Page 61

Upon the end of the tour, Mrs. Telson had to leave and tend to other matters, but she welcomed Emma to do as she pleased. It was strange being alone in such unfamiliar surroundings, but she would soon adapt. It was what she had always done.

She went to the library, taking the first book that she saw and returning to the drawing room with it. When she returned, a plate of biscuits had appeared along with a pot of tea. She smiled, and took a biscuit, being careful not to leave any crumbs anywhere. She was sitting too straight, and breathing too lightly,but it was hard to feel at home when everything was so unfamiliar.

“I remember that look.”

Her head turned rapidly to see Levi’s mother in the doorway. She was looking directly at her, no real softness in her eyes.

“Do forgive me,” Emma said quickly, jumping to her feet and curtseying.

“Whatever for?”

“Well, I assume that this is your tea that I have taken for myself.”

“Heavens no. If I wanted a tea I would have one sent to my own wing. I had them prepare this for you. I knew that my son would not care to do it. You must know that if you want something, you need only ask for it.”

“I know. I simply feel undeserving of it all. I did not mean for any of this to happen.”

“Of course not. Nobody ever plans to be the Duchess of Lupton. No woman’s ever truly considered that a happy ending.”

The lady joined her, and it was then that Emma noticed that two teacups had been brought. She abandoned the book beside her, wondering why the Duke’s mother cared to speak with her.

“My apologies, but I have not heard that before.”

“Of course you haven’t. It would not be something that is said aloud, as it would ruin the family name. Just know that, whatever happened, it was not your fault. The title of the Duke of Lupton comes with a curse, you see, and they all fall victim to it eventually.”

Emma blinked. A curse? Such a thing would have had rumors, she assumed, but there had never been even a whisper about it. Perhaps this was merely her way of frightening the new duchess?

“Would you mind explaining it to me?” she asked. “The curse.”

“It would be for the best, yes. You ought to be prepared. You see, this particular line of dukes dates back several generations, and each time the eldest son has the same fate. He becomes angry and resentful, and he wants more power than any man should ever have. They always say that they will be different, but they never are. They always become the same sad and angry man as the father they so hated.”

“That is so profoundly sad. Do they not realize that they can change?”

“That is precisely the problem. They cannot. It gets them all eventually, and the ones that fight against it suffer the worst. It is easier for them to simply not try.”

Emma thought about that, and wondered if her husband was even aware of his curse at all. If his mother thought it truly was easier to never fight it, then perhaps she did not tell him about it to begin with. It would mean, then, that he could never try to be different, as he never knew that there was something to change in the first place.

“I had so wanted a daughter, instead,” his mother continued, sighing wistfully. “I had thought that, if I never produced an heir, the line would end with my late husband, and all would be well. Instead, His Grace arrived. I know that I was a terrible mother, but I could never face him. He has his father’s eyes, you see, and every time I look into them…”

“You see his father.”

She nodded sadly, taking her teacup and sipping it.

“All this to say, you mustn’t blame yourself for what he will become soon. It is not your fault, and to an extent it is not his, either. It is simply how it is for the Hunters, and there is no changing that.”

They continued their tea in silence, and Emma tried to find reasonable explanations for what she had been told. She wanted to believe that it was all coincidence, but it had been every Duke of Lupton’s fate eventually. Her husband would be no exception; he would therefore be a terrible husband and there was no changing that.

He must have known about it, Emma realized. That was why he did not want to marry, and why he refused to have any children. He had tried to stop himself from continuing the dreaded curse, but he had already made a fatal error and now was married. That meant that she was now a part of it, and she would eventually be subjected to the very worst of what a man could do to his wife, if his mother were to be believed.

“I did not ask you your name, by the way,” the older lady said after a while.

“It is Emma.”

“A very pretty name. Mine is Eloise. You may call me that, if you wish. I know that I do not hold any affection for my son, and you may think that I am evil because of that, but in spite of everything I think we could be good friends.”

Emma nodded, hoping it could be the case. She had always wanted a daughter, so at least she had that on her side. It did not, however, change the fact that her husband would hate her, if he did not already.

“And what of your mother?” she continued. “I do not believe I saw her at the ceremony.”