“Thank you,” she said, still with that soft red tint on her cheeks. “For that, and for bringing me here.”
“It was… my pleasure,” he smiled as he withdrew from the drawing room, fearing his own reaction to her closeness.
He rushed down the corridor, stopping the first servant and informing them on what needed to be done. After that, he headed straight to his study, closing the door behind him. But he didn’t feel as if that thread connecting them had been cut. If anything, it was tugging onto him even harder.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
“Mother! Leonard!” Phyllis listened as her husband greeted his family upon their arrival. It seemed that he was as surprised to see them as she was. She wondered if they had written to Alexander, telling them of their visit, and he simply failed to mention it to her. Not that it mattered. They were there and of course, they would be most welcome.
“How nice of you to come,” Phyllis added, but those words only seemed to make the whole situation even more awkward.
The dowager duchess regarded her with a cold nod, but once she turned to her son, her face brightened up into a smile. “Alexander, my dear!” She embraced him tenderly, while Leonard greeted Phyllis with a playful whisper.
“I suggested to visit next week to give you some more time to rest from our meddlesome presence in your lives, but Mother insisted, sorry about that.” Despite the sheer awkwardness of the situation, Phyllis appreciated this playful tone and the knowledge that this man seemed to understand the state of affairs they all found themselves in.
“That is quite all right,” she whispered back in a conspiratorial manner. “We are very happy to see you.”
Leonard smiled, gently squeezing her shoulder. This was yet another appreciative gesture, especially after the dowager duchess’ cold shoulder.
“Why don’t you get settled in your chambers?” Alexander suggested. “Then, once you are ready, we could all go down to the dining hall for dinner.”
Leonard turned to their mother, as the air hummed with anticipation. Her discerning eyes surveyed the changes that had taken root during her absence. When Phyllis’ gaze met the dowager duchess’, Phyllis gave her a respectful nod. Still, a subtle disapproval hung in the air around them. Phyllis was certain that everyone could sense it as much as she herself could.
“I must say that I have noticed the changes,” the dowager duchess remarked, her tone laced with thinly veiled criticism. “This is quite unconventional. I always believed that the Woldaves estate thrived on tradition, not these modern fancies.”
Phyllis, well aware of the delicate dance she was navigating, spoke with measured deference. “I only sought to breathe new life into these venerable walls, Your Grace. I assure you, I did not intend to disrupt tradition, but merely to build upon it respectfully.”
Leonard was obviously far less critical than both his mother and his brother, and he didn’t say anything. In fact, he offered Phyllis a shy smile. Alexander, however remained silent. Phyllis didn’t expect him to defend her. After all, she knew that in situations such as this one, he would probably feel torn between loyalty to his family and the love of his wife. Only, in this particular instance, he felt no love for his wife, only a certain sense of duty, which certainly did not entail defending her from such comments.
The dowager duchess, unyielding in her assessment, fixed her gaze on Phyllis. “Tradition is the cornerstone of our legacy, my dear. It would be wise to remember that, seeing that you are… a member of our family now.”
It did not escape Phyllis’ attention that she refused to refer to her as Alexander’s wife, but rather a member of the family. This only proved to Phyllis that this woman did not particularly like her.
“Of course, Your Grace,” Phyllis was quick to respond, with perfect poise and manners. This woman had not done anything to her. But perhaps she was merely being protective of her child. Phyllis could understand that much.
The dowager had already turned around, tugging at Leonard’s arm. “Help me up the stairs, my dear,” she told him, as they disappeared from view.
The unspoken tension still lingered, as Phyllis turned to Alexander. She could see the look of confusion on his face.
“Pay no heed to Mother,” he tried to alleviate the tension. “She will do anything to resist change.”
“No, I…” Phyllis hesitated, accepting that fact that she might forever remain merely an intruder both in this house as well as this family, and everything she did would be subject to scrutiny. “Perhaps I had overstepped a line. If that is so, I apologize.”
They had already discussed this issue in his study, and only now did she realize that she hadn’t even apologized for taking control of someone else’s household. He was right. She was supposed to ask for permission first, before she went ahead and made all these changes.
He smiled. There was no judgment in his eyes, no scolding. This made her hopeful somehow.
“Perhaps we both reacted a bit… rashly,” he revealed in a tender tone of voice. “Why don’t we let bygones be bygones?”
She smiled back. “I would like that.”
“Good,” he nodded. “I have some more work in my study before dinnertime.” She knew this was a sign that their paths were to separate, until they were to meet again very soon.
“I shall wait in the library,” she informed him.
About an hour later, the opulent dining hall of Woldaves estate witnessed a subtle ballet of etiquette, which seemed to hide the underlying currents of even more tension. As the family gathered for dinner, the dowager duchess, adorned in regal elegance, wielded her words like a practiced duelist, striking with subtle precision.
“… indeed, in our family, we have always valued tradition and lineage,” the dowager spoke in cloaked compliments. “Perhaps I was a little hard on you before. It must be fascinating to bring a fresh perspective fromyourbackground, my dear.”
