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At that very instant, the door opened again, and the Dowager swept in. Nora stopped, unwilling to be rude to the kindly lady. For all that her son was a boor and a rake, she’d spoken only truth when she said the Dowager had been kind to her and far more understanding than many a mistress or master might have been.
Sharp eyes, keen with the wisdom and intelligence of many years, took in the situation at a glance, and the Dowager sighed. “What have you done now, Arthur?”
The Duke straightened, a dull flush rising over his cheekbones. “I…” He sighed and leaned against his desk, folding his arms in a manner reminiscent of a petulant youth rather than a man who had seen his twenty-fifth year and spent two years as his own master. “I was attempting to explain how this proposal could offer an advantageous arrangement for us both and how it need not curtail her personal life overmuch.”
He was quite careful not to say what sort of ‘advantageous arrangement’ it would be, Nora noted. Though from the way the Dowager’s keen gaze sharpened with exasperation, his mother knew well enough what he meant by it.
The elder lady sighed. “Well, if you will put it in such terms, I am not surprised that she looks more ready to give you a slap and box your ears rather than entertain your offer. If I thought it would help, I’d do so myself.”
The Duke snapped his mouth shut and flushed a darker hue, looking both chastened and mutinous.
Nora stiffened as the Dowager turned to her, but the old lady smiled gently and moved to take her hands in a kind grip. “Nora, darling.”
She ducked her head. “Your Grace.”
The Dowager sighed. “When I first hired you, I was pleasantly surprised. Such a polite, well-spoken, and well-mannered young woman... why, it was hard to believe you were truly a serving maid at all, with your manners. Indeed, but for your clothing and situation, I would have thought you a young lady of theton. And then I had opportunity to see you at work, to see how you handled yourself within the household. And, my dear, you were... well, there’s none among the servants who thinks aught but well of you. Even dear Bradstone has nothing but praise for you, and he does have such high standards.” She smiled.
Nora swallowed the lump in her throat. “Your Grace, I don’t understand.” Her voice was wavering, and she fought to steady herself and regain her composure.
“I suppose it might be confusing. But here it is, Nora dear. You have a fine mind, a strong will, and more maturity and wisdom than I’ve seen in ladies of thetonwith more than twice your years. I’ve long feared my son would take as his wife some flighty young debutante with a pretty face and no sense to speak of... and I feared the ruination of both his reputation and fortunes if such was the course he took.”
The Dowager’s hands tightened around hers, earnest and coaxing as her voice. “But you, my dear... you, I think could do well by him. I think you would be prudent with the family fortune. And I think you’d make an excellent Duchess, a lady worthy of the Bedford title, who would put our money to good use and see that her children had the best of opportunities. Why you could give your heirs all the advantages you never had and all the connections they could ever want.”
Another bitter laugh rose, and she pulled away, feeling hot tears gathering in her eyes, tears of both frustration and hurt.
How little she knows of what advantages I once had and how they came to be ruined.
“You offer me great courtesy, Your Grace, but the connections you speak of?” She flicked a contemptuous glance at the Duke, standing to one side in silence, hands stuffed into his pockets. “Forgive me my rudeness, but the truth is this, I’d sooner see my daughter in a convent or in the lowliest hovel in London than see her associate with men such as your son and his friends.”
There was a moment as her words hung in the air, and she realized what they might have revealed. She swallowed hard and continued on before a rejoinder could be made by either the Dowager or the Duke. “And if I had a son who behaved in the manner your son does... well, forgive me my bluntness and if I give offense, but I’d rather be barren than to have a son with the reputation your son has garnered for himself, let alone his actual behavior.”
Behind the Dowager, she saw the Duke flinch, hurt and a dull red color sweeping over his face before he looked down at his shoes. He looked stung, pride wounded and something else evident in the set of his shoulders and the tightness of his jaw.
The Dowager, on the other hand, did not look the least bit surprised. Nor offended. “I do understand.” The elderly lady released a heavy sigh and moved to sit on one of the chairs near the desk. “I know well my son’s reputation among thetonand beyond it, and before he took interest in you, I was near despair that the faults in his character could ever be mended. For, you see, it takes a lady of strong character and will to mend a man like my son. A woman like you, my dear.”
“I…”
“No need to deny it. I know well that Arthur has been pursuing you for some weeks now. And I know equally well that you have refused him and even avoided any semblance of encouragement since he made his intentions known to you.” The Dowager smiled, an expression equal parts pride and sadness. “Many a maid would have surrendered if only to keep her situation. But you... you have not. And that speaks well of you. And as for Arthur... it is the first time in many a year that I’ve seen him take anything, including a proper pursuit of a lady’s affections, seriously.”
“And you do not think the scandal of a Duke marrying his maid will make things worse? Or did you have some plan for avoiding it? For after this evening…” She trailed off as the Dowager shook her head.
“Oh, I’ve no doubt the scandal will be the talk of thetonfor weeks, if not the entirety of the Season. But between Arthur’s ill-advised little display and your own behavior... well, my dear, I shall be frank.”
The Dowager folded her hands in her lap, looking suddenly grave and older than her years. “The truth is, this is an opportunity, whether you accept him or not. Accept him, and you may gain much, and you will lose nothing, not when it has been made so clear that this assignation was not your idea. Reject him... well, I doubt he shall be welcome in polite Society after such behavior.”
Clear eyes met Nora’s, still, serene and sorrowful, calm with the hard-won serenity that could only be brought about by age and wisdom. “To make such a bold declaration and be refused, and by a maid at that... well, there will be many questions of my son’s fitness in any aspect if he could not even convince a serving maid to consider him. I doubt any lady of thetonwill accept his suit or attentions after such antics. And there is no doubt that it would reflect quite badly on our family.”
She sighed. “I know you are not pleased, dear Nora, and I do not fault you. My son has handled the whole matter rather badly, and for all that I approve of his choice in you, I cannot deny that you are well within your rights to spurn him entirely, even to ask for a recommendation to another household. But for myself, and for the sake of my family... I would ask you to reconsider your refusal. I shall not press you, but... the fortunes of the Bedford family are in your hands, and I only ask that you give that careful consideration before you make your final decision.”
The scathing refusal she had been prepared to respond with died stillborn in her throat at the soft entreaty and earnest gaze the Dowager offered her.
She cared little for the Duke’s reputation. He’d made his bed, and well he might do to lie in it and face the consequences of his ill-thought joke. But the Dowager was a kindly lady and had been good to her. And it was clear she knew where the fault lay and was willing to accept it, where many might have attempted to shift blame to another rather than risk the family reputation.
Shallow and thoughtless the Duke might be, his mother was another matter entirely, and the thought of seeing on her face the scorn that would follow if she chose to dismiss the Duke entirely made her feel somewhat guilty.
She did not wish to hurt her benefactor, but nor could she see herself accepting the Duke’s brazen proposal. She sighed.
“You have given me much to think on, Your Grace. I... I fear I cannot give you an answer now. I need some time to consider the situation.”
