Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 47: Death is only the beginning- Part 1

It was a quiet carriage ride back to the church in which Cain, Verushka and the Dowager Duchess of Bexley clutched hands. The coach veered swiftly south from Knightsbridge as padded thuds gave way to the clip clop of hooves on cobblestone. As they came closer to the Tothill Fields of town, the smell of horses folded into the rivers wafting winds. Verushka had read of European towns such as Salzburg that beckoned travellers with music, but London welcomed its citizens with a scent, and pleasant or putrid, it was one she knew well and it meant that they were quickly nearing the church.

She caught her fiancés shuttered gaze, devoid of its usual warmth. Even when William had been alive, Cain had always seemed like a duke to her. However now the difference of not having the protection of a parent was evident. At Kensington Palace Cain stepped forward to claim the title and care for the Bexley family as his father's mantle truly fell upon his shoulders. Verushka's heart had clenched within her chest as he directed a few trusted agents to return William's body to their country estate where he would be interred in the family crypt. The Queen's mother was escorted back to Ingestre House, her sentence to be named by her daughter and Sir John Conroy was sent into confinement where he was to be attended by several surgeons to ensure that he lived to meet the punishment for his crimes.

Verushka sighed, a deep and mournful sound in the confined space and Catherine brushed her cheek with a loving stroke.

"Only happy thoughts, my darling girl."

Verushka looked at the older woman astounded at her resilience.

"William would not have wanted it any other way." The Dowager continued as though her heart were not breaking.

"Let me tell you the story of how Cain's father and I met. Many years ago when I was a maid such as yourself, he found me picking wildflowers for my mistress's bouquet. Do you know what he always said about that morning while I knelt in dew soaked soil?" Her voice warmed with nostalgia. "He said, the moment he saw me he knew that I was the one he had been waiting for." The Dowager Duchess smiled with bright watery eyes. "Not one in a hundred people can claim such a love and few in the ton would even dare to try. Maybe tonight when the night grows cold I will shed a tear. In fact, I am certain I will and I am even more certain that in its own time the taste of brine on my lips, will bring a measure of peace. But, we were so very blessed to have shared a life together and it would be a disservice to his memory if I wept at every mention of his name."

The Dowager Duchess moved to take the seat across from the couple and grasped their joined hands in her own. "I have loved my husband from a distance for a very long time. Now he is just a little farther. That is my story's end. Yours is just beginning and oh, how William loved your tale. He knew Verushka would open your heart Cain, and he saw himself in every cheeky manoeuvre Cain made to draw you from your shell, Verushka." Catherine chuckled softly but her gaze was drawn to the tightness around her son's eyes.

"Death is only the beginning, son. Your father is watching over us from the Lord's great kingdom. He has finally avenged his old friend and now Prince Edward can rest easy knowing that his child is safe." She squeezed his hand tightly. "Let your father have this. Let him be free."

Cain met her aged eyes and a shuddering breath escaped his chest. He inclined his head with a slow blink. An acquiescence to her beseeching. He had said a faux farewell to his father a long time ago and he knew that he should not be anything but grateful for all the years of borrowed time. Knew it, but did not feel it yet. Logic battled with emotion and never had a greater war been waged.

"Must we still marry today?" Verushka questioned quietly.

"What?"

"Pardon?"