A moment of jealousy engulfed Aideen. They looked so…affectionate. Mr Beckford was rather a quiet man but over her time spent with the family, Aideen had realised he was no hen-pecked husband. He radiated silent strength.
“Happiness.” Mrs Beckford sighed.
“Exactly so,” responded her husband. “The duke sent a message earlier. He will be here on the hour of eleven, so I suggest you think carefully, Aideen. But no one is forcing you. We will support whatever decision you adopt. Yes, it might cause a disruption if you decide otherwise, but we are not of the higher echelons of society. We will survive and having Sophie as a countess will help.”
The words brought tears to Aideen’s eyes and she hastily dashed them away. Her own father would have demanded she obey, brandishing his fury with harsh curses. He’d probably have called her a harlot.
Perhaps she was. She’d hardly fought off the duke’s impudence but instead relished his touch.
Pushing her unfinished breakfast to one side, she stood. “Thank you. I do not deserve your kindness after the events of last night–”
“Aideen,” Mrs Beckford interrupted, holding up a palm, “you are not to blame in any way. The duke has a decade over you in both years and experience. Blame lies solely in his hands. Take a rest in the morning room and I’ll bring you a cup of chocolate.”
“And, Aideen,” Mr Beckford added as she turned. “You are as a daughter to us in every way, so if you require me to call him out, I will. I’m a dab shot, eh, wife of mine?”
That wife of his blushed, and another time Aideen would have stayed and inveigled thatentirestory, but nodding gratefully, she wandered out.
Mrs Beckford’s words had given her pause to think. Rakecombe’s years did not detract but doubtless added to his appeal. Men like the young Lord Sherburnbehavedso young, more concerned with gambling and carriage racing.
And then there was chocolate.
Some men smelled of horse, sweat or liver, but scrumptious chocolate?
Certainly not a reason to marry but one to add to the cauldron of consideration.
After plunking herself on the mahogany floral ottoman, she flicked through a tatty old copy ofLa Belle Assemblée.
Why, when one needed to think, did one’s idea pot empty?
No reasoning or conclusions arose; instead, there lay a gaping hole of indecision and befuddlement.
How she wished Sophie was here for some sound advice. She could send a message for Cordelia to call, but felt her friend was also in the dark concerning men, if not more so. Oakdean was markedly monosyllabic – or brooding as Aideen would label it.
An article caught her eye: “Maxims and Rules for the Conduct of Women” by Countess de Boufflers.
Idly, she studied the list.
1.In the exterior, decency and cleanliness.Well, she could accomplish the second.
4.In language, truth and perspicuity.She did sometimes fib but thought she could manage to be articulate…or long-winded, depending on how one viewed it.
5.In domestic life, rectitude and kindness, without familiarity.Oh dear.
Her father had always bemoaned she should’ve been a boy and perhaps, after all, he was right. Life was certainly less formal for them, and her manners would have been better suited to a male of the species.
But damn them all – she liked being a girl, and she liked being Aideen Quinlan. She peered at the list again.
“I don’t think you need that old twaddle, Aideen love,” said Mrs Beckford, arriving with the promised cup of chocolate and placing it by her. “The duke seems to admire you exactly as you are from what I spied last night.”
Cursing the redness which coursed beneath her pale Celtic skin, she nevertheless smiled. “I don’t know. We always…argue.”
Mrs Beckford sat on the dainty chaise, and Aideen wasn’t quite sure what to expect after her defence of the duke at breakfast. Certainly not a furious reprimand but maybe some gentle persuasion.
“Have youanycommon ground?”
“Erm.” Furiously, she thought over the time she’d known him. “We both like books. I remember him saying he was a prodigious reader.”
“A most pleasant pastime for husband and wife. If you decide to marry, you have to work on what pleases you both and be patient but, Aideen…friction is not always a harmful element to marriage.”
