The Youthful Duchess

You shall be my wife.

Authors Note: Hello and welcome to my new story, the usual copyright, do not steal my work or I will hurt you ladida. Comments and votes encourage me to upload more!

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Silence loomed and the air was thick. The greying Earl sat strictly in his seat, his posture the complete opposite to his wife's - the countess who had an air of confidence surrounding her. Their visitor stood under the dim light of the moderately grand chandelier, staring beyond the large bay windows and into the meadows where a group of young maidens galavanted under the burning midday sun. His eyebrows furrowed as he took in one particular maiden who seemed to be the leader amongst the group, her unruly red hair flying around her face like an ungraceful bumbling bird and her pastel pink outdoors dress crumpling under her fingers. His fingers fidgeted behind his stiff back as he swiftly turned on his left foot to once again face the earl and countess.

"She is young." He said in a clipped voice, his polished black boots tapping earnestly against the hard wooden floor. The Earl's mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a fish. He attempted to make words appear but none seemed to suit the tense atmosphere.

"She is." He replied simply, his tone just as clipped, hoping his unpleasantness would turn the man away.

The Earl easily caught sight of the glare his wife was sending his way. His lips puckered into a tight line as he looked away and refrained from making anymore comments. The countess smiled sweetly at their visitor and rose to her feet, her movements as fluid and graceful as a swan.

"Yes she is young your grace." She began, her voice smooth and sultry, as if trying to seduce the man.

"But as you will soon see your grace, her body is ripe and at the perfect stage to birth many sons." She continued, whilst signalling for one of her servants to come to her aid.

"The ladies in our family have a history of birthing many strong, healthy baby boys, which is something I know my lord grace desires."

Countess Isobel whispered into her servants ear to fetch her daughter from the meadows before returning her attention to her visitor. She noticed the wine glass he fiddled with in his hands was empty and took it from his grasp, refilling it before passing it back to him with a slight bow and a nod of the head.

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In the meadows Ophelia laid in the grass amongst her closest friends, their heads all facing the sky as they took in the beauty of the rare crystal clear blue sky. She breathed in deeply, the fresh scent of the ripening grass and growing rosebuds assaulting her sensitive nose.

"I'm so glad summer is finally here." Said a girl named Daisy, her fingers running through the strands of grass. All the girls sighed or nodded in agreement as they basked under the glorious heat of the sun. They laid in silence, enjoying each other's company and catching their breathes after the games they had played.

"Lady Ophelia." A voice said, startling the girls and breaking the silence. Ophelia lifted her head to see one of her mothers maids.

"Hello Elise." She greeted, her voice cheery from the sight of one of her favourite servants. Elise attempted to smile in return but instead grimaced, her mood sour from overhearing the conversation the earl and countess were having with the duke. Ophelia took notice of the tense air surrounding her dear friend but decided not to ask about it, instead she waited for Elise to tell her what she wanted.

"Your mother and father wish to see you." She mumbled, holding her hand out to help Ophelia up from the ground.

With a groan she moved from her relaxed position and waved goodbye to her friends, kissing them all on the cheek before following Elise, her feet dragging behind her as she sulked.

She hated going to meet her mother and father together, it usually meant she was going to be lectured or told something that would ruin her day.

Time spent with her father was enjoyable, Ophelia had fun and loved being around his comforting touch. Time spent with her mother was usually quite the opposite, it usually involved pricking her fingers whilst attempting to learn to sew or doing some other dreary task, but both of them together usually spelt disaster.

As they reached the door to the common room Elise knocked lightly on the door three times and waited to be told that she could enter.

"Come in." Came the voice of Countess Isobel signalling that they could both enter.

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The countess gasped in embarrassment and the earl smirked as Ophelia walked in. Her skirt was crumpled and her corset had moved out of place showing a little more cleavage than usual. Her hair which had originally sat neatly on top of her head had been taking out of its bindings, allowing it to flow freely down her back and specs of grass and leaves tangled through it.

"Ophelia!" Her mother chastised, shaking her head at her daughter. "We have a visitor - the duke of Wiltshire, duke Hammond." She said nodding her head in the direction of the duke.

Ophelia wanted nothing more than to laugh at her mothers fuming face but decided it would be best not to. She soothed out the creases in her gown and bowed slightly before turning around to face the duke, taking in his appearance.

He was a tall man - very tall, with large calloused hands and broad thick shoulders. He wasn't at all very handsome but he also was not revolting. He had the usual chocolate brown hair slicked back with some sort of gel and hazel green eyes. His face was slightly on the rounder side embellished with slight stubble from facial hair he had yet to shave, he was overall - very average.

"How old are you girl?" The duke asked whilst also taking in her appearance.

Her mother was right, the girl was very well endowed. Her face and chest were flushed pink from the obvious activity she had been doing. Her low neckline allowed for him to see near half of her moderately sized pale breasts. They moved up and down slightly with the rhythm of her breath and he couldn't help but lick his lips at the thought of capturing her soft skin in his mouth. She had a petite waist but large hips - the perfect size for caring their sons - he thought without hesitation. She was also quite a sight to look at. Ophelia was quite the stunner with her vibrant green eyes and soft pink lips. Her skin was pale and without a blemish and her aubrun red hair looked radiant. She also looked to be in good health and from what her parents had told him she was pure and innocent - just how he liked it.

He snapped out of his thoughts as she replied.

"I am 16 years of age your grace, 17 in the winter."

Sixteen was young, but Hammond couldn't care less about their 25 year age difference as he looked at the unruly maiden, for he had decided at that moment that she would be his wife. She was beautiful, healthy and at child bearing age. She seemed to have a rebellious streak, but that could easily be broken.

"And have you bled?" He asked, his tone calm and his eyes uncaring, he wanted to make sure she could give him sons.

Ophelia was a little taken back by the question, feeling like her privacy had been violated. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but she knew that disrespecting a duke would shine a negative light on her family. Her lips formed into a grimace as she looked at the determined duke and with a sigh she answered his question.

"Yes, I first bled at the age of thirteen your grace."

The Duke nodded to himself before smirking slightly.

"We shall be married in a fortnight."

AN: you better get used to the cliffys

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