The Forgotten Duchess

Chapter Nineteen | Unrequited

Vivienne untied her bonnet and set it beside her, allowing  the suns rays to warm her skin. It was nice to get away from all the guests, she felt suffocated in the manor. At times it seemed as though every move of hers was being monitored, and they were all waiting for her to make a mistake so they could humiliate her.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here."

Vivienne opened her eyes to see Lady Fiona standing in front of her sans bonnet or gloves.

Vivienne stood up abruptly and said hesitantly, "Good morning, Lady Fiona."

"Please, call me Fiona."

Vivienne nodded, "Then it is only right for you to address me as Vivienne."

They shared a rather awkward smile. Something had gone amiss at dinner, but Vivienne didn't know what it was. Vivienne had been seeking a chance to speak with Fiona in the parlour, but the lady had always been engaged with someone else. Vivienne was left with no choice but to sit alone and listen to the chatter of others.

She pointed to empty space beside her on the bench, "please join me."

Fiona shook her head, "Oh no, I don't want to disturb you," she bit her lips almost nervously, "I didn't know anyone visited the gardens at this hour."

"They usually don't, but I wanted to let Ginger have some air," she pointed towards the cat who was squirming around in some sort of plant. "Unfortunately, she's been cooped up inside my room since the arrival of the guests."

Lady Fiona smiled as Ginger came closer to inspect her. She bent down and laid out her hand, and the kitten sniffed it once before losing interest. Fiona ran her fingers through the cat's fur, "she's quite the beauty."

"That she is," Vivienne echoed.

Ginger slipped through her grasps and Fiona stood up once more. "I'll leave you to it then."

"No, please stay, I insist." When Lady Fiona still looked hesitant Vivienne gave her a reassuring smile. "There isn't much to do in the manor at such an hour anyways, most of the guests are asleep."

Lady Fiona accepted the invitation as she sat down, making sure to be careful of her pale blue day dress.

"How are you enjoying the party so far. I believe I saw you speaking to Lord Falmouth over dinner last night?"

"It has been a nice house party so far, although I must admit some of the guest can be very dull."

Vivienne giggled, "I thought I was the only one who felt that way."

Lady Fiona gave her a sincere smile. "No, you are not. It makes sense in some ways. Most people are preparing for the season and many families have already settled into London anyways."

Vivienne watched as Ginger chased a moth floating about in the garden. "And Lord Falmouth, does he fall into the category of an uninteresting gentlemen?" she questioned.

Lady Fiona's smile slipped for a moment, "He is quite the gentleman..."

"But?" Vivienne prompted.

"I don't see myself marrying him. I can't imagine our lives intertwined with one another. It might seem foolish to you, but I want to get married for love. It doesn't have to be present at the beginning of marriage, after all, I saw it grow between my parents, but I don't want to be with someone who I grow to despise afterwards."

Vivienne was silent as she took it all in. Since she didn't know her parents, she didn't know the marriage they had. She didn't know if they had loved or despised each other. However, what Fiona was saying made sense. A part of her wanted to marry someone she loved but she also knew everything was dependent on the kindness of the duke. He would want to get rid of her as soon as possible and she couldn't blame him. She wasn't his responsibility, yet he had been kind enough to provide for her when nobody except Agatha had done the same.

"Say something," Lady Fiona urged as she nervously played with her hands.

Vivienne looked into her eyes, "I think what you want is brave and courageous, and you shouldn't settle for anything less."

A wide smile broke out on Fiona's face, warming hers as well. "Well, what about you? Cedric and you seem to get along quite well."

"Cedric?"

"Ah, that's Lord Berkeley's Christian name." Fiona explained.

"I-" Vivienne paused, "don't think of Lord Berkeley in that way. He's been exceptionally kind to me. It's uncanny on how he is able to make me feel comfortable in places where I don't know what to do but..." she trailed off not knowing how to finish.

"He is quite kind, isn't he?" Fiona said in a softer voice.

Vivienne watched the lady beside her carefully. Was it her imagination or did Fiona's voice change when speaking about Lord Berkeley? "Has he always been like that?"

A wistful smile came upon Fiona's face as she looked up at the sky above them. "Yes, Henry and James would often torment me, but Cedric never did. When the boys would try to leave me behind, he made sure I was included."

"He's quite handsome," Vivienne commented.

"Yes he—" Lady Fiona turned back to look at Vivienne who was smiling slyly. "You are trying to set me up to say something I don't intend to!"

Vivienne laughed, "My apologies if it seems that way." Her voice turned more somber. "I believe you might have tender feelings towards Lord Berkeley."

Lady Fiona gave her a sad smile, "We have only spoken for such a short time and you already know. If only it was as obvious to him."

Ah, now she knew the reason for the awkwardness between them last night. Fiona had seen Vivienne speaking with Lord Berkeley and had mistakenly believed she held some sort of affection towards him.

"Have you spoken to him about it?"

Lady Fiona face scrunched tightly, "Once. It didn't end well, and it seemed that he rather misunderstood me."

"Maybe things have changed?"

Lady Fiona laughed, but there was no joy in it. "It doesn't seem so. I am stuck in this insufferable loop of being unable to move on thus, find myself rejecting suitor after suitor. My Mama and brother just don't understand. I can't get married until I've seen him settle down, then at least the spark of hope that still exists inside me will be extinguished thoroughly."

Vivienne's heart clenched, what Lady Fiona was describing felt miserable. She could not imagine the sadness of loving someone from afar.

Fiona stood up and brushed her dress. "We should go inside now; breakfast will be served soon."

"Yes," Vivienne echoed before calling out to Ginger. The cat came willingly, and she scooped her up, placing her back into the basket.

Fiona grasped her hands within Vivienne's. "Thank you for listening to me."

Vivienne watched the kaleidoscope of feelings swirling around in the lady's eyes before she nodded. "Of course, you have someone to listen to you whenever you need," she said sincerely. 

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Happy New Year's Everyone! It's nice to see Fiona and Vivienne, bonding, what do you all think? Thank you so much for the 2K reads!