Chapter Twenty-Six
Lady Amelia, Duchess of Hayesford
A slight sound woke me from a deep slumber, but I wasn’t ready to start the new day.
The scent of roses drifted to me, and for a brief second, I thought I was at home.
Panicked, I opened my eyes and looked up at the canopy of embossed gold brocade fabric.
I vaguely remembered Oliver carrying me in here at dawn.
I turned my head and spied the red rose on the pillow, along with a note.
Scrawled in his bold handwriting was a simple message: with all my love, Oliver.
I stretched on the soft mattress and tried to ignore the sore muscles caused by our intense play. Despite the discomfort, my pussy ached for a repeat of my wedding night. A flush might be burning my cheeks, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
The faint rustling noises that had awoken me sounded from my dressing room.
Jenny would be readying my gown for our wedding brunch.
I sighed and threw my legs off the side of the bed.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t stay in bed all day.
My family was still here, and I was expected to attend the festivities.
Because we opted to wed in such a short time, Mother had planned the usual celebratory events after the ceremony.
Laughter sounded from outside my window, and I stood on shaky legs to look at the lawn. Noah and the boys were in the garden, the twins trying their best to remain upright. Love for them all stole my breath.
The giving man had made my wedding night even more memorable.
Would he join Oliver and me again tonight?
Since he was staying in the same house, it would be easy to arrange.
Once we returned to London, things would change.
I wouldn’t have access to him like I had in the past. However, my new home was close enough that he could stay with us every night and still return home in time to be with the boys.
I placed my forehead on the glass, uncertainty clouding my earlier jubilation.
Noah had been swept up in the drama between us for longer than just last night.
He’d been my confidant and Oliver’s, which put him in an untenable situation.
However, Noah had benefited from our separate associations and played both sides of the fence.
Ethan tackled his father, the two of them falling to the ground. Not to be forgotten, the twins piled on, and the sound of Noah’s laughter mingled with childish screams.
By rights, I should still be peeved, but I found it hard to be mad at him when he was the catalyst that had brought us together.
I was a duchess now, and although I yearned for his touch, chances were he’d object to making our arrangement permanent.
The sounds from my dressing room became louder, and I turned on my heel to enter the room.
I paused in mid-stride, shocked to see Mother with my wedding gown draped over her arm.
“Mother?”
“Amelia.” She put a hand to her chest and inhaled, her eyes wide. “How many times have I told you not to sneak up on people?”
“Since this is my dressing room, I believe you snuck up on me. What are you doing with my dress?” I was conscious of my thin nightgown and reached for the robe hanging on the dressing screen.
“My dress, you mean. The one that horrible woman butchered.” She had recovered from her shock, and the cold mask she normally wore slipped into its customary place. When she’d seen the end results from the seamstress, she’d thrown a fit and refused to speak to me for a solid afternoon.
I wished that were still the case. “She altered it. Like you altered the dress after your mother handed it down to you.”
“Why aren’t you downstairs? It’s well into the morning, and you have a house full of people who require attendance.” Per usual, she ignored my comment.
My spine instantly stiffened, and I willed myself to remain unaffected. “I was coming in here to dress. I thought you were Jenny. Is everyone up? I see Noah and the boys are playing in the garden.”
Best to change the subject than to argue with her further.
“The boys are early risers.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her hair pulled back in her usual stern style.
Chilliness showed in her eyes, her rigid frame erect.
She glanced around the room with a cold inspection.
No doubt, she’d find it lacking. Negativity oozed from her, and I couldn’t help thinking about what it must have been like for Sally in the end.
She had been locked in her room with my mother as her only company.
No wonder she was hysterical. “Where is the chest for the dress? It will need to be repacked to preserve the material.”
“If you leave it, I will have Jenny take care of it.”
She released a telling sniff and clutched at the gown. “Lady Gwendolyn’s maid informed me she’d be down soon, so I suggest you hurry. You shouldn’t keep the duchess waiting on you.”
“The dowager duchess. I’m the duchess,” I said, taking smug joy in reminding her of the fact. Petty, yes, but being around her judgmental ways made me revert back to my childhood.
“Yes, you are, and it is time you started acting the part. You have a lot of responsibility that can’t be put off on a whim.”
Anger continued to fight with my calm. I had woken up happy, and she was dampening my mood with her harshness.
“I am well aware of my duties and will fulfill them to Oliver’s satisfaction.
It was, however, by his orders that I be left alone until such time as I decided to come downstairs.
” A lie, but she didn’t know that. “Already, he is the most attentive husband.”
“Oliver has never had the wherewithal to deny you anything.”
“Thus, every mother worth her salt would aspire to have such a generous man as their son-in-law.” I belted the sash on my robe and reminded myself to remain calm.
With measured steps, I went to the bell pull to call Jenny.
“I know you wished for me to marry Noah, but I made a promise to Oliver, and I kept it. He’s my husband, and I will not have you disparaging his character any longer, Mother. ”
If possible, her shoulders pushed back even more. “You might be a duchess, but you will not speak to me in such an ill manner.”
“I could say the same of you.” I stared at her, my temper getting the best of me.
She’d bullied me long enough, and I wasn’t going to take it any longer.
“I am no longer a child to be ordered around. This is my wedding celebration, and if I wish to lie in bed all morning and eat chocolates, I will do so.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You have always been overly dramatic, bordering on hysterical.” She waved a hand in front of her face, dismissing my argument.
The word triggered the horror that I’d read in Sally’s diary. Her last days were spent in isolation while those around her labeled her mad. “Like you claimed Sally was before she died?” The words came out before I could stop them.
She paled and took a step back, pain in her eyes. “You are too young to understand such matters. Sally was being treated by a renowned physician who specialized in the humors and female hysteria.”
“I’m a married woman,” I reminded her, a hundred questions swirling around in my head. From the stubborn tilt of her chin, my mother would ignore every one of them if I chose to ask for more details.
“By a day. You...well, I suppose you are no longer na?ve in the ways of men and women.” A blush dotted her cheeks, the effects making her appear younger.
“No, I am not.” I tried to keep my own color down. My wedding night was still vivid in my mind. If Mother knew the entire truth, she’d have a fit of apoplexy.
“But you are far from an expert,” she said, walking to the side table and adjusting the tintypes that Jenny had placed in my room to make it feel more like home.
A picture of Sally holding Ethan was displayed in front.
Mother lifted it and traced Sally’s face with her fingertip.
Love softened her features, and I glanced down.
I couldn’t watch without envy, which only upset me more.
Nor do years of living make you one either.
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I held them back.
This bickering wasn’t accomplishing anything.
It only served to worsen my mood. The sooner I could get her out of my room, the better.
“I think I will get dressed now,” I said, throwing open my wardrobe door.
Jenny entered through the servants’ entrance. She stopped cold at the sight of my mother. “Lady Brimley, Your grace,” she said with a quick bob.
Mother turned and inspected the dresses in my wardrobe, the wedding gown still held tight in her grip.
“Amelia, I think you should wear the mint green gown with the pearl inlay buttons. It’s subtle and sophisticated.
And Jenny, see that her hair is styled as befitting a duchess.
None of those silly curls. She’s no longer a little girl. ”
“Yes, my lady,” Jenny said, looking most uncomfortable. I was her mistress, not my mother.
“I also need the chest for the wedding gown to be delivered to my room posthaste so that my maid can restore what’s left of the dress to its proper packing.” Mother shifted the gown to her other arm.
“I am afraid the chest is still in London, my lady.” Jenny said.
The chest where I had discovered Sally’s diary.
A stab of misery settled into my heart at the thought of the contents in the journal.
If Mother had found them, she’d surely have destroyed Sally’s confessions.
Luckily, they were tucked into the secret compartment of my secretary in my old room.
Once I returned to London, I had order the furniture delivered to my new home. .
“I see.” Iciness dripped from Mother’s tone before she shook her head, agitation in every movement. She moved to the door and paused at the last moment. Looking over her shoulder, she lifted an arched eyebrow. “You need to get dressed and don’t dawdle. It isn’t polite to keep your guests waiting.”
My lovely morning had turned sour. I met Jenny’s tentative smile and sat down at the dressing table.
“I will wear the burgundy silk, and I would like curls. Lots of curls.” Mother had never been affectionate toward me, and it seemed the more time passed, the less tolerant she’d become.
Her resentment toward me at times was palpable.
No matter how often I tried to figure out why she hated me so much, I couldn’t find an answer.
Like Sally and the twins. Could it be possible my mother had suffered a similar hysteria when she’d had me? If so, it would explain a lot. Or it could purely be speculation on my part. My maternal grandmother wasn’t overly affectionate either.
No matter how often I said I didn’t care how Mother treated me, I did.
A bit too much.