Page 14 of The Phantom Duke
Her stomach seemed clenched permanently, knotted too tightly for hunger to penetrate. She felt so helpless. On the one hand, her father was powerful and vindictive, a trait made worse by his drinking. On the other hand, the Duke of Winterleigh sought to use her for purposes of his own.
A man who still haunts me as though he were looking over my shoulder. How long was he in the room with me while I slept? Was he looking at me?
The thought of those cruel eyes upon her sent a chill through her which was not entirely unpleasant. It was like experiencing his touch, something that must have happened, as she did not think Doctor Hale looked strong enough to lift her from her feet and carry her.
“I cannot let my father carry through with his threat, but what can I do?” she said, wringing her hands in her lap.
“Prevail upon the trustees not to accept his offer. They are not bound to, after all,” Anna reasoned. “Tell them what your father intends, and they will surely reject his offer.”
“If they believe me. If they are willing to refuse an earl or the offer of funds.” Maria said.
“Accept the Marquess of Landsdowne then,” Evelina said, lifting a tea cup.
The other women stared at her.
“You had better explain that comment, Evelina,” Maria said, arching an eyebrow.
“Indeed, sister! How could Maria take back the Marquess? It would be intolerable.” Theodora sounded outraged.
Evelina gave a sigh, fixing each of them with a look loaded with the wealth of her experience.
“Simply this. I founded this club so that women such as us would have a place where we could be free to talk about what we wish and be our true selves. That freedom of expression includes unpalatable truths, too, I think. I will not remain silent on options that you have, Maria, simply because we do not wish to consider those options. One of them is to go back to Landsdowne.”
“Quite out of the question,” Maria replied, leavening her words with a smile. “I know you are playing the devil’s advocate, Evelina, and I thank you for it. But he would not accept me. He did not take the ending of the engagement well. Besides, I would not have him.”
“And your father is likely to be intractable?” Evelina asked.
Maria nodded, seeing that Evelina was leading her in a specific direction. She had a plan; Maria could see it in the gleam of her eye. The other two looked quizzical, not yet seeing where the senior member of their club was driving. Maria thought she could.
“Of course, you will have a home here for as long as you want it. I do not think that our own father will be quite as hospitable, do you, Theodora?” Evelina said.
Theodora shook her head. “He would certainly take the side of Landsdowne and Sunspire. He is made from the same mold, I fear.”
Maria stood, adjusting the dress, which felt a little tight around the hip. She went to the window, resting her eyes on the greenery. A robin had settled upon the out flung arm of an alder tree. She watched it puff out its chest and trill before taking flight. She followed it until it was lost to sight.
Good luck to you, Mr. Robin. You have a freedom of which I can only dream.
“I do not think I can settle myself to living on the charity of my friends,” she said.
“Absolutely not. You would need to find gainful employment,” Evelina said firmly. “A woman of your intelligence and perspicacity could find work as a governess, I’m sure. Or a teacher. But that would not help little Gilbert and his fellows, would it?”
“No, it would not. Thank you for bringing the conversation back to its most important element. What happens to me does not matter. It is the orphanage that is the nub of the problem.”
“Then there is only one course of action available to you. As I recall the account you have given us, there is someone who presumably has the means to take care of both you and the orphanage,” Evelina said, fixing Maria with a sharp eye.
“You cannot mean that she must marry His Grace!” Anna exclaimed.
“I do,” Evelina said with finality.
Maria nodded glumly, returning her gaze to the gardens of Thornwall. She rested her chin on her hands, propped on the windowsill and wished herself a year along, when this matter would have been well and truly settled.
Will I be Duchess of Winterleigh and adopted mother of Gilbert? Trustee of the Willow Street Orphanage? Will all be well, finally? Or will things be even darker than they appear now?
She heard Evelina rise and felt Anna’s comforting arm about her shoulders. The two women flanked her, each offering the comfort of a smile or the warmth of a hug.
“I cannot believe we are suggesting it,” Anna said, tears standing in her eyes.
“There is merit to the idea,” Theodora said from her seat on the chaise, tapping her chin with a pencil with which she had been making notes in the book she was reading. “His notion that you would civilize him clearly refers to the image he has in the public eye. Being married to a respectable lady would go some way to ameliorating that.”
