Seren had not seen Lady Anika since the second tea incident, and she was sure she was too embarrassed to see the lady again, and the lady would never want to see her again.
Nonetheless, Seren knew if she did or said nothing to the lady for the rest of her life, she would regret it on her deathbed, and thus made the walk to the neighbouring Filiya estate. She regrettably had to leave Evangeline in the care of her nanny for the day; a crying baby would have ruined the conversation Seren had to have with the lady anyway.
Thankfully, most of the aristocrats were gone, probably into the city for the upcoming social season. Only Lady Anika herself remained, probably having already received the marriage proposal she and her family had been expecting.
The lady invited Seren to sit for a cup of tea, upon which Seren immediately blurted, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry?” Lady Anika replied.
“I’ve misjudged you.”
Then it clicked with her. “Oh, goodness, no, it’s fine.”
Oh. It seemed like Seren had truly misjudged the lady, for she forgave Seren faster than she ought to, when she ought to not at all.
“Though,” Lady Anika added, “I do wonder where you had gotten that notion from.”
“I— I don’t know. I was being illogical.”
Lady Anika shrugged. “Well, now you can stop being illogical and actually marry someone who’ll love you back.”
“I doubt so. Any hypothetical spouse would run away in fear of dropping dead next before I could even get a metre close to them.”
“You’ll never know unless you ask ‘any hypothetical spouse’.”
“I’m in mourning.”
“That’s never stopped anyone.”
-
YOU ARE READING
The Duchess
Historical FictionSeren Ferguson marries the Duke of Blackfall after becoming pregnant with his child. It is, by all accounts, a loveless marriage. Will their relationship improve, or will she find love elsewhere, in unexpected places, from unexpected people?
