She snorted. “You would be surprised.”
Florentia rested her hand on top of Caroline’s and squeezed. “You know what, I do not think I would be.” A moment passed between them, a shared smile and Florentia could feel the two growing closer. “Now, where shall I start?”
“I find the beginning is often best.”
Caroline tittered and then nodded. “I did not wish to marry Hudson’s father, that is the first thing. As I am sure you well know, we are not of a world where we make such decisions for ourselves. My family was in financial trouble, my father thought a marriage to a duke would solve this for him, and so it was.”
She sighed and shook her head, for a moment seeming transported back in time by the memory. “I did try, however. I wanted nothing more than for it to work out. I was idealistic in those days, wishing for nothing more than a husband who might fall in love with me, who might wish to have a child with me...” There was a slight smile on her lips as she spoke these words, and Florentia felt a pang in her own heart. “Happiness is what I sought, as any young woman might.”
“Hudson suggested the marriage was not so much. Happy, I mean.”
She scoffed. “You have met Hudson, so you know how emotionally unavailable some men can be. Well, let me tell you, his father was even worse. I tried to make it work, doing all I could to please that man—I wanted to prove myself to him. He was still clearly in love with his deceased wife and it became readily apparent to me that I was to be nothing more than...” Her expression soured. “…nothing more than a business transaction, was how it felt. Marriage for the sake of marriage.”
“For convenience...” Florentia said the words to herself, louder than she intended, for she knew only too well what Florentia was speaking of.
“Exactly,” Caroline agreed. “Nonetheless, I gave it my all. Hudson, sadly, was a lost cause. He never warmed to me like I might have wished, not that I blamed him. Elias was sweeter, and I was glad to have him as an ally. Still...” She sighed and frowned, her expression suddenly turning pained. “I wished formy own child. I was desperate for it, truth be told, and I begged and I pleaded with my husband to allow it. To try with me.”
Florentia winced as if she was being knifed through the heart. “And did he?”
She scoffed. “In a fashion. I fell pregnant, which was a surprise. My dear husband accused me of an affair—not true,” she made sure to emphasize. “Of course we lay together, he simply refused to believe that the few times we had were enough to produce an offspring. Not that it mattered, as the pregnancy turned into a miscarriage and...” She sniffed. “As you can imagine, he was not so willing to lay with me again.”
“Oh no...” Florentia felt her chin begin to wobble, as if the story was her own. She couldfeelit like it was.
“Do not cry for me, dear,” Caroline said. “Truthfully, Hudson and Elias are what saved me. Even Hudson, although he might not realize it. Having those boys around made all the difference and I am grateful every day. I do not mourn for my old life but choose instead to be happy for what I have. Do I wish my marriage was a wondrous thing? Of course I do. But rarely in this life we do get what we want.”
Florentia considered the tale she had just been spun. If it was even half true, then Hudson had clearly misrepresented his stepmother in the most horrid of ways By the sounds of it, she had been thrust into a situation she did not want but had done her best to make the most of it.How could Hudson possibly blame her for that?
She did remember, however, one other thing that Hudson had told her. Conveniently left out of this little story, possibly for good reason...
“There is one more thing,” Florentia began. Feeling nervous, she reached for the saucer of tea and took another sip, forgetting the sour taste and wincing as she swallowed. “Hudson mentioned a financial situation. Your cousin, I believe it was? He made it seem that you...that you tricked or manipulated his father into investing where he ought not.”
She scoffed. “I bet he did. And I do feel somewhat...intrigued by the notion that I might have had the power to trick his father into doing anything he did not want. As I said, my family was in financial trouble and that did not change after we wed. My cousin went to my father who then forced me to berate and besiege my husband until he agreed to what I asked—the truth is, I do not even remember the specifics. I was a puppet, and little more.”
Her face tightened. “And I hate that Hudson has held that against me all this time. Surely, a business savant such as him must know how little I had to do with whatever that was. I mean...” She laughed. “It would be like him blaming you for one of his own ventures falling through. Absurd.”
It was absurd. All of it. The more Florentia listened, the more she believed Caroline’s words and the greater a kinship she felt develop between the two. She could see a lot of herself in Caroline, and she wondered quietly if this was what her life had in store for her.
But in Caroline, she was also seeing an ally, perhaps the only person in this world who she knew could stand up to Hudson, someone who she might need in the future when times were at their worst.Yes, Florentia is to be embraced, not rejected, despite what my husband might think.
“I am so glad that you shared,” Florentia said, smiling warmly. “And I apologize for believing so much of what my husband told me.”
“Never apologize. I know as well as anyone how hard these marriages can be. But it is a relief to hear the words.” She winked. “And even nicer to know I have made a true friend.”
“Yes, a friend,” Florentia agreed. “I could not have put it better myself.”
“Speaking of which...” Caroline sat herself back up and folded her hands on her lap. “Seeing as your husband has left you on your own, my thinking now is that you might need some company.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, dear,” she continued. “But not in this big, musty house. What say that you come and stay with me for a few days? My home is smaller, I admit, but cozier for it. And I am already smiling to think of the fun we might have.”
Florentia didn’t even hesitate. “I would love that.”
“Wonderful!”
Plans were made quickly after that. Caroline would head back to her home and prepare for Florentia’s arrival in the early evening, while Florentia would spend the day packing and then take a carriage once she was ready. They hugged at the door, a kiss on both cheeks, and Florentia waved Caroline goodbye, a smile on her face that had been missing for some time now and she was glad to see returned.
Making a new friend was not the same as falling in love and having that love returned, and Florentia was not about to make the comparison. But it was a nice feeling, a reminder that her world was not over with and that she still had something to live for and look forward to.
