~The calm before the Storm~
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A lot has changed since the wedding between James and Persephone. Even though it was merely months ago, to Persephone, it felt like days. Her marriage was everything she had wished for and more. James was always the man she had envisioned in her life. Strong, loving, and was never afraid to show it.
Salisbury had welcomed her with open arms. Excited to have finally seen Elizabeth Vronsky step down and happily give up her title to her daughter-in-law. Persephone was no longer Persephone Thornhart, daughter of the Marquess and the Marchioness. She was Persephone Vronsky, the Duchess of Salisbury—kind of had a nice ring to it. But that title came with power and responsibilities. She couldn't do it alone.
"What color dress is the Duchess feeling for today?" Arabella jokingly asked as she exited the closet.
True to her words, Persephone took Arabella with her. Arabella was practically her best friend and there was no way she would leave without her. Arabella had seen her ups and downs. She was grateful for everything Arabella had done to her, knowing that if it wasn't for her, Persephone wouldn't be married to James. Persephone had vowed to repay her.
Persephone rolled her eyes as the words 'Duchess' slipped through Arabella's lips. "I was thinking blue."
"Perfect." Arabella brought the blue dress out of the closet, placing it on top of the bed. "Which reminds me, your mother-in-law wants to have breakfast with you in the gardens."
Persephone furrowed her brows. "What for?"
Arabella shrugged. "I mean the weather is nice. Maybe she wants to enjoy the calm summer breeze."
Elizabeth had been awfully nice to Persephone during the past few months. She had treated her like a daughter. Making sure she was enjoying her new home. Telling her stories about her mother. Persephone had grown to care for the older woman, slowly seeing her as a motherly figure.
"I hope so." Persephone mumbled as Arabella helped her in her dress. She had a feeling there was a reason why she wanted to talk in the gardens. "Will James and Benjamin be there?"
"Not sure about James. Ben had woken up pretty early to deal with some business deal." Arabella answered as she started fixing Persephone's hair.
"I figured you'd know something about Ben." Persephone winked at her hand maiden through the mirror making Arabella gently push her shoulder.
At the beginning of their arrival, Persephone was oblivious when it came to Arabella and Benjamin. Too focused on her own relationship to see how her hand maiden and her brother-in-law were looking at each other. It wasn't until one night where Persephone had noticed their weird interactions. But it had seemed as though she was late to party as her own husband knew what was going on.
"I think Bella and Benjamin might have something going on." Persephone voiced out as she laid on James' chest.
"They do. I'm surprised you didn't notice that sooner." James ran a hand through Persephone's hair as he stared at the ceiling.
Persephone quickly sat up, using the covers to cover her naked chest. "Wait. When did you notice?"
"I had my suspicions on our wedding day. It wasn't until the first week of your arrival where I noticed their interactions. Love, you have to be blind as a bat if you never noticed."
"And you knew all this time and didn't tell me?" Persephone was shocked to hear this revelation.
"I thought you knew." James shrugged. He had assumed Persephone already knew. Thinking Arabella may have already told her about it but he was wrong.
"I still can't believe I was the last person to know." Persephone slightly pouted, watching Arabella through the mirror.
"I didn't think we made it so obvious."
"So what's going on with you two?"
Arabella shrugged, putting the finishing touches to Persephone's hair. "We've talked about things but nothing too serious. We aren't exactly official."
Arabella and Benjamin had a weird dynamic. They have talked about their feelings to one another but have decided not to rush anything. To take things day by day and see where time will take them. Arabella wasn't so confident in their last conversation.
"I think he wants to wait to do anything serious." Arabella admitted, now focusing on Persephone's face.
"I just don't want him to take advantage of you. I'll rip his balls out if he hurts you." Persephone crossed her arms as Arabella lightly laughed. "I was being serious."
"I know you are." Arabella smiled at her over protective friend. "But I'm a big girl. I can handle it."
"You don't have to handle it alone. You have me here. You've helped me so much with my fucked up life, now it's your turn." Persephone owed her life to a couple of women in her life and Arabella was one of them.
"And I will do it all again if it means seeing you this happy." Arabella stepped back, looking at the woman in front of her. "You're all done. You should go to the gardens. You don't want to keep Elizabeth waiting."
Persephone huffed, standing up from her seat. "Something tells me I already know what she is going to talk to me about and if it is, I'm dreading it."
"There's only one way to find out."
Persephone walked towards the door, stopping midway as she turned back to Arabella. "Like I said before, you can talk to me. I'll always be here for you."
"And I, you." Arabella spoke. "Now go before I push you out."
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Arabella was true to her word. The weather was extremely nice. The sun was bright, and the sunlight was warm and not harsh. A few birds, chirping away, and the breeze was cool. The garden looked more beautiful since the last time Persephone had seen it. Asters and marigolds covered the garden, creating a very bright scenery.
"Good morning, Persephone. How did you sleep?" Elizabeth greeted the young woman as she watched her take a seat in front of her. "Wonderful weather we are having."
"Good morning, your grace. I slept very well, thank you for asking." Persephone replied politely as she took in the scene in front of her. "The weather is perfect. Just how I like it."
Persephone had always enjoyed the summer. The warm weather. The wonderful events that took place during these times. But nothing compared to her favorite season; spring. Where the flowers began to bloom. When the weather gets warmer. And maybe she was biased since she was a spring baby.
"Yes. Too bad the season is almost over." Elizabeth looked at her garden once more, knowing that in just a couple of months, her garden would be covered in snow.
"Will the boys be here for breakfast?"
"No. James is currently in his Duke duties while Benjamin has some business to attend to. I thought since it would just be you and I, we could spend our breakfast outside instead." Elizabeth explained as she poured herself a cup of tea. "I hope you don't mind."
"Of course I don't." Persephone tried to keep a cool composure but inside, she was panicking. Sure, Elizabeth had treated her like a daughter and Persephone felt like she was a motherly figure, but Persephone always felt intimidated by the older woman.
Persephone would always be fine whenever one of the guys were there. She knew if the boys were there, Elizabeth wouldn't ask too many questions, questions that she may not have the answer to. And she had a feeling Elizabeth was waiting for this day to come.
"So...how's your marriage with my son so far?" And just like that, Elizabeth started her questions.
"I never really had good examples with marriages but if it's anything opposite of my parents, I would say things are going great." James was nothing like Francis. The complete opposite of him. Who knows what would have happened if she didn't take the risk of being with him.
The thought of dating Robert practically made her shudder in disgust. She knew if she would have married that man, she wouldn't be as happy as she was right now. James was everything she could wish for and more. Robert would have been her personal hell.
"That's good." Elizabeth tried finding the best way to reply to Persephone's comment. "I'm glad everything is turning out well for you too."
Elizabeth didn't know much about her late best friend's marriage. From the outside looking in, they had a happy marriage, two beautiful daughters, the perfect family. But from the little things Persephone had spoken to her about, she knew Rachel didn't have the perfect picture family she desperately wanted. She had gotten the complete opposite.
"Do you guys have any plans for the future?" Elizabeth kept going as she folded her hands. "I'm sure you two have talked about it?"
They actually did talk about their future. After their ceremony, it didn't take long for the two lovebirds to speak about what they had planned in the near future. Persephone knew that at some point, James would want to have some children. She knew that her role was to be a wife and mother. That was what society had taught her at a very young age. Parents prepare their daughters to be wives and mothers, nothing more, nothing less.
And Persephone's parents were no different. Even though Francis was barely around and barely interacted with her, he always made comments on what she needed to do. Why so many kids at such a young age talk about the social season. It was practically branded in their brains.
"We have talked about the future." Persephone slightly cleared her throat. Trying to dodge the question Elizabeth desperately wanted answers to. "We were thinking about moving to a smaller home, just the two of us. At least for a couple of months."
Persephone knew this wasn't the answer Elizabeth wanted but she wasn't exactly lying either. James and Persephone did talk about moving to a smaller home for a couple of months. To have the house to themselves and do whatever they felt like doing. Staying in the Vronsky home was great. But it was hard to have their own privacy knowing your mother-in-law's room was just a couple of feet away. Besides, it was hard to stay quiet, especially during the night.
"I'm guessing James would want to move into our second home. It's quite lovely."
"Yes, James showed me the home and I fell in love with it."
"It was his grandmother's home right before she moved to America. James would spend the majority of his time over there whenever his father and I had to leave overseas." She could practically remember bringing James to his grandmother's home. How excited he was. How happy he was to spend time with her.
"You know, Persephone, I am getting older. God knows how long I have in this world." Elizabeth began as she took a deep breath. "You know better than anyone how quick death comes and takes people."
Persephone quietly listened, nodding her head slightly. She knew better than anyone how quick you can lose someone. One moment, she had her mother on her side. The next, she was gone. In a blink of an eye, her mother was gone and later on, death took Francis. She couldn't imagine who would be next.
"The day I found out about your mother, I couldn't bear to leave my home. She was my best friend. Someone who I would have never imagined leave this world so early. She had dreams about seeing her kids become adults and creating a family of their own. She wanted to grow old and see her grandkids and possibly even see her grandkids have kids." Elizabeth could remember those talks like it was yesterday. "I didn't go to the funeral because I couldn't see her in that state. In my mind, she is alive and well."
"I wish I could say the same." Persephone whispered as she played with the ring on her finger. She didn't have that luxury of imagining her mother alive and well. Persephone couldn't live in a delusional world like Elizabeth. She buried her mother.
"The point that I am getting at is that I love seeing the two of you happy and enjoying the marriage life." Elizabeth turned to look at Persephone. She was being genuine. "But I would also like to be alive to see you both have children of your own."
There it was. That was the subject Persephone was dreading. Elizabeth was waiting for the right opportunity to drop the subject down to Persephone's lap and Persephone had nowhere to run or to hide.
"I would love for you to be here when the time comes." Persephone carefully tried to find the right words to say. "But as of now, James and I just want to enjoy ourselves before we embark in parenthood."
Girls who were in her social season were already pregnant, soon to be mothers. But Persephone wanted to wait. She wanted to enjoy her marriage with her husband. Get to know each other on a deeper level. Explore their dislikes and likes, their desires. They couldn't really do that with a baby and James completely understood.
He too didn't want to rush straight away into being a parent. James had a lot of responsibilities. He was Duke and he had to attend to his people and to his city. Being a Duke had practically taken over his everyday life. But outside of that world, he had Persephone. James wanted to spend his free time with his wife. To cherish her and love her like no man would. He was perfectly fine waiting and would shut down any talks of children whenever his mother would try to bring it up.
He had practically begged his mother not to speak of the matter until the pair were ready to have that type of conversation. Elizabeth was smart though. She knew she couldn't randomly bring this topic to the table if James were around. She knew he would shut down the conversation before it even began. So she waited. Waited for the perfect time. Elizabeth knew she was bound to be with Persephone alone without her son getting in the way. And this was the perfect moment.
But this wasn't the exact answer she was looking for.
"Wouldn't you want to start motherhood? So many of your friends have already started."
Persephone didn't really have many friends. The only people she could rely on were Naomi, Daphne, and Arabella. The rest were just women she knew—acquaintances if you will. However, her actual friends haven't embarked in motherhood, not that she knew of.
Shortly after Persephone had her wedding, Naomi had hers but with a certain Prince. Even though women flocked on him, his eyes were always set on Naomi. With the Queen's approval, Prince Friedrich was soon married to Naomi Everfalls. Persephone was happy about the news, her best friend was a Princess. But as now, Naomi and Friedrich were enjoying their time traveling the world. They weren't exactly planning on having a child but if the moment came, they wouldn't be opposed.
It wasn't long before Daphne joined in and married the Duke of Hastings. The girls knew everything that had happened between the pair and immediately agreed on the marriage. But to Persephone's understanding, Daphne wouldn't be able to be a mother. Daphne had claimed that the Duke could not give her any children. It was sad to hear considering it was Daphne's dream to become a mother but she had let the red head be.
"I would like to be a mother someday. I just don't think now is the right time." Persephone replied. "However, If the time comes, I wouldn't be opposed to it."
Elizabeth smiled, understanding that she couldn't be persistent. The couple had made their decision. "I'm sure you'll be a great mother, Persephone."
Persephone gave her a small smile before looking away. The idea of motherhood scared her. She had heard her sister's screams in agony. They practically haunted her everytime she would even think about having a child. But as much as she wanted to run away from it, Persephone had to face it head on. She could only hope she would be prepared for when the time comes.
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But while the young woman was thinking about the next step of life, someone had other plans instead.
Daniel was focused on writing his letter and eventually sending it off. For the past couple of months, his main focus was his job. He tried to get over what had happened and so far, he was—that was until he heard his door open and close.
"It is very rude to walk into a room without knocking." Daniel announced, still focusing on his letter and not bothering to look at the person that had rudely walked in.
"I didn't think I needed to."
Daniel sighed, putting his quill down as he looked up. "Robert, what do you want now?"
Robert was somewhat of a friend to Daniel. In fact, Robert knew everything about him. Had seen him in his ups and downs. His success and his losses. The two had been through everything but as of now, Daniel had wanted to focus on himself.
"Daniel, I can't do it. I can't live my life and move forward knowing she is married to him." It didn't take a genius to understand what Robert was talking about. Daniel would know—he had heard lots of this.
Daniel sighed as he massaged his temples. "We have been through this. There is nothing we can do. Just focus on yourself and find someone else to marry. I'm sure you'll find a woman or at least wait until the next social season."
"I don't."
"You have no other choice."
"What if I told you I have a plan." Robert took a seat in front of Daniel's desk. "I have been thinking about this for a while now and I think this could work."
"Don't you think it's time to stop this obsession you have with her?" Daniel asked the crazed man. In the beginning of everything, Daniel understood perfectly as to why Robert was being a git. But as time passed, things had changed drastically.
"I don't have an obsession!" Robert practically yelled before he calmed himself down. "I just don't like losing and I always get what I want and I want her."
"Well, you can't have her."
"Not unless they get a divorce."
Daniel furrowed his brows as he scoffed. "What makes you think they are going to get a divorce?"
Persephone and James practically fought tooth and nail to get married. Went above and beyond and made it happen. What made Robert think they would get a divorce?
Robert smirked, leaning forward. "I have an idea and if you help me, I will not only give you ALL of Linwood's properties but double the money that I had promised you last time."
This had seemed to spark Daniel's interest. Not only was Robert willing to give him those expensive properties, but he was going to double money from the last time they had agreed to the arranged marriage.
"And what do I have to do?" Daniel leaned forward as well, matching the smirk on Robert's face.
"All you have to do is make sure she doesn't get pregnant."
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! Author's Note !
─◌✰್ We have officially started Act 3 and I am so excited!!! Even though it is bittersweet, a lot of things will get revealed during this act.
─◌✰್ Lots of baby talk and lots of updates on what's been going on since the marriage ceremony. And it looks like Robert and Daniel are back to their old ways.
─◌✰್ Thank you all for reading. Enjoy♡