“It shall be done.” The member of staff bowed and hurried from the room.
Florentia had liked the dowager duchess well enough when they had first met. Yes, she was a little eccentric, but that did not make her evil. And if Hudson’s judge of character was all she had to go off, then there was a very good chance she wasn’t nearly the monster he claimed her to be.
Five minutes later, Florentia entered the sitting room to find Hudson’s stepmother, Caroline, standing in wait. And upon seeing Florentia, her arms spread wide, as did her smile.
“Florentia,” she crooned and swept across the room. “Oh, it is good to see you again.” She was on Florentia in a second, pulling her into a tight hug.
Florentia hated to admit it, but it felt nice to be greeted so warmly. For someone to be glad to see her for a change.
“Caroline,” Florentia said as she held her, then pulled back and offered her a warm smile. “It has been a too long.”
“An age, dear,” Caroline tittered. “An age.” She was only forty years old or so, but she looked younger, so much so that she and Florentia could be sisters. Her long face, her sharp nose, and her big eyes made her look a little wild and mischievous, but certainly not evil.
The two women made their way to the seats at the room’s center, the pot of tea already there waiting. They sat down and Caroline was quick to pour a cup for Florentia. “Drink,” she said with a smile. “You look parched.”
“Oh, I am not...”
“Nonetheless, it would be rude not to.”
Florentia shook her head but smiled, finding the woman’s oddities charming in their own way. She took a sip of the warm tea, grimacing because the taste was odd. “I think the leaves may have turned,” she said as she put the cup down.
“Oh? It is fine if that is the case. I am not thirsty.”
“No matter then.” Florentia put her tea down and folded her hands on her lap, the taste of the tea lingering. “Now, tell me, what brings you to visit?”
“You are going to think the worst of me,” Caroline said with a deep sigh, looking down at her lap. “But I am here for selfish reasons.”
“Oh...”
“I am afraid so...” She sighed again and shook her head before looking back at Florentia. “I have come to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
“No doubt you thought I was here to see how you are, or to further what I am sure will one day be a budding friendship. Alas, my own needs have taken precedence. Shame on me, I know, but I simply had to come and see you, for my guilty conscience would not allow anything else.”
“Caroline...” Florentia frowned, not entirely sure what was happening. “What on earth do you have to apologize for?”
“You are so kind to pretend that you do not know. For that, I cannot tell you how grateful I am. But please, dear, do not play the fool with me. You and I both know for what I must make amends.”
Florentia’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what Florentia was talking about. Had she done something that Caroline did not know? Was she somehow involved in Hudson’s rejection of her? No...that was madness to think. But then, what?
“Honestly, you have me at a loss,” Florentia laughed. “Whatever you have done, perhaps it is best if you do not apologize, otherwise it might just upset me.”
Caroline chuckled lightly. “You are too kind, Florentia. Hudson is a lucky man to have you.” That had Florentia’s stomach twisting, but she did what she could to ignore it. “I speak of course about what occurred between myself and your husband at the Turncott ball last month. The argument that we had, which I have no doubt fouled your husband’s mood, turning him into a beast which I am certain was no pleasure to live with. For that, I cannot apologize more.”
“Oh...” Florentia blinked in surprise. “That is why...Caroline...” She smiled with relief. “Is that why you have come here? To apologize for some silly fight?”
“What else? You have no idea how much it has pained me.”
It was so nice to be reminded that there were good people in this world. Those who thought about others before themselves. Those who felt guilt and remorse because of what they had done, rather than ignoring the problem entirely. How very refreshing.
Florentia smiled warmly. “If that is why you are here, Caroline, I hate to say it, but this trip has been for nought. Although you and my husband may have argued about things which I can only imagine, I can assure you that it has had no effect on his mood whatsoever. Truly, I have not even thought about it once.”
“You speak the truth?” She brightened. “It did not sour the night? Ruin the next day? Soil this marriage? I know as well as anyone how that man gets when he is in a temper.”
Despite herself, Florentia smiled at the memory of that night. It seemed so long ago now, and so quaint when compared to all that had happened after. The fight of which Caroline spoke, ironically, had brought them closer, leading them down a road which at the time had seemed a fruitful one, only to lead to utter tragedy. Not that Florentia was going to blame the dowager duchess for such a thing.
“It was fine,” she assured Caroline. “While Hudson was a little...” She clicked her tongue. “Put out afterwards, I was able to coax him from his stupor and he put it well behind him. Truly, you have nothing to worry about.”
