Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
As Florentia waited for her husband to join her for supper, she felt the nerves which had fluttered about inside of her all afternoon steadily grow.
Why am I feeling this way? There is no reason to be nervous. It is not as if this means anything. It is not as if I wish for it to mean anything...
Perhaps it was the expectation that did it? After a month of spending every waking hour alone, convinced that she and her husband would never see eye to eye or even stand being in the same room as one another, she was suddenly all too aware of how important this singular moment might prove to be.
This was not about trying to convince him to have an heir.
It was not about trying to lure him into a false sense of security, making him fall in love with her, or any of that nonsense.
It was simply about fostering an environment of comfort and compatibility, because Florentia knew that she could not experience another month like the last. Which means that I must be on my best behavior, no matter what.
Easier said than done.
“Your Grace, the duke said as he appeared in the doorway of the dining room. “I apologize for being late.”
“Apology accepted,” she said, sitting herself up and smiling pleasantly. “On one condition.”
He took half a step forward and paused. “Which is?”
“You stop calling me Your Grace,” she teased. “Florentia will do just fine. Just as I plan on referring to you as Hudson. If it pleases you.”
He nodded his head and continued toward her, taking his seat at the head of the table. “Hudson is fine, so long as we are not in company.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was just so formal and so very serious. So straight and without humor. Strange that she did not find it as obnoxious as she might have done. Stranger still that she found it somewhat endearing.
“And you were not late,” she began once he was seated. “I arrived earlier than expected. I overestimated how long it would take for me to dress and then found myself standing about in my room like a dolt.” She tittered. “So, I figured I would try and beat you here.”
“Understood,” he said simply. She frowned at the response; he noticed and cleared his throat. “And might I say, you look lovely.”
“Oh, stop.” She waved him down jokingly. “Although it is appreciated.”
To that, he gave her a tight-lipped smile, seemingly unsure of how to respond. This, predictably, led to a silence building between them, both seated at the table, looking about awkwardly as they waited for their food to arrive. Anything that might break through the tension.
He really is awkward. Not nervous, I do not think. Or unsure. It is more that he is not used to having to entertain and thus doesn’t know how. Likely he thinks small talk to be a waste of time.
She eyed her husband curiously. Still, she found him ruggedly handsome, and despite how he behaved, she knew that would not change.
Dressed darkly tonight in a typical dinner-suit, his brooding features and deep eyes were pronounced by the firelight that came from the chandelier hanging overhead.
He was not dim-witted, however, nor was he slow.
In fact, as she watched him further, Florentia sensed a fierce intelligence in the man, perhaps even the softer side Albina had mentioned. If only she knew how to bring it out.
“Shall we have a drink?” she asked to break the silence.
“Yes,” he agreed. “I think that will be nice.” He looked to the member of staff who stood in the corner and clicked his fingers. A second later and a bottle of wine was being held before them. “Yes,” the duke said as he studied it. “That will do nicely.”
Florentia smiled in thanks as the dark liquid was poured into her glass. And then she offered that smile to Hudson before taking a sip. She swished it about her mouth and swallowed. “Not bad.”
“It is from the south of France, I believe,” Hudson offered. “Although I must admit, I am not a savant when it comes to vineyards. That has always been Elias’ss area of expertise.”
“Perhaps I shall indulge next month,” she said humorously. “Once I grow bored of the orangery.” To that, Hudson frowned, almost looking upset by the notion. “I am just joking,” she assured him with a light chuckle. “Just a joke.”
“Ah, yes...” He laughed awkwardly. “Forgive me...Florentia, there will be times where I might miss the punchline of a joke. I may not even realize one is being told. Please, do not take it personally.”
“Lucky for you, my ego does not rest on my sense of humor.”
“No, it is far too big for that, I am sure,” he said with a light scoff.
“Your Grace...” She frowned and tilted her head. “Did you just make a joke?”
“Was it funny?”
“Not even a little,” she laughed and shook her head, beaming so that he would realize she was not making fun.
“But I did appreciate the effort. Although be warned...” She winked at him.
“If you choose to mock me, I shall do the same to you. And something tells me that this will be one battle I am sure to win.”
Most shockingly, Hudson smiled. It was not a large smile.
Nor was it warm. But it was real, pleasant in how earnest it was, and Florentia could see just how pleased he was by his ability to make a joke without it seeming forced.
“I best watch my tongue then. I am still recovering from our last fight.”
“That?” She tittered, took a sip of her wine, and raised her eyebrows at him. “That was nothing. I might look like a rose, but I have hidden many a sharpened thorn. You would do best to avoid them.”
He took a sip of his wine also, his dark eyes locking onto her own. “I appreciate the warning. Although, understand that I am not the push-over you might think.”
“Is that what you presume I think of you?” she laughed. “Believe me, nothing could be further from the truth.”
“And what do you think of me?”
To that, she offered a coy wink and then took another deep sip. “That is for me to know and for you to maybe one day find out, if I feel that you deserve it.”
He chuckled, a natural thing, relaxing before her eyes in ways she had previously thought impossible. “I shall hold my breath. But only once I have another taste...” He picked up his glass and had a deep sip, smiling to himself all the while.
Well, this is certainly unexpected. Conversation that might not be effortless but is at the very least flowing. Who would have guessed such a thing was possible?
The next thirty minutes or so of the evening played out rather well. It was not small talk, for she felt that the duke was beyond such capabilities. Rather, it was as if the two were getting a feel for one another. Testing the boundaries of this relationship and how they might interact.
During this time, Florentia began to understand her husband in previously unforeseen ways.
Oh, he was still cold and stiff and awkward, and that would never change.
But she saw through it now, realizing that he did not mean to be, and when he was it was never done with malice or ill intent.
Rather, she got the distinct impression that he was trying his best to be kind to her. And for that, she was grateful.
Soon, the main course was served: roasted pheasant cooked in various herbs and spices, suckling pig baked with potatoes and onions, and other root vegetables served in thick gravy. A bountiful meal made all the better by the wine and the company shared.
“Tell me, who is that man who I have seen you with?” Florentia asked as they ate. “The short fellow. Follows you about like he is your pet hound.”
Hudson chuckled. “I will tell him you said that. “His name is Mr. Andrews.”
“Mr. Andrews,” she repeated. “Yes, I have seen him scurrying about the manor on more occasions than I can count.”
“Nobody worth taking note of, I assure you,” Hudson said with a shake of his head. “But he is good at his job, and for that reason, I put up with him.”
“Just as he puts up with you, I am sure,” she said with a wink. Hudson’s brow furrowed at the comment, only to see the humor on her face, which had him shaking his head at the clear joke.
“I pay him enough, is why,” Hudson said. “The man would strip off and baste himself in whatever this pig has been cooked in, if I told him to do it.”
“Now, that is something I would like to see.”
“Ha!” Hudson laughed. It was not the first time he had done so this evening, either. And each time he did, it began to sound more and more natural. It was a sound which Florentia was very much beginning to enjoy.
They spoke of Hudson’s businesses, mostly. They also touched on this past month, only in passing, both seeming to understand that to put too much focus on it might see the night devolve into bickering.
And all the while, Florentia found herself enjoying the company of her husband beyond her wildest dreams. She became so comfortable, in fact, that she began to wonder why on earth she had avoided him for this long, forgetting entirely the short-tempered, cold-natured man whom she had spent a month lamenting her marriage to.
That was until she was quickly reminded of the fact.
“Your Grace!” A member of staff quickly entered the dining room. He was an older gentleman, and Florentia regretted that she didn’t know his name. I need to work on that. “I am so sorry to disturb your evening, but a letter has just arrived for you.”
“It is fine,” Hudson said with no emotion, holding out his hand for the aforementioned letter. “Who is it from?”
“The dowager duchess, Your Grace.”
Florentia felt the temperature in the room drop as if a cool breeze had suddenly swept through it. The duke stiffened, his expression hardening, his lip curling with distaste.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the letter with a sense that it might in fact be a snake that could bite him. “That will be all.”
The staff member offered a short bow and scurried from the room as if he was glad to be as far from the duke as was possible.
“Is something the matter?” Florentia asked carefully.
“My stepmother,” he said bitterly as he unfurled the letter. “Despite my insistence that she not contact me unless there is good reason, she seems intent on ignoring my commands.”
“Perhaps it is urgent.”
“Doubtful.” He opened the letter and began to scan it.
“Yes, she did seem a little free-spirited,” Florentia chuckled. “A nice enough woman, to be sure, but there was something not quite right about...is something wrong?” Florentia asked, trailing off her point when she noticed Hudson looking past the letter and right at her.
“What is your meaning?”
She frowned. “I did not mean anything by it. I was simply agreeing with you.”
“No, not that. My stepmother. You have met her? When?”
“Oh...” Florentia blinked. “It was a week before our wedding. She paid me a visit.”
“She...” His jaw was clenched, and she noticed that he was shaking. “She paid you a visit. To what end?” He was glaring at her now, the letter he was holding scrunched into a ball in his hand. “Well?” he barked.
She flinched. “It was nothing. She simply wished to meet me, was all. She was curious who you had chosen to marry and wished to...I do not know.” She smiled nervously, offering up a vain chuckle to try and diffuse the sudden hostility. “To ensure you had made the right decision.”
“Anything else?”
Florentia did not understand what was happening.
Why this sudden turn? Why the sudden anger?
She did understand, however, that she needed to choose her words carefully.
“Just to assure me that... that you were a kind man whom I should not believe the rumors about—that I was lucky to have been chosen by you. She had nothing but kind words to say, I promise you.”
She knew right away that she had said the wrong thing.
Hudson closed his eyes and took several ragged breaths. His body was shaking. His previously mellow disposition had evaporated. He was furious! And Florentia could tell he was doing everything in his power to keep this fury at bay.
“She goes too far,” he spoke through a clenched jaw. “The nerve of her... the presumption! I have half a mind to...” He growled and pushed his chair back, standing suddenly. “That woman is a menace!”
“It was not all bad,” she hurried. “Honestly, she was only trying to help.”
“Sticking her nose in where it does not belong!” the duke barked. “That is what she was doing! And believe me when I tell you, it was not for good reason. No...” He shook his head. “Where my stepmother is concerned, is never is.”
Florentia held her tongue this time, and she was glad that she did. The duke had lost control completely, and she found herself hoping he might leave before doing or saying something he would regret. Which, thankfully, he did.
“I am sorry for the way this evening has ended,” he said, still clearly enraged. “But I am afraid I must excuse myself.” And with that, Hudson turned and stormed from the room.
Florentia watched him go, as perplexed as she was utterly bewildered by what had just happened. The evening had been going so well, the two had been enjoying one another’s company. Dammit, she had been having a good time! All it had taken to ruin it was a single letter.
Speaking of which...
Florentia saw that Hudson had left the crumpled letter behind. Unable to help herself, she snatched it up, unfurled it, and read its contents.
“Huh...” She read them again, wondering now if it was the mention of his stepmother which had upended him or the letter itself. Nothing scandalous or upsetting, at least not for the average person. If anything, for most married couples, it might have caused excitement.
It was an invitation to a ball being hosted next week. One which Florentia had the distinct impression she and Hudson would not be attending.