Lydia nodded. She could understand what the Dowager Duchess—no,Margaret, she should begin thinking of her as Margaret—was saying. And she thought she would be able to comply with it as well. It was just going to take some practice.
“All right, Margaret,” she said. “And you had better just call me Lydia.”
“Of course. I always meant to,” Margaret agreed. “If you’re going to marry my stepson, as he claims, there will be no need for formality between us—we’re going to be family.”
Lydia’s first impression of this encounter surprised her. She felt overwhelmingly as if Margaret respected her. Perhaps she didn’t like her yet, but that would come with time. For now, respect was enough—it was more than she had anticipated this early on in their knowing one another.
“Now, then,” Margaret went on. “As the Duchess, there are several more things that will be expected of you, and the reason I’ve come to see you today is to prepare you for that responsibility. I’m sure it’s a dream come true for a young lady like yourself to marry a duke.”
“It is rather nice,” Lydia agreed. “But of course, there’s more to it than just the title.”
She regretted the way she’d behaved when the Duke had come to meet with her and her father, and she was hoping that Margaret might carry word back to him that she wasn’t really the way she’d seemed that day—that she wasn’t so single-minded and cared about more than simply becoming a duchess. She wanted the Duke to know that the relationship between the two of them was something that was important to her.
But Margaret waved the subject off. “Yes, yes,” she said. “There are plenty of things to think about, to be sure. But for the sake of our time together, what matters is your role as Duchess and how well you adapt to it. Are you ready to learn about what must be done?”
“It sounds as if you’re saying that what I’ll need to do is to be bold,” Lydia said. “You don’t know me well, Margaret, but I can assure you, it won’t be a problem.”
Margaret eyed her shrewdly. “I can see that you’re a confident young lady,” she praised. “That’s for the best. I like that about you.”
“Thank you.”
“But you also need to know that there’s a time and a place for your boldness. Yes, it’s appropriate—necessary—for you to take a stand on certain things and to be unafraid of the viewpoints of others. And you mustn’t allow yourself to be easily intimidated either.”
“Do I seem as though I would be?”
“My stepson can be very intimidating.”
That did match Lydia’s experience with the Duke. But she wouldn’t be cowed by him, and she knew it.
“Trust me,” she said, “I can hold my own.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Do you also know how to give in when the time is right? Do you know how to judge a situation to decide whether having your own way or appeasing someone else is more important? And can you concede to doing something that wouldn’t have been your preference because it’s what’s best for everyone involved?”
“Yes, I can.”
Growing up with parents like hers had made this sort of thing second nature to Lydia. She knew how to choose her battles with care, and she knew that she would never be the kind of person who stubbornly clung to an argument just because she needed to feel as if she was in the right.
“As a duchess, you’ll need to learn how to prioritize what other people think of you,” Margaret added.
“You just told me Ishouldn’tprioritize that,” Lydia argued.
“Ah. But it’s a delicate balance. You must be constantly aware of people’s perceptions, but you must also be capable of setting that aside when it serves the greater good. You must always dress in the latest fashions and display impeccable manners, but you must be unafraid to be outspoken when an occasion calls for it.”
Lydia nodded. She appreciated what Margaret was telling her, but it was beginning to seem more complicated than she had originally thought it might be.
“How will I know when I should take a stand and when I shouldn’t? Is this something I can rely on the Duke to help me with?”
“Between you and me,” Margaret confided, “I wouldn’t rely on him for much of anything.”
That was surprising. “Why not?”
“He thinks of himself first and others rarely at all,” Margaret explained. “Now, I know I shouldn’t speak poorly of him—I don’t mean to—but it’s my duty to prepare you for the things you’ll face as a duchess, and you need to know the nature of the man you’ll be marrying.”
“Are you saying he’s cruel?”
“Not cruel. But not warm. You shouldn’t expect him to guide you, that’s what I’m saying. Fortunately, you’ll have me for that. I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”
Lydia nodded. She hadn’t been sure about Margaret at first, but she was beginning to feel deeply grateful to have such a strong role model as she headed into her new life.
