Page 26 of Duchess By Accident
“No. We do not.” Natalie agreed. “But why does he get to do what he wants?”
“Because he is a man, and a powerful one at that.” Lady Cotswalts said as though she were explaining nothing more than that the sky was blue. “If rumours are to be believed, the man controls more than half the ton.”
Natalie felt a tear prick at the corner of her eye and wiped it away. “Well, he will not control me.”
“And you intend to make him understand this by embarrassing yourself at your own wedding?” Lady Cotswalts shook her head. “I had hoped Rose or her sisters might pass on some of my lessons to you and your family, but it seems I was mistaken.”
“Well… No… Initially, well, I had planned to order the most expensive dress that I could and then wear my old riding habit.” Natalie smiled at the thought of strolling down the aisle in her hunting attire. “Or perhaps just order a dress so hideous that no one will be able to stand to look at me.”
“And if you do that, do you think you will feel like you have won?” Lady Cotswalts asked.
“I… Does it matter?” Natalie frowned. “He will have lost.”
Lady Cotswalts shook her head and gently patted Natalie’s arm. “Love, dear child, is a battlefield. And as any strategist will tell you, the secret to winning a battle is to know your opponent.”
“But I do not know him. The man may be in the scandal sheets near daily, but there is very little to know about him.” Natalie had spent several hours trying to find out everything she could and found information about the Duke to be strangely lacking.There is not even a mention that he has a daughter, and only the vaguest mention that he was married.
She thought back, trying to think of what she knew about the Duke. What had she seen in her interactions with him?
“Well, you know that he is a reputed rake, that he likes to be in control.” Lady Cotswalts pointed out.
“Yes.” Natalie agreed. “And that he is an arrogant, vain toe rag.”
“And that he is in the scandal sheets on a daily basis.” Lady Cotswalts said. “And the scandal sheets are a dangerous place to be. You know that only too well, Natalie.”
Natalie swallowed, thinking of Lord Bolton. “But he is a man. And his being in the Morning Post and other such rags seems to have done him no harm.”
“But it will do you harm if you are not careful. You are to be his bride, and those moral-less layabouts will be desperate for a story to tell.” Lady Cotswalts said. “And what do you think they will print if you turn up at your own wedding in a potato sack?”
“That the Duke has bad taste in women?” Natalie said flippantly.
“That you have been driven mad with grief over the loss of Lord Bolton and are a desperate, desolate woman who will fling herself at any man.” Lady Cotswalts met Natalie’s gaze. “And that is if they are in a good mood.”
“I will be more hurt than he will be.” Natalie realised, thinking of the unkind looks she was still getting around town. “He already has scandal, but it will be me who looks like a fool. I hate this. It is not fair.”
“I know, but that is the world we live in.” Lady Cotswalts said. “And knowing the truth of the world means you can use it to your advantage.”
“How?” Natalie asked, frowning.
As she looked down at Lady Cotswalts, she recalled just how many people the woman had brought together. She remembered that her mother spoke of the woman’s gift for understanding people as if it were some kind of supernatural power.Perhaps it is.
“You do what you said you wished to do. You take control.” Lady Cotswalts said simply. “You know that everyone in the ton will be watching you both. Even if they are not at your wedding. I promise, they will be itching to talk about it.”
“No doubt they will say something utterly vile and untrue. They already see me as some sort of fallen woman.” Natalie said bitterly.
“And do you wish for them always to see you this way?” Lady Cotswalts asked.
“No.” Natalie admitted.
“They will control the narrative if you do not direct them.” Lady Cotswalts shook her head. “You need to give them what you want them to talk about. If you are trying not to be controlled, then you must take control.”
Natalie thought about how powerless she had felt, how many women she passed in the streets who seemed to whisper to one another as soon as they saw her.
“Your mother is genteel and has no doubt taught you all she knows about the more aristocratic elements of life. Etiquette and that sort of thing.” Lady Cotswalts made a vague gesture.
“She has.” Natalie agreed, frowning.
“When dealing with rumour, and trying to be more than the Ton thinks you should be, you need a different kind of knowledge. You need to understand how people work. What they want. What they wish people to see.” Lady Cotswalts explained.
