I need to tell Daisy, she thought as Walter continued to talk to her, filling her in with the finer details. And Charlotte too, this is wonderful. I am engaged ...
Maybe she did not quite feel engaged; there was nothing to suggest that things were different, but she knew. The knowledge was there that soon she would be a Duchess, married to a Duke who she cared for very much.
Chapter 14
As soon as Edmund walked through the door into Mary’s home, he could tell that she knew. Walter had clearly informed her that he wanted to marry her, and now she did not seem to know how to act. Her face was flushed; her feet kept on moving, and she did not know where to place her hands ...
It was adorable; she looked wonderfully cute, but at the same time, he felt a little infuriated. He was hurt that Walter did not take the hint that he wanted to tell Mary himself. Still, at least it appeared to be clear that she would not turn him down. That helped the tight knot of panic to loosen in his chest.
“Good afternoon, Lady Roberts,” he said smilingly while tipping his hat to greet her. “It is lovely to see you again. You look beautiful as always.”
Mary glanced down at her cream coloured lacy dress that cinched in nicely at her waist and ran delicately down her arms until it splayed out at the wrist. She had spent hours agonising over what she wanted to wear today to see Duke Edmund, and now that he had given her such a wonderful compliment, she was ecstatic. She was also glad that she had taken the bold decision yet again to leave her hair hanging naturally and her face make-up free. Edmund seemed to like that look when she went with it the time before, and here he was admiring her yet again.
“Thank you very much,” she replied with pink stained cheeks. “You look very good yourself.”
In his dapper, suave suit that fit his body perfectly, Edmund looked just like the Duke he truly was. It made Mary happy to think about the time when she might be on his arm officially, as his wife. Maybe it was not something that she had been looking forward to at eighteen years old when she first got the news, but now she could not wait.
“May we go and sit down?” Edmund indicated towards where they usually went to talk, and Mary nodded. Hot anxiety raced through her body; she struggled to keep her expression stoic, but she forced herself to move.
Walter stayed close to the pair. Despite the fact that Mary already knew of the impending engagement, he wanted to be certain that Edmund was going to make it official. He had to ensure that everything went exactly to plan, that was his only job, the only thing that he cared about once he was inside the walls of the Roberts family. Walter Thompson was nothing if not a very meticulous man.
“Shall I get someone to bring in drinks?” he asked in a bright tone while flicking his eyes between the pair. “I can call in the maid ...”
“Daisy,” Mary said suddenly, wanting her friend to be recognised for how much she did for the family. “Her name is Daisy.”
“Right.” Walter furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Mary did not seem to be the quiet girl he first encountered anymore. “Yes, Daisy. I shall get Daisy to bring us in some drinks.”
As Walter left the room, Edmund smiled at Mary encouragingly. This was just another thing that he liked about her; her caring nature. There were not many people in the upper, privileged classes of society that knew the names of their maids or cared about the living conditions that the working classes had to suffer within. The fact that Mary was passionate about it made him think about it more too.
“Is Daisy your friend?” he asked her softly. Mary smiled as if to herself, and then she nodded. “That is wonderful to hear.”
Mary held her head high and boldly asked, “Are you not friends with all the staff who work in your home?”
“Actually …” Edmund tapped his fingers together as he spoke. “We do not really have many staff members. Not compared to most of the families in London. My mother does not like to have too many people fussing around her.”
He could remember having many people working for them when his father was alive, but that had dwindled after he passed away. He had not much thought about it until now. It was not that they could not afford it because he had plenty of money that he brought into the family home, it was more that she preferred to be independent and do things herself.
“Your mother sounds like a very interesting woman,” Mary remarked. “I should very much like to meet her.”
“Oh, my mother would love you,” he gushed happily. “My mother will like you very much.” The smile on his face only fell slightly when he remembered that Mary did not have a mother of her own ... or a father. “I should erm … I should take you to meet her soon.”
Fortunately, Mary was not impacted by the mention of Edmund’s mother. She had never had her own, so she did not know how to miss her. “I believe I would like that very much.”
Edmund parted his lips and got ready to start the proposal that he had been working on. It may have to be slightly edited now that Walter had ruined it somewhat, but he still wanted to find a way to make it work. His fingers curled around the ring box that he had in his pocket, the band and gem that he had spent a while picking out, but before he could say anything, Walter walked back into the room with the maid that he now knew was called Daisy, right behind him,
“Here are the drinks,” Walter announced, either unaware or ignoring the thick, tense atmosphere. “Is tea alright for everyone?”
Edmund sat back in his chair and kept his expression stoic. He did not want Walter to know that he was annoyed at him for ruining his proposal yet again. “Yes, tea sounds wonderful.”
As Daisy darted between them, pouring them all drinks, Edmund made sure that he thanked her for making the drink for him, just like Mary did. He could already feel himself becoming more of a conscientious person just for getting to know her. Daisy gave him a grateful smile; she had seen it too.
“Well,” Walter said as he took a much too noisy sip of his drink. “This is just lovely. Is there anything that anyone wishes to discuss today?”
He glanced meaningfully at Edmund, making the Duke’s blood boil. He had just been about to ask the big question before this silly man walked in. The last thing he needed was to be made to look foolish. “I think it might be nice for me and Mary to have some time to ourselves,” he said through gritted teeth.
Maybe it was not customary to spend time without a chaperone, but surely it had grown past that now? Walter had left them alone for a short while last time anyway.
Walter bristled; he did not want to miss the big moment when it happened. He wanted to see it with his own eyes to know for certain. Maybe it would be good enough to see the ring afterwards – presuming there was a ring – but still he did not like it. Unfortunately, judging by the look on Edmund’s face, this was the only way that things would progress.