“What is His Grace like? Truly? I have noticed he is rather... admirable and persistent, in regards to his values. Has he always been like that?” Phoebe asked suddenly.
“Oh, yes. He was quite young when his father, the former duke, passed, and as such, he took on the responsibilities of the dukedom at a very sensitive time. But His Grace never faltered or relented. He faced his duties with determination and grew up to be a very principled man. The household hasflourished immensely under his care, thanks to his precision and dedication.” Maude stated proudly.
Phoebe could see what she meant when she thought of how she had interacted with her husband. He was very strict about the things he wanted and could clearly express why he had such standards, which to Phoebe, served as solid proof of his character.
He had been through so much, yet it did not show in his dealings or conduct. There weren’t rumors of his uncouth behavior or anything of the sort — none other than his preferred exclusion from society. Even still, when Phoebe had tried to gather information on him subtly, followed his proposal and her acceptance, it seemed as though he held the curiosity and interest of all those who knew about him.
And not for the first time since they were married, Phoebe felt as though she was an inferior choice for a wife. Surely there were better women who could have taken on the duty of being his wife — women who would easily match his standards.
But the die had been cast and the martial knot tied. She was his wife now and all she could do was ensure he did not regret his choice.
So, she faced the housekeeper and carefully voiced, “I would like to know more about him. His preferences, his schedule and even his conduct. I think… having the knowledge of these things would help me be a better wife to him.”
Maude seemed delighted at her words.
“How thoughtful of you, Your Grace,” the housekeeper smiled brightly. “I would be more than happy to tell you all that you need to know. You see — as I said, His Grace is quite particular about his routine. He is committed to a strict schedule of his own making and spends most of his days following his routine. He prefers to have his meals in his study, but occasionally he would have his breakfast in the sun room. He goes riding every week with his friend, the Duke of Ravencroft — or at least they do when their schedules are not busy. He spends most of his mornings and afternoons in his study working, but he visits the town for meetings on Thursdays. Once a week, he entertains the Duke of Ravencroft and some work associates at a gentleman’s club in the evening. But on most evenings, he spends his time in the drawing room with a book and a glass of whiskey. And before bed every night, he takes a tonic, without fail. Additionally, he tends to spend a longer time in his room on rainy mornings. It is a habit he had as a child and it is the only one he has been unable to grow out of. He claims the chill in the air makes him feel slow.”
Phoebe’s attention had stuck to the information the woman had given about the tonic her husband drank at night.
What was it for? Why did he drink it every night?
She had hoped Maude would speak some more on the subject, but she had smoothly moved onto the next bit of fact, which somehow made Phoebe reluctant to ask to know more about it.
“Ah, pardon me, Your Grace,” Maude said suddenly, as she glanced down the hallway. “It would seem my attention is needed elsewhere.”
Phoebe followed her gaze and noticed a maid lingering nervous by a door, curtseying hastily once she realized the duchess was looking at her.
She nodded in acknowledgement and shifted her attention back to the housekeeper.
“Of course. I shall be waiting to resume our conversation soon.”
The housekeeper curtsied and walked away, leaving Phoebe alone, her mind reeling with thoughts of Edward.
CHAPTER NINE
It seemed as though the reason was for Maude’s sudden departure required a bit of her time, because Phoebe had waited for over ten minutes for the woman to return.
But when it appeared she would remain occupied for a while longer, the duchess decided to continue her walk around the estate.
She strolled down the hallways, peering out of the window at the vast lawn the house sat on. The magnificence of it all was still so astounding to her and a constant reminder that she had large shoes to fill and a reputation to uphold.
Phoebe walked past the doors that led to the backyard and paused, leaning back to look through them when she realized they were open. Curiously, she walked over and stepped out onto the lawn, inhaling deeply as a gentle gust of wind.
It was refreshing; to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, the light pulls of wind in her hair. She glanced around as she stepped further onto the grass, smiling slightly at the sight of a gazebo on the far right. There was a stable further down the property and for a moment, Phoebe considered walking over there to take a look at the horses.
She remembered that Maude had said Edward liked to ride every week and it made her imagine what he looked like on a horse, leading the powerful beast down a path with ease.
However, as she took a step forward, she caught sight of the garden from the corner of her eye and her feet instinctively took her in that direction. Some flowers were already in bloom, their colourful petals practically glowing beneath the bright sun, stalks swaying slightly in the wind.
The gardener was clearly devoted to his job, as the flower beds looked impeccably neat. Maude had mentioned he always came to check on the plants every other day, and it was clear to Phoebe how much effort he put in every time. Slowly, she reached out and lightly patted the petal of a rose with the tip of her finger, smiling at the sensation of the soft petal against her skin.
Her mother loved gardening and as a child, Phoebe had clung to her skirts as she planted seeds, transferred plants from little clay pots to the soil in front of their house. When she grew older, she began to help her mother around the garden, and the hobby became one of Phoebe’s favourite moments to share with her.
She continued to explore the garden, smiling wider when she noticed a particular patch of flowers had attracted butterflies, the colourful insects flapping their wings gracefully as they hovered in the air above the flowers. As she drew closer, she spotted that there were some flowers that had grown fully, although they had long slim stalks.
The soil they were planted in looked freshly upturned, as though they had been recently transplanted into that part of the garden. When Phoebe took a closer look, she noticed that gardener had planted daffodils and tulips together.
Her mother had told her that it was not a good idea to plant those flowers — and some others — together so close together, as they would fiercely compete for nutrients and end up slowing their growth.