Page 15 of Her Cursed Duke
They would get to appreciate the glorious scenery while relaxing and having delicious snacks and refreshments. Prudence had been really excited all morning, only slowing down when her grandmother kindly refused to join them.
“I have seen enough of the outdoors to last me a whole month after yesterday, thank you. Feel free to relax twice as much on my behalf.”
“Are you sure? I could stay—” Prudence tried, but she was cut off by Martha immediately.
“Absolutely not. Prudence, we have a houseful of servants, and a good number of them are attuned to my needs, thanks to your steadfast mentoring. I am almost certain I will be able to survive a few hours without you. It is not as though you are going on a trip to another continent, child. You are still going to be within the property. I will have them fetch you if need be.”
“Grandmother, are you certain?”
“I am certain I will begin to consider disowning you if you continue to bother me on this matter. Please leave, you are causing a rise in my blood pressure.”
Prudence had smiled, leaned down, and kissed her grandmother’s cheeks before obediently leaving her chambers. While she felt as though the fresh air would have done the Dowager Countess a lot of good, if she preferred to spend the day inside, then Prudence would not make a fuss over it.
“I cannot wait for you to get to our usual picnic spot. It is sort of on a hill, with a cluster of trees to ensure the shade is always nice and cool, and the lake always looks very pretty in the daytime and on full moons. I like to walk by it some evenings,” Prudencegushed as they walked to the location that had already been prepared for them.
“It sounds like a spot we have on our property back at the Forestwood estate. I cannot wait to see it,” Agnes responded with a smile.
They walked for a few moments in silence, then Agnes questioned, “Dear sister, I have been meaning to ask… have you formed any sort of connections with eligible bachelors since your time here?”
The question was so startling that Prudence tripped and would have fallen had her sister not caught her quickly. She stood straight, blushing furiously as they continued to walk.
“W-What? That is a random train of thought, Agnes.”
Agnes shrugged, looking far too innocent. “I was just wondering. I recall you mentioned that you had not made any friends in your time here, and I could not help but wonder about that aspect as well. It is all right if some gentleman has caught your eye and you wish to pursue him. All you need to do is let me know, and I will give you my support in every way possible.”
“That is unnecessary, dear sister. I have no interest in such… connections, so you do not need to worry. I do not have any thoughts concerned with the concept of marriage.”
“Oh? Is that so? Would you like to tell me why?”
Prudence sighed. “I had never understood it. From birth, girls are prepared for marriage as an end goal, which is not so bad if they wish to marry later on. But I do not understand why they become so desperate for it as they get older. They are excited to debut and mingle with gentlemen, and if many Seasons pass without a suitor, they begin to feel as though their lives are over, scared that they will end up alone. I think it is a little preposterous.
“Being alone is not such a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with being your sole focus, having only yourself to care for and be concerned about. But they treat it as though it is some sort of curse. Frankly, I find it ridiculous.”
She recalled Aiden’s expression from two nights ago, how uncomfortable and stifled he looked as those women hounded him, vying for his attention and smothering him with their presence. Evenhehad been put in a tough spot because his godmother did not want him to be alone, not realizing that he was probably safer—likely happier, as well—that way.
“That is… an interesting view, certainly.” Agnes chuckled lightly, glancing at her husband, who laughed at whatever expression he saw on her face.
They were acting odd, but Prudence could not understand why. Agnes’s question had been strange on its own, but Prudence supposed it was normal for her elder sister to wonder what her views were on marriage now that she had tasted the goodness of marital bliss.
That still did not explain why she and her husband shared such amused looks.
Prudence attempted to dismiss it, but an answer to their strange behavior was presented shortly after they had arrived at the picnic spot.
Because sitting on a luxurious blanket beneath a teal-colored canopy were the Dowager Marchioness and the Duke of Serpenhood.
Prudence whirled around to face her sister. “What are they doing here? How—”
“Perhaps you should have been more forthcoming about your courtship with the Duke. Maybe if you had, I would have given you a warning about their attendance today.” Agnes smiled sweetly.
“Agnes!” Prudence spluttered, aghast. “It was not—you had no right to blindside me like this. It is unfair! We were not… we were planning on announcing it to our families later. I was going to tell you.”
“When? A day after he proposes? You told me to rely on you, yet it seems as though you are attempting to shoulder all your concerns on your own.”
“It is not like that!”
“Ladies,” Silas cut in softly, “perhaps you should consider lowering your voices. Our guests are staring.”
Prudence glanced in their direction and found Aiden staring at them with a look of mild curiosity on his face. For the first time since she had agreed to help him, she started to wonder if she might have set herself up for moments of regret in the future.
