations and improvements she had overseen in his absence. But try as he might, William couldn"t shake the feeling that something was amiss. The servants seemed to flit about, and there was a tension in the air that he couldn"t quite put his finger on.

"Mother," he said suddenly, interrupting a story about the chandelier she had purchased, "Is there something you"re not telling me?"

Virginia"s smile faltered, but before William could press her further, she quickly regained her composure.

"It is nothing of consequence, my dear," she replied, "Just a few minor matters that require your attention. But let us not dwell on such trivialities just yet. We have much to discuss, and so little time."

As Virginia continued to chatter animatedly, William"s thoughts drifted to things he could handle during his visit. He knew that with all of the new staff, his mother had undoubtedly hired someone to handle the affairs he had been neglecting, but he at least wished to know more about the situation.

Suddenly, his mother stopped mid-sentence, a look of realization dawning on her face.

"Oh, William, how could I forget?" She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, "You simply must meet Olivia! She"s the sweetest girl, with such wit and grace, but she is not here right now. You see, she had to -"

"Mother, as much as I would love to meet this Olivia, I"m afraid I must decline," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Why is that, dearest?"

"I have pressing matters to attend to in my study and on the estate. I simply cannot spare the time to socialize with the staff tonight."

Virginia"s expression faltered for a moment, disappointment flickering in her eyes before she quickly masked it with a forced smile once again.

"Of course, my dear," she replied, though there was a hint of sadness in her voice that didn"t go unnoticed by William, "Duty must always come first, but perhaps another time?"

"Perhaps."

As William followed her, preparing to delve into the mountain of paperwork that awaited him, his mother"s look of disappointment appeared in his mind. Despite his reservations, he couldn"t deny the pang of guilt that tugged at his heartstrings at the thought of disappointing her so soon after his arrival.

"You know," she said suddenly, "It"s been far too long since we last shared a meal together. Please come to dinner with me. I simply cannot wait to hear all about your adventures."

William panicked once more, knowing all too well that there were no adventures to speak of. He had been working and nothing else from the moment the title became his.

William returned his mother"s smile, though a part of him couldn"t help but feel a twinge of guilt at the thought of deceiving her. But for now, he was more interested in making his mother happy than worrying about such trivial matters as the fact that he had hardly done anything of note in the last year.

"Of course, Mother," he replied, "I would love to."

As William followed his mother into the study, a surge of anticipation coursed through him. The sight of the cluttered desk laden with papers and documents stirred a sense of purpose within him. Here was an opportunity to make a tangible impact, to immerse himself in the affairs of the estate. He could be useful to his mother. It was the least that he could do.

"Truly, I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have you here," his mother said, "These papers contain private information that I simply cannot trust anyone else with. Not only that, but the gentleman that I hired to help with it all could not make sense of it."

William wondered exactly how bad it all had to be for it to be incomprehensible, but he enjoyed the idea of a challenge, nonetheless. As he pored over the documents, deciphering their contents with practiced ease, a sense of satisfaction washed over him. He quickly realized that the problem was not a problem at all compared to the mess his father had left for him to handle.

"William, my dear, you truly are a marvel," his mother sighed as she watched him organize the papers, "I don"t know what I would do without you. I do not know how I have coped without you for so long - as far as these documents are concerned, that is."

William glanced up from his task, a modest smile playing on his lips. He was rarely complimented, and it was something about his mother that he missed, even if he did not wish to admit it.

"I"m just doing what needs to be done, Mother," he replied.

His mother chuckled softly, the sound filling the room. For once, William could honestly say that he welcomed the interruption from his work.

"Oh, my dear boy," she said gently, "You may be a duke, but you"re still my son. You mustn't spend all of your time here fixing things. You deserve to have a moment to yourself."

"I want to help you. This is as much my mess as it is yours, after all."

"Is it truly a mess?"

"No, I believe I can have it straightened out in one afternoon."

"Then you can come down to dinner?"

Had Scott asked him again, he would have been irritated, but there was something so peaceful and kind in his mother's voice that was impossible to dislike. He chuckled softly, nodding.

"Yes," he smiled, "I shall be just a moment while I organize these papers for tomorrow."

His mother excitedly rushed away, presumably to dinner, and he put the papers into three different piles: ones that seemed to already be in order, ones that would not be too difficult to manage, and ones that would need more time.

Soon enough, he was finished for the day and left the study. He walked to the dining hall, thinking about how he had a real chance to rebuild what he had lost. His mother had had every right to be angry with him for abandoning her, but she was not, and she loved him as much as she always had. Perhaps his visit would be enjoyable after all, and his neighbor's seemingly misplaced concern would be a blessing in disguise.

That was when he crashed into someone far shorter than him, and he sent her stumbling backward.

This had been precisely his concern. One could only have so many staff members before they became a hindrance rather than a help, and here was a maid who was so clueless that she had walked right into him. He had quite enough of such behavior for one day.

Instinctively, he prepared to chide the person for their carelessness, assuming it was one of the maids bustling about the estate.

But as he stepped back, ready to reprimand the offender, his words caught in his throat. Standing before him was the same lady he had encountered on the road, her presence a surprising twist of fate that left him momentarily speechless.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other, a mixture of surprise and recognition flashing across their faces. Then, the young woman broke the silence.

"Incapable of driving and of navigating, it appears," she smirked, "How did you find yourself here?"