Miss Wendy Garren has resigned herself to one last tormented season in the Capital's condemning rich and titled high-society, under the critical and abusive eye of her parents, The Earl and Countess of Follies. At seven and twenty she knows she is t...
Wendy could not contain the smile that broke across her face as a little girl handed her a colorful doll, it was hand-sewn together with long strands of yellow yarn adorned on its head for hair "What a lovely doll, she looks just like you." She leaned down as the girl beamed a smile back at her, teeth missing to create a further endearing picture. She couldn't have been older than five and Wendy's heart clenched when the little girl lifted her arms to be held by her. Without thinking she lifted her up, setting her on her hip as the little girl laid her head against her chest, it was just how she would hold Clarissa and Penelope when they were young and she had hoped she would one day hold her children. She cuddled the little girl closer to her, fighting back the tears at such a comforting embrace after feeling so lonely for such a long time.
Rhys could not even be paid to tear his eyes away from the bewitching sight in front of him. It had not even been a year since he had been at peace with the thought of never having children, he would go as far as to say he had not wanted any. His nieces and nephew felt like more than enough for him, but as he watched Wendy hold the young, blonde girl to her, the child so readily trusting her as Wendy walked around the brightly decorated town center, Rhys knew he wanted nothing more than to have children with Wendy as she would. He wanted as many as she was willing to have, he wanted to see a child that was both of them, he wanted to watch her be the wonderful mother that he instinctively knew she would be.
"Rose!" A blonde woman the spitting image of the little girl in her arms came forward and stumbled over a curtsy "Forgive me, Your Grace, she has never wandered off before and I lost her in the crowd." Wendy gave the little girl to her mother and smiled warmly as she placed the doll in Rose's arms as well.
"Nothing has pleased me more than meeting your beautiful daughter, think nothing of apologizing." Rhys felt his blood churn with passion, she was perfect in every way, he continued to watch her as she spoke with the mother, they were both laughing now. What had he done that pleased God enough to gift him with this angel, it could have been anyone that caught her on that night of the ball, could have been anyone that she was forced to marry, and yet by some stroke of insane luck on his part, she was his. His hands clenching into fists at his side, he wanted to kiss her at this very moment, he heard music start up and couples began to dance on the stone road of the town center and just as he moved to ask his wife to dance, a manicured hand curled around his arm.
Julia seethed as she watched the dumbstruck expression painted on Rhys' face. He looked besotted with his young wife and the jealousy and hatred that was quickly burning inside of her stirred with vicious intent. She knew now more than ever that she would need to be rid of her, she could no longer compete with her beauty, truly even when she had been so young she knew her beauty had not been what Wendy Granger's was. She had used what she could to seduce, had become a temptress, a vixen of men, and it had been hard work to achieve but Wendy drew the eye of every man unknowingly with her uncommon beauty. She would not let that stop her, Julia had never let the fear of failing stop her, failure wasn't an option at this point, she would have Rhys, but she also knew he was too honorable a man to be unfaithful. She sighed heavily, underhanded it would have to be, a smile curling the edge of her red tainted lips, she rather preferred it that way, it was what she excelled at after all.
Rhys turned, catching the gaze of Julia Fairly and annoyance flashed through him. She had the ability to make him vastly uncomfortable with her advances, he was not foolish enough to be blind to her wants. Not long after his dear cousin, Robert, had died he sensed that she wanted more from him than simply a shoulder to cry on. Though it was not something he was willing to offer, had she not been Robert's widow he might have stopped his friendship with her long ago. He could be honest with himself that even when they were all children he only let her tag along because of Robert's insistence. He threw a look back at Wendy and the thought of her coming to his rescue crossed his mind but she was still in conversation with young ladies from the town and turned to Julia again.
"Mrs. Fairly, it has been some time," He felt his stomach churn as she threw, what he felt was supposed to be, a seductive smile his way and her hand made its way up and down his arm as if stroking a pet. "I hope you have been well?"
She pouted and he thought instantly how unbecoming it was on her, she had many men under her spell but he found her antics ridiculous and manipulative, he would remain kind though and the duty he felt he owed to Robert's memory to remain there for his wife bound him to an ongoing acquaintance with her "I have sorely missed you Rhys, It's been so long since I've seen you I was afraid you had quite forgotten me." She giggled slightly at the end and Rhys resisted the urge to roll his eyes, she had not sounded so French when they were younger, a heavy brogue coating her words the same lilt to her voice as her late honorable father, Mr. Decker, a kind and loyal shop-owner that his parents often did business with for his high quality items and moral standings.
"You will forgive me, I have been rather busy of late" He suddenly found himself unwilling to tell her about Wendy, something in Julia's eyes told Rhys that she would not take kindly to a lady in his life and a slight feeling of dread worked it's way down his spine before he brushed it away. Julia could be displeased if she wanted but she could not change that Rhys was married and would never offer anything more than a healthy respect stemming from her marriage to his cousin as a basis of his feelings for her. "I brought my wife back with me from the current season in the Capital and we have been settling back in at the estate."
Wendy smiled warmly at the ladies around her, they were all being so kind and she could not believe how lonely she had been in the Capital compared to here in Thornberg. An unkind word was not said to her, no one tittered and whispered behind their fans about the ugly spinster, no one laughed behind her back while smiling to her face. The thought that they might only be kind because she was their Duchess had crossed her mind but when she looked in their eyes, she saw the sincerity of their actions and offered friendships.
Soon the sounds of lively, townsfolk music playing overcame the sounds of the general conversations in the public and couples dancing with their eyes shining bright and laughter floating from their lips entranced her. She wished that the Duke would ask her to dance, even though she would make a fool of herself not knowing the country dances, she thought how fun it might be for him to teach her. At the thought her eyes scanned the crowd for him stopping short along with her heart at the golden haired woman by his side. Julia Fairly flashed her a wicked, victorious smile as she stroked the Duke's arm. Wendy screamed in her mind for him to brush her off, do not let her touch you so, you are my husband she wanted to scream like the tantrum a child might throw over a toy but she remained silent and glued to her spot, her tight throat working hard to swallow hard at the sudden dryness.
A young man probably no more than twenty stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the Duke and his beautiful mistress, pulling Wendy's mind back to her present surroundings as she tried to remember how to breathe around the weight sitting in her chest. His ears flamed red as he bent at the waist in a bow to her and his group of friends behind him howled with laughter and taunts, some whistled and hooted as he plucked a faded, brown cap from his head and twisted it in his hands "Would you care to dance, Your Grace?" his blush spreading deeper at the calls of encouragement from his friends and Wendy would have laughed at the immature fun her sisters would have laughed about until their cheeks hurt, if her mind had not been so firmly fixated on her husband. She might have said no, declined ever so politely if the Duke had been by her side, but he was not, was he? He chose to carry on with his mistress in public instead and so without much thought Wendy placed her hand in the young man's outstretched one and smiled what she hoped was a smile that didn't let on to the turmoil running rampant inside "I would love to."
"Would you care to dance, Rhys?" Julia all but purred at him as her hand managed to climb up to his shoulder in a way where she had to move closer to make up for the height difference "You've always been such a marvelous dancer."
Unease slithered through Rhys and even for his dead cousin, whom he had loved as a brother, he could take no more "I think dancing is just what I have a mind to do, Mrs. Fairly, if you will bid me to leave, I shall find my wife to do so." He took her hand from his arm and turned to find Wendy. He walked through the crowd trying to find her where he had last seen her talking with other ladies when he heard an angelic laugh float over the crowd from the group of dancers.
Wendy's head was thrown back in a laugh, one arm linked with a young man and her other hand holding her skirts as she danced, a group of onlookers forming around them as they all smiled at their Duke's beautiful , graceful, and kind wife. Her wild curls seemed to dance with her, her cheeks lit red from the movement as well as mirth. Her smile was wide on her face, dimples winking adorably on her cheeks, and her blue eyes gleamed in the lanterns and cast an orange glow all around. At first he was stunned by her beauty, thanking the heavens once again that she was his but then the young man dropped his hands to her waist as he twirled her in the air. His wife released, once again, a belly deep laugh that he himself had never had the pleasure of pulling from her.
Rhys had never been a jealous man, in truth there was nothing for him to ever be jealous over, but a rage like he had never known moved through him as he saw the smitten look on the young man's face. He certainly was not blind to the beauty of the woman he was dancing with, he was mesmerized by her and Rhys wanted to wipe the look off of the boys face. She was his wife, and his alone.
Without any rational thought he stormed into the makeshift dance floor, stepping up behind the young man, he took his arm and yanked him away from his wife, the music stopped as the boy stepped away, all the color draining from his face as he looked at the enraged Duke, and he quickly shifted away to be swallowed by the crowd.
Wendy swung around, confused at the abrupt stop of the music, her chest heaving with her breaths as she almost ran her face directly into the Duke's chest. She saw the rage in his eyes and instantly she regretted dancing, her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She had seen rage like this before, had been on the receiving end of it more times in her life than she cared to count. She bore the psychological and physical scars from the rage of people she constantly let down. Wendy had been having so much fun, she loved to dance and rarely got to do it, but she was not a simple daughter of a penniless Earl anymore, she was a Duchess, and she needed to remember that now was the time to display more decorum. Bianca's voice scolding her filled her head.
Without a single word to her, the Duke placed his hand around her waist, his hand gripping her tightly as he lead her off of the dance floor and into the lesser lit areas, back to where they had left his carriage. When they were further away she heard the music start up again and her eyes burned with tears of embarrassment and shame. Could she do nothing right?! She thought to herself, even in moments where she had thought it was nothing but innocent fun she was making mistakes and bringing ridicule to the Duke.
"Silas!" Rhys barked out at his driver, an action he would regret later, as he yanked open the door of the carriage cab, startling the sleeping coachman from where he sat drifting in and out of sleep "We're leaving. Now." and with that he handed Wendy into the carriage, climbing in after her and slamming the door shut.
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