Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“Explain yourself, Seraphina,” Leonora demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.
“This is a complete and total disaster. How, exactly, did this happen? You swore up and down that you would never get married. You have given us endless, exhausting speeches about the traps of marriage! Yet, I come back from a quick errand to find out you are marrying a Duke? How long have you been keeping this a secret? I had to wait for Effie to arrive for me to find out.”
“Oh, ignore her! I came the very second your letter arrived,” Euphemia squealed, reaching across the table to grab a fresh sheet of paper. “The moment I read that you accepted the Duke, I got on the carriage right away. A wedding, Seraphina! A grand wedding!”
Seraphina sat frozen between them, her teacup held halfway to her lips, her mind completely blank.
Her thoughts were spinning out of control.
It did not feel real. It felt like she had somehow fallen into a strange, bizarre dream.
In all her years of life, through all her reading, political writing, and careful planning, she had never imagined a world where she would become a Duchess.
She was Seraphina Beaumont. She was supposed to be at her desk, writing political articles and pointing out the flaws in society from behind a secret name.
She was not supposed to be picking out wedding lace.
“I should have known something wasn’t right.” Leonora continued her pacing. “For the past two days you’ve been ridiculously quiet. What possessed you to accept his proposal? What were you thinking? Did you even think at all?”
“Don’t listen to Leonora’s negativity,” Euphemia said happily, waving her hand as she dipped her pen in ink.
“We have so much to plan and so little time! First, the special license. The Duke will have to get one from the Archbishop so we don’t have to wait three weeks for the church announcements.
That means the wedding can happen at St. George’s. If everything goes the way it should.”
“St. George’s?” Leonora gasped, throwing her hands in the air.
“Euphemia, she barely knows the man! For all we know, he could be a terrible person. “She hasn’t the faintest idea what she is stepping into. Now, I know we all came to London hoping for love... and a happy home, and all those romantic notions. But doesn’t this entire business feel suspicious to you, Effie? ”
Seraphina stared blankly at the tablecloth.
‘How did I say yes?’ she asked herself. ‘What went wrong with my logic?’
She remembered how William had looked in his study.
She remembered the warmth of him, the crazy pounding in her chest, and his simple, practical promise.
A shield. No physical strings. Total freedom for her writing.
In that moment, it had made perfect sense.
It was a clever move to save her family from disaster.
But watching Euphemia write down a massive list of flowers, the promise felt less like a clever plan and more like a giant trap snapping shut.
“For the dress,” Euphemia rambled on, writing as fast as her hand could move, “we need white lace over heavy silk. Nothing too fancy. Seraphina doesn’t care for ruffles, but a high lace collar will make her look like a proper Duchess.
Oh, and the cake! We must tell the cook that a huge three-tiered plum cake is non-negotiable. ”
“Did he force you into this?” Leonora asked. “You can tell us. Did he trap you in a corner? Did he threaten your reputation? Because if that arrogant man forced you—”
“Do you truly think that any gentleman is capable of forcing our older sister, Seraphina, into anything?” Euphemia interrupted with a tilt of her head. “Can’t you see how romantic it is? It is just like a storybook!”
‘It is nothing like a storybook,’ Seraphina thought numbly, looking out the window.
She felt completely lost. The sharp, clever writer who could destroy a politician’s argument in five minutes was now utterly frozen by wedding planning.
She had no idea how to be a bride. She had no idea how to pretend.
The whole thing was a fake. A deal to protect her writing and help a traumatized child.
“Most importantly,” Euphemia continued, dropping her voice to a dramatic whisper as she leaned towards Seraphina on the sofa. “It is paramount we talk about the wedding night.”
Leonora groaned, dropping her head onto her hands. “Oh, please, no. We are not asking the right questions here.”
“No, Leonora, it matters!” Euphemia insisted.
“Seraphina knows nothing about what married people do! She only reads science books and news reports! When I tried to explain love to you both before, she wasn’t even listening!
Seraphina, pay attention. I am going to draw you a picture so you know what to expect. ”
Leonora let out a frustrated groan. “Euphemia, if you draw our sister a picture right now, I am jumping into the river!”
“I am trying to help her!” Euphemia argued, holding her pen up like a sword. “You both are refusing to listen to me. Lady Byron did not have this talk with us, and I assure you, it is important.”
“I could not care less about that,” Leonora retorted.
“It is not for you right now. It is for Seraphina. Your time will come.”
Leonora scoffed and sat down. “That is what you believe.”
Euphemia placed a hand on her hip. “Leonora Ashcroft!”
“Could you both please stop talking?” Seraphina finally snapped.
The room went completely quiet.
Seraphina carefully set her teacup down. She sat up straight, using her best stern voice to freeze them both in place.
“Let us deal with this calmly, logically, and one thing at a time,” Seraphina said, looking back and forth between Leonora’s angry face and Euphemia’s messy, ink-covered hands.
“Leonora, no one trapped me, forced me, or ruined me. I agreed to this deal with a clear head. It is a good deal. Euphemia, put the pen down. There will be no fancy lace, no giant plum cakes, and absolutely nobody is drawing pictures. I have read about duties and marriages. I will be fine.”
“But the books do not document every single thing!” Euphemia argued.
“I find that very hard to believe,” Seraphina countered. “The books I read are based on real facts and clear logic. Everything in nature follows plain rules, and science explains all of it.”
Euphemia placed the pen and paper on the table. “Books cannot tell you why your chest feels warm, or why your hands shake, or why your mind goes entirely blank when he looks at you!”
“Yes, it can,” Seraphina replied coolly, without missing a beat. “That is simply a fast heart rate brought on by excitement. Or perhaps just a warm room with poor airflow. It is a simple bodily reaction, nothing more. One does not need grand feelings to explain a basic physical response.”
Euphemia threw her hands up, thoroughly exasperated. “You cannot treat a marriage like an arithmetic problem! A husband is not a science project.”
“Of course he is,” Seraphina insisted. “Science follows clear rules. If you follow the right steps, you get the expected result. Relying on good sense will always work far better than relying on silly poetry.”
Euphemia slowly lowered her hand. She blinked once, then twice, as if trying to reorder the universe in her mind.
“Wait,” Euphemia said, her voice dropping to a breathy whisper. “Hold on a minute. Seraphina... are you not in love with him? Do you have no feelings for the Duke you are about to marry at all?”
Leonora let out a long, loud sigh of utter relief and threw her hands up toward the ceiling. “Thank you! That is what I have been trying to tell you for the past twenty minutes! That is precisely what I have been saying!”
Leonora turned to face Euphemia, ticking the facts off on her fingers.
“She met His Grace while investigating who has been sending those wretched threat letters. She noticed the distinct quality of the vellum paper, identified a hidden blind stamp pressed into it, and tracked that seal straight to the Duke of Norwyn’s estate to confront him.
Now she comes back to tell us that the man asked her to marry him, and she said yes! ”
Leonora took a sharp breath, her eyes widening. “To make matters even worse, all of this began because she agreed to take charge of his ward. We do not even know who this ward is! Is the child his secret daughter? A distant relative? She has no idea who this person is!”
Euphemia gasped, clutching her chest as if taken aback by the absurdity of it all. “But Seraphina does not even like children!”
“That is what I have been trying to say!” Leonora said, pointing wildly at Euphemia. “Thank you! Thank you for finally listening to me!”
Euphemia turned back to Seraphina, her expression shifting from shock to concern. “So, Seraphina... what is going on here? What is this? You told us you were getting married and I thought you had found... well, love! Or something like it.”
Seraphina smoothed down the front of her skirt, remaining entirely unbothered by her sisters’ dramatic outburst. “You both need not worry. It is a logical, practical arrangement,” she explained calmly.
“The Duke possesses significant power and connections in London. He can help me discover who is sending these letters far faster than I ever could on my own. Furthermore, the situation ties directly to him. Whoever is behind this is using his family’s private seal.
He has a personal stake in finding the culprit. ”
“But no!” Euphemia protested, inching closer to her and shaking her head. “That is not how this is supposed to go! We came to Mayfair to find love! To find happiness and build a proper family. We left the countryside because we were terrified of being lonely, of ending up old and forgotten.”
“Effie, you married someone you were not in love with at first,” Seraphina noted. “That worked out for you, did it not?”
Euphemia pressed two fingers to her forehead.
“Yes, I did,” she admitted. “When Nathaniel and I married, it was certainly not a grand love story, that much is true. It was done to save public face. We were simply fortunate... exceedingly lucky that we grew to care for one another, and that we have the deep love we share now. I achieved the happiness I wanted. But that is an exception, Seraphina, not the rule.”
Euphemia’s eyebrows knitted together. “I was holding out hope that you would allow yourself to fall in love before making such a commitment. I know that is a far-fetched wish. Knowing the kind of person you are... it feels nearly impossible. You are like a stone wall. A rock. You do not open her heart up to affection like other people do, and I am terrified of what might happen after the wedding when the quiet settles in.”
Seraphina gave a smile. “Then you may set your fears aside, because I do not care about any of that. Love was never my goal.”
Euphemia blinked, stunned. “What?”
“Just like Leonora said the day we visited your estate,” Seraphina said smoothly.
“When I agreed to leave the countryside and move to London with you both under the guise of starting our families and being happy together, I had my own motives. I wanted to be closer to my publisher so I could handle my writing column in peace, without relying on delayed posts and distant couriers. Also, I came to keep an eye on both of you so you would not... run wild. But I truly never had the intention of finding love or marrying anyone. It was never my plan. I was only playing along.”
She softened her tone slightly, looking between her sisters.
“I am sorry if that disappoints you, but romantic devotion was not what I was looking for in the long run. That wasn’t why I came here.
But this arrangement works. In a way, I am fulfilling what you wanted, Effie.
I will be married, secured, and protected.
Can you not simply consider that a victory? ”
Euphemia looked at her for a long moment, letting out a defeated sigh.
“Fine,” she murmured softly. “I know I cannot argue with you over this or change your mind. So I won’t.
It would be pointless, and I do not have the energy.
If this is truly what you are doing... can you at least let me plan the wedding? Exactly as I want to?”
Seraphina hesitated for a beat, weighing her options, before nodding. “Very well. But know this. It must remain simple, disciplined, and within reason. No outrageous extravagances.”
“I still think this is a terrible idea,” Leonora chimed in, crossing her arms over her chest. “It is cold and far too risky. But fine. If you are set on doing it, then I suppose that is what is going to happen.”
Euphemia smiled, reaching to pat Leonora on the lap before turning her attention back to Seraphina. “So... does this mean you are no longer traveling to the country to visit Lady Byron?”
Seraphina shook her head. “That was always meant to be a last resort. My hope is that the Duke can help me catch this blackmailer quickly, so I never have to ask Lady Byron for assistance or reveal to her that our secret has been exposed to a stranger.”
Euphemia nodded. “Well, I certainly understand that. Hopefully it never comes to that. But if it does, Seraphina, you must promise to reach out to me so Nathaniel and I can help as well.”
“I hope it does not come to that either,” Seraphina responded. “But thank you, Effie. I know you only want to help, and I can be... well, me. But... I appreciate you coming all the way for this wedding. As superficial as it may be.”
As her sisters finally settled down, the tension in the room began to thaw. Seraphina took a breath, reflecting on the moment.
It felt as though the fog on her mind was starting to clear.
Her sisters were finally on board with the plan.
She could move forward, marry the Duke, and focus entirely on the objective.
Once they caught the person threatening her family, that individual would face the full weight of the law.
In the meantime, she would honor her side of the bargain.
She would do her absolute best to care for Alice, guide her, and make her life better.
At the very end of it all, once the threat was eliminated and the child was settled, they could annul the marriage. Everything would be resolved, the danger would pass, and life would go right back to normal.