“I should hope he asked you,” Bethany said dryly. “It is your life, after all.”
“Men are not always so considerate.” Amelia leaned forward, looking eager. “Please, continue, Marina.”
“He was mainly asking because of the conditions he laid out about visits from the family. He does not plan to visit London, even when invited, and you and our parents can only come to Pemberton when he explicitly invites you. I doubt that will be often.”
The two of them looked disappointed at that news.
Marina hurried to say, “However, when he asked me to give my opinion, I told him it sounded like a prison. And then he…smiled? And told me that I could go wherever I wished, as long as I told him first. Which is downright reasonable, I suppose. For a peculiar moment, he even tried to defend me against Mother and Father. He was most upset with the way Mother spoke to me, and the way that Father let her.”
The memory left her feeling grateful, but also uneasy. She hadn’t expected him to defend her. She was so used to her mother’s insults that she forgot it was possible for other people to take offense at such things.
Amelia grinned. “Thank heavens. You had us worried there for a moment.”
“That explains why Father acted so cold to you during breakfast,” Bethany said. “Whatever His Grace said must have gotten under his skin.” She grinned at the thought. “Good.”
“Not good,” Marina grumbled. “I appreciate his effort, but now both of them hate me.”
“At least you will be married soon,” Amelia said. “And it sounds like there are worse choices in a husband than the Heartless Duke. Although I must admit, I cannot picture that man smiling.”
“It was not really a smile. Just a hint of one. But I swear, I saw a corner of his mouth lift up, as if he were considering it.” She could still remember the expression on his face vividly. It madehim more handsome than his usual expression. She wondered what he would look like if he actually grinned, or even laughed.
That is a dangerous and fruitless path to go down. Not only is it unlikely he will do such a thing, but he already made it clear there will be no romance between the two of you. Why indulge in thoughts about how handsome he is if there is no hope for more?
Marina looked at her sisters. “What do you think a hint of a smile could mean?”
“Perhaps he likes hearing you state your opinions even when they might conflict with his own?” Bethany suggested.
Marina shook her head. “No, I do not think so. He said that I might as well reject his proposal if I planned to fight with him all the time.”
Amelia smiled, but it looked a little rueful. “Despite the example our parents have set for us, I do believe there are ways of communication that do not involve constant fighting or one person walking all over the other. At the garden party, Lady Hooper told me that it is important for a husband and wife to strike the perfect balance of assertive communication and compromise.”
“That sounds dreadfully complicated,” Marina said, grimacing. “Besides, I do not know if such an idea would work with a man like His Grace.” She shrugged. “No matter what happened tohim in the past, I do not think I will truly be happy with him. How could anyone be happy in such a life?”
Bethany looked sad. “At least he said you will be free to go wherever you want,” she said, as if looking for any sort of silver lining. “Perhaps you can enjoy all of the privileges that come with being a duchess and forget about him.”
“Being a perfect society duchess does not interest me,” Marina said, giving her a rueful smile. “But that is all right. Really. No matter what my life looks like, I will do my best to be a good mother for his child.”
At least she had plenty of practice looking after children. The twins were so mischievous, they had a habit of running off nannies and governesses quicker than Lady Shirley could hire them. Whenever they were between caretakers, it was up to Marina to keep them in line and teach them their lessons.
That was definitely easier said than done. When the twins were Lilly’s age, they were much more interested in finding bugs in the garden and tossing them at Marina when she least expected them than they ever were in lessons.
“Helping her will be a difficult task after her real mother died so suddenly,” Amelia said. “I cannot imagine what the poor girl is feeling.”
Bethany nodded. “Not to mention, her only living parent is known to be heartless. I am sure she does not see enough love and joy in her life. And she’s so young!”
“She’s very young,” Marina agreed. “I have no doubt that the events of last year were hard on her, no matter what the true story is. But despite His Grace’s reputation, he is not heartless. He appears to care about her very much. In his own way.” A man as eccentric as he was surely not a typical father.
“She will probably be shy around you at first,” Amelia said. “Young children often are around strangers. But she will love you soon enough.”
“Perhaps you should find out who her friends are and arrange for visits,” Bethany suggested. “I doubt His Grace is very sociable with his neighbors, so he would probably not consider the benefits she would receive from spending time with friends.”
“I agree,” said Amelia, brightening. “Having time to be a child will help her adjust to all of the changes in her life.”
“And you can sing her to sleep!” Bethany said. “Do you remember Susan, our old nanny? Every time I had a bad day, she sang me to sleep, and I felt better. Lilly will probably need similar comfort.”
Marina smiled at the thought of her singing to the girl she caught a glimpse of the day before. It would be difficult, but children were resilient. She could bring warmth and laughter into Lilly’s life, even though she would never be able to truly replace the girl’s mother.
At least marrying the Heartless Duke could do his daughter some good.
