The duke’s mother—she was here for good reason, no doubt to assess Florentia for herself, perhaps even learn more of her so she could pass on her opinion to the duke. Was this a test? A hurdle she had to clear? And why all the secrecy? “Tell her I will be with her shortly,” Florentia decided.
“As you say.” Mr. White offered a short bow and then hurried from the library.
It was one week until the wedding, and Florentia had finally come to accept her fate as she saw it. Rather than thinking the worst, her conversation with Albina had seen a change of heart occur, and now she was fully committed to hoping for the best. Yes, the circumstances around this wedding were rushed and a little off. But that was not necessarily a bad thing. And until she had time to meet with her future husband properly, in a setting where her parents were not able to speak over her and interrupt, she would do her best to be positive.
Perhaps that is what today is really about? The duke has sent his mother to alleviate my fears so come the day of the wedding I will be fully committed, even excited for what the future might bring.
Although why he had sent his mother and not come to see her himself... it was all very odd. Again, Florentia wished to be positive, while also wishing that the duke wasn’t making that state of being next to impossible to embody.
It was two minutes later when Florentia met the dowager duchess in the foyer. And her first impression of the woman? Surprise, to be perfectly honest.
She was rather young to be the duke’s mother. With her blonde hair, aquiline features, and willowy frame, she didn’t look anything like the hulking duke who was as dark as a storm in the middle of a moonless night. And when she smiled to see Florentia coming for her...certainly not a smile that I might attribute to the duke.
“Miss Parsons,” she purred lovingly. “Oh, it is so good to finally meet you.” She hurried to meet Florentina, taking her by the hands and kissing her on both cheeks. “Although, and forgive me if this is too forward, might I call you Florentia? Seeing as we are to be family soon.”
“Oh, yes, of course...” Florentia blinked in surprise, taken aback by the greeting and the presumption both.
“And you may call me Caroline,” she then insisted. “This dowager duchess nonsense...” She laughed dismissively and waved her away. “It is just that, is it not. Nonsense.” She smiled then, flashing her teeth as she did.
“Forgive me, Dow—Caroline,” Florentia caught herself. “Perhaps I am misremembering, but I do not recall us having spoken before. I certainly do not remember setting this day to meet.”
“That is quite alright,” she said. “We all make mistakes, dear.”
“I...I guess so...”
“Now, what shall we do today?” Caroline was still holding Florentia by the hands, and she squeezed them as if worried that to let them go would see Florentia flee. “I am thinking that we make a trip into the city and go shopping—oh, yes!” Her eyes widened. “Let me buy you a new dress. Think of it as a wedding present. Will that not be fun?”
“Into the city...” Florentia hesitated. “I...I do not know if that is such a good idea.”
“It is perfectly safe, dear,” Caroline insisted. “I have brought my own chaperone, of course, and you may bring one too, if that is the worry.”
“No, that is not it.” Florentia looked about the foyer. “It is just that my parents are out for the day, and they expect me to stay home. It would not be right to leave without letting them know.”
“Nonsense,” Caroline dismissed. “Are you not to wed His Grace next week? Are you not to leave the nest? A note will surely suffice, I would think. And believe me, His Grace will be thrilled to hear that we have spent the day together.”
“Oh...did he not send you?”
“Come now,” Caroline insisted, ignoring the question. “Write your parents a note and we will be on our way. No time like the present!”
It was all very strange. And very fast-moving. This woman was like a tempest sweeping through the foyer and, she felt unable to escape her path. Stranger still, it was clear now that the duke had not sent her, which meant that she was not here to play spy or to alleviate her fears about this marriage.
That, of course, had Florentia wondering why she was here. Not that she thought she would get a clear answer, as the dowager duchess was clearly the type who did as she wished, answering only what she wanted to answer, and was not used to being told no.
For that reason, Florentia felt she had no choice but to agree to her request. She excused herself for ten minutes to dress appropriately for a day in the city. She then wrote a quick note for her parents, should they return before she did, and before she knew it, the two women were in a carriage on their way to London.What a strange and unexpected turn of events.
“Forgive me for asking, Caroline,” Florentia began once the carriage was underway. “But His Grace...I cannot escape the feeling that you are a little young to be his mother.”
Caroline beamed. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. And you are right in that, I am much too young. And too beautiful,” she added with a wink.
Florentia waited for further explanation. When it did not come, she was forced to press on. “Which means that...?”
“I am his stepmother, of course,” she said with a titter. “I married the duke, Hudson’s father, when Hudson was fourteen years old. Elias was but twelve. Wonderful boys, are they not? I always have thought of them as my own.”
“Ah, I see,” Florentia nodded her understanding. “Yes, that makes sense.”
“I am surprised you did not know.”
“There is much I do not know, it seems.”
