Jane grinned subtly at her sister's care and affection; she was the closest thing she had to a mother and Jane always respected her for that. Sarah was worried and concerned because deep down she was afraid. But she didn't have to be.
Jane was not one to be easily intimidated and she wasn't going to start now. Sarah would learn to trust her with that, but for now, the mother role was very good on her.
They got to the door and Jane ushered them in, wondering if the escorts would be staying with them during the conversation.
“Perhaps some tea, Your Grace?” she offered, prepared to wave down a servant.
The older woman raised a hand, however. “That will not be necessary, I did not come for refreshments.”
This only made Jane more nervous.
The dowager duchess walked inside, scanning the room in silence as she made her way to the window, casting her eyes at her carriage outside.
“Nice view,” she said, turning to look at Jane.
Did she just say something nice to me?
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Surely, you must have seen me from up here,” she said to her.
Jane was quiet, unsure of how to reply since the dowager had simply stated the obvious.
“Leave us,” she declared.
Immediately, the escorts in the room, sketched a bow and excused themselves, shutting the door behind them.
Jane thought that this was the real talk and that she needed to be braver now they were left alone. But she was caught aback when the dowager let out a sigh of relief, taking off her bonnet.
“Finally,” she said exhaustedly, sitting on the edge of the bed as she set the bonnet beside her. “I can be myself.” She faced Jane with a warm smile.
It was strange, what had just happened and it prompted the Dowding girl to squint with a head cocked to the side. Her face was pale, aghast at the manner at which the dowager had quickly changed.
Goodness me! She actually smiled at me.
“Don't look so surprised, my dear,” Prudence Grove said to her, discerning the shock in the girl's eyes. “You see, being what I am comes with a lot of responsibilities and I have to keep the attitude because it is a standard that all dowagers must uphold.”
Jane was still struggling to wrap her head around what she just experienced but it was taking too long to sink in.
Ohh, Sarah would definitely lose it if she were here right now.
The dowager was a lot more beautiful with her bonnet off. For someone her age, she was still glowing and was still quite agile. She seemed nice and with what Jane had heard this past minute, the dowager was not imposing.
“Looks can be deceiving. And sometimes, theyshouldbe. I'm a dowager, I cannot let anyone forget that,” she explained.
“I understand, Your Grace,” Jane replied.
Prudence was quiet, observing the brave young girl. “You're wondering why I'm being free with you.”
“Not really…it's more a shock,” Jane said.
Prudence laughed lightly.
“You're getting married to my grandson, the Duke of Montford, which means that you'll be a duchess soon enough. Therefore, there is no point in scaring you away,” she added almost immediately. “After all, Colin says that you don't scare easily and from what I can tell…he's not wrong. Youarefearless.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Jane blushed at this comment and her heart melted at the idea that Colin had not only mentioned her to his grandmother but also said nice things about her. She basked in the fact that the dowager could attest to Colin's good remark and that gladdened her heart.
