A Duke's Lesson in Love

Chapter 10 - Ball III

"My esteemed guests," the Dowager began, voice carrying a weight of both importance and authority. Guests pressed forward, their attention riveted on the domineering form of the Dowager Duchess. Hope and fear mingled in Eleanor's stomach as her heart hammered in her chest. As the Dowager Duchess raised her hand and commanded the attention of everybody present, Eleanor stared, her breath caught in her throat.

"Tonight, I have news that will go down as a watershed moment in the annals of our family history."

The guests murmured to one another in a collective expression of curiosity. Eleanor's hands shook and her eyes were riveted on the Dowager Duchess as her heart pounded with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

The Dowager went on, her gaze travelling the length of the room as she spoke. "It is with great joy that I announce that tonight, within these halls a union of noble stature and distinguished heritage shall be created."

Eleanor's eyes flickered to the Duke, who is now walking towards his mother. Towards Lady Caroline.

"The Duke of Arden, now completing the late Duke's wishes, shall be united in matrimony with Lady Caroline of Everly."

It seemed as though Eleanor's entire universe had collapsed on her. She held on for dear life to the edge of a neighbouring table as the room rocked as her mind reeled with heartache and disbelief. Her ears replayed the announcement, which overpowered the chatter of the throng.

As she linked her arm with the Duke's, Lady Caroline's eyes gleamed with pride and her smile was bright. For a fleeting moment, Eleanor met the Duke's eyes, looking for remorse or hesitancy but finding neither. It was as if a gap had opened up between them, on that she was afraid might never be filled.

Eleanor felt a crushing burden of disillusionment descend upon her. She could sense the guests' curious or pitying looks on her. It was then that she fully grasped the gravity of her situation, the stark truth of her role as a governess in a world of wealth and duty.

Eleanor hid her inner distress beneath a carefully fabricated grin as congratulation echoes throughout the room. While her heart tore into a thousands pieces, she stood up and resolved to carry out her responsibilities with composure and dignity. The pressure of her pent-up feelings threatened to suffocate her, but a spark of determination ignited within her.

Eleanor mustered her will and quietly left the party, finding refuge on a neighbouring terrace. Her mind were a jumble of conflicting feelings as she leaned against the ornate railing and let the cool night air caress her hot cheeks.

She has suspected all along that someone else had the Duke's affections. Eleanor had created a picture of forbidden love with the Duke, a flame that blazed brilliantly but could never be fully embraced, via the clandestine encounters and the stolen looks. But the truth was still harsh, and the wounds it caused appeared incurable.

Eleanor's determination deepened in the middle of her despair. She was not going to given in to the hopelessness, the overwhelming sadness that was about to overtake her. With a newfound resolve, she determined to go her own way, to recover her autonomy, and to seek fulfilment beyond the bounds of conventional wisdom.

Eleanor felt a calm resolve take hold of her as she stared up at the starry night sky. She would devote herself completely to the responsibility of fostering the development of young minds. She was reminded of her influence by the children's bright eyes and eager brains, and she vowed to use that influence to give them a love of learning that would last long after echoes of the ball had died down.

Eleanor took comfort in her own fortitude as the night drew on. The Duke's decision may have crushed her hopes for an unreachable love, but it did not put out the blaze that burned within her. She would pick herself up after suffering a devastating loss and bravely and gracefully accept her destined path.

Eleanor's metamorphosis was so subtle that not even the stars could express their admiration. A new beginning awaited, full of uncharted potential. While she stood there, her unyielding essence took a spiritually step forward to a new path.

Eleanor returned to the ballroom with a new sense of direction and fiery resolve to take on the world. The Dowager Duchess' proclamation may have reverberated in Eleanor's mind, but her free spirit had already sets its sights on the trials and victories that were ahead.

The ballroom went on its merry way, oblivious to the strength a governess' refusal to conform to societal norms had sparked in her. Starting, tomorrow Eleanor's main focus is the girls and her job as an educator. 

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Thanks soo much for reading and for 200 reads!!!!! This is a short chapter just to end this section of the story.

How do you think Eleanor is going change?? Is it going to be to her ruin or to the greater good?