Chapter 10
“Your Grace!” Rosie greeted Maria at the orphanage.
Maria forced a smile. “You know about that already?”
“Doctor Drayford showed us all the banns in the local newspaper. Very exciting, ain’t it?” Rosie enthused.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Maria replied. It was exciting, though maybe not in the way that Rosie assumed. “How are Gilbert and the others?”
“Getting better, Miss…I mean, Your Grace,” Rosie said as though enjoying using the title.
“Please, Rosie. I have known you for a number of years. Can we dispense with the formalities?”
Rosie looked scandalized that a duchess would not want to be referred to using the correct honorific, and Maria could not explain to her why the title had soured on her.
Not that it was ever entirely welcome. Not my choice, but rather the choice of my father.
Damien’s words to her in the church of all places still haunted her. They conjured images that she could not dispel, images of him removing her night gown and cupping her bare breasts. She imagined how he would gaze at her, his eyes dark and smoldering.
Maria imagined herself entrapped in his strong embrace, just like she had been on the stairwell, and his mouth merciless and hungry against her own. Worse, those images were not entirely unwelcome.
I am not a courtesan to give myself to a powerful man simply because he expects it. I have independence and agency. I will choose to whom I give myself. And I will choose when!
“I am still getting used to the idea of being married, let alone being a duchess. It is strange to me. Now, the children?”
“Come and see, Your Grace, come and see,” Rosie said, leading Maria into the orphanage.
Maria’s answer reached her soon after stepping inside.
The building was alive with the sound of children.
Happy children. Maria sighed in relief. A tension she had been even unaware of herself carrying seemed to loosen inside her.
Rosie beamed over her shoulder at Maria as they walked through the building, not to the dormitories but to the door that led to the main assembly hall. At the doors, Maria stopped, amazed.
Many of the children were there, being herded into rows by the orphanage assistants.
Maria did a quick headcount and estimated that two-thirds of the children seemed to be there.
Some still coughed. Some looked pale and not long out of their sickbeds, but all were on their feet, laughing and shouting as children ought to be.
One boy, in particular, looked back over his shoulder, then broke away from his fellows. He ran on sturdy legs, dodged an orphanage lady who tried to catch him, and sprinted straight to Maria. She laughed aloud as she scooped little Gilbert from his feet and whirled him around.
“Gilbert! You are well!” she exclaimed.
“You came back!” Gilbert blurted, his arms about Maria’s neck. He clutched her tightly.
“I said that I would, didn’t I? I said we would have breakfast together, and so we will.”
“I’ve had breakfast. I had porridge,” Gilbert said, wrinkling his nose.
“Well, very soon now you could have toast and jam and bacon and sausages and anything at all. Would you like that?” Maria asked.
“Truly?” Gilbert gaped at such a marvel.
“Truly. We are going to live in a big house. You and me!”
“With all my friends?” Gilbert asked.
Maria’s smile faltered for a moment before she brought it back for his sake.
If only I could!
“No, I’m afraid not. It will just be you, me, and my new husband. A duke!”
His eyes went wide, but he was clearly troubled by the notion that he would not be able to bring his friends with him. Maria had not considered this, thinking that he would be overjoyed to be in a real home. Of course, to Gilbert, who had only ever known Willow Street, this was a real home.
A knot of guilt twisted in her chest. Even if she had only the best of intentions, she had been rather selfish, but a solution to Gilbert’s dilemma did not readily present itself.
“Oh well, as long as you’re there,” Gilbert said, smiling. “When will I be going there?”
“As soon as I have rooms prepared for you. A bedroom at the very least. All for you.”
That brought a smile of wonder to his face.
“For me! Just me!”
Maria was pleased that this was a source of excitement for him. Perhaps, it would help the transition from the bustling orphanage to the gloomy, lonely Winterleigh.
I will not allow it to remain lonely and gloomy for long!
Maria did not think that Damien would be grateful for Gilbert’s presence, but it was one of her terms. In fact, if he wished to insist on marital rights, it would be mandatory. She blushed as she walked Gilbert to the dormitory to collect his meager possessions.
Marital rights! The earlier image returned, but now, she imagined herself lying on the bed with the duke astride her waist. His hands would be rough and firm as he parted her thighs, and when he pressed his weight upon her, she would feel all the power in his body.
The thoughts that had just entered her head were utterly scandalous!
Then why is it so very exciting?
Maria tried valiantly to force them away, but a sharp ache bloomed between her legs, as if her body already burned in anticipation of the fulfillment of her marital duties.
“Your Grace, might I have a moment of your time?” Doctor Drayford said from the other end of the dormitory.
Maria kissed Gilbert’s tousled head and sent him back to his friends.
“Yes, of course, Doctor.”
She joined him, struck by the horrifying thought that the physician might somehow—impossibly—know the lurid direction that her thoughts had taken.
“I thought you should know some rather exciting news,” Doctor Drayford said, his normally gloomy countenance for once quite animated.
“We have received an offer of funding. A letter was sent to me as secretary of the board of trustees. An offer to purchase the building and grounds and provide an annuity for the running of the orphanage.”
Maria felt a cold, icy hand upon her heart.
“That is exciting. It sounds like it would end all of your financing concerns. Who is your benefactor?”
“That’s the inexplicable thing. I have a letter from a firm of solicitors in London, Hollings and Whittaker at Gray’s Inn Gardens. They are acting on behalf of a philanthropist who would like to remain anonymous! I wondered if, perhaps, it had something to do with your new husband?”
“No, I do not think so. At least he has not said as much to me,” Maria replied uncertainly. “What do you intend to do with this gift?”
“Do? Why, we propose to accept it, of course! How could we do anything else? Funds are always a problem, and this will eliminate that problem at a stroke. It will secure our future and allow us to expand.”
Maria felt the cold hand constricting. Her throat was tight, and her heart hammered.
As far as she knew, Damien had done nothing of the kind, which meant that the offer was very likely her father’s doing.
At least, she must ensure that no action was taken until she knew for certain who the mysterious philanthropist was.
If it was her father, he would destroy the orphanage, just as he had promised!
“But aren’t you afraid it will leave the orphanage at the mercy of a complete stranger?” she asked. “I have reason to believe that my father has malicious intentions towards this institution. If nothing else, we must be certain that this offer does not come from him.”
Drayford chuckled, an unusual sight. “Your Grace, you worry overly! I cannot think what kind of person would expend so much money and have malicious intentions. It would be a rather expensive grudge.”
Had she not just told him what manner of man? Maria’s pulse jumped. She considered arguing the point further, but it was apparent that Drayford was not taking her concerns seriously. And why would he? The situation sounded absurd!
“But you will take it to the board, and it will be voted upon?” Maria asked.
“Of course, as per our constitution,” Drayford said.
“And may I speak to the board first?” Maria said, urgently.
Drayford frowned, seeming uncertain. “That is your privilege, Your Grace. Are you suggesting you would counsel against acceptance?”
He sounded aghast. Maria tried to think about how best to frame her concerns, so he might listen.
“I simply wish to ensure that every possibility has been considered. That you are not, effectively, selling the house and land to someone who will make something other than an orphanage out of it and evict the children,” Maria said.
Drayford nodded thoughtfully, frowning and regarding her with sharp eyes.
“Why would your father want to evict children?” he asked in plaintive wonder.
Because he is a very cruel old man who does not like it when I stand up to him.
Maria stood for a long moment, looking up at the dark, towering edifice of Winterleigh.
A cloudy sky framed it, the perfect accompaniment to its air of silence and neglect.
She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the air.
Maria was about to step into the realm of the duke, and she did not know what would happen once she was inside.
I will be within his power. I know very little about what manner of man he is, but I do know that his very presence makes my knees tremble, and he wants to…
She stopped her line of thought as her mouth dried, and her cheeks flamed. Even the thought of him left her flushed and unsteady.
I will not be helpless. I will be as fierce as a Valkyrie and match him glare for glare.
The doors opened, and she saw Damien. He filled the doorway, one massive oak door in each hand, swinging them wide as though they were made of paper. Her heartbeat quickened at the raw strength he showed. It was otherworldly, almost enough to make her wonder if she had married a man at all.
“Welcome, Duchess,” he said as she approached.
“Your Grace, thank you for greeting me,” Maria said formally.
“You do not appear to have a child in tow,” Damien said, wryly.