Chapter 4
Come to the gardens. Now. Alone.
The note had been given to Adelaide by a maid, and it sent her pulse racing. She was dressed for the day, but her hair was not done, and once again, she had not gone to breakfast with her mother. Even so, she could feel the urgency in the words, so she ran down to the gardens.
She expected it to be her fiancé, whom she was uncertain about marrying.
Unlike with Mr. Hargrave, she could not refuse the Duke’s hand, for it would destroy her completely.
She did not know if she wanted to see him or not, for the occasions on which she had met him could not have been more different.
As she reached the gate, however, she realized that she was wrong.
“Cecilia!” she exclaimed, opening the gate and letting her friend in. “Why did you send that note? You know that you are always welcome here.”
“Have you seen the front of your house? It would have taken all year to reach the door.”
Her friend swept past, her golden hair bouncing as she did so. Adelaide ushered her inside, and they went to the breakfast room. Her mother was surprised to see them both, but Adelaide took a slice of ham and ate it, knowing that her mother would not ask questions if she saw her eating.
“What a lovely surprise, Lady Cecilia,” she greeted.
“Good morning, Lady Wynn. My apologies. I know I should have sent a note, but I am certain you understand that these are not normal circumstances.”
“They are most certainly not. Do not worry. We are always happy to have you.”
Lady Wynn watched to ensure Adelaide continued eating, then she rose to her feet with a small smile. She told them that she hoped they would enjoy their time together, and then disappeared, claiming to have preparations to oversee.
Adelaide slumped the moment they were alone.
“What are you doing?” Cecilia hissed, her green eyes narrowing. “Why are you doing this?”
“It is not as though I have a choice, Cecilia. Hargrave followed me in the square and then chased me. The Duke of Ashford rescued me, but because Hargrave cannot seem to accept defeat, he has claimed that he was attacked.”
“And so, to thank His Grace for helping you—which you did not ask for—you are going to marry him? This is insanity, Adelaide!”
Lady Cecilia Kingsman was not the sort of lady who kept her opinions to herself. She made her thoughts known, but rather than becoming an outcast, she was respected for it.
Adelaide envied her for that; she had been chased out of London for daring to disrespect one gentleman, whereas her friend was able to speak unkindly to as many as she pleased without risking punishment.
Then again, Cecilia had never crossed Hargrave.
“If I had a choice, I would not be doing this. It is not only for his sake, Cecilia. If I did not accept his proposal, I would be at society’s mercy. It is not as though any other gentlemen want to marry me.”
“They did not want to marry me either, which is precisely why I was always the happiest lady of them all. You would be happy too, if you would let yourself be.”
“I do not have that luxury. I am an outcast, and that means I have to do what I can to be accepted again. Marrying a duke, regardless of what the ton thinks of him, will help.”
Cecilia sighed, taking an apple and biting into it. “What you fail to comprehend,” she huffed, “is that their opinion of you does not matter half as much as you think. You did not have to run away last year. I would have been there for you, and you know that.”
“Yes, and I would have dragged you down with me. You may not think that it matters, but it does. I cannot only think of myself and what is best for me, but I must think of my mother, too. She has been alone for a long time now, and I have a cousin who would like to take over. This house is technically his.”
“But you do not need to give in! You could fight it, Adelaide. I do not know why you refuse to do so.”
“Because you have been married to a duke for years, and you have forgotten the peril that comes with being an unmarried lady with no prospects.”
“I am not that old!” Cecilia reminded her. “Only ten years your senior.”
“And a duchess, at that. You can do as you please, for your husband cannot do away with you. My mother and I, on the other hand, may find ourselves in the streets, for my cousin will not allow us to remain in this house. I need to make connections, and I will not find better than a duke.”
“The Dragon Duke.” She grimaced. “Oh, Adelaide, I cannot stand this!”
“I am not particularly happy about it either, if you can believe it, but this is what must be done. It is not all terrible, though. He wants a loveless marriage, which means that he will keep his distance from me, and I can live as I please.”
Cecilia eyed her carefully. She did not seem pleased about it, nor particularly angry. Her expression was… inscrutable, which was unlike her.
“That is the sort of marriage I would have enjoyed once,” she admitted quietly.
“Precisely, so you see the good in it.”
“No, you do not understand. It is the sort of marriage I would have wanted for myself years ago, but never for you. You have always been softer than I, more loving. You deserve to be treasured, not married and then cast aside.”
“I cannot convince you that this is a good match, can I?” Adelaide laughed sadly.
“No. Unless it becomes obvious that he is not the man I think he is, and that you are truly happy with all of this, I will not be happy about it. This is the sort of match reserved for the lowest, and regardless of what people may think of you, that is not who you are.”
But Adelaide did not quite know what separated her from other people who were disliked as much as her.
Like them, she had been caught in a scandal, and that was the end of it, as far as anyone else was concerned.
She loved her friend dearly, but Cecilia would never have heard a word against her, and was biased in a way that the rest of society was not.
“I am not going to dissuade you, am I?” Cecilia asked, her shoulders sagging.
“You cannot, I am afraid. This is far from ideal, but it is what must be done. It will not be so bad, and I will be able to see you as often as I do now.”
“Perhaps even moreso, for as it stands, you cannot even see your door from your front gate.”
Adelaide chuckled, thinking that her friend was not being serious, but then she saw the expression on her face. She raised an eyebrow, then crept to the window. The curtains had been closed, which was unlike her mother to request, so she peered through a gap.
Then, she saw them.
Many people had stopped outside, looking around as if trying to catch a glimpse of her.
The sight was quite ridiculous, and Adelaide found a certain humor in it, but she also felt a great sense of unease.
She hated that they were watching her home so brazenly, and that it was considered acceptable for them to do so.
She quickly walked away from the window.
She did not know what to do, for it would be a long week if she had to endure such an invasion of her privacy until her wedding day. But of course, her friend knew what to do.
Cecilia crossed the room, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Perhaps we should celebrate your engagement,” she suggested, “since you are adamant about going through with it.”
“I do not know that I wish to celebrate it, though you are right that I am adamant.”
“No, Addy, you do not understand. We should celebrate your good fortune.”
Adelaide did not understand at all, but her friend did not seem to care.
Cecilia smiled knowingly, before looping her arm around Adelaide’s and leading her out into the hallway.
“Lady Wynn?” she called. “Might we discuss something?”
Lady Wynn came out of the drawing room with a small smile. She did not question what it was about, and Cecilia spoke with such confidence that Adelaide struggled to question her, too.
“I believe it would be best that I assist Addy with the wedding preparations,” she explained.
“I will take her to a nearby village, where there is an incredible seamstress who can help with her gown, and we can arrange for flowers for the ceremony, too. I do not suppose that His Grace would think of such things.”
“Oh, Cecilia,” Lady Wynn sighed wistfully. “Thank you, dear, but we cannot afford such things.”
“I am not expecting you to. I wish to give my dearest friend a wedding present, so that is what will be done. We have a friend who lives there, and we shall stay with her.”
Adelaide thought that her mother might burst into tears, but somehow she maintained her composure.
Cecilia gave her a triumphant look, and they left soon after in her carriage. Adelaide crouched between the benches so she would not be seen, and once they were a safe distance away from the city, she settled into her seat.
“We are going to stay with your friend Dorothy, then?” she asked. “She is the only one of your little group who is not in London for the social season.”
“Indeed, though Emma and Beatrice asked after you, too. They are part of the reason why I came to see you. I only came alone so as not to raise suspicion.”
Adelaide wanted to believe that Cecilia’s friends would love her as much as Cecilia did, but it was difficult.
Cecilia was not like the other members of the ton, and though Adelaide knew that her friend would never keep bad company, it did not mean that the three other ladies would be pleased to see her.
It would be the first time she met them all, and she was cautious about what to expect. Not only that, but if Dorothy’s husband was present when they visited her, that would make it even worse, for it was highly unlikely that he would accept hosting a young lady with a questionable reputation.
The carriage arrived in the early afternoon, just after lunchtime, and Adelaide’s heart sped up. It was possible that everything had changed between her and her friend, and then she would be back where she had started.
She remained seated in the carriage, whereas Cecilia practically leaped from it.
“Come now,” she laughed, “you know that Dorothy is harmless.”
“Yes, but the Duke of Urkinshire may not be.”
“Believe me, he is. He is a gentleman, and I shall have you know that he has been defending you in your absence.”
Adelaide’s eyes widened.
“Do not look so surprised. He would tell anyone who said something unkind about you that he would not have taken a wife who befriends bad people, and that a word against you is an attack on his judgment, and therefore, your character.”
At last, Adelaide felt comfortable meeting him.
She stepped out of the carriage and linked arms with Cecilia.
“You are cared for,” Cecilia assured, squeezing her arm. “Believe me.”
Adelaide truly did want to.