Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Meanwhile, Victoria was startled from her depression by the arrival of family members she almost forgotten she could lean on.
Wallowing in her sorrow in her room was difficult.
However, pretending to be hopeful around her family members was much worse.
She had been in her usual haunts—her bedroom, the library, the drawing room, and the nursery—spreading gloom throughout.
It was almost like she was no longer the Victoria who loved climbing trees, running in the gardens, and riding horses.
She was no longer Vicky, but the discarded Duchess of Hawksford.
Perhaps there should be a title like that.
“Vicky! We’ve missed you. I hope you can forgive us for not sending word that we were coming,” Daphne cried, as she enveloped her twin in a tight embrace.
“Stop bumping me with your belly!” Victoria complained, only half-annoyed.
She had to admit that the drawing room felt less like a crypt with Daphne and Wilhelmina coming to visit her. Even Daniel’s somber look added more color to her home. They brought her a few treats, which Victoria grabbed with glee like the little girl she was.
“I knew you would love those,” Wilhelmina said, smirking.
“I would have expected you to bring me scandal sheets instead of sweets,” Victoria replied tartly.
“Oh, really? That’s why we’re here, to make you forget about the nonsense being spouted on those sheets,” Wilhelmina said, her voice trembling with repressed indignation.
The three women sat on the sofa, while Daniel settled on a chair across from them.
“It’s completely vile,” Daphne breathed, fanning herself. Her belly was getting bigger, and she must feel hot all the time.
Victoria hated to admit that she was a little envious of her sister. Daphne was married to a man she loved and loved her. They had one child and were waiting for another. She didn’t think she’d ever experience giving birth to her own child.
“Well, we are here to see you because we missed you, but we are also here because we want you to know that we don’t care about what they are whispering about at Almack’s, White’s, or even at Hyde Park,” Daniel said.
“We will continue standing behind you, Victoria. You know that. Just tell us what your plans are. If you want to retreat to the countryside, tell us, too. This way, we know what we can do to help you.”
“Thank you, Daniel,” Victoria said softly, blinking her eyes rapidly. No, she would not cry in front of them. She was all right. “You made me realize just how much I needed to hear that and how much I missed you all.”
“The others are not here, unfortunately, but they are sending their regards. They are with you in spirit. They will also come to visit you physically whenever they are able,” Daniel explained, even as his eyes scanned the drawing room, landing on a stack of papers on the table.
He was perhaps wondering if those held the scandal sheets in the pile.
“But wait, where is the duke? Why is he not here with you?”
Victoria sighed. Of course, they were going to ask. It was a good thing Richard left information with Hawthorne, who, in turn, told him what the duke was planning to do.
“Richard is doing some damage control. He has gone to the North to find out, or rather to confirm, who has been asking about Cecilia’s, his cousin’s, records.”
“So, he left you here in possible danger? To possibly face the slobbering wolves of the ton alone?” Daphne asked, anger emerging from her usual quiet. She was scrutinizing Victoria, with eyes trying to find the lies.
“He is doing it to protect us. To resolve this problem,” Victoria explained, the words rolling smoothly on her tongue.
“You look sad, though, Victoria,” Wilhelmina observed, “and worried.”
“Of course I am!” she insisted. “I am worried about Melody. The scandal affects her the most, and if it is not resolved, she will carry it for the rest of her life. I am afraid of what the future may bring for her. And I’m worried about Richard. He left on horseback on his own.”
“He’s traveling for days on horseback!” Daniel exclaimed.
“Yes, he is. He insisted,” she explained, as if her husband told her these words directly and not left the message with the butler. “He wants fewer people to know what he is doing.”
“And more likely, he does not want to call attention to having his carriage with his crest traveling north,” Daniel mused.
“Yes. That, too,” Victoria said quickly.
After that exchange, things went more smoothly. Wilhelmina and Daphne followed her to the nursery. That did not surprise her. However, Daniel following them was a bonus.
“Where is Mrs. Hughes?” Wilhelmina asked.
“She is resting. She has spent time with Melody, morning and night, the past few days. My mind could not focus. So, I thought I should not be handling the baby,” Victoria said with a shrug.
It was the truth. She also didn’t want Melody to absorb her anxiety. The child should only be exposed to good feelings, and right now, it was easy for her to convey them with her siblings so close.
“Let me help you with the linen,” Daphne offered.
“Now, give me my niece to carry,” Wilhelmina ordered good-naturedly, stretching to accommodate the baby in her arms.
“I believe this little baby needs her uncle to give her belly a tickle,” Daniel chimed in, wiggling his fingers and tickling Melody’s belly.
The nursery was filled with the baby’s laughter, as Daniel’s fingers threatened to dive down once more. Melody kicked with delight even as those fingers never even touched.
Victoria still felt the ache of Richard’s cruel rejection and abandonment, but she tried her best to be in the present with her siblings and the little girl she now considered her daughter.
“You are good at this, Daniel,” she murmured. “Just don’t let her laugh too much, she might cry a lot later.”
“Oh, you believe in that now, too, huh?” he teased, about to dangle his pocket watch over Melody.
The baby’s eyes bulged. She recognized that watch.
“If you’re about to do what I think you’re about to do, I think you should stop right now, Daniel. She will not let go of your watch this time. Mark my words,” Victoria warned.
“Ah, I suppose. Well, my little niece, we will be leaving soon, and I must admit I will miss you,” Daniel said. “I thought so many terrible thoughts the first time I met this beautiful girl, but now, I truly look at her as my blood.”
“I know what you mean,” Wilhelmina said wistfully. “We will have to band together to protect her. She is so precious.”
“I believe I must go, Victoria,” Daniel said, kissing his sister’s cheeks. There was a new tenderness to his voice that made her want to weep.
“Thank you for coming, Daniel,” she said softly.
Her brother had really done so much to make up for the times he felt he had abandoned them. She had no doubt that he would be there immediately if she called him for any kind of assistance.
“I must leave, too, Vicky. The children are waiting,” Wilhelmina said softly, a sad smile on her face. “Henry and Hector would want to recite some verses before sleeping. Of course, I am also tired.”
Victoria was reminded of Wilhelmina’s pregnancy. She reached out to rub her sister’s belly. Her hand trembled.
“Go on ahead, Vicky. I don’t mind it. It’s strangers I don’t want anywhere near the baby,” Mina urged.
They all walked toward the foyer, with Melody in Victoria’s arms. Daniel and Wilhelmina then left for their own carriages. Victoria turned to see that her twin was lingering for some reason.
“Aren’t you tired, Daphne?” she asked. “Don’t you need your rest, too?”
Daphne remained standing, watching the two carriages leave Hawksford’s front. She darted a glance at Victoria, her eyes sad.
“Go on, Daphne,” Victoria said, sounding weary. “I will have to put Melody in the nursery and call Mrs. Hughes to watch her throughout the night. Then, I will also retire.”
“You’ve been lying all afternoon,” Daphne said, her brows furrowed.
“What?”
“I’ve watched you. You were trying to enjoy the afternoon with us. But I’ve seen your slumped shoulders and stiff posture. Your smiles don’t reach your eyes. And I—I understand. So much is going on with your life at the moment, Vicky.”
“Of course,” Victoria said, flinching. “I’ve told you all that I’m worried about Melody. About the future. The little fortress Hawksford had become.”
“Remember that I am your twin, Vicky,” Daphne said, keeping her voice soft but firm.
“We do not only share features, but I can tell when you are not telling me the whole truth. There’s something else that you aren’t telling us.
Yes, I believe you are worried about Melody.
You are being a good mother to her, after all.
But I think there’s something more going on.
You’re shattered over something else. You are a fighter.
That means that something worse is happening. ”
Her sister’s words broke the walls around her. Finally, she let herself cry and throw her arms around Daphne. There, she wept quietly, which still wasn’t like her. The old Victoria would have been screaming and flailing about, announcing her anger to the world. This new broken Victoria held back.
“What is it?” Daphne asked gently when they broke the embrace, and Victoria was quietly wiping the tears away while still sniffling.
“Richard said that everything that happened between us was a mistake. He said he would not have stayed if not for Melody and the scandal. He’s here only to protect us, and nothing more.
He also made it clear that he would rather keep his distance because being close to me is not wise.
It’s driving him to make the wrong decisions,” Victoria spilled everything, in between gasps for air.
“There is no future for the two of us, Daphne. I was living a grand delusion.”
“The fool!” spat Daphne. Victoria had never seen her twin look so angry. “He is a blind fool for thinking that way. He thinks he can protect the world and ignore you and make you feel small.”
“He believes that he is being noble,” Victoria admitted. “He thinks that he is saving me while ridding himself of distractions.”
“Your husband may be speaking out of fear, Vicky,” Daphne said, though she still looked angry. “It does not excuse him for hurting you. I wish you had said something while Daniel and Mina were still here.”
“No! Let us keep this between us for now, Daphne,” Victoria pleaded. “Please?”
“All right,” her sister said, slumping her shoulders in surrender. “I hope you remember that you are still the best woman he could ever hope to marry. He is being ridiculous about not trusting you enough to make you a partner in this.”
“It is his loss, then,” Victoria tried to be cheeky.
Her eyes did drift toward the dark street where she could spot silhouettes of some of Richard’s men lingering, possibly waiting for her to lock the front door after Daphne finally decided to leave.
“Still, I have everything I need here, Daphne. Remember, all that I wished for was my own household. I didn’t want to be deposited into someone’s home out of pity.
I also have Melody now. I have a daughter, Daphne! ”
“Of course you have, dear,” Daphne murmured, finally smiling.
“Yes, I have a husband who is more of a stranger and a heart that is broken but healing. I have a child, and that will make me remain steadfast and strong.”
“Children can certainly do that to you,” Daphne agreed, nodding and rubbing her belly with fondness.
The twin sisters hugged again, each expressing her support for the other. Victoria wished she could continue to hold on to her sister, but she knew that the latter must go home and retire, given her condition.
“Say hello to Hector for me,” she said, as they bid their last goodbyes for the night.
“Ha. Your favorite nephew, as always,” Daphne teased.
“He’s like me.”
“Troublesome.
“Oh, yes.”