Double-Edged Words

CHAPTER TWELVE

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Laney. I will look into this right away. I will call for you in a week to inform you of my findings." I held the distressed woman's hands in mine.

The brunette wiped away her tears, and her eyes lit up with gratitude. "Thank you so much for your kindness, Your Grace."

"Benjamin, please accompany her to the front door." Placing a hand on the small of her back, I guided her towards Benjamin who was standing by the door.

These past few weeks have been eventful. Petitions, letters, and private audiences have kept me busy from morning to evening. My days were so full of work that I even forgot to eat sometimes, much to Benjamin's distaste.

The clock struck five when the Hemming family—my last audience for the day—stepped out of the office. Rising from my seat, I stretched my back and went to the garden to relax for a while before dinnertime.

My heels clicked on the pathway stones as my fingertips caressed the petals of the flower blooms that lined the trail. Stopping in front of a rose bush, I lightly rubbed the silky petals of the pale blooms between my fingers and bent at the waist. The petals tickled my nose as its zesty sweet fragrance dispelled my weariness.

Continuing my journey down the pathway. I went to sit on the stone bench set on a small nook under a willow tree overlooking the small pond in the middle of the garden.

My eyes closed as the breeze rustled the leaves and caressed my face. I breathed in, trying to contain its freshness inside my lungs. After a while, my eyes cracked open.

The once crystalline water of the pond was stained with patches of crimson; from the rose bush's low blossoms that bled their color into the pond through the dozens of petals floating on the water's surface.

The sight brought to my mind a realization. It's been four years already. I thought about how I came to be here, in this position. The opportunities that the offer he made some time ago has afforded me. A soft smile came to my lips.

"Madam?" Brigitte's voice came from somewhere in the garden.

"I'm at the willow tree," I called out.

"Alright, it's just to tell you dinner is ready."

"Ok, I'll be there in a minute."

⚜⚜⚜

I sat hunched over at the head of the table, immersed in the writing on the parchment scattered around the wooden surface.

"Dinner time," Benjamin announced. Gathering the documents into a pile, he placed them on the opposite side of the table.

"No, please, just five more minutes." My hands reached for the papers, but Benjamin smacked my hands away before I could grab them.

"No, you need to eat. If I give them back to you, the food will go cold, and you will not want to eat anymore." He pushed them farther away.

I sat back down with a humph, "Then can you please keep me company" Batting my eyelashes, I gave him my best endearing look.

He raised an eyebrow and stared at me.

"Oh, come on, it's just for today."

"That's what you always say," he retorted with a smile and sat down.

"Thank you," I grinned.

"I've been meaning to commend you on the great work you have been doing lately as a duchess. The way you handled Ms. Laney's request was amazing, and it's not an easy request." Benjamin spoke as the maids set our bowls of soup on the table.