Chapter 16
“Ican dress for the day, if you like.”
Anna had deliberately gone to breakfast in her nightgown, for she knew her husband liked it, but when he did not stop staring at her, she wondered if he thought she was improper.
“Certainly not,” he replied firmly. “You are to wear it all day, if you please.”
She giggled, and her hand slipped into his as they continued down the hallway. There was an ease about them, one that she had always wanted to have with her husband, and though it was new, she wanted to trust it.
“I wish to take you out today,” he explained as they ate, “so, alas, you may actually have to change into a gown.”
“I can do that. Where are we going?”
“Well, I was hoping to take a boat onto the lake together, but I do not think this is the weather for it. Instead, I believe there is an auction in town, and I thought you might enjoy that?”
“Oh? And why do you believe that?”
Spencer flashed her a grin, his gaze lowering briefly before flicking up again.
“I have been looking at the household, and while you have done a wonderful job with it, I thought you might like to change it again?”
“Again? But it has only been a year. My mother and father hardly ever redecorated. They said it was a waste of their money.”
“And that is not a concern of mine. What matters to me is that you love your home.”
“Our home,” she corrected.
She noticed that he bristled at her words, but she did not mind it too much. It was all very new to both of them, and it was normal for him to have strange reactions at times. What mattered was that he was home, and he was doing all that he could to make her happy.
“May I ask you something?” he asked.
“You may, as long as you are not going to ask me to paint the drawing room a hideous shade of brown, or some such thing. Should that be the case, I will have to refuse.”
“I shall have no requests about the household. I was actually wanting to ask you if your family had financial troubles that you know of.”
She flushed pink, not knowing how to respond.
She had faint memories of it, her parents raising their voices at one another about not having enough funds to hire a new servant, or pieces of jewelry going missing at times, only for a household purchase to be made shortly after.
There were issues, she knew that, but she had never expected to think of them again.
“There were,” she replied. “They never told me how bad it was, but I knew.”
“Children always do, from my knowledge.”
“And how many children do you know?”
She had meant it to be lighthearted, but she saw how he shuddered. She tried not to think about the rumor that he had a child elsewhere, for it was not conducive to their having a good marriage. He claimed there was not one, and so she would believe him.
“I know other people who were raised in your circumstances,” he explained. “In truth, I knew that something was amiss when your father claimed you had no dowry.”
The words echoed in her mind. She did have a dowry; her father used it against her every time they argued. She was unable to make even the tiniest critique without him reminding her just how much he was sacrificing for her sake.
“But I had one,” she said quietly.
“I did wonder why you never mentioned it. You see, he claimed it was spent on the wedding and attaining the special licence that we used. I never questioned it, and I was more than happy to go without it. I am more than capable of taking care of you financially without your father’s assistance.”
“Even so, that is unfair. He should have paid you.”
“Like you were a prize pig?” he asked, reminding her of their conversation the night before. “It is as I told you, Anna. I did not marry you for money, nor for any particular gain. I needed a wife, and it helped knowing that I was bringing you away from your father.”
“Is that to say you did not like him?”
“I could not stand him. He spoke of you like you were nothing, even though any man in his position would have only spoken highly of you. He was supposed to make me want to marry you, and yet–”
He stopped, likely because he did not have to say anything further.
Anna knew what had happened, and there was no need for him to remind her of it.
She knew what her father thought of her, and it did not matter what she did.
She was not a boy, and therefore not an heir, and therefore she was useless to him.
“What I am pleased about,” he said instead, “is that we will not cross his path for a long time. Should he lack funds, he will be unlikely to attend the auction today.”
“On the contrary,” she sighed. “He enjoys auctions. It is his way of making cheap purchases without looking as though he has. It can then be considered a skill of his, rather than a lack of money.”
He grimaced.
“We do not need to go,” she suggested.
“We are going. I will not let him stop us from enjoying ourselves. Besides, should he see us, he will have to be polite, and he will then see just how happy we are. I hope it makes him miserable.”
There was something in the way he always protected her that made Anna feel as though she had always misjudged him. He was a good man, and a good husband, and he would continue to be so. It was, as her friends said, she had to trust in that if she wanted any affection in return.
She dressed for the afternoon, selecting a deep blue gown for herself. The darker hue was a deliberate choice, one that showed maturity, which is precisely what she had promised to convey. If it was a sensible duchess that the ton wanted, then that was what they would have.
The approval that Spencer gave when he saw her meant everything to her.
She was surprised by the way her face flushed, and how she could not help but smile at him nodding at her, for she had never wanted anyone’s acceptance before, but she appreciated it all the same.
She valued his opinion of her more than she dared to admit, and knowing that she had done something right was the validation that she so needed.
“Do we have an amount to spend?” she asked in the carriage.
“Of course not. Should you see something you want, it is yours. I will, however, tell you what I think each item is worth, and you can decide whether or not you agree with me.”
She nodded in acceptance. She had never been one to spend money.
The one exception had been when she first sensed that he was not returning, when she completely changed the household and drowned her sorrows in brand new gowns.
Other than that, she did not live too expensively.
She never much cared for fashionable clothing, and she already had everything she wanted.
There was no need for anything more than that.
And yet, she delighted in the knowledge that, if she wanted to, she could do as she pleased that day.
When they arrived, they saw the Scarlet Duke nearby. She would have recognized him anywhere, partly because of his imposing figure and partly because there always seemed to be a group of ladies that followed him wherever he went.
“Good afternoon,” he greeted. “I do hope that I am not intruding.”
“Not at all,” Anna promised. “Are you here for the auction?”
“I am here for the drinks,” he explained, flashing his smile at her. “I doubt that anything here could hold a candle to what I own.”
“Your modesty will never fail to astound me,” Spencer replied. “Have you brought a lady with you today?”
“Alas, I have no wife to bring.”
“I am in a similar situation, which is why I have brought this lovely young lady with me. We are courting, you see.”
Anna giggled, and Alexander’s eyes lit with comprehension. As she expected from her acquaintance, he was happy for both of them and more than willing to play along.
“Well, you know how to please a lady. Ensure that she leaves with something pretty.”
“That is my aim,” he agreed, and then they were called to take their seats.
As he had explained, the Scarlet Duke disappeared suddenly, having already had his fill of free food and drink and women. Anna sat beside Spencer in a quieter section.
“Your friend is a man of his word, it seems.”
“Indeed. I imagine he would have enjoyed staying, but the whispers often arrive shortly after he does, and I do not blame him for wanting to avoid it.”
“Nor do I, but we will weather it. It will pass.”
The auction began, and Anna silenced herself. They were to make a good showing of themselves, and that was what she would do. She had been to many auctions, thanks to her father, and she knew precisely what to do.
The first item was revealed, a pianoforte, and Spencer leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Do not go any higher than one hundred pounds.”
She nodded, listening keenly as the numbers were called. They began at fifty, and Anna accepted that. A pianoforte was precisely what the parlor room needed, and she was rather interested by the prospect of learning to play it again.
It was stolen at sixty, and she took it back at seventy, then it was taken at eighty, and she took it at ninety. When that same person took it again at one hundred, she sighed, shrinking into herself. Spencer tapped her arm discreetly, giving her a knowing look.
“Do you truly want it?”
She nodded.
“Then go to one hundred and ten.”
She grinned, taking it, and this time there was silence. There was a faint round of applause, and she had won. She wanted to exclaim about it, but she maintained her composure, which earned an approving nod from Spencer.
The auction continued, though none of the items were what Anna wanted. She watched as each was brought out and purchased, and each time she joined in the applause and smiled, but she did not engage again.
When a set of jewelry was revealed, Spencer nudged her again.
“I want to win this,” he whispered. “As long as it is something that you like.”
Anna looked at it more closely, her eyes sparkling. It was a ruby necklace with matching earrings, and they glimmered even though it was an overcast day. She looked at Spencer, nodding subtly. She did not want anyone around them to know that they were in competition with them yet.
As expected, Spencer refused to lose, which meant that they were to return home with a pianoforte and a beautiful necklace and earrings. Anna could not stop smiling, and as people came to congratulate them, she thanked them kindly, feeling Spencer’s hand on hers as she held his arm.
“You have done well,” he complimented as they wandered and spoke to others. “If this is what you mean by being a proper duchess, then I am most excited to go to other events with you.”
She did not want to love receiving the compliment, but she did. She felt like the most special lady there, and it was all thanks to her husband.
“I feel sad that you did not get a gift,” she said as they walked. “I got a pianoforte and some jewelry, while you got nothing. That is hardly fair.”
“And yet, I will be able to listen to you play, and I shall see you wearing the jewelry. If anything, it is a gift for me too.”
She blushed at the thought of it. He spent a lot of time looking at her chest, but it did not feel like an invasion.
She liked it when he looked at her, and that was precisely why she preferred to greet him in looser clothing in the morning and at night.
It led to him imagining what was beneath it, and she liked making him do that.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice and froze.
“How dare you have accepted that final offer!”
Anna turned and searched the small crowd, her eyes settling eventually on her father.
He was purple with anger, berating one of the people hosting the auction.
She wanted to leave, but she also knew that his outburst would affect her even though she was married, and so she wanted to know precisely what he had taken issue with.
“My apologies, Sir,” the man replied, “but the pianoforte was won fairly. The lady offered one hundred and ten pounds, and you did not offer more than that.”
“I know how auctions work,” he spat. “What I take issue with is the fact that you ignored me and allowed her to win.”
“We should leave,” Anna suggested, her grip tightening on Spencer’s arm.
“On the contrary. It is time for him to learn what happens when he undermines you. We all know that you won, and he will find out soon enough that he is no longer more powerful than you.”
Anna still felt unwell witnessing the whole ordeal, but then she wondered if her father was simply unaware that she had been the one to win it.
After all, had he known, he was more likely to have gone to her and demanded that she give it to him.
That was what he had done every time he wanted something of hers, and she had given him no reason to think that he would not be able to do it once again.
“I need a moment,” she said, letting go.
“Where are you going?” Spencer asked. “I can come with you, if you wish.”
“No, it is quite all right. I wish to go to the terrace for some air. I shall return soon.”
Spencer did not argue, and she left. She was pleased to be out in the fresh air, and it helped her to relax. She had been overly concerned about her father, and she knew that. She was a duchess, and that meant that she was powerful and protected. Her father had no control over her anymore.
Then she heard the door open, and she turned, expecting to see Spencer, but it was not him. Instead, it was a man that she had never seen before.
“Hello, Duchess,” he smirked, closing the door behind him.