(COMPLETED)
It's 1817 and there is nothing more a woman wants than to marry a rich man and live a life of comfort.
But not Nancy Brooks. Having spent half her life helping her mother run her laundry shop and the other half in the local library, Na...
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After a relatively hectic week filled with tests and exams—Nancy had to worry about those now, much to her delight, since she was eligible for a degree—she was quite glad when the weekend finally came. She came home late on Friday night, having been delivering clothes that had been piled up for a few days now. Her mother was asleep by the time she returned and the house was quiet. She liked it that way after all the noise and chaos at school.
Stepping into her bedroom, she lit the candles and then froze when she looked into the mirror hanging on the wall. Slowly, she turned around. In the darkness of the room, she saw the silhouette of a tall, thin woman, watching her calmly. She was impeccably dressed and her head was covered with the hood of her robe, but Nancy could see her sharp features and knew who she was immediately. She watched her as a mixture of emotions rose inside her; she didn't know which one was stronger—her surprise, her fear of this woman, or her anger at the fact that she had let herself into the house without permission.
"Good evening, Duchess Grafton." She tried to keep her voice steady and polite.
The woman was quiet for a while before she responded. "You would almost be an impressive young lady if you belonged to the right family...considering your determination to succeed at Oxford, despite all odds, your commitment to helping run your mother's pathetic business...and still you maintain such high grades, despite your circumstances. You would be quite a match for my son." Her voice was smooth and chilly, almost piercing Nancy with its coldness.
"I take after my mother," she said, an edge in her voice.
"Well, she must be proud to have such an undignified, rebellious, mouthy daughter." The silence rang in the dark room as the duchess studied her. "But that is not what I am here for."
"Well, let's hear your ultimatum then." Nancy folded her arms. "Or your threats about the consequences I will have to face if I don't stay away from your son. Or rather, if I don't keep him away from me, because, in all honesty, he is the one who is so keen on pursuing me."
"Yes, he does enjoy waging a war against his family." Her voice was sickeningly sweet. "Miss Brooks, I am here to offer you an incentive. I am sure you have heard the story of my niece, Sarah Smith."
Nancy did not respond. She continued to watch the duchess with a neutral expression on her face. Truth was, William had told her the story of how Sarah's lover had mysteriously disappeared and she had been forced to marry someone respectable enough for her family, but Nancy was not going to let the Duchess know that.
"My niece has not stepped too much out of line ever since her little friend...disappeared." She emphasized the last word with a strange mixture of malice and amusement. "But I regret to say that the whole experience has left a defiance in the girl that I would rather not see in my son. However, if his little friend made the decision to disappearon her own..." Her voice trailed off meaningfully.
