Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“Has it already been a month that we have been married, my sweet little bride?” Theo asked as he held out her chair for her to be seated at breakfast. “It seems as though my life did not even start until I met you in the gardens at Talcott House.”
Mari took her seat and tilted her face up for her husband to drop a kiss on her forehead as he had become accustomed to doing. She sighed.
“I feel as though my life did not start until then either, though I am very grateful for my time at Talcott House and the friends I made there.”
“Have you heard from any of your compatriots? Has Poppy been spending time in the naughty chair?” Theo chuckled as he spooned eggs and meat onto Mari’s plate.
“I should never have told you about the naughty chair!” Mari said. “You are obsessed with it.”
“I think we need one.”
“We do not. No one here is naughty.” Mari gave him a saucy look from beneath her lashes as she took a bite of ham.
“I believe that there is plenty of proof to the contrary, little duchess.”
A servant arrived bearing the day’s post and newspaper upon a tray and set it next to Theo’s seat, disrupting their conversation about the naughty chair, much to Mari’s relief.
She had only had to sit in the naughty chair once while at Talcott House.
In part because she did want to be a good girl and also because Poppy spent so much time there, Mari sometimes wondered if Miss Wickersham overlooked some transgressions simply to have the chair empty for a few hours.
“Speak of the devil,” Theo said, handing over a letter to Mari. “It appears Poppy has written to you.”
Mari smiled when she recognized Poppy’s rather sloppy handwriting and set the letter aside to enjoy later.
Theo opened a letter on heavy paper and pulled out a short note.
A smile formed on his face and then he handed it over to Mari.
“How nice,” he said, turning to his bride.
“My Aunt, the Duchess of Cumberbund and her daughter, Lady Charlene are going to be in the neighborhood and are going to call upon you today.”
Theo’s excitement was lost on Mari as her brain went fuzzy and her stomach dropped at the notion of entertaining Theo’s exalted relations. Her fork clattered against her plate.
“Mari?” Theo asked. “Is something amiss?”
He leaned toward her and took her hand in his.
Mari cleared her throat and forced a smile upon her face. “No, Theo, nothing is amiss. You are kind to be concerned about me. I was simply surprised to learn of a visit. On such short notice as well.”
Theo smiled sheepishly. “It is possible that I received a note from my aunt shortly after our marriage where she mentioned this visit but I was distracted…” He squeezed her thigh beneath the table. “My apologies, sweet Mari, but I am certain you will be the perfect hostess.”
Mari’s breath stalled in her chest. “Y-you will be here to accompany me, will you not? I am sure your relatives wish to see you.”
“I have other matters to attend to. But do not be alarmed. They are lovely and kind people and I am sure they will adore you. Just as I do.”
Mari simply nodded. Words were impossible at that moment.
This was going to be a disaster.
For the first time in her life, Mari found the scent of fresh flowers nauseating. She glanced at the arrangement she’d made with blooms she’d cut herself from the garden at Willowmere. She had sought refuge there to calm her nerves in anticipation of the visit from Theo’s relatives.
He had thought nothing of leaving her alone with his aunt and cousin. He might have had supreme confidence in her, but Mari did not have confidence in herself. At all.
“How very quaint,” Theo’s Aunt Beatrice, the Duchess of Cumberbund, said from her seat on a tufted chair across from Mari in the drawing room of Willowmere, her gaze running over Mari’s gown. “Such a simple dress. It sets off your natural beauty, my dear.”
“Yes,” Lady Charlene, Theo’s cousin, said from her perch on a settee to Mari’s left. “I am pleased you have not overindulged in French fashions.”
Mari bit the inside of her lip. She had selected this gown in hopes of looking her best. She knew that it was one of Theo’s favorites. He said the color brought out the glow of her skin. Apparently that was not sufficient for his relatives.
“If you are not careful,” Lady Charlene commented, adding a bit more sugar to her tea, “someone will mistake you for a nursery maid. You are so sweet and… unpolished.”
Mari’s cheeks burned but she fought back the tears stinging her eyes. How could Theo leave her alone with these vipers? He said he had confidence in her, but he was wrong. She was not cut out to be a duchess. It was obvious, particularly to her two guests.
“There are many duties which a duchess must perform. Unless Theo is still handling everything.” Aunt Beatrice gave her a wan smile as she made her comment.
“I am learning,” Mari said. “There is a great deal to remember.”
“Of course,” Aunt Beatrice said. “I am sure it is especially challenging for a girl with such a modest background.”
“You know Theo has always enjoyed a project, Mother,” Lady Charlene said. “There was the beekeeping and then clock collecting. Can a bride from a simple background be that much different?”
Mari’s mouth fell open at the audacity, but she closed it without a retort. What could she say anyway? Maybe she was a project.
“In fact,” Lady Charlene said, “we have been told nothing about you. Mother was exceedingly surprised when Theo did not respond to her letter inquiring after his new bride. We really had no choice but to come and see… er meet… you ourselves.”
“Yes,” the Duchess of Cumberbund said. “Who are your people? How did you and Theo meet?”
“Good afternoon, Aunt Beatrice, Cousin Charlene. What a pleasure to see you both.” Theo entered the room and Mari let out a silent sigh of relief. He leaned down to kiss the cheeks of their two guests and then did the same to his wife, whispering in her ear, “I have come to rescue you.”
She stifled a giggle. Theo was here. All would be well.
“We are utterly charmed by your bride,” Aunt Beatrice said.
“Yes, she is simply adorable,” Charlene added.
“I think so,” Theo said, gazing affectionately at his wife.
“We still have not learned anything about her family,” the duchess persisted.
“I am her family,” Theo said. “As are you.”
The two women glanced at Mari with looks of abject horror. Apparently the idea of welcoming her to their family was not met with pleasure. For Theo’s sake, they quickly replaced their scowls with smiles and he was none the wiser.
“Of course,” Charlene said. “I have always wanted another cousin.”
“We are having a lawn party next month, I hope the two of you will attend. I am sure there are many of your friends who are eager to meet your new bride,” the duchess added.
“That reminds me,” Lady Charlene said, “Lady Patricia asked me to pass along her congratulations to you.”
“She was certainly surprised by news of your marriage,” the duchess added.
Mari was not the most astute observer, but even she could see from the tone and expression on the duchess’s face that Lady Patricia had hoped she would be Theo’s bride.
Oh heavens, would this miserable visit never end?
“I do not think your relatives liked me,” Mari said as she and Theo stood watching their carriage leave Willowmere.
“Of course they liked you. How could they not? You are sweet and kind and simply too lovely not to like.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “I must get back to my duties. I will see you for Papa and Little Mari time as usual, though. I am looking forward to it.”
And then he was gone.
Good heavens. What would the Duchess and her daughter have thought if they knew about Papa and Little Mari?
A shudder ran through Mari at the thought.
Trying to shake off the darkness of the visit, she went again to the gardens. As she sat on a bench near the herbs she remembered the letter from Poppy. She’d been so distracted by the pending visit from Theo’s family that she’d not even opened the note. Surely this would cheer her up.
Her eyes eagerly ran over the page of news from her friend.
But instead of making her feel better, it just made her lonelier.
Her doubts about her place as a duchess were heightened even further by the treatment she had received from Theo’s relatives.
Regardless of what Theo said, they were not her family and they certainly didn’t want her to be.
We are all so happy for you and know you are doing a bang-up job as a duchess.
But, we still miss you. Even Lily has been cranky and had to spend time in the naughty chair last week.
Garland has gone back to wearing those hateful braids.
But, do not be concerned. We will be fine and we know you will be a duchess we’ll all look up to and admire. Our little family just isn’t the same without you here.
Suddenly and for the first time since her marriage to Theo, Mari wished she was back at Talcott House, safe and secure. Where she knew her place and she knew she belonged.
Try as she might, she could not get the echoes of the voices of Theo’s relatives out of her head. Nursery maid. Pet project.
Along with the voices from her past. Stupid girl. You can’t do anything right. You’re lucky we keep you here at all. How you could be of the same blood as us is a mystery.
It was only a matter of time before Theo saw the truth of it. And no doubt, he would regret marrying her instead of Lady Patricia, whom she was sure knew all about how to be a duchess and which clothes to wear.
Mari did not belong here.