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“You are to marry Duke Danton.”

“I understand,” Rebecca forced herself to say, keeping her voice as steady as she could manage.

“Glad to see you have come to your senses.”

She remained silent.

“Fortunately for us, he does not desire a long engagement, so he shouldn’t have time to come to his senses and change his mind about you. It’s also doubtful you’ll have to see him before the ceremony so you won’t have the opportunity to do anything that could risk giving him a reason to change his mind.”

“How long do I have?” she asked barely above a whisper.

“It’s hard to say for sure, but if I had to guess I imagine it will be sometime within the month.”

“So soon?”

“Of course. There’s no reason to wait.”

“But wouldn’t he want a rather extravagant wedding, being a duke and all?”

“You said it yourself he can be a bit of a recluse. I would be surprised if he wanted anything beyond the most discreet ceremony.”

“I see, so there won’t be any kind of reception?”

“Of course not. Why would you need something like that?”

She nodded. “Of course father.”

“The exact date will be decided as soon as he receives word from the bishop as to when soon they will allow him to wed. Once the service is over, he’ll take you back to his estate. We will try to come visit you at some point.”

“I see. Then I suppose I will begin preparing and patiently await your visit.”

He stared at her down, a sharp look on his face. She could tell he was waiting for something, but he wasn’t giving her any indication as to what it might be. “Is that all you have to say?”

Rebecca took a deep breath. That was it. Now she got it. She knew what he wanted from her. What she was expected to say.

Forcing herself into a small curtsy, she said a small, “thank you father.” She could only hope it would be enough. Rebecca didn’t have it in herself to go on and on about how grateful she was at the moment.

He studied her for a moment before he finally nodded with a deep sigh. “I suppose that’s a little bit better.”

She narrowly resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief. Still, she knew better than to say a single word, instead waiting for him to continue.

He didn’t keep her waiting long. “I am glad to see you still know how to be grateful. You may go now.”

Taking a deep breath, she made her way back into the hall. Gloushire Manor was a moderate size house by the standard most of the ton would expect, but Solomon did everything he could to ensure it would cut an imposing figure.

To be fair, in many ways he succeeded. Every inch of the place was covered with ways to show off his family’s status and wealth. From furniture to art, he only had the best he could afford of everything.

But Rebecca wasn’t paying attention to any of that. She just kept walking as fast as she dared down the hall towards the gardens. It was one of the few places that wasn’t pristine and ready for display.

In sharp contrast to the rest of the house, the gardens were overgrown as they had been for as long as Rebecca could remember. She had once heard the servants talking, apparently they had once been the pride and joy of her mother.

After she was born and her mother died of complications from the birth, Solomon demanded that no one was to set foot in the gardens. He even ordered that no one was to open the heavy drapes that covered the window looking out on the grounds. It was one of the only places Rebecca could let herself breathe and think.

It didn’t hurt that Penelope Sutton, her only true friend, was her next door neighbor and had a habit of sneaking over to see her when she would see her from the window. The hours when the pair of them were able to hide out there together were some of Rebecca’s fondest memories, but she couldn’t help but hope she would be undisturbed that afternoon.

But halfway to the gardens, a figure came out to block her path. It was her older sister Dorothy. Despite only having a two year age difference, Solomon went to great lengths to ensure the girls would never be close.

In fact, he seemed to do everything he could to ensure Dorothy knew just how far above her younger sister she stood. Rebecca tried to just move around her sister and get on her way, but Dorothy moved to stand in her way with a haughty grin on her face.