“I am a woman, and proud. Your Grace,” retorted Beth. “I do not take itgently either.”
“Very well,” he said, irritatingly unimpressed. “But remember,Elizabeth, your rancor is against me and me you cannot hurt.”
“I do not seek to hurt anyone, Your Grace,” said Beth with a hint ofdesperation. “I strive merely to keep myself intact.”
“This is the family dining room,” said the duke, smoothly switchingsubjects as they entered a large room hung with tapestries. The ceilingwas painted with half-naked deities.
The family dining room, thought Beth dryly. The dining table was of asize to comfortably seat eight, but there were three other sectionsagainst one wall, and the room would certainly hold a “family” of twenty.The duke and duchess took their places at either end and the marquess andBeth sat facing each other at the sides. Service wasr la Russewith a footman behind each diner and other servantsbringing in dishes and taking away remains. Beth thought it utterlyridiculous.
Seeing clearly how it would be, she took only tiny portions of the manycourses and still had trouble towards the end of the meal. She noticedthat the marquess ate more heartily, but the duke and duchess also atelittle and passed many courses by entirely. What on earth was the point ofall this? It was obvious that everyone would have been more suited by asimple meal in privacy.
The proficient conversation recommenced, but now the talk was of thewar, exhibiting depth of knowledge of international affairs andconsiderable shrewdness from all parties. Beth reflected that the servantswere gaining a first-class education as they performed their duties, butit was as if it were all a performance put on for an audience.
The marquess and his parents must do this every day of their lives. Thethought horrified Beth, and she found her tongue frozen. For a littlewhile she managed to hold her silence but then she was implacably woven inagain by easy questions directed her way. Short of the worst kind of illmanners, she had no choice but to play her part.
Despite the superficial ease and graciousness, Beth could feel the roompressing in on her, the words and occasional laughter squeezing at hertemples. Soon she was going to say something unpardonable, and she didn’twant to. Mere rudeness would not set her free, and she hated to think ofthe servants tittering below stairs about that silly little body whodidn’t know how to behave in a big house.
Was she to perform this ritual every day for the rest of her life? Shewould go mad.
Chapter Five
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When the duchess rose to take her back to the small drawing room, Bethfelt some relief. Once they were settled with the tea tray before them,the duchess dismissed the servants.
She handed Beth tea in an exquisite Spode cup. “You find this hard,Elizabeth,” she said as a simple statement.
“I find it unendurable. Why do you dine in such state?”
The duchess smiled. “It does not seem so to us, I suppose. It is justthe family.”
“But what of all the servants?”
“I suppose they are family, too. What would you have us do? It isimpossible to run this place without an army of servants. Should we pullit down? But it is very beautiful, and the staff loves it as much we do.They feel privileged to share it with us.”
“What of the footmen standing idle in the corridors hour afterhour?”
The duchess laughed. “When the day comes you need something at theother end of the building or a message sent or someone found, you will begrateful, I assure you, Elizabeth. Actually, I recently suggested animprovement. I wanted to give the men chairs to sit on and books to readas they wait. They were most indignant. They felt it would lower thedignity of the house. But they are not ignorant, you know. One of themtold me that he always stations himself in front of a good picture andenjoys the time to study it. We have compromised. They have agreed to bechanged upon the hour. They are mostly from families who have servedBelcraven for generations.”
Beth put down her cup untasted. “Perhaps it is necessary to be borninto this life, at whatever level.”
The duchess looked at her. “From what little I know of you, Elizabeth,you pride yourself on your education and your ability to handle your life.Why then can you not handle this?”
Beth stiffened under the attack. “I did not say Icouldnot. I said, I think, that it is pointless.”
The duchess’s eyes were kind as she said, “First prove you have thecourage to face it, my dear, and then change things if you can.”
Before Beth could point out that she wanted nothing to do with it atall, the gentlemen joined them. Though there were no servants present, theanalysis of affairs on the Continent continued. Beth wondered whetheranything might be achieved by an impassioned comparison of her ownoppression and conquest with that of Europe, but guessed that it wouldnot. This was all the duke’s plot; the duchess appeared to endorse it; themarquess had agreed.
The marquess, therefore, must be her target. She took to studyinghim.
He held his own in the discussion, but she sensed tension in him. Hewas not warm or relaxed with his parents and at times seemed to take apoint of view just to oppose the duke. Beth wondered if this was becauseof the present situation or typical of this family. It would hardly besurprising. The duke was not Arden’s father and they all knew it; she wasthe duke’s bastard and they all knew that, too; both she and the marquesswere being forced into a distasteful marriage. When Beth considered thetangled relationships within the room she was surprised there was anyelegance at all.
After a little while, music was suggested, and they moved into acharming music room with a domed ceiling painted like the night sky. Theduchess played beautifully on a harp and then Beth was persuaded to showher skill on the pianoforte. Next, to her surprise, the marquess took up asilver flute and played a duet with his mother. She would not have thoughthim a man to bother with music.
He must have noticed her surprise, for when he had finished he cameover and said, “I have a poor singing voice. When we were all younger, mymother organized many musical evenings and insisted I do my part.” Hismanner was pleasant. In no way was it loverlike, but then there was noreason here to act.
“You play very well,” she said honestly.
