Page 2 of From Unwanted to Duchess
Aunt Eugenia’s white eyebrows rose, adding to the sea of wrinkles on her forehead. “That is all you have? That cannot be. Surely you have more. Clothing? Shoes? Hats?”
“I have brought three dresses, two hats, and these shoes.”
Aunt Eugenia clicked her tongue. “Well, that will not do. That will not do at all. You are to be accompanying me in public, after all. We shall have to see to it. There are several armoires in thishouse filled with dresses that your cousins no longer need. They are high-ranking ladies now. A duchess, a marchioness, and a countess. So, of course, their wardrobes have been somewhat upgraded. We shall find you something wonderful.”
Castoffs. Frances was going to be dressed in castoffs. Hand-me-downs, though quality ones to be sure.
It was disheartening to think of it. But she knew she shouldn’t be ungrateful. Her cousins’ dresses were likely to be much grander than anything she could ever have hoped for. Certainly more than her half-sister could ever have hoped for.
That thought lifted her spirits somewhat.
“I am grateful for the position. I just was not expecting it.”
“Oh, but you must be so very eager. Your father wrote to me last week that you were looking forward to coming here.”
“Last week?” she said as they stood in the entrance hall. “I only found out I was coming here a few hours ago.”
“What?” her aunt gasped, her eyes darkening. “That scoundrel, Roland. What a complete rogue! I should have known. You know I never liked your father,” she said. “Excuse me for being blunt, but if we’re going to be living together, you’ll have to get used to it. I have become far more blunt of late. I find it suits me well.”
“I think it is good to speak one’s mind,” Frances said quietly.
“Well, good. We shall get along famously, then. I do beg your pardon for how you came here. I truly thought that your father would have told you. He and I have been corresponding for weeks now. But I was half expecting it, which is why I was not quite as honest with him as I should have been.”
“What do you mean?” Frances asked.
“Oh, I shall tell you all about it.” Aunt Eugenia took her by the arm. “First, we have to go upstairs to your chamber.”
Together, they climbed up the rather steep staircase, which was covered by a heavy red rug that muffled the sound of their footsteps. Her aunt grunted slightly as she pulled herself up using the banister.
Frances wrapped her arm around her waist, helping her up.
“You are very kind,” Aunt Eugenia said, “but I can quite manage on my own.”
“Oh, I beg your pardon. I did not mean to imply that you could not. It is just that I thought I was going to be your companion, and?—”
Halfway up the stairs, Aunt Eugenia turned to her. “I will be happy with the company,” she said. “But the truth is, you’re not only going to be my companion. And if you are, I hope it will not be for very long.”
Before Frances could say anything else, her aunt continued to trek up the stairs. Her silk lavender gown clung to her body like drapes, indicating the ample hips and stomach that had settled around her body with age. Frances caught the candles’ reflection on her pearls.
She took a moment to take in the rest of the house, or what she could see from her vantage point, anyway. The floor downstairs was marble. A white marble statue stood by the door. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it looked like a grand warrior. She spotted a grand piano through one of the doors.
It has to be the drawing room.
Portraits and landscapes hung on all the walls.
This was one of those grand homes she read about in theTimes. And now she was going to live in one. It would have been exciting had it been of her own volition, but it hadn’t been. She was forced to move here.
Aunt Eugenia led her up two flights of stairs and then down a short hallway. She opened a door that led to a spacious room overlooking the street below.
“Here we are. This chamber used to belong to Evelyn, I believe, until she left. It has the nicest view. My chamber is just down the hall. I shall show it to you later.”
Frances could barely believe what she was seeing. The room was the size of her own, her half-sister’s, and her parents’ combined. A huge fireplace stood at the end, with armchairs in front of it. A large bed stood off to the left of the fireplace, facing the windows.
A sideboard with many small patch boxes ran along the wall, and a writing desk stood nearby. A shelf laden with books hung near the bed, and silver candlesticks sat on either side of the bed.
“This room is rather large. I do not think that it will suit me. I thought that I would have a chamber with the servants, under the attic.”
“Do not be silly. Come, sit with me. There’s something I must explain.”
