“That depends on if they are as awful as I remember them to be,” Sophia replied. “In my experience, people rarely change.”
Clara seemed to be at a loss for words, and Sophia felt bad that she was subjecting her maid to her negative thoughts. Even though her nerves were brewing up a storm inside of her, she tried to fight back against them.
“My Lady…”
“Forget it,” Sophia sighed. “Let us try on this dress then.”
It was time to do away with her pessimism and give tonight a chance.
CHAPTER 2
Duncan Swinton, the Duke of Blackmoore, arrived at the ball with his mother, Anna. The atmosphere was alive with the sounds of music, dancing, and shared laughter.
“I am so happy that you decided to attend tonight.” The Dowager smiled warmly at her son, who was dressed smartly in a black suit and towered over her with his tall frame. “It is the beginning step of an important journey.”
“An important journey?” the Duke repeated, amused by his mother’s theatrics. “You make it sound as though I have embarked on some ambitious mission by making an appearance tonight.”
Anna gave him a knowing smile.
“My dear, if you are not the one on a mission, then surely many young women in attendance today will be,” she noted. “You donot have to look too hard to notice that you are one of the most sought-after gentleman here tonight.”
Duncan shrugged. That was nothing new to him. As the Duke, he was used to commanding the attention of a room wherever he went. It had lost its charm early on for him as he thought that people were all the same. Even though he was born into upper society, the people that inhabited it bored him greatly.
“That may be the case,” he replied, “but I am afraid it won’t be met with much success. My stance on the matter is clear, and I do not wish to court any woman I meet tonight.”
Anna heaved a deep sigh, shaking her head.
“I know what your feelings are about marriage, but it is time for you to change them,” she argued in a serious tone. “You are well aware that I am only getting older by the day, and it is my wish for you to give me grandchildren. But even more importantly, you must give yourself an heir. It is your duty as the Duke.”
Duncan could not help but scoff at his mother’s naive statement, but he quickly covered it up to appear as though he was stifling a cough, not wanting to offend her.
“Do you really believe that I should be bringing a child into this world?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “After what I endured during my own childhood?”
Their conversation had suddenly taken on a heavy tone. His mother was an expert in the art of diplomacy, and he noticed how she put a pleasant smile on her face as she started to respond to him. As members of the nobility, they had eyes on them wherever they went. It would be unwise to be seen squabbling in public as rumors travelled fast in the city.
“You know that you are not your father,” she replied in a hushed tone, the smile never leaving her face. “It is pointless to say that your child will endure the same as you as you have the control to decide that.”
“His blood runs through me. I am sure he was not keen on traumatizing his eldest son either when he became a father, and yet…”
His mother narrowed her eyes at him, a silent warning for him to not reveal too much as they were in public and ran the risk of someone overhearing, but the Duke did not care much about that. It was not as though his father’s activities during his life had been a secret from the world.
“Since you brought up the subject of fatherhood, shall we recall of the ways in which father dearest proved he was the best one?” The Duke’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “One of the standout ones for me was how he chose to be a cruel and absent parent to me, opting rather to spend his time gambling instead.”
“We know that he had his demons…”
“I would say that is putting it lightly. By the end, he had fully transformed into those demons, and there was no distinguishing where his personality ended and where his demons’ personality started.”
The Duke had a tumultuous relationship with his father and did not recall it fondly by any measures. He wished not to speak ill of the dead but felt he would be dishonest if he did not bring up the ways in which his father ruined his childhood.
“My dear, you must find it in your heart to forgive him,” Anna replied. A mother’s heart was softer than anything else in the world, after all. “It is the only way you will be able to find any peace.”
“Mother, do you remember his last days with us? He nearly emptied out the family’s fortunes with his habits. But even then, he wished to go out to the tracks for the horse races, so he could lose some more money, leaving his sons to be orphaned children and widowed wife with nothing of substance…”
The Duke realized that he had taken things too far when he saw his mother’s polite smile fall and be replaced by a wince.
“I know you have your complaints, and I do not blame you.” The Dowager’s voice was barely above a whisper. “But you are not your father. His failure at being a good father should not have any bearing on your future.”
The apple does not fall far from the tree,the Duke wanted to say, but he decided to dial it down, not wanting to upset hismother more. After all, he did love her immensely and did not wish to cause her unneeded anguish.
