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Chapter 4
By the time the evening came, Diana was exhausted from another day’s work. The laundry had been washed and hung outside. In the dim light of the moon, she’d brought it all inside to fold and put away with the help of Mrs Merriweather. Their dinner had been simple, of roasted lamb and potatoes with a mix of carrots and turnips. The day-old bread that Michelle had brought added a nice touch to the meal, at least filling their bellies when there wasn’t enough lamb to go around.
Diana was leaving the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron when her father called out to her from his small study. She looked up at him, surprised to see her father was still awake. A candle flickered from inside his study, casting shadows across his concerned face. A part of Diana wanted to scold her father for wasting the candle, but instead she held her tongue as she travelled down the hallway to him.
“Father, I hadn’t expected you to be up this late,” Diana said as she came near.
“There is a pressing matter I could not wait till morning to speak to you about,” Lord Casey explained. “Please. Come in and have a seat, my dear.” Diana felt a chill pass down her spine as she stepped into the study. At one time, this small space had housed dozens of novels and books from her father’s treasured collection. But when things started to become difficult for them, he’d sold almost all his precious possessions in order to keep them all living decently.
Diana settled into the chair across from the oak desk as her father sat in the chair opposite her. As a child, Diana would sneak down the hallway and peek into her father’s study to see whom he would be visiting with. Sometimes it would be a suitor for her two older sisters. Other times Father would be lecturing one of his sons or meeting with his solicitor. She always found it interesting to see who her father would be meeting.
Now, Diana felt strange to be sitting in the study with her father as though it was her turn to be lectured or to discuss serious business. Normally they would speak freely with her mother in the drawing room when discussing their finances. She wondered what was so pressing that couldn’t wait till morning.
“Now, I know my eyes are not what they used to be, but I have received a short and to the point letter from Lord Mavis, the Duke of Chatham,” Lord Casey explained as he produced a letter from his desk and slid it across to Diana.
Her heart began to beat hard against her ribcage as she slowly lifted her hands and unfolded the letter to see the few sentences upon the sheet of writing paper. The letters were elegant, distinguishing Lord Mavis as the type of man who took great care in constructing his letter. It was evidence of his rank and higher education.
“Lord Mavis has explained that he is in need of a wife, someone to carry on his family name, and that he is looking to wed a local young lady from our neighbourhood,” Lord Casey continued as Diana read the letter. The sentences only confirmed what her father was saying and what Michelle had told her about that morning. The letter asked Lord Casey’s opinion of any available young ladies in the area or if he had an eligible daughter he’d agree to an arranged married with.
After Diana had finished reading and re-reading the letter a few times, she carefully folded it back up and slid it over to her father. For the first few minutes, Diana simply let the words settle over her, washing over her body as her mind tried to keep up. As she looked up and into the eyes of her father, she almost dreaded hearing what words he would say next. Could he really be considering this?
“I am going to reply to the Duke, Diana. I shall write to him and tell him that you’ll agree to an arranged marriage so that our family will not have to suffer any longer,” Lord Casey confessed in a shaky voice. Diana could see the tears in her father’s eyes and knew that this decision was not an easy one for him to decide upon.
She fought back her own tears as she reminded herself that she had a duty to perform, that she would be willing to do anything to ensure her parents did not have to worry as much as she did about their future.
“I’ll be honest, Father, as I always have been,” Diana said once she could muster up the courage to speak. “I do not know much about Lord Mavis. It’s just as I told Miss Bradly when she came this afternoon to tell me the same thing. That other lords in our neighbourhood had received the same letter. All I know is that his wife died some years ago and that the Duke has not been very present in society since.”
Lord Casey nodded as he rubbed his jaw with his hand. “These are the same things I have considered as well. He must have been very upset when his wife passed away. Now, he no doubt realizes that he must marry again in order to produce an heir. Arranged marriages are very traditional ways of completing this task. I only wish that we knew more about the man.”
Diana agreed, thinking the idea of marriage to someone she knew nothing of was a hard thought to process. She had no idea how old the Duke was or what he looked like. She could only assume that the man was wealthy because of his position. The more Diana thought about becoming a duchess, she was sure she could secure her parents’ comfort for the rest of their lives.
They’d surely not have to worry any longer, and perhaps all could move into the Duke’s estate after the marriage. Diana could reasonably see the benefits of marrying someone of such high rank, even though there was much mystery about the man.
“I have no reason to argue with you, Father. I think marrying a duke would resolve many of our problems,” Diana said then, trying to remain as logical as possible and not let her emotions get in the way of this decision.
“Diana, please know that I didn’t come to this decision lightly. If we weren’t in such a dire need, if there was any other way, I wouldn’t even consider this chance of you marrying a complete stranger. I know it would be hard to send you to Town for a Season and wonder if this is your only chance at ever marrying because of our situation.”
Diana saw the way her father’s eyes pleaded for her to understand. Perhaps he felt that he was betraying her or ruining whatever plans she had for her own life. But the only thing that occupied Diana’s mind both night and day was how they were going to continue to survive.
Any opportunity at bettering their way of life was a risk that Diana was willing to take. Even if there could be so much wrong about marrying a man she’d never met before, she knew that it was better than what they were dealing with right now.
“Write to the Duke, Father. I will even help you if you wish,” Diana offered. But Lord Casey shook his head as he pulled out a fresh sheet of writing paper.
“I must do this myself. It’s the last shred of dignity I have, and I feel that I need to complete this task alone.”
“Then I shall leave you to write your letter,” Diana said as she rose from the chair. “And I do not blame you, Father. I think this is the right choice despite the risk.”
“Thank you, Diana. I hope this will be the thing that saves us all.” Diana nodded and curtsied before she left the study in a hurry. She needed the sanctuary of her room to help contain her emotions. If anything, she could fall to pieces behind a closed door, and her parents would never know.
Diana placed a hand to her mouth as she hurried up the stairs to her bedchamber. Her mind was racing as she tried to picture herself married. It had been the last thing on her agenda when she thought of the future. She simply wanted to survive, to have enough money to eat well and have decent clothing. Enough to employ good servants she could rely on. But was marriage truly the only way she would ever have these things and to make sure her parents would be well off?
The moment she was in her room, Diana slid to the floor and rested her back against the door. It felt cold despite the warm days they’d been experiencing as spring progressed towards summer. Despite that, she still felt her body shivering as though it was the dead of winter. Her room was dark save for the moonlight that peered through the windowpanes. Diana’s thoughts swirled round and round as she tried to picture herself a married woman and a duchess no doubt. It was a thought she could hardly fathom.
Diana wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually she pushed herself off the floor to get ready for bed. She took off her apron and hung it on the back of the door before unlacing her walking boots and pulling them off her sore feet. The exhaustion of the day was quickly catching up with her, and after the shocking news that had been delivered to her by her father, she was certainly looking forward to a dreamless sleep.
As she pulled off her gown and began to undo her petticoats, Diana thought about Lord Mavis. She’d never met the man before and only knew that he once had a wife and was now in search of another. She could understand the logical reason why he would want an arranged marriage in order to secure his family line. But could there be more to it? Could she really marry a man she felt nothing for besides security and protection?
She assumed that many marriages had been arranged to secure such futures, and perhaps she should be flattered to be considered amongst the other young ladies of the neighbourhood. She wasn’t sure which young ladies were still in the area and not in Town, so perhaps Diana wouldn’t even be considered as a possible match.
Ready for bed in a simple nightgown, Diana got underneath the bedcovers and began to reassure herself that nothing was yet set in stone. Her father would simply reply and it would be up to the Duke on whom he would choose. Once he came to the knowledge of her father’s current financial situation, he wouldn’t surely consider her at all. It was a comforting thought for Diana that her future hadn’t been completely decided for her. She still had a chance to find a more agreeable way to secure her parents’ future that didn’t have so many unknowns.
But as Diana rested her head on her pillow and pulled the covers up over her body, she couldn’t help closing her eyes and wondering what it would be like to be a duchess. It would be an honour and a much higher rank than anything she could have ever hoped to achieve in her life. She would outrank all her siblings, and that thought bright a small smile to her lips. No matter what, she only hoped for the happiness of her parents and herself.
