Page 76 of The English Duke
She tapped on Gran’s door and when Amy answered, slipped inside the room.
Amy took one look at her face and said, “I’ll go and get tea, shall I?”
Martha nodded, grateful for Amy’s tact.
Gran was sitting in the chair beside the window. She was still dressed as she’d been this morning, her bearing familiar. She’d always been a strong woman, but this past year had been a test of her strength.
Her father had been Gran’s only child. Their relationship had been more than mother and son. It had been evident to anyone looking at them that they respected and genuinely liked each other.
His death had hit Gran hard, but she’d rallied to help all of them, issuing dictates carrying them through the first difficult days.
“Matthew would want you to remember him with a smile, Martha. Not your disheartened look.”
“Matthew would say you’re working too hard, Martha. I insist you come and rest in the parlor with me. We’ll read one of the newest novels together.”
Gran had made those terrible months bearable.
Now she was hoping the older woman would do the same with this situation.
“What is it, Martha?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, folded her hands in her lap, and faced her grandmother.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Josephine has never spent any time with the duke. How did this marriage come about?”
Gran looked down at Hero, the cat having found his way to the room once more. Again, he’d found a spot of sunlight and was sprawled on the carpet, revealing his furry white belly.
After a space of a few minutes, she almost asked the question again, something that would have just irritated her grandmother. Whenever she’d been impatient for an answer, Gran said something like,“I’m not feeble, child. I haven’t forgotten what you asked.”
She remained silent, summoning her patience even though it was hard. Gran might not answer her at all. Instead, she could say something like,“Is it any of your concern?”Or:“Curiosity is a good thing, child, but there must be limits to it.”
Finally, Gran looked at her and sighed.
“It’s a conundrum, isn’t it? Josephine is happy, that’s for certain. The duke?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe he’s as pleased. However, you reap what you sow and His Grace is learning that difficult lesson.”
Her stomach tightened and she forced herself to say the words in a disinterested tone.
“What did he do?”
Gran looked at Hero again before shaking her head. “Let’s just say it was something they did together. More than that I’m not comfortable saying, Martha. You are, after all, a single woman and a virtuous one.”
Martha wished her grandmother hadn’t used those exact words.
She gripped her hands together. What would compel her grandmother to tell her what had happened? She’d have to choose her words carefully. She knew Gran. Nothing could sway her once she’d made up her mind. If Martha pushed too hard, it was conceivable that her grandmother would simply refuse to speak about it and the topic would be forbidden in the future.
“Please, Gran,” she said. “Could you explain?”
To her surprise, Gran’s face softened in compassion.
“You like him, don’t you?”
Was that the right word? It didn’t feel complete.
“I’ve come to respect him,” she said. Part of the truth, but not the whole of it.
“Your father thought the two of you would suit,” Gran said.
Surprise kept her silent.
