When they reached the ballroom, the master of ceremony had received their names and titles from the steward that had taken it at the door – along with Jane’s cloak – and he seemed surprised by the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
“The duke and duchess of Ravencroft!”
It seemed as though a majority of the other guests had stopped in shock. Jane ignored them as they walked further into theballroom, already looking for her friends. She expected Thomas to do the same, but he seemed discontent with having her attached to his arm.
Subtly, he pulled back slightly and wrapped the arm she had been holding, with a hand braced on her waist, keeping her as close as possible. His touch caused fire to spread through Jane, momentarily distracting her from the stares and whispers that they attracted.
The reprieve did not last very long and soon, she could not seem to overlook the blatantly disrespectful things people were saying.
“– utterly horrid. How could he confidently leave his home, looking like that?”
“I am surprised to find that he is still alive. I thought he had at least left London years ago.”
“Oh, that poor wife of his. She seems unaware that she has been chained to a beast. How pitiful.”
“I wonder if she’ll be able to escape from the monster before she takes leave of her senses too.”
They were saying such cruel things, loudly enough that anyone a mere few feet away could hear it and they did not care at all if the people they were talking about heard them. It disgusted Jane immensely, how they did not view her husband as a person, didnot care much for his feelings or perception of them, clearly so willing to speak their mind and thoughts freely.
She wanted to speak up, wanted to scream at them and cover Thomas’ ears so he would no longer have to let himself be poisoned by such vile words. However, when she looked up at him, he did not even seem to have heard a single thing, his gaze kept forward as he guided her through the crowd. Jane did not know if she should feel pleased or sad.
“Jane!”
She perked up at the sound of her name, spotting her friends a few feet away, pulling her husband along as she went towards them.
“Nora!” she cried, slipping out of her husband’s grasp to wrap her arms around her friend.
Nora Millington, duchess of Ironwell giggled as they embraced, clearly just as excited to see Jane.
“How are you, my dear? You look well! I heard about your wedding – I am sorry to have missed it,” Nora pouted, looking slightly upset.
“It is quite all right. It was a simple affair, so you did not miss much. You look so radiant!” Jane gasped, noticing her friend seemed rather cautious of her midsection, angling that side of her body away from Jane. “Are you –”
“I am!” Nora clapped her hands eagerly, beaming with happiness and prides. “It has been a few months now. I am nervous and sometimes scared, but I am thankful to have my husband with me, through every step of the way.”
Jane smiled at her friend fondly, trying not to pointedly stare at her belly as she rubbed Nora’s shoulders.
“I am immensely happy for you. You will make an excellent mother, Nora.”
“She will,” Nora’s husband, Godric Millington, duke of Ironwell stated with a nod as she approached them, followed by Penelope and Cecil. “Of that I am certain.”
Jane curtsied politely in greeting, lifting her head up just as Godric addressed her with a fond smile.
“Duchess. It is good to see you. Congratulations.”
Jane reached blindly behind her, where she knew Thomas was waiting for her, smiling when he immediately clasped her hand, before using his sure grip to pull him closer.
“Thank you, Your Grace. This is my husband, Thomas Wetherby, duke of Ravencroft,” she beamed, resting her head against his upper arm. “Thomas, dear, these are my friends. Nora and Godric Millington, duchess and duke of Ironwell, and Penelope and Cecil Wightman, duchess and duke of Westerdale – our hosts.”
Thomas bowed to them slightly, raising his head as he said,
“It is a pleasure to meet you all. My wife has spoken highly of you all, and it is quite refreshing to finally put faces to the names I have heard several times before.”
“Has she really? Spoken highly of us – I mean,” Cecil inquired with a narrowed gaze. “I am quite surprised she did not attempt to get you to fight on her side. You see, we are in the middle of a civil war – over who is more deserving of my wife’s affections –”
“There is no such thing!” Jane balked, confused.
“That’s because you know you will lose,” Cecil pointed out.
