AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The flame of anger that Anne had tended to for ten years was finally extinguished. She felt exhausted when she thought of all the energy that she had spent as the Discerning Duchess—years of being tense, worried, hypercritical, and overextended on behalf of the dukedom. She leaned her head back against the chair. Who had shebeenbefore she had become the duchess? She hadn’t remembered, so focused on her present anger and on preserving the shine on her name.
Memories rushed back. Arguing with her father as a girl about outdated methods of working the land. Snapping at ladies who dripped bigotry along with their gossip into the ears of debutantes. When had she changed? When had she started to fear the threat of people’s opinions, even when she had never encountered anyone disagreeing with a duchess? When had she dedicated her life to being as invisible as possible, and trying to convince others to hide away too?
It had done no one any service. She had thought it wise to retreat, and to warn young ladies against overt public displays of affection to protect everyone’s reputations. Ladies who stood and flirted too close to each other could beget rumors that could spread to implicate other ladies, and then other behaviors could be called into question. She had feared the gossip. But without any corresponding actions to combat the root of the issue—Society’s strict rules and expectations of behavior—how had she really helped?
A representative from the House of Hawthorne had not been present in politics in decades. His father had preferred not to dabble much in politics, so it was no surprise when Hawthorne had followed suit.
“Why now?” she asked.
“Now that I’m back in London, I am part of the community here. I used to gather people to my chateau to meet in safety, but now that I walk among them in their own haunts, I see the intolerance firsthand. I’ve seen the raids. I know people who have been persecuted.” His face spasmed. “I can bear it no more.”
“I misjudged you all these years,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I thought you cavalier with your reputation. When the truth is far from what I believed.” She paused. “I apologize for the state of your bedchamber, but I have been so angry. I wanted to take up the axe myself and strike down the furnishings and break the windows. I wanted to erase the reminder of our union, and to be quite frank—the values of the dukedom that I can no longer stand. Propriety. Severity. Virtue. Judgment.”
“It is I who must apologize to you, and you know it. You had every right to your anger, and I’m sorry to have caused it.” Then Hawthorne grinned, and she saw a flash of the youth he had been. “If there was an axe to be had, I would take it up beside you and swing at these old beams myself. Tear it all down, Annie. We’ll build it back stronger than ever.”
“For us,” she said. “Forourvalues.”
“Exactly. Honesty. Openness. Acceptance. Protection.”
She paused. “Taking your place in politics means you will be more exposed to the public than ever.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask. If we remained separated, I could spare you the worst of the scandal. But your good name and unblemished reputation and endless work with charity would help me and give legitimacy to my cause. Our cause.” He looked at her steadily. “I told you, we were born to rule. We can do this.Together. It’s not much different from how we originally imagined our lives—helping each other by hiding in full view.”
“After all, who would challenge the duchy?”
“Words to live by,” he said, raising a brow at her.
They had never been in romantic love. But oh, there certainly had been love between them. Maybe there could be again.
Maybe she had her friend back.
Chapter Twenty-two
The next day, after Anne recounted her conversation with Hawthorne to Letty over a slice of cake and tea in her sitting room, Letty grinned at her and set her fork down.
“I have a surprise for you today. Your bedchamber is ready,” she said, standing up and extending a hand to Anne.
Anne didn’t think she had ever raced up the stairs so fast, but she had waited a long time to see the finished room. A thrill went through her as Letty opened the door. The bedchamber was magnificent. Gone was all the gold that had dominated everything from ceiling to floor, and gone were the heavy curtains that had blocked the light from the windows. The windows themselves had been replaced by larger ones, and the upper panes now featured gorgeous stained-glass rosettes.
Everything was different.
The room now was lush but elegant. The walls were papered with thin pink and white stripes, and filmy white curtains hung over the windows from ceiling to floor. There were no more hard edges or elaborate metalwork to clutter the room. Instead of ornate brass candelabras, there were crystal candlestick holders that sparkled in the light. The chaise lounge had been recovered in black velvet and the wood trim painted a clean white, with a thick pale pink blanket folded on it.
“I added ceramic braziers underneath most of the chairs to fill with coals when you need more warmth,” Letty said, pointing to one painted with blue and white flowers.
“I shall never again be cold,” she said, squeezing Letty’s hand, and was startled to hear her voice sound thick and rough. She put a hand to her cheek and found it wet with tears, which made sense because her heart felt about twice its usual size. Filled with love.
Best of all was the elaborately embroideredAthat dominated the face of each plump pillow on the bed.
“I told the embroiderer to include parts of your family’s crest, as well as Hawthorne’s,” Letty said, picking up a pillow and pointing at the bright silk threads. “See, there’s a thistle, and there’s an oak leaf, from your family. There’s a lion for the Hawthornes. You are still Lady Anne of Clydon, as well as Anne, Duchess of Hawthorne.” She picked up another pillow and her face softened as she looked down at it. “And this one is for plain Anne, my lover. I sketched it up and gave it to the embroiderer after our night at the oyster tavern.” There were delicate pearls sewn to the white satin pillow, embroidered with pink shells.
“You thought of everything,” Anne said, reaching for her hand. “You brought pieces of me together here. You know me better than anyone ever has.” She was touched to see the work that Letty had put into every detail, all the personal and private preferences in this room that once was designed to dominate and impress, and now was designed for her comfort.
This room was proof of Letty’s affection. It had to be. All the evidence she needed was right here in front of her. She couldn’t stop smiling.
“You haven’t seen the pièce de résistance.” Letty flipped back the corner of the dark pink bedcover and eased the sheet away from the bed. “There are now seven mattresses instead of the three you had before,” she said cheerfully. “All thick enough for a princess. Together, maybe they’re enough for a queen.” She curtsied, then winked at her. “All for you. Your Highness.”
Each mattress was covered in a different brocade fabric, wildly contrasting colors and designs. Paisley marched across one, forestanimals on another, florals were scattered across a third. They were different thicknesses, and when she touched them, she found to her delight that they must all have different fillings. Goose feathers, she guessed as she squeezed one, and another felt like lambswool.
