Miss Wendy Garren has resigned herself to one last tormented season in the Capital's condemning rich and titled high-society, under the critical and abusive eye of her parents, The Earl and Countess of Follies. At seven and twenty she knows she is t...
It was that very night as a maid brushed through Wendy's hair, setting the long and wild, dark strands into rags to try and tame the way they curled that Wendy cursed her one foolishness for the hundredth time that day. She had sat there like a dumbstruck simpleton while she had been insulted in her own home. She shook that thought from her head for it was not really her home was it? It was the Duke's home entirely and he could bring anyone he saw fit in and out of it, even herself. Why had he married her? she couldn't help but to ask herself as she had so many times since the day they had slipped those ceremonial rings onto each other's hands. The question floated through her mind so often she was sure she had lost count.
Julia Fairly was truly a beautiful woman, a married woman though it would seem. Was that why he could not be with her through marriage? Was he taking up with another man's wife?! She dismissed that idea immediately. She could not boast that she knew the Duke well, but she had heard and witnessed enough to know that he was too honorable for that. His moral code was something he exercised with a will of iron, perhaps that was the answer to her often asked questions.
"Mary" The name passed from Wendy's lips and into the warm air of the room before she could even think to stop herself "Do you know who Mrs. Julia Fairly is?" The young maids forehead wrinkled in thought as she paused in her work to answer.
"I do not know much of her, Your Grace,' she began ' Supposing I know the same as anyone else who grew up in Thornberg. The late Mr. Fairly was a close cousin of His Grace, they grew up together, acting as brothers most say. Mrs. Fairly, used to be Miss Decker, was the daughter of a shop owner in the next town over. Their wedding set quite a few tongues to wagging," She had resumed her work on Wendy's hair as she recounted of the story "It was said that they were found, alone, together in this very library at Thornberg estate and were made to marry to avoid the scandal of it all. Mr. Fairly sadly died not even two years into their marriage, God rest his soul, and left Mrs. Fairly a wealthy widow, a far better lot in life than where she had been before many do say."
Wendy sat enthralled in the story as her mind raced to sort out all the details, attempting to fit the Duke and Mrs. Fairly together in a way that made sense. So the three of them had grown up together. Wendy could imagine only too vividly the Duke falling for the tempting Julia as they both grieved the loss of Mr. Fairly. Wendy even understood why he would not marry her now, to marry his deceased cousin's widow, one he thought of as a brother. He would never betray his family that way. "Does Mrs. Fairly come often to Thornberg estate, Mary?"
"The lady shows up at all times when His Grace is home, though not as much now seeing as it ain't proper with him having a wife and all." Mary added her own thoughts "Suppose he wanted you to settle and be comfortable before you met each other. Though I wouldn't wish to met her if I had the choice."
"Do you dislike her then?" Wendy hated the breathless feeling that was settling in her chest, the panic that was crawling up her throat.
"All of us do, Your Grace" Mary shuddered, the young girl feeling at ease speaking in front of the kind Duchess, forgetting to guard her words "She is a wicked woman, cruel to all her servants and conniving with the best of the snakes. There were even rumors that she had killed her good late husband, I reckon that His Grace is too blinded by her cheap beauty to see her evil." as soon as the words tumbled into the room Mary gasped and her eyes shot up to meet Wendy's "I beg your forgiveness, Your Grace, I should not have said that."
A ball was quickly forming in Wendy's throat as she desperately tried to swallow around it "Fear not, dear Mary" She turned and took the young girl's trembling hands "I asked you your opinion and you simply gave it to me, this conversation will not leave the room and we shall speak no more of it." She offered the scared young maid the best smile she could muster and she turned back around "I fear that I am too tired to continue, Mary, you may go for the night."
When the maid dipped into a curtsy and left the room Wendy sat for a moment more, her stare fixed on her reflection in the looking glass and yet her eyes saw nothing. Here she had been pining after her husband, hoping against hope that one day she would win his affections and theirs would be a happy marriage, but all the time his heart belonged to another. A woman whose beauty was truly ten times that of her own, if Julia had married the Duke instead of Mr. Fairly she might even be Duchess now instead of her.
Sick from just the thought, she blew the flame from her candle as she made her way to the large bed and settled down into it, she would not cry. She would not give into the dark feelings that swirled inside her. She wouldn't.
In the same hour of the night, Julia Fairly sat in front of a roaring fire, her fingers combing through her own hair as her other hand held a glass of spiced wine. Her mood was sour, and not even the small victory of setting that young simpleton's face in shock could bring her mood up. What an ugly little thing, all curls and natural curves. She hated to admit that she could see Rhys' appeal to her. Hated to admit that she could see that Wendy Granger possessed a rare beauty that many men would pine away for, if Julia had looked anywhere near that lovely as a young miss than she would be in a far better situation than she was now.
She should be Duchess, she had put in the work for it, gnashing her teeth at the troublesome thought. She cursed Robert Fairly again. If he had not walked into the library that fateful day, if it had just been Rhys as she had planned, she would be Duchess today. She also wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of poisoning her husband. Rich as he was, he was still untitled and Julia desperately craved the respect that came with a title.
She scowled as she thought of Rhys' new bride. She had a goodness about her, a sweet temper. Julia hated sweet minded girls. Sweet was for girls who were born in the right family, the girls who didn't have to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they wanted. She knew from a young age that she could never be happy where she was, the love of her family and the simple comfort they lived in meant nothing to her, she was disgusted at their contented attitude and had promised herself she would do whatever it took to rise up from her station.
Being a young, pretty girl had seen her in the company of Rhys and his family, having learned that he would one day be Duke, she set her sights on him instantly. Though as if he was immune to her charms he had turned away from every opportunity she had given him to take advantage of her, Robert on the other hand had followed her around like the useless puppy that he was, seeking her out that day was how he had found her in the library, scarcely dressed. She had thought it was Rhys coming through the door as she threw her body against him and kissed him. Robert had been overjoyed, asking her then and there to marry him, she had felt sick and angry, it was supposed to be Rhys, she was supposed to be a Duchess. Just as her mind raced to find a way out of the situation the maid she had paid to "find them" ran in, gasped, and hastily ran out. Rhys' parents had quickly come into the Library and before any scandal could be born, they had been married.
She was only sixteen then, Robert eighteen and Rhys sixteen. She cursed Rhys' parents for demanding they marry, her only revenge was that she rejoiced in their untimely deaths only a few months later. And there they were, she was now Mrs. Fairly and Rhys was a Duke with no Duchess. She knew that she had to be rid of Robert as quickly as she could, poisoning him had taken longer than she thought, almost as if he refused to die, but eventually his body could fight it no more and he had passed and with it all his wealth was left to her.
She had tried to use his death to lure Rhys to her and though he was attentive to her in her time of "need" it was more like a brother paying respect to a distant sister in law. She had made her presence in his life an almost constant one, and though he never took a wife, he was always too caught up in his younger sister, his estate, or his services to the crown to notice how she practically threw herself at him.
She hissed as she downed the rest of her wine in one unladylike gulp and quickly moved to pour more, her youth had faded, at six and thirty now she could not simply turn her attentions on someone else, she had wasted her life chasing after Rhys and it all seemed in vain now, he had come back from the Capital with a pretty, young wife and the whole town could speak of nothing else. She hadn't seen Rhys since his return but she wanted to claw his eyes out, how stupid could he be, to ruin all of her plans this way.
No, she shook herself, she wouldn't let them be ruined, she would be Duchess of Thornberg, she deserved to be Duchess of Thornberg. Now all she had to do was get the little mouse out of the way.
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