Ordained

Chapter Eighty-Eight

Emmeline was busy reading, with Clementine brushing her hair, when a knock sounded at her door. "Yes?" She called, still not lifting her eyes from the page.

Clementine made a disapproving face at her before heading to the door. Noble ladies did not shout at unseen visitors. Emmeline sighed but didn't bother to argue. It would only be a servant calling to relay a message. No one else was likely to even be on this side of the manor.

"Emmie." Cassius' voice had her almost dropping her book in surprise.

"Cassius. What are you doing here?" She asked, turning in her seat to face him.

He looked a little abashed but took her usual spot on her sofa nonetheless. "It is really so surprising that I might come and see you?" He asked.

She made a gesture that expressed how stupid she thought his question to be. "Yes. You are supposed to be catching up on your sleep." Glancing up at the clock it was only 7am, she had agreed to meet him in their old dining room at 8am.

He shrugged. "I struggle to sleep."

Emmeline said nothing, she too had found it difficult to sleep. After dinner she had been in agony, her stomach pain growing so intense that she had ended up throwing up her entire dinner. Clementine had immediately insisted they call a doctor, but she had refused. Cassius didn't need anything else on his plate. She had argued with Clem that if she still felt unwell tomorrow she'd agree to a doctor, but she had no intention of fulfilling the promise.

"If you keep entering my chambers so early in the morning, people will start to talk." She teased, sitting to face the mirror again so Clementine could finish.

Cassius looked at her for a long second bursting out laughing. "Then let them talk!"

...

The stewards had gathered and were waiting for them when they entered the library. Emmeline felt a wave of nauseous hit her as she stepped forwards but did her best to hide her grimace. Placing a hand over her stomach she took in a deep soothing breath before she spoke. "Thank you for coming."

There was a murmuring of greeting before they lapsed back into expectant silence. Cassius had expressed at breakfast that he didn't know the words to use to ask for help, so Emmeline had agreed she would take the lead. It was nice that he trusted her. Opening her mouth she found that all her confidence suddenly dried up.

"Thank you for coming. His grace and I must go to the Capital for the late duke's state funeral." She was stating the obvious but it felt like as good a place as any to start. "Therefore his grace wishes to discuss the delegation of duties whilst we are away."

"And why is it that you feel you may speak for his grace?" A steward Emmeline recognised but couldn't name spoke up. He was a little younger than some of the others, maybe in his early forties, and the look of disdain he gave her told her all she needed to know about his attitude. Before she could answer a hand to rest protectively on her stomach as Cassius moved to stand close behind her.

"My ordained pair may speak for me any time she wishes. Name?" Cassius demanded, giving Emmeline the satisfaction of watching the colour drain from the man's face.

"Percy Frances, your grace." He replied, less arrogantly than he had been seconds before.

Cassius hummed, Emmeline feeling the vibrations against her shoulder blades. "Ms. Frances' son?" He asked. When Percy nodded Cassius just let the silence unspool. It was uncomfortable but no one was sweating as much as the son of Carmen's lady's-made.

"You are dismissed." Cassius finally said, pulling Emmeline a little closer as pressing a kiss to her temple.

Percy spluttered, protested, even begged but neither Cassius nor Emmeline said a word as the man was seen out. "Right. Shall we sit down and discuss?" Cassius finally asked the room.

The library had a long table that Emmeline had never seen used properly before now. Occasionally someone might sit at it if they needed to spread out documents, but for the most part it sat empty. Cassius held out a chair for Emmeline before sitting at the head of the table. Reaching out he held her hand, the pair of them looking every bit the duke and duchess. The small gesture made her smile, her heart still singing from how he had defended her just then.

The meeting went well, she thought. Cassius found out what each person had been responsible for during the war and while there were some new tasks surrounding there being a new Duke, tasks were easily divided amongst the stewards to take pressure off Cassius. Mr Graham kept his role as Head Steward, but Mr Olivers was promoted to Assistant Head. It was a new role, but given the increased amount of work, and the loss of a member of staff, it made sense for the other stewards to have someone they could go to should Mr Graham be unavailable, or if the Duke needed to leave the estate. When Cassius left the meeting it was with a positive bounce in his step.

The things he needed to oversee personally had dropped dramatically and Emmeline couldn't help but smile when he insisted they go for a walk. 

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Author's Note:

Ugh I love a man who stands up for you.

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S x