Everything a Lady is Not by Sawyer North

Author:Sawyer North
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Historical British Fiction; Historical Regency Fiction; Historical Romance; Historical Fiction; Regency Historical Romance; Women's Historical Fiction; opposites attract romance; ugly duckling romance; forced proximity romance; Forbidden Romance; Opposites Attract; Ugly Duckling; makeover; England; Regency England; duchess; earl; society; Entangled Publishing; Entangled Scandalous; Series Romance; Category Length Romance; popular Romance; Everything a Lady is Not; Sawyer North
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2020-07-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Lucy refused to leave her chambers for three days, accepting trays delivered to her door but returning them mostly untouched. Several times, the duchess tried to reason with her, to no avail. During the isolation, her thoughts kept returning to Henry’s bemused expression that evening as Isabella and the others tore her limb from limb. His blithe lack of interest wounded her more deeply than any attack Lady Isabella had mounted. By the end of the third day, though, she rolled out of bed in disgust.

“Enough, Lucy. Show some pride. No man is worth this much misery.”

She dressed alone and wandered downstairs to find the surprised duchess in her favorite place.

“Lucy! You have risen from the dead.”

“So it seems. I grew bored of the poor company and sought better.”

“In that case, you must settle for mine.”

Lucy joined her in a nearby chair. After minutes of silence, the duchess threw up her hands. “My dear, I worry over you so.”

The plaintive statement tore at her heart. Her dinner party humiliation had likely blackened the Huntington name for all time. She noted with concern the woman’s drawn face, seemingly aged a decade in a few days. Guilt besieged Lucy over her part in the duchess’s misery. Her chin fell to her chest.

“Say what you will, Your Grace. I deserve it.”

The duchess paused with something akin to fear in her eyes. “Do you regret coming here? Do you regret your return to family?”

Lucy slowly shook her head. “No. How could I? Had I not come, I would not have experienced the pleasure of knowing you or the joy of your kindness toward me.”

“And yet you hide as a winter vole, tucked away from the world. This seems the very image of unhappy regret.”

She heaved a sigh. “You speak truth. I am unhappy. These rules… They overwhelm me. I seem to choose incorrectly whether silent or conversational. I am inadequate in movement, ineloquent in spoken word, and insufficient in face and form. How can I satisfy rules that I barely comprehend?”

The duchess leaned nearer, her eyes misting. “My granddaughter, my dear. Nothing of you is inadequate, ineloquent, or insufficient. My breast swells with pride at your progress, your quick wit, and your tireless effort. As for face and form? I consider you second to none.”

A tremor wracked Lucy. She wished to leap from her chair, rush to the duchess, and lock her in a grateful embrace. Decorum kept her planted where she sat. “I am grateful for your kind words.”

The duchess frowned in consideration. “Will you leave now? Perhaps return to your old life?”

Lucy’s hands fidgeted in her lap and she chewed her lip while attempting to bring forth a lie that might comfort the old woman. She failed.

“I do not know. For that, I am deeply regretful.”

…

Henry’s annoyance grew with each passing day. Freed from his moral morass and the impossible mission of reforming Lucy, the weight of the world should have lifted from his shoulders. Instead, deep remorse and unquenchable longing seeped into his soul, lowering his spirits hour by hour.

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