Authors: Violet Walker
“
W
hy, yes. Have you never heard of it?” asks Henry.
“Oh, I have. It’s just that we never tried it in Leicester. Last year, we had very little rain and someone suggested we build a hydraulic pump to improve irrigation.” She clamps her mouth shut when she realizes that Her Grace is looking at her rather strangely.
Apparently, even Henry notices his mother’s surprise at Rebecca’s statements and thus clarifies, “Rebecca looked after the estate in Leicester in her brother’s absence, so she is quite familiar with the day-to-day work required. As you know, it requires in depth knowledge on a variety of topics including agriculture and irrigation.”
“Ah, yes, of course. I presume my daughter-in-law will make a perfect Duchess if she’s had hands-on experience in running an estate!” exclaims Lady Elizabeth. Rebecca heaves a sigh of relief. She’d thought that maybe the Dowager Duchess would find her a bit
strange
as it is quite unusual for women to have knowledge in such matters.
“I think so, too,” replies Henry. The look that he gives Rebecca makes her insides melt like butter. Is that admiration that she sees in his eyes? Does he really respect her for the hard work she put in while managing her estate? He did take keen interest in their conversation about all the techniques she tried to improve their agricultural production in the carriage. If only she knew his feelings for her! She knows that he desires her as a woman, but that is just not enough!
After last night, Rebecca is sure of one thing, at least. She is not merely attracted to Henry. If that was the case, her heart wouldn’t flutter wildly whenever he looked at her during breakfast. The way that he jumped to her defense when she’d been talking about pumps and irrigation made her fall for him a little more. Henry can be annoying and impossible at times, but he has a heart of gold, she thinks. He has treated her with nothing but respect since their marriage and she is sure that he’d have honored his promise too, if she’d not literally forced him to take her to bed. Her cheeks flame when she thinks about the previous night.
*******************************************
Henry can’t help but think of Rebecca the entire day. The way her eyes moved upwards when he kissed her neck, the way she blushed when he reminded her that this wouldn’t be their last night of passion, the sway of her hips when she went back to her chamber. Just thinking about these things makes his body hard with desire. He has to find some solution to all this or he will never be able to concentrate on his work!
After toiling the entire day with mechanics to fix the pump, Henry finally succeeded in re-installing it. Although he doesn’t really need to get his hands dirty, Henry prefers to work along with his men if the situation warrants. Tired after the hard day’s work, Henry finally heads back to the mansion. He’s already excited about seeing Rebecca again.
As he enters the castle, his butler Robert informs him that his mother and wife have gone to the village Chapel to seek God’s blessings. A little disappointed to find Rebecca gone, he asks one of the servants to prepare a hot bath for him. He badly needs to relax his sore muscles. After taking a nice, long bath, he retires to the study to look over some paperwork.
“
G
ood evening, Henry.”
“Good evening, Mother. You both are finally back! Don’t you think it is a little late to be visiting the Chapel?”
“I know, I know, but Rebecca and I spent the entire morning getting her acquainted with the estate and after a light supper, we decided to head to the Chapel. Rebecca absolutely loved it, didn’t you, my dear?” beams Lady Elizabeth.
“Yes, of course. Mother told me that it dates back to the fourteenth century. I was truly mesmerized by its architecture and antiquity.”
“His father and I got married there. I wish Henry could have married in that Chapel too, but God had other plans, I think,” she smiles fondly.
“May I just go and freshen up a bit? I am exhausted,’ says Rebecca, stifling a yawn. Three days of travelling have worn her out in more ways than she realized.
“Of course! I need to talk to Henry for a moment. You can join us later for dinner.” Rebecca gives a small nod and leaves the study.
Late in the evening, Rebecca enjoys yet another delicious meal with her little family (yes, she has come to regard Henry and his mother as her family) and thereafter, she and Henry indulge in another night of unrestrained passion. The only difference is that this time Henry himself comes into her chamber and carries her back to his.
This routine goes on for a few days. Each morning, Henry left the mansion to attend to the matters of his estate and Lady Elizabeth and Rebecca would either spend the entire day supervising the household or sometimes, when the weather permitted, they would go out for shopping or leisurely strolls. They even visit some of Lady Elizabeth’s friends, all of whom make Rebecca feel extremely welcome.
She comes to adore her mother-in-law in a short time. In Lady Elizabeth, she sees the reflection of her own mother. Lady Elizabeth, in turn, has become very fond of her. She had always wanted a daughter of her own, but when she’d been incapable of bearing any more children due to an accident after Henry’s birth, her wish went unfulfilled. But now Rebecca fulfills that dream of hers!
Rebecca finds herself nicely settled in her new home. She tries to keep herself occupied most of the day helping Lady Elizabeth run the household, and most of her nights are spent in Henry’s strong arms. She has fallen totally and helplessly in love with him. In a moment of weakness, while they are making love, she even blurts out those three magical words to him, but he merely kisses her in response. He
had
tensed for a small moment, but soon he started kissing her so passionately that all thoughts fled her mind.
She doesn’t have the slightest idea how to approach Henry on the matter. How can she tell him that she doesn’t merely need him to satisfy her every night, she wants much more from him? She wants ALL of him- body
and
mind! She wants to hear him say, “I love you too!”
R
oughly a month-and-a-half after their marriage, Henry is working in his study when his mother knocks on the door.
“May I come in?”
“Of course, Mother! I am honored that the Duchess herself has decided to pay me a visit!” he jokes. She gives a tight smile in response.
“Henry, I was waiting to ask you something for quite a while…may I ask how you got involved with Rebecca?”
This question takes Henry by surprise. “What exactly do you want to know, Mother?” he asks cautiously.
“I want to know how you got acquainted with her. Did you meet her at some party or through some common acquaintance? I want to know the truth, Henry,” Lady Elizabeth says a little sternly.
“Did Rebecca tell you anything?”
“No. I tried asking her a few times but she failed to give me a satisfactory response each time. I have no idea why, but she gets a little uneasy whenever I broach the subject.”
“Well, I knew her brother, Lord Peter Thompson, the Earl of Leicester, through some common friends,” says Henry. He pauses to think of some creative way to disclose the rest of the story.
“Yes, go on. I am listening.”
“Actually, we met at Almack’s,” he blurts out and sees his mother flinch a little. “In a wager, he put his estate at stake and….. he lost it.”
“To you, I presume,” she says and when Henry nods, she continues, “And that is why you went to Leicester, to claim the estate that you’d won in a
wager
!” His mother has always been openly critical of the system of winning estates in wagers. She believes that because the gentlemen are hardly sober while wagering their estates, such wagers should be considered void.
“Yes. I had seven days to claim the estate.”
“Splendid! Now tell me how you ended up marrying Lord Thompson’s sister?”
“Mother, what is the point of asking all this now? Rebecca and I are married, and nothing I may tell you is going to change that fact,” Henry states.
“I know nothing can be changed now, but by knowing the entire truth, I may be able to save your and Rebecca’s future.”
“What is
that
supposed to mean?” he asks, a little exasperated.
“I will tell you everything, but first you tell me how the both of ended up getting married.”
“Well, as I just said, I won the estate of Leicester in a wager but when I reached there to claim it, I found Lord Thompson and his sister in a dire situation. The estate was all they had and if I took that away from them, they would’ve been subjected to a life of misery and poverty.” Henry is glad that his mother is listening to him patiently \. He is not particularly proud of what he did, but then he didn’t have many options, did he?
“I wanted a suitable bride for myself since you’d given me an ultimatum to settle down and produce an heir as soon as possible. When I met Rebecca, I found her extremely likeable. She was the perfect combination of beauty and intelligence. Although she held me responsible for their unfortunate situation and probably hated me for it, I wanted her as my wife.” Henry looks at his mother to gauge her reaction, but her face is completely unreadable. When she doesn’t say anything, he continues with the rest of his story.
“I offered to return the estate of Leicester to Thompsons but on one condition….”
“Rebecca had to marry you,” Lady Elizabeth completes his sentence. Now that the entire truth is laid bare, Henry feels a huge burden lift off his chest. While he’d known that his mother would one day learn the truth, he’d been avoiding it so far.
“So technically, you entered into a marriage of convenience with Rebecca. She wanted the estate and you needed a wife for an heir,” says Lady Rebecca, disbelief written clearly on her features. Henry thinks that hearing the truth from his mother’s mouth makes it sound much more depressing than it actually is.
“
I
t is not as bad as it sounds, Mother, I assure you. I know that our marriage was not based on the most solid foundation, but we are managing just fine. You only said last night that I look much happier now and Rebecca seems happy too, doesn’t she?”
Lady Elizabeth does not answer his question and, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she finally asks Henry, “Did you know that Rebecca’s father and mother’s marital relationship was far from ideal? Her mother loved the erstwhile Earl, but her love was never reciprocated. She died longing for her husband’s love and understanding.”
“Yes, I have heard much about the late Earl’s secret affairs and his scandalous nature.” Henry feels a little confused.
“Have you cared to look into Rebecca’s eyes, Henry? She seems happy, but she is not content. There is something amiss, as if she is longing for something. At times, I have even seen fear in her eyes. Rebecca did not tell me this in as many words, but I think she fears that she may end up like her mother,” Lady Elizabeth sighs.
“What?” exclaims Henry.
“Yes, my dear. She loves you, can’t you see that? And all she wants from you in return is love.”
“Love?” Henry repeats the word as if he’s hearing it for the first time.
“Yes, love. Now I know why she had that forlorn look on her face whenever I told her stories about your father and me. Good Lord! She wants the same life for herself and I could not understand her feelings all this while.”
“Mother, what has love got to do with marriage? You cannot deny that marriages like ours happen all the time.”
“I know, Henry. I just told you what I felt and what I saw. Rebecca is a fine young lady, my dear, and she deserves the best in life.” Lady Elizabeth pats her son’s shoulder gently and, after giving him a meaningful glance, she exits the study.
Henry feels a little disturbed after having this discussion with his mother. She’d told him that Rebecca loved him! Could that be true? No, he is sure that she must be mistaken. After all, Rebecca knows full well that theirs is a marriage of convenience. There is usually little room for love in such a marriage.
But what if Rebecca
has
actually fallen in love with him? After all, his mother is usually correct when it comes to gauging peoples’ feelings. If that is the case, he must talk to her. He cannot let her live in false hope. He must tell her that he is incapable of loving her back. Hell, that is the main reason why he avoids her company all day! He deliberately stays away from the castle as long as he can, pretending to attend to the matters of the estate. In reality, he doesn’t want to get too attached to her. God knows how difficult it is for him, but he’s doing it for
her
sake. He doesn’t want to break her heart.
He even tries to control his feelings as much as he can when they are together at night, but when he thinks of Rebecca lying gloriously naked in bed a mere few feet away from him, his self-control weakens. Moreover, his duty towards the estate requires him to father a child and he has to fulfill that obligation at all costs. He
has
to frequent her chamber at nights until he is assured that she is carrying his child. He just has to be careful that he doesn’t lose his heart in the process now that he knows that his beautiful wife loves him!
Henry silently curses the timing of this information. He has to immediately leave for an important meeting in the neighboring county and he won’t be back for three days. Once he returns, he’ll have to tell Rebecca that he is incapable of loving her…..or anyone else, for that matter!