Page 15 of Ravished by the Beastly Duke (Regency Beasts #1)

CHAPTER 15

“ Y our Grace, we could simply have the modiste come here instead,” Gracie pointed out as the carriage pulled out of the estate.

Eveline, however, was set in her ways. Before she got married, her trips to the modiste’s with her sisters were often adventurous, and now she wanted nothing more than to relive the experience on her own.

The Duke had gone out to attend to some business matters, and while her wardrobe had been quite sufficient when she had been a maiden, it had taken the Duke commissioning a dress for her to realize that her dresses might be a tad insufficient for the events she would have to attend as a duchess.

Moreover, she was eager to see her husband’s expression when she donned the new dresses. She could not help but wonder about the artistic manner in which he would divest her of her clothing. After all, he seemed to have quite the talent for undressing her.

Eveline blushed as she remembered their activities at the ball they had attended. She bit her lips longingly, and she could not help the smile that spread across her face.

She was woken up from her reverie when the carriage came to a stop in front of the modiste’s.

As soon as she was helped out of the carriage, the overwhelming noise and smell of the market hit her. While many noblewomen would find it off-putting, she found the vibrancy rather fascinating and enchanting.

She had just entered the modiste’s shop when the modiste herself hurried to welcome her. Apprentices abounded in the shop, working on various fabrics that would soon grace parties and balls thrown by the ton. The space was a spectacle of color.

“Welcome back, Your Grace,” the modiste, Miss Fran, greeted.

Miss Fran was an elderly modiste who had been sewing dresses for the Jennings sisters for as long as Eveline could remember. In fact, according to Ava, Miss Fran had made their mother’s acquaintance before her death.

“Thank you, Miss Fran,” Eveline responded.

“Why, you look absolutely radiant!” the modiste gushed. “Marriage certainly suits you.”

Eveline smiled in appreciation. She was happy that other people could see just how radiant she had become ever since she got married.

The Duke made her incredibly happy, and she was glad that other people could attest to it, too.

“I know your mother would be happy if she could see you now,” Miss Fran continued.

Eveline felt her heart lurch, and her smile faltered. Even now, the topic of her dead mother still affected her.

“You think so?” she asked.

“Oh, of course, Your Grace,” Miss Fran said. “She loved you and your sisters so much, and she was often concerned, wondering if you would all find good men.”

Eveline smiled again. “I am glad I made her proud.”

“Trust me, Your Grace. Your mother is certainly looking down on you proudly. Now, why don’t we get started on some fabric that you might find to your liking.”

Eveline followed her to the cabin at the back of the shop, where measurements were taken and fabrics and designs were chosen.

She smiled as memories of her poring over several fabrics and designs with her sisters flooded her mind.

No sooner had they settled to take measurements than they heard a loud noise just outside, which only grew louder with every passing moment.

“I require that Miss Fran attends to me at once!!” a voice that Eveline found rather familiar called a little too loudly.

“You heard the lady. Go and fetch Miss Fran this moment,” another voice said.

A softer voice responded, “I apologize, but Miss Fran is attending to another customer at this moment. I, however, would be more than happy to attend to you.”

“I believe I do not have to repeat myself for you to understand my plain words. I want Miss Fran and only Miss Fran.”

“Then you are welcome to wait while she finishes with her customer.”

“Oh, spare me the speech and fetch me Miss Fran this moment,” the customer insisted obnoxiously.

Eveline shook her head in disbelief. She found it rather appalling that some people would be so loud and rude when they could simply wait for their turn.

Miss Fran, who had also been listening to the loud conversation, turned to her apologetically.

“I apologize for the ruckus. Give me only a moment to step outside and keep it under control,” she said before she slipped out of the cabin.

Soon enough, Eveline could hear her conversing with the customer.

“Lady Sarah, what a surprise. I was not expecting you,” Miss Fran greeted.

Lady Sarah?

Eveline realized immediately why the voice sounded so familiar.

The rude customer was the obnoxious Lady Sarah, who had tried to bully her at every opportunity.

Eveline shook her head.

Some people truly never change.

“Oh, Miss Fran, I am in urgent need of dresses. I shall be promenading with my friends soon, and of course, I must sparkle,” Lady Sarah whined.

“And I shall be happy to attend to you, Lady Sarah.” Miss Fran said, “Just give me a moment to attend to my customer, who arrived before you.”

Eveline could already tell that Lady Sarah would not take kindly to that.

“But I cannot wait,” Lady Sarah said stubbornly.

“I am afraid you have to,” Miss Fran replied.

If the footsteps were anything to go by, Eveline could tell that she was now returning to her.

“Who could this customer be? They cannot possibly be more important than I, can they?” Lady Sarah protested.

The footsteps stopped, signifying that Miss Fran had stopped walking.

“Lady Sarah, I assure you, we do not attend to customers based on rank here,” she declared, her voice laced with irritation. “Whoever came early would be attended to promptly. This is why we encourage our customers to make appointments, so we can be prepared for their arrival.”

“I will not tolerate this!” Lady Sarah huffed, stomping her foot. “I shall have you know that my father is the Earl of Barnes. I do not have to wait for my turn. I am certain that whoever you are attending to is not anywhere as influential as I am.”

“Lady Sarah, it really is…” Miss Fran started, but she was interrupted.

“I know important people in the ton, Miss Fran,” Lady Sarah said in a low voice. Eveline had to move closer to the door to hear her next statement. “You would not want me starting a rumor that could ruin your business now, would you?”

Eveline gasped.

She had finally had enough of Lady Sarah’s excesses, and when she saw that the obnoxious woman was ready to ruin Miss Fran’s business, she knew she had to step in.

Therefore, she stepped out of the cabin.

“I would certainly love to see you try to ruin Miss Fran,” she said.

Surprise was too small a word to describe Lady Sarah’s expression. Her face was white with shock.

“Uh…” She swallowed nervously. “Miss Eveline? Uh… I apologize…”

“It is ‘Your Grace’ to you,” Eveline responded with a sweet but dangerous smile as she flaunted the ring on her finger. “I’m the Duchess of Mayfield now.”

One of Lady Sarah’s minions, whose name Eveline did not care to remember, whispered something to her.

“I… I learned that you… that you married the Duke…”

Eveline could not help but find it rather amusing how Lady Sarah stumbled over her words, obviously ashamed by her attempt to blackmail the modiste.

“News sure does travel fast,” Eveline said, still smiling. “Indeed, the rumors are true.”

“Congratulations to you, Your Grace,” Lady Sarah said, averting her gaze.

“Now, you were saying something about ruining Miss Fran’s business, were you not?” Eveline asked.

At this point, the shop had fallen silent, with all the seamstresses and other workers watching the spectacle.

“I… I was simply wondering if Miss Fran could attend to me when she was no longer busy,” Lady Sarah said quickly.

“Is that so?” Eveline asked curiously as she took small, deliberate steps towards her former bully. “I could have sworn I heard you threaten to start a rumor to ruin Miss Fran’s business. Surely, I am not the only one who heard it.”

She looked around at the seamstresses, who all nodded in confirmation.

“If you heard that, then I simply said it in jest,” Lady Sarah said in a quiet and rather intimidated voice.

Eveline stopped just a few feet from her. “Then I am relieved. After all, aren’t defamation and blackmail crimes?” she pointed out. “And since you were so quick to mention your father, I was wondering if people would be more inclined to believe rumors coming from the daughter of an earl or the words of a duchess.”

She could have sworn she saw Lady Sarah shudder.

She then smiled sweetly. “Now, why don’t you stay and wait for your turn? I am certain Miss Fran will attend to you when she deems fit.”

With that, Eveline turned on her heels and walked back to the cabin, with Miss Fran hot on her heels.

“Your Grace,” Miss Fran gasped as soon as they were back in the privacy of the cabin, “how do I thank you for this?”

Eveline smiled genuinely. “Oh, you do not have to thank me. If anything, I should thank you. After all, you presented Lady Sarah to me on a silver platter, and now I have broken her wings forever. Let me know if she ever troubles you.”

“Oh, Your Grace,” the modiste sighed happily. “I owe my business to you. This is not the first time she has come here only to threaten my business and insult my customers when she cannot have her way.”

“I had no idea. She truly is awful.”

“Who knows what damage she would have done if you had not swooped in to save me? I heard she singlehandedly put the baker out of business.”

“Trust me,” Eveline said, “she will never trouble you now, unless she is willing to pit her words against mine. I have made sure of that. Now, let us choose the fabrics.”

With that, she chose the fabrics with the help of the modiste and Gracie.

“I think olive green would suit you, Your Grace. It goes perfectly with your skin tone and the color of your hair,” Gracie commented.

Soon enough, Eveline stepped out of the cabin, and Miss Fran promised to deliver the dresses within the next few days.

As Eveline left the modiste’s shop, she saw Lady Sarah and her posse sitting there, gossiping in low tones as they humbly awaited their turn.

Lady Sarah quickly looked away when their eyes met across the shop, and the gossip stopped promptly, but Eveline was not quite done with her yet.

There was very little that Eveline hated more than a bully, and Lady Sarah had now incurred her wrath.

Eveline approached them to further cement their humiliation.

“Lady Sarah, you could not possibly be speaking ill of me just now, could you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because that would certainly be a foolhardy mission.”

Lady Sarah quickly shook her head as she rose to her feet with her posse. “Certainly not, Your Grace. In fact, we were only talking about how much of a fine duchess you make. Did we not?”

She stared pointedly at her companions, who were quick to nod rather too enthusiastically.

“I am pleased to hear that. Goodbye, for now, Lady Sarah. I hope to see you soon.”

With that, Eveline left with a rather dramatic flourish.

She did not need anyone to tell her that they were gaping at her in disbelief as she departed.

As the carriage took her home, she could not help but be proud of herself. She was not one to wield her influence as a duchess, but she was not afraid to do so if it meant protecting an innocent person like Miss Fran.

It definitely felt good to finally be able to put Lady Sarah in her place. And all of that was made possible because she married the Duke.

The only thing she would change about the encounter would be having her sisters and Lily witness the total annihilation of Lady Sarah and her followers. However, she made a mental note to fill them in. She could imagine Ava cautioning her for taking it too far, and Lily insisting that she had been fabulous. Stella, on the other hand, would add more infuriating things she could have said to humiliate the bullies further.

She could not help but shudder as she remembered her younger self, who would constantly get looked down on by Lady Sarah and her cronies. They used to call her names, and they had hurt her deeply.

However, Lady Sarah’s words had completely lost power over her the moment she discovered just how beautiful her body was, all thanks to her husband.