The Forgotten Duchess

Chapter Fifty-Six | Duchess

A special dedication to all the readers for staying till the end of Vivienne and James' journey.

"I BROUGHT YOU something to eat!"

Vivienne tore her gaze from the book she'd been reading to see Agatha standing in the doorway with a tray of food in her hands.

"What are you doing? I thought one of the maids would bring it up for me," she admonished.

As much as it annoyed Vivienne, she still hadn't gained enough strength to climb down the stairs and join the others for meals. Hence, she'd requested a tray be sent up to her room.

Agatha placed the tray on the bed, before lifting the metal covers. Dozens of pleasant scents filled the room. The bed dipped as her governess sat down, her warm brown eyes meeting Vivienne's, "I wanted to spend some more time alone with you."

Vivienne simply reached out and squeezed Agatha's hand in response. Her eyes filtered down to the tray, where an assortment of delicious toast, rolls, and jams were laid out.

"Did you bring the entire table up here?"

Agatha rolled her eyes, "Of course not. Lady Torrington would not let me leave until I'd taken a sample of at least half the table. She proclaimed that some of these delicacies were your favourites."

Vivienne's heart warmed at hearing that the dowager countess paid enough attention to her eating habits to know what she liked. She picked up a piece of toast, with a bright red jam on top. Taking a large bite, she chewed the food slowly, taking a sip of tea to help her digest it.

She gestured towards the food, "Help yourself, I cannot finish this all."

Her governess shook her head, "No, I already ate downstairs."

Vivienne nodded, as eyes drank in Agatha's appearance. Her dark hair had a few streaks of grey but besides that, her governess looked the same. "It still seems like a dream to me that you are here."

Agatha smiled softly, and her eyes crinkled in response. "It is the best dream then, no?"

Vivienne grinned, "It definitely is."

Agatha's brown eyes travelled to the pendant on her neck. Her smiled dimmed, as she gave Vivienne her full attention, "I'm so sorry for keeping the truth of your heritage from you. I should have told you earlier. It might have prevented many events that ultimately unfolded."

Vivienne returned the toast to the plate, "There is nothing to forgive Agatha. You did what you thought was in our best interest and what my father would have wanted. I might not have understood your decisions at first, but I do now. Not to mention that you held off the mercenaries and told me to run. I felt guilty for the longest time, thinking I was responsible for your death."

Warm hands cupped her cheeks, "That is nothing to be guilty of Viv. I would have died to protect you. You are my family."

Tears gathered in the corner of Vivienne's eyes, "And you are mine." she gave a weak laugh, "But I'm glad that you didn't die. I've missed you so much in the time we have been apart."

"As have I sweetheart," Agatha brushed the strands of hair out of Vivienne's face. "I'm also sorry to have missed your debut into society, I remember making a promise that I would stand beside you on that day. But it brings be great joy to see that you've become quite the fine lady; your parents would be proud."

The compliment meant more to Vivienne than she could ever express. She huffed out a laugh, "I don't think my debut would be deemed a success..."

"There is always next year Viv, do not fret. You have me now and we can face it all together."