Page 42 of Her Bear of a Duke

"So the three of us shall be doing it?" Beatrice asked. "We are not exactly the best for this."

"I can help," Emma protested, but that was quickly stopped by the three of them.

She would soon give birth, and as it was she walked with difficulty. Dorothy planned to have her seated with them as they worked, as she did not want her to feel excluded. Not only that,but she would help greatly with advice as someone that had already changed her own household in a few ways.

"Well then, there is no need to dawdle," Cecilia said brightly, jumping to her feet and then helping Emma. "Come, let us make this a beautiful home worthy of a duchess!"

The servants, including Mrs. Herrington, were also set to work. Dorothy expected the work to be completed in two days, and it was to be intense. Thankfully, her friends enjoyed a challenge, and by the end of the first day there was no longer any paper on the walls. Already, more light entered into the rooms and made everything look even bigger than it already was.

Paints and papers had been placed in the correct rooms, and as they ensured that it had been completed, Dorothy gave them a tour of the household. When they came to the dreaded west wing, Cecilia began walking toward it and Dorothy called out to her to stop.

"What is it?" she asked. "Are you hiding gifts for us in there or something?"

"We cannot go there. It is forbidden."

The ladies looked at one another for a moment, and then back to her.

"It is your home," Beatrice said, confused. "There should not be anywhere in your home that is forbidden."

"I know, but it is what my husband has told me and I do not want to disobey him. Whether I like it or not, it was in our vows that I would obey him in every way, and so I will."

"That is absurd," Cecilia argued. "Besides, he told you not to go, but he never said such a thing to me. Nor Emma or Beatrice, for that matter."

"Cecilia, please. I know that it is strange, and that you do not like it, but it would make me feel so much better if you listened to me. It is all well and good that you wish to see it, but you will not be left with the consequences of it."

At last, Cecilia seemed to reconsider what she was doing. She nodded slightly, though concern was still clearly etched in her features.

"You should not be afraid of your husband," she whispered, as they walked slightly ahead of Emma and Beatrice. "You should wish to please him, I will not tell you not to do that, but you should not fear consequences with him."

"It is not out of fear, but respect. He has given me a good life here, I assure you. I have my freedom, for the most part, and he allows me to do whatever I please with the garden, and when we do talk he is very kind to me. I have very little to dislike, even if the few things that I am unhappy about are important."

"Then when your husband returns, you are to tell him this. You must not cower, especially if you have no reason to fear him."

"I do not cower."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow at her, and Dorothy did not try to push what she had said. The truth was that she did, to anyone that told her what to do. Even Cecilia, someone she had known for a long time and was a friend to, only had to look at her and she lost all ability to argue. She wanted to be fearless and bold like her friend, but it was not who she was. She was gentle and soft, and though that gave her strengths she could not deny the inherent weakness in it.

"In any case," she continued, "I will speak with him. I would at least like to know where he has been. My housekeeper tells me that he is in London, for business purposes, but I had seen him the night before and he did not mention it. Surely business does not require emergency visits?"

"They may well, and from what I have heard he is still trying to fix what his brother broke."

Dorothy paused. She was not aware that he had a brother.

"Has he not told you anything?" she asked. "Truly, wonders never cease."

"Perhaps he believes that my father has already told me about him?"

"Or perhaps there is something shameful that he is keeping from you? I would wager that it has something to do with that wing."

"Then it is just as well that ladies do not wager. Cecilia, you are a wonderful friend to me, but I do not want to hear about any of this. I simply want to fix my household, and I would very much like to begin with my hideous room."

"It is not so hideous anymore," Beatrice noted. "You have removed that yellow now, so it is already looking much nicer."

"It will be perfect when it is green. I cannot believe that I shall at last be rid of this dreadful color for the rest of my life."

"But what if you have a child that likes it?" Emma quipped. "Surely you will not say no to such a precious little thing?"

"I most certainly will! I shall enforce a strict rule on what colors they are permitted to wear. Pink, green, blue and purple will be the only ones allowed, if not brown or grey or white."

---