Chapter 5
“How can a man look like the ones described in romances and be a villain in real life?” Madeline mumbled as she observed her reflection.
She was currently struggling with her ribbons, feeling clumsier than ever. Her fingers were trembling, making her morning routine more difficult than usual.
It had been only a few days since she swam in the Serpentine and met a man who could have been the love of her life, if not for his apparent disdain for her and callous manners.
Yes, she could still see his face even though the encounter barely took a few moments. His piercing blue eyes were like the peak of a glacier. She believed there was more to them, or at least she hoped there was.
Madeline sighed heavily.
“How unbelievably rude,” she muttered, as she finally righted her ribbons. The thing about having an irresponsible father was that she did not have her own lady’s maid. She did not mind it. She could help herself.
“You are the Duchess of Baxter’s sister, Madeline,” she scolded herself as she smoothed her dress. “You do not pine for strange, cruel men who insult you with silver and gold coins.”
Feeling a little better, she walked the corridor toward the breakfast room. Then, she heard her grandmother shrieking her name.
How did she even know I was getting close?
“Madeline! Madeline! Come here, child. We have been chosen! Oh, my prayers have been answered. We have been chosen!”
Madeline froze. What was her grandmama talking about? She sounded frantic and joyful, and the last time she heard her be that ecstatic was when Cathy finally married the Duke of Baxter. It was not a good sign.
“Chosen for what, Grandmama?” she asked, her breath catching, as she entered the breakfast room. “Are we finally being invited wholeheartedly to a card party? A ball? Have we won a significant amount of money?”
Lady Marlow was waving a cream-colored parchment in the air. Was that a flag of surrender? Behind their grandmother, Portia and Selina looked bewildered.
“No, silly girl!” The baroness cried with glee. Her cheeks, which had been pale as of late unless rubbed with a bit of rouge, were pink. “The Duke of Huntington has written back. We have been chosen for marriage!”
Madeline rested her palm on the wall for balance. “We have been chosen? Selina has not even debuted, and Portia would...”
Would rather die.
“No, you have been chosen, dear Madeline!” Lady Marlow exclaimed, taking hold of her granddaughter’s hands as if they were truly celebrating together.
All Madeline knew was that her whole world was spinning.
It could not be true. How could she? “You will be the next Duchess of Huntington. He said that he has his solicitor drafting a contract at the very moment.”
“I... Grandmama, I do not understand. I have not attended a ball in quite a while. Nor have I spoken to any duke. What is it you are talking about?”
“Remember the Duke of Huntington with the advertisement?” Portia asked, looking aghast as she connected the dots. “He was the one who was advertising for a wife. Of course, you remember. Did you not write to him?”
Madeline’s thoughts had been focused on a completely different gentleman and had completely forgotten about the Morning Post, a story she meant to share as gossip with Lady Rose and her friends, but the day had ended in chaos.
All three girls looked at their grandmother.
“No, you did not!” Selina gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. “I cannot believe you would ever respond to an advertisement for a marriage!”
“Of course she did not. I did. I wrote to him,” the baroness replied, puffing her chest out and tilting her chin. “I replied as a woman with sense and knowledge of the weight of being a duchess. Who better than our dear Madeline? I signed the letter with your name.”
“Y-you wrote a letter in my name?” Madeline spluttered as she felt the blood drain from her face. Her cheeks felt too tight, and her hands clenched into fists. “Grandmama, how could you sign with my name for a letter to a man who used the Morning Post to search for a wife?”
“What is that?” a confused voice joined them in the room. Lord Marlow shuffled in, his ear trumpet at the ready. “Did someone buy a moaning goat? Do you know that I ate goat soup when I was a young soldier?”
“That sounds horrible, Grandpapa!” Selina exclaimed, scrunching her nose.
“It was not a goat we were talking about, Norman!” Lady Marlow yelled into the trumpet. “We have another granddaughter marrying a duke!”
“A fluke?” Lord Marlow asked, frowning. “I suppose it is a fluke our dear Madeline did not drown in the Serpentine. And there is no need to yell into my ear, Margaret.”
Meanwhile, Madeline’s focus was on her grandmother and her growing fury. “Grandmama, you had no right to do that! It is like selling me to a stranger without my knowledge! I will not marry a man I have never met before. What if he is old? What if he is cruel?”
The word evoked images of the man from the park. If only he were someone as handsome as he was, but without the rudeness. A face like his made it almost easier to bear the thought of being married off to a stranger.
“He is a duke, Madeline!” Lady Marlow insisted, her voice turning desperate.
“He is one of the wealthiest men in England, and with a title that gives him even more power with his wealth. We need his power. After all, your father has pushed us to the edge of the abyss once more. The papers are mocking us, as we are related to the man who floated in the Thames! They described him as miserable and smelling of gin.”
Madeline flinched. In this family, she was the one who was all too ready to defend their father, but this time, she could not find the words.
“Cathy should have left him in his self-exile,” her grandmama continued. Her shoulders shook in frustration. “After his debts were paid, Harleigh has been accumulating new ones. We are now being snubbed by every hostess in London. We have not been invited to balls and other social events in weeks.”
“That much is true, but I would rather stay in the library, anyway,” Portia confirmed. “Though even the vicar’s wife ignored me at the market yesterday.”
“This does not mean I need to deceive a duke and marry him to my advantage!” Madeline’s composure nearly slipped.
“Madeline, please! Think of Selina,” the baroness gestured to the youngest Quinten. “It is her debut Season. Who will want to dance with her if we are still looked upon as scum? She will be ruined before her Season has even begun.”
Madeline wanted to argue. She turned her attention to her youngest sister, the family’s beauty. Selina’s eyes were brimming with sparkling tears.
“I will not let that happen to Selina,” Madeline insisted. “I can work.”
“Work? Doing what? What you do not understand is that the social repercussions outweigh the financial, and we barely have money. You are a gentleman’s daughter, a baron’s granddaughter.
Your only currency is marriage. Working will only make it worse for your younger sisters.
They will talk about our disgrace and poverty even more. ”
“Is this duke a bore?” Lord Marlow asked. “Most of them are. At least, our Cathy was fortunate to marry Tristan!”
“Grandpapa, please,” Madeline complained, groaning. Then, she turned her attention back to her grandmother. “I cannot do that, Grandmama. Marrying a man I do not love. Cathy was merely fortunate that Tristan had truly fallen in love with her, but...”
A sob interrupted her. It was not coming from Lady Marlow. It came from Selina. Her youngest sister covered her face with her hands, but Madeline could tell she was distraught. Her shoulders were shaking.
“I am so sorry, Maddy,” she moaned. “I am so sorry you are being pressured to marry a stranger because of me. I do not want you to sacrifice your happiness just so I can attend a ball! I would rather hide myself than make you unhappy.”
Madeline looked at each of the women she loved.
Her grandmother appeared resigned, with the light fading from her eyes that had twinkled only moments before.
Portia’s eyes looked tired and wary. She likely thought she would be thrown into this situation instead of her older sister.
Then, there was Selina, who was willing to hide her beauty from the world and sacrifice her entire future for her.
“Hush, Selina. I will not let you destroy your future,” Madeline said softly, forcing a smile on her face.
“Don’t you fret. Our sister Cathy was forced to marry the Duke of Baxter, who has become a part of our family, and they are so in love with each other.
They are happier than ever. Perhaps if I put in some effort, I could find the same happiness in this marriage. ”
Madeline did not really believe her own words. She was going to marry a stranger, even if he was the Duke of Huntington, for the sake of her sisters.
As she finally walked toward the breakfast table, her mind was not on the eggs, toast, and butter. Instead, her mind had created a mantra:
Please let him be kind. Please, just let him be kind.