Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Come, Adeline, let us look at the ribbons,” Grace encouraged, offering the girl her hand.
Deborah smiled warmly as she watched Adeline take Grace’s hand without a moment's hesitation and follow Grace through the modiste’s shop, where the wide wall of colorful ribbons was on display.
It was only yesterday that Deborah, Adeline, and Cedric had arrived to take up residence in his London house, but she was ready to get to work taking down Sylvester.
“You are returning to society then,” Frances asked, her tone careful as she rubbed a bit of ice blue silk on its bolt.
Deborah turned from watching her sister and niece to look at her mother.
“Cedric and I thought it was prudent to do so,” Deborah replied, keeping her tone light and conversational.
“Hmm,” her mother hummed, moving to another bolt of fabric.
Deborah rolled her eyes, already exhausted by her mother’s presence. She missed who Frances used to be, but the woman she was now? Deborah did not know her. Or much like her.
“What do you have to say, Mother?” Deborah sighed, drawn to a bolt of lavender-pink silk. “I know you must have something.”
The lavender tickled Deborah’s mind. It was bold and highlighted her complexion and natural attributes, but not overly so.
With the right design, it could capture her peers' eyes just the way she wanted.
She waved over one of the seamstresses, and the girl immediately collected it for her.
As soon as she was gone, Deborah turned to her mother with an expectant look.
“Well,” Frances sighed, that one word already increasing Deborah’s annoyance, “You know what they say about married rakes.”
Deborah closed her eyes, willing her temper to stay in check.
“No, Mother, what do they say?” she asked, fighting the urge to rub at the pain growing in her temples.
“That if properly tamed they make the best husbands,” Frances answered, dismissing yet another bolt of fine fabric.
Her lack of appreciation for the finer fabrics astounded Deborah. It was barely a month ago that they were all ready to use the curtains to make new dresses. Now her mother was acting as if even the best was not good enough for her.
“If properly tamed,” Frances emphasized.
“And pray, what does that mean?” Deborah asked.
Frances finally turned from her perusal to pin her daughter with a narrowed gaze.
“It means, girl, that if you do not want fresh rumors spreading about your family, you must keep that husband of yours happy,” Frances whispered.
“You must ensure that he is pursuing you and only you. Marriage does not make you untouchable, despite what most say. The last thing you want is to hear rumors of your husband still visiting brothels. Or worse, have a servant or a pillow girl appear at your door with an illegitimate child.”
France’s expression softened, if only a little, and she put a hand on Deborah’s arm.
“It is not just the rumors I worry about either, Deborah. It is you. Our family has gone through so much heartache already. I do not wish to take on anymore.”
Deborah ground her jaw in frustration, but she had to admit- her mother had a point.
Any such rumors could ruin her plans of revenge, and that would not do.
As for heartache, she and Cedric seemed to be reaching a place of companionship, but she was certain that would never grow to love.
Still, they needed to pretend to be, for society’s sake, and it would not hurt to make the illusion appear as real as possible.
“What do you suggest then, Mother?” Deborah asked, then stole a quick glance toward Grace and Adeline, wanting to ensure that they were far enough away to not hear their conversation.
Frances smirked and coaxed Deborah to follow her with her finger.
Deborah spared one more glance toward Adeline.
The girl had bounced back with surprising quickness after her last episode.
She had not taken to rest, as Deborah had been warned she would, but had seemed to awaken the next morning with gusto, ready to take on the day.
She had even wanted Deborah to teach her how to sew.
Then, when they told her they were going back to London, Adeline became so excited that she started to pack her things herself.
The only problem that arose was that Adeline would not talk about what happened, and she became annoyed quickly whenever someone asked how she was feeling.
Adeline and Grace had moved on to looking at gloves, but it seemed that Adeline was feeling just as fine as she looked.
Deborah’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, then she turned and followed her mother to the section of already-made garments.
Her mother was standing beside a nightgown, holding out the skirts for Deborah to see.
Deborah’s eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat as she grew closer, realizing only then that the snow-white gossamer gown was practically see-through.
“Mother!” Deborah half-whispered, half-shouted.
“Hush,” Frances scolded, then took a quick look around, ensuring that they had not drawn attention.
“You are a woman now,” Frances said, her tone still quiet but calmer now, “And a wife. A wife must make certain that her husband does not stray.”
Deborah balked as she took a closer look at the nightgown. There were only two tiny strips of cloth that served as sleeves. The neckline plunged far lower than any she had ever seen, and sewn into the under-bust was a white ribbon. Frances reached out and pulled it, showing Deborah how it cinched.
“Men are visual creatures,” Frances explained in a quiet voice, “You would be surprised how many are struck dumb by the appearance of a woman’s flesh.”
Deborah knew that much. She’d seen many a woman rile the crowd at the auction wearing a revealing dress. None of them had been this revealing, though.
Deborah shook her head.
“Our marriage is not like that, Mother. The Duke and I have a contract. That alone ensures his discretion,” she replied.
Even as she said so, though, Frances removed the ankle-length nightgown from the mannequin and wrapped it into a small ball.
“There is nothing wrong with having a bit of insurance,” her mother replied quietly. “Now come, let us get you fitted for your ball gown. While you are taking care of that, I will purchase this and have it wrapped discreetly for you.”
Deborah opened her mouth to protest, but Frances then said quite loudly, “Come along!”
Jolted out of her shock, Deborah snapped her mouth shut and hurried to follow her mother.
“How was shopping?” Cedric murmured behind his newspaper as Deborah and Adeline entered the parlor.
“You may set the bags over there,” Deborah sighed, ignoring Cedric’s question so she could direct the valet.
When she did not answer him, Cedric put down his newspaper and looked at them with an arched brow. Then his gaze shifted to the small mountain of parcels just deposited on the floor, and his mouth dropped open.
Deborah let out a laugh, and even Adeline giggled at his surprised expression.
“What did you do?” He asked, wrenching his surprised gaze back toward them, “Buy out every shop in London?”
“Just about,” Deborah replied, pulling off her elbow-length white gloves.
“Adeline and I discovered that she has been rapidly growing out of her old dresses, so we decided it was best we get her a new wardrobe. These are just the purchases we were able to bring home today. There are several more that will be delivered within the next few weeks.”
Cedric was still looking at her as if she had gone mad when Deborah placed a soft touch on Adeline’s shoulder and gently asked, “Do you remember I told you to say to your uncle?”
Though Adeline looked as if she were about to roll her eyes for a moment, the girl seemed to fight it and took a step toward Cedric as she put her hands behind her back and offered him a smile.
“Thank you for my new things, uncle,” Adeline said to him politely, “I very much appreciate them.”
Deborah looked back at Cedric and saw that, while he still appeared shocked, it was for an entirely different reason.
“Ahem.” Deborah cleared her throat when silence stretched throughout the room.
At once, Cedric discarded his newspaper and leaned forward in his high-backed chair, a handsome, soft smile spreading across his face as his eyes took on a kind shine.
“You are most welcome, Adeline,” he replied earnestly. “Did you have a good day?”
This time, as Adeline smiled at her uncle, it seemed entirely genuine.
“Very much so,” she answered, “Aunt Deborah took me shopping with her mother and sister, and we got iced cream. We stopped at a tea shop, and they had the most wonderful tiny sandwiches. Then we wrapped up our scraps and fed them to the ducks at the park.”
Cedric chuckled, the soft sound stirring something in Deborah’s heart.
“My, that does indeed sound like a lovely day. I am so very happy you had a splendid time.”
“We did indeed,” Deborah agreed, beaming down at Adeline with pride.
“Well done, my dear,” she praised, “Now why do you not go on up to your room? We had a long day, and I am sure you could use the rest. I will make sure someone brings your things up before you wake up.”
Deborah tensed, half-expecting an argument from Adeline, but instead the little girl let out a yawn, then nodded.
“A nap sounds quite lovely, thank you, Aunty,” Adeline replied, then, with a quick wave, left the room, leaving Deborah and Cedric alone.
“She spoke to me,” Cedric said with awe. “She actually spoke to me.”
For the first time in quite a while, Deborah felt light and happy. With a smile, she waved over the valet to help her sort out the bundles.
“She was a dream today,” Deborah said as she started setting Adeline’s purchases in the valet’s arms. “I think doing things that make her feel normal is going to be very good for her.”