His Wayward Duchess

His Wayward Duchess - Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A month later, Caroline, Duchess of Ravenham, had been out on her morning ride when the newspaper arrived. As she arrived at the huge, romantic mansion she immediately felt something were slightly off. Why did her butler suddenly look so awkwardly at her?

And when two maids passed her, while courtsey, they eyed her with curious glances.

“Jen!”

She went into the dining room and called for her chambermaid who sat, knitting while drinking some tea.

“Yes, milady?”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t...”

“Oh, don't try to fool me. I’m sure you do! What on earth has happened? Mr Frock looked  more weird than usual when he saw me.”

“My ladyship…”

“And now you even use formal language… please, just tell me already.”

“I think you ought to see the newspapers that has arrived from London, milady.”

“What…?” She had certainly not expected it to have something to do with London news.

Then she cough on the teacup she just had just taken a sip from when Jen lay the paper before her.

“ For all that's holy…” she whispered, shocked.

With black, bold characters it said; “WILL RAVENHAM REMARRY?”

She continued reading aloud; “It’s been said that a mysterious beauty has been seen together with lord Ravenham at London’s most important functions off late and at the theater he even reserved his whole cabin for the two of them, but no one in the high ton has ever noticed such an exotic beauty before. So her character remains unknown. What will now become of the present Duchess of Ravenham, will she subside her title to her husband’s dark-haired girlfriend? It’s well known amongst the ton that the pair has separated and they’ve been apart for years. So shall we be expecting a wedding without it’s equal when London’s most eligible husband throws his ring off?”

Stunned, Caroline closed her eyes to prevent them from giving away to much of her real feelings. She had been trained at Guilaire's Ladies Academy in how to be a lady of the high ton. How to present herself. How to take care of her husband. But nothing, had prepared her for jealousy. For pain and how to deal with it.

So this is your answer, Edward, after all these years?

You told me you would never divorce me.

You said that when we married, I’d have to live with you for the rest of my life.

I knew all that. That’s why I said yes, I do.

And that’s why I agreed to our engagement in the first place...

A single teardrop gathered in her eyelids but she swept it away angrily.

He had only taken her to the theater once... and she was his wife!

Their courting hadn’t been long, a little more than half a year before they married due to the fear of him being called to a foreign country on the business of the House of the lords.

Then after a year as husband and wife; her mother had died and Caroline, who had finally gotten pregnant after a whole year of insinuations, about Edward needing a heir, from the high ton ladies - Caroline had lost the precious baby.