Page 28 of The Duke's Concealed Vow
The dowager nodded, stepping back and closing the door behind her. Christine’s eyes lit up and she grinned at Serena.
“It appears as though you have already made quite an impression on Her Grace,” she said.
Serena nodded.
“Yes,” she said with a small smile. “I thought she hated me. But it seems I was mistaken.”
Christine finished up with fastening Serena’s dress and tidying up her hair.
“Seems that way,” she said as she put a small tiara on Serena’s head. “And what of your handsome husband?”
Serena bit her lip, shaking her head.
“He is not so easily impressed,” she said. “In fact, I think he’s become colder than before we were married.”
Christine gave her a reassuring look.
“Give it time, Your Grace,” she said. “The first days of marriage are strange for everyone, from what I understand. I am sure that comfort and contentment will come in time.”
Serena sighed.
“I am not sure that’s true,” she said. “But it is what it is. Andthis is a lovely home. I am sure that I can find something that makes me happy here.” Or less miserable, at the very least.
A few minutes later, Christine led Serena downstairs to the drawing room, where the dowager was, indeed, waiting for her. Serena smiled as she entered the room, taking a soft velvet chair across from her mother-in-law.
Eleanor gestured to the table, where fresh tea and pastries sat on trays between them.
“Help yourself, dear,” she said.
Serena nodded, her mouth watering at the selection of cookies, and cakes before her.
“Thank you, Eleanor,” she said.
As she filled a small plate with treats and a cup with steaming tea, Eleanor set aside her refreshments and looked at her.
“Thank you for joining me,” she said. “While Rowan is out for the afternoon, I wanted to take a moment to apologise. My son’s behaviour is abrasive, at best, and he pushes away those who want to care about him. He has lived as a recluse for so long that I fear he has forgotten social interaction.”
Serena nodded.
“I understand, Your Grace,” she said, even though there was a great deal she did not understand. “I do not hold a grudge against Rowan. I expect that things will be better in a few days.”
The dowager’s face clouded for a moment. She said nothing with her lips, but her eyes spoke volumes. She not only doubted that Serena would be right, but she was also certain that her daughter-in-law would be very wrong. And truthfully, so was Serena.
“Well, what plans should we begin making for the ball first?” she asked, changing the subject brightly.
Serena smiled, relieved to have avoided speaking too much about her concerns about her marriage to Rowan.
“This is my very first ball as a duchess, Eleanor,” she said. “And my aunt Imogen planned any balls my father hosted at our townhouse. I’m afraid I know very little of such planning.”
Eleanor beamed, looking at Serena with a fond gaze.
“Do not fret, darling,” she said. “I will help and teach you every step of the way.”
Serena blushed and nodded. It was strange, since she had believed the dowager had hated her just earlier that morning. But Eleanor was rapidly becoming like another mother figure to her. They discussed flowers and themes and decorations, as well as potential guests and shopping for new dresses, which they agreed to do later that week. The rest of the day passed with surprising quickness with the flurry of preparations and ideas. Yet despite the welcomed distraction, she wondered about the secretive inclinations of her husband. The dowager had not offered much in the way of an explanation for Rowan’s strange persona, and Serena wondered if his own mother knew why he was so aloof.
There was one thing of which she was certain, however. There was a deeper truth beneath Eleanor’s vague apology and Rowan’s refusal to give answers to her questions. She needed to find the key to unlocking the mystery of her marriage and the man she was slowly learning to call her husband. And she needed to find some way to do it without pushing him completely away. Or driving herself mad.
