The Duke of Bedford needs money.
After years of gambling and not paying attention to his budget, Cecil Hastings finds himself in financial trouble. If he cannot find a reasonable amount of money soon, he will be forced to sell his estate.
Then, he...
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The Duke of Bedford and Lord Winton requested that Lady Gwendoline and I withdraw. They said they wanted to discuss the Duke's plan in further detail. "If I am involved in the plan, why am I being sent out of the room?" I inquired aloud, more to the study's shut door than to anyone else. "I do not doubt that Ernest will try to talk Cecil out of his daft plan," Lady Gwendoline replied, who did not seem to mind being left out of the meeting. "His Lordship seemed willing to help." "My brother would do anything to help Cecil; he is practically a brother to us. So if he cannot come up with a better plan, then he shall go along with this one." "Can I ask you a question, my lady?" "Of course." "Do you find me foolish for going along with the Duke of Bedford's plan?" Lady Gwendoline sighed, "You are a lady's maid. I understand why you feel compelled to agree to anything a nobleman asks of you. And if you pull this off, you shall walk away with a handsome sum. But what the two of you are doing is risky. So many things could go wrong, and if anyone else discovers this plan, I fear that people would blame you." "Why? His Grace is the one who came up with the idea, and it is his great-aunt that he wishes to deceive." "Yes, but Cecil is a man. And a Duke. It is not fair, but unfortunately, that is how society works." I nodded sadly, knowing that Lady Gwendoline had a point. That was one of the reasons why I considered her to be the best mistress that I worked for. She would speak to me more as a friend than as a servant, and unlike other society women, she spoke about more interesting things than balls and gowns. "You do not have to assist me if you do not approve of the plan, my lady," I informed. "As daft as Cecil is, I must help him," Lady Gwendoline replied. "Besides, if the plan succeeds, and you walk away victorious, I would not be the least bit cross." "Thank you, my lady." "Come, let us go to my sitting room. We can begin your training."
I followed Lady Gwendoline into her sitting room, which she used more for her studies than anything else. The room belonged to her mother, the late Countess of Winton. However, Lord Winton told his sister that she could use it until he found a wife. I spent many hours in the sitting room, often working on mending Lady Gwendoline's dresses while she attempted to explain philosophical concepts to me. While I never fully understood what she was explaining, I was always a willing audience. "Where should we begin?" Lady Gwendoline asked as she flung open the drapes, letting the morning light fill the room. "I do not know, my lady," I replied, racing to open the other set of drapes. "We can start with that. You cannot continue to address me as 'her ladyship.' If you are the wife of a Duke, then you are a duchess, and therefore, have a higher ranking than me." "That seems rather rude, my lady. And while we are in private..." "We only have a week to convince a Dowager Duchess that you are a noblewoman," Lady Gwendoline interrupted. "There is no time to waste, and you do not want to slip in front of her. Starting right now, you can either call me 'Lady Gwendoline,' or do not call me anything at all." "Very well, my..." then stopped myself from continuing the sentence. "And you must get used to being addressed as Duchess." "Duchess?" "Well, yes, that is your new title." I found myself nodding along, but I was overwhelmed by all the information given to me that morning. It was too late for me to back out, but I felt completely unable to pull the deception off. How was I supposed to convince people that I was a lady of society if I could not even get my head around the notion of addressing people properly? "Susan, are you all right?" Lady Gwendoline inquired. "You look quite pale, you must sit down." "I am perfectly well," I said. "I know that is not true. I am sure that this must be a lot for you to process. But I will help you every day for the next week, and make sure that you are ready for this." "Thank you, my...Lady Gwendoline."
