“Which she will not.” Judith said.
Thomas cocked his head at the cook. “You sound certain of yourself.”
“I have lived a long while, my lord. And I have seen the gazes between you and Rebecca, even from afar.”
He nodded and rolled his shoulders.
“Shall we?” Judith asked as she picked up the tray with the filled teapot and the three cups.
Thomas nodded and rose to his feet. “Indeed.”
“I will send Sarah along with the food shortly,” the cook said.
“Thank you,” Thomas said gratefully and left the kitchen, with Judith following closely behind him.
Thomas was well aware that the Dowager Duchess only intended a cup for herself from the expensive chocolate tablets, but he looked forward to the expression on her face when she realised she would be taking refreshments together with him and Rebecca.
REBECCA STARED WORDLESSLY at the Dowager Duchess, too afraid to speak or even breathe. Being alone in the bedchamber with a woman whose eyes were dark and accusing did not sit well with her, but she could not be rude to the Dowager Duchess. The old woman clearly already despised her, and she did not wish to make matters worse.
“I am certain you have already seen the article written about you and my son.”
“I beg your pardon, Your Grace,” Rebecca said quietly. “I have no knowledge of what you refer to.”
The Dowager Duchess scoffed and shook her head. “You speak very highly for a woman with no title. Why is that?”
“My father raised me to speak properly and politely to everyone I meet, regardless of their title or stature. It is respect for all people that he instilled in me.”
“Yet, you do not show me and my family any kind of respect,” the Dowager Duchess said.
“I do not understand, Your Grace. I barely know your family.”
“Indeed,” the Dowager Duchess said with disapproval. “You may have my son fooled, but you do not fool me, not even for one moment.”
Rebecca leaned back against the chair and drew in a breath. “Fooled regarding what, precisely?”
The Dowager Duchess reached for the other side of her bed and retrieved a newspaper. “This,” the old woman said and threw it down in front of Rebecca.
She picked it up and her eyes widened as she read the startling and rather incriminating article written about her and Thomas on the beach. She had been under the impression that no one had witnessed what had happened between them.
Never in her life had she thought that a private moment would appear to haunt her and crucify her on the front page of the local newspaper in Weymouth.
“Your Grace, I can explain the circumstances,” Rebecca said with a rush, her cheeks heating with a fiery blush.
“Please do.”
“Thomas invited me on a fossil hunting excursion to the beach, at the foot of the cliffs, as his injured leg limited his walking ability.”
Rebecca recounted the events of the morning in question, explaining it as simply and clearly as she was able. She was confident in her words, but the glares she received from the Dowager Duchess caused her to doubt herself. As she ended the story, there was a silence inside the bedchamber.
“No,” the Dowager Duchess said simply. “I do not believe that is was happened.”
“You are accusing me of fabricating a story?” Rebecca asked. “Why on earth would I do such a thing?”
“Because you wish to entrap my son. You planned everything so meticulously. The article, the rumours. You are well aware of the status and wealth of his family, and you purposely planned all of it to ensure he felt sorry for you. Thomas is a kind-hearted and trusting young man, and you were well aware that if your reputation was ruined by such a revealing piece of news, especially in the local newspaper, he would offer to marry you.”
Rebecca’s jaw dropped and she stared at the Dowager Duchess in disbelief. She was completely flabbergasted by the accusation. How could the old woman think such horrid things of her?
Was Thomas under the same ridiculous illusion?
Rebecca got to her feet and narrowed her gaze at Thomas’ mother. “That is not true, Your Grace. It was never my intention to trap your son. You are correct in saying that he is a kind-hearted and trusting young man, and I have experienced this first-hand with him, but there was never a moment that I wanted to take advantage of Thomas. I would never do that to him.”
“I do not believe you. You are not a woman of nobility. You are a daughter of a physician. Your family has no wealth—”
Rebecca interrupted with a scowl, “Nobility and wealth does not make one an honest and decent person. I may not have been born into a noble family, and I may not have a title, but I have integrity, respect and loyalty.”
“It does not matter what you say, I am not fooled by your words.”
“Then why did you request me to come here? Why question me if you had no intention of hearing my side of the story?” Rebecca asked. “Why go to all this trouble to lure me here and patronise me in front of Thomas and my father?”
The Dowager Duchess’ face began to change colour, her gaze as sharp as swords as she climbed out of her huge bed. “I wanted to make it clear that my son is out of bounds to you. I wished to inform you personally that you are to stay away from Thomas, Finlay Hall, and my other sons and their wives. You have no place here.”
Rebecca moved further away from the horrid woman standing in the middle of the room as she vibrated with anger. “You are not the one who gets to decide all of this. If Thomas wishes to continue spending time with me, he is allowed to. You may be the Dowager Duchess of Waign, but you are nothing to me. You
