Betrothed to the wrong gentleman: Historical Fiction

CHAPTER 6

Madison dragged herself out of bed.  She washed her face and put on a carriage dress  that could pass as a respectable day dress as well.  She stood in front of the mirror admiring the pretty paisley pattern on her cool cotton dress, oblivious of the pretty picture the user of that dress cast.  A striking face, attractive long lashes, beautiful bone structure, delightful rosy red full lips, an hour glass figure and appealing child bearing hips. 

Madison tried to think of the hundreds, no thousands of ladies that married out of love.  Surely she could do the same.   Why her mama and papa were a successful example of an arranged marriage, surely she could make a success of one as well.  Her passionate heart rejected that notion quite vociferously.   After all was it so difficult to know your place as a wife, to serve your husband, produce heirs for him and manage the household?  Madison knew the answer to that, or was it the rebellious spirit in her that screamed out that she could never serve a man.  No she would jointly manage with him, but no man would make her subservient to his whim.

It was a lovely day today.  The sun was shining brightly with not a cloud in the sky, a perfect day for a picnic, only Rankin was not the preferred choice of a companion.  Still she had given her word to him and so must honour her commitment.    Madison smiled at the reflection in the mirror, preparing herself for the day ahead and walked out of bed chamber to join her parents for breakfast.

‘Madison, you look lovely dear,’ Rachael smiled warmly at her daughter.  ‘Darling you will not believe the number of invitations that have come for you this morning,’ her mother beamed excitedly.

‘Morning papa, morning mama,’ Madison kissed her father’s cheek, before doing the same with her mother.  ‘I am attending a picnic lunch with Earl Rankin today mama.’

‘Oh,’ her mother looked up from the invitation cards.  ‘Look here,’ she read off the cards.  ‘There is an invitation from Viscount Michael to the theatre, another from Sir Gerald to go riding.  One from Viscount Theodore to some fancy ball,’ on and on her mother went reeling off the invitations.  Madison vaguely remembered who all of them were.  She knew Gerald and Theo.   Gentlemen who she’d befriended on many previous occasions, but the rest of the names were a blur.

‘Can we look at them after I return from lunch mama?’

‘But you need to respond to them,’ her mother replied.

‘Reply yes, to the ones for the next two days mama, the rest I will look at this afternoon.  Oh and Earl Rankin desires for us to go riding with him later this week.’

‘You are spending a lot of time with Rankin,’ Stanton observed.

‘He is a respectable gentleman papa,’ Madison smiled, helping herself to some tea.

‘Well just know Madison, that Rankin’s finances are not enormous.  He will be looking for a bride with a healthy dowry.  That may be his sole interest in you,’ her father advised, taking a bite of his toast.

‘Whoever I marry papa, will benefit from my wealth, would it matter if that gentleman is Earl Rankin? 

He is always polite and has impeccable manners, unlike another  that I know.

‘Your mama and I will be happy with whomever you choose, just make sure you do so with your heart,’ her father unwittingly added, as he poured himself some coffee.

‘Did you choose with your heart mama?’ Madison smiled at her mother.

‘Oh yes,’ Rachael laughed, directing an adoring gaze at her husband.

‘Your mother threatened that if I did not marry her, she would poison my food when I least expected it.’

‘Stanton!’