Chapter Thirteen

 

Scarlett

Scarlett found herself standing outside the large, ornamental gates that opened onto the front gardens of the Sommer estate without really knowing how she had gotten there in the first place.

Why am I here? she wondered dolefully as the doorman led her through the gates, towards the entrance to the manor house. It’s not as if my father asked me to be here. There’s nothing in it for me to act so polite on behalf of my family.

Yet Scarlett knew she wouldn’t turn back. It was the right thing to do, and the basket in her arms was laden with winter fruits, cured meats, wine and ale for the Sommers. It would be a waste to turn back now.

And besides, Scarlett was willing to do just about anything to stop herself from thinking about Adrian Wolfe, even if it involved coming face-to-face with Andreas for the first time since he had proposed to her. For how was she supposed to process the way Adrian had so viciously thrown her out of his room when they had been mere seconds away from ripping each others’ clothes off?

She shook her head, face flushing in shame as she was escorted through to a parlour room. Scarlett couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to get so carried away. It was unbecoming and reckless of her. Unbidden, she thought of how her father had, in rebellion against his arranged marriage, sought out another woman’s arms and left her pregnant. The woman had been lucky in that Richard Duke went on to raise the child for her, but if Scarlett had actually slept with Adrian and gotten pregnant…

I don’t know what I would have done, she shuddered. In reality it was good for Scarlett that Adrian had kicked her out, though the look on his face as he had demanded she leave still haunted her. He’d looked more animal that human – feral and violent and out of control.

And in pain, Scarlett couldn’t help but add on. She was deathly curious about what had happened to the man to cause him to act in such a way; however, dwelling on such a matter was pointless.

She had to get over him…even if part of her didn’t want to. She had wasted too much of her time on the man already.

Sitting nervously in the parlour room with her basket of goods sitting on her knee, Scarlett wondered about what she was actually going to say to the Sommer family. ‘Hello, I’m happy your son has returned in good health but perhaps you should teach him some manners’ seems a little inappropriate, she mused. Just a little.

But then the door to the parlour swung open and Otto Sommer, the ageing, most prestigious doctor in all of Rowan and its surrounding towns and villages, appeared, closely followed by –

“Scarlett?”

“Papa!” Scarlett exclaimed before she could stop herself, offloading her basket onto the nearest table in order to jump into his ecstatic arms. For Richard Duke was delighted to see his daughter in such an unexpected place; he hugged her tightly to his chest and kissed the top of her head as delicately as if she were a newborn babe.

“I’ll give the two of you some privacy,” Otto smiled. “Miss Scarlett, I’m afraid Henrietta and Andreas are out riding at the moment. I do apologise.”

Scarlett curtsied deeply for the man after her father let her go. “It’s my fault for arriving unannounced, Dr Sommer,” she said politely. “I hope all is well with you.”

“Very well now that my son has returned,” he replied, “though I heard tale that he, ah, was a little pre-emptive in asking for your hand, my dear.”

Scarlett blushed. “Perhaps a little. I admit I was more than a touch surprised.”

Otto looked pointedly at her father. “Perhaps Andreas’ proposal is something to discuss with your father. Heaven knows the boy has been badgering him for a meeting non-stop since his return!” He laughed good-naturedly before vacating the parlour room, leaving Scarlett and her father alone.

The pair embraced once more, Scarlett nuzzling her face against her father’s chest whilst he stroked her hair. “I never expected to see you here, Red,” he murmured.

“It was the proper thing to do, now that Andreas has returned. I thought…”

Her father broke the embrace to hold Scarlett at arm’s length to take a proper look at her, as if calculating how much she had grown. “You thought what, my love?”

She sighed. “I thought it was the kind of thing you would want me to do. I know I’m not really a Duke or – or whatever – but –”

“Scarlett you will always be a Duke, no matter what,” he replied, gesturing for Scarlett to take a seat on the expensively embroidered sofa behind them. He followed suit once she was seated, then clasped both of her hands in his own. “I know things are…complicated. That’s all my fault. But I’m working hard to rectify that. Oh, Scarlett, the boys miss you so.”

She felt her eyes begin to sting with the threat of tears. “I miss them, too. They must be getting so big! And I miss mo – Frances, too, though I don’t imagine she would appreciate hearing that.”

Her father sighed heavily. “She would appreciate that, though she’s too proud to say as much out loud. Despite everything that’s happened, my love, I’m quite certain she sees you as her daughter, whether that’s obvious or not. And she misses you, though she won’t admit it.”

Scarlett somehow found this hard to believe, and though she didn’t say anything about it her father could read it plain as day on her face.

He laughed. “Of course I understand why you wouldn’t believe me. I think you just need to give her a little more time, if you could find it in you to do that.”

“It’s not like I have many other choices, do I?” she muttered, which only made her father laugh all the harder.

“You seem to have many choices, going by the number of proposals I’ve heard about over the last few days. How many is it now – three?”

“Four,” she corrected, grimacing slightly. “Samuel Birch asked me, um, yesterday.”

Her father nodded. “I should have seen that one coming a mile off. My mother has told me about the boy’s affection for you on numerous occasions.”

Scarlett was surprised by this. Of course her father and grandmother talked, but it was a bizarre feeling to think that the two of them would talk about Scarlett when she wasn’t there.

“If I’m being sincerely honest though, Red,” her father continued speculatively, “then I’ll admit that I really would love to see you married to Otto’s boy. He’s made it clear he cares not for your inheritance, nor for any children you would bear having any claim, either. They’re a wealthy enough family in their own right. And Andreas is fond of you and easy on your eye, I’m sure. I don’t think you could ask for much more out of a prospective marriage.”

Scarlett was silent for a moment, staring at their entwined fingers as she thought about how to reply. She had always figured her father had wanted her to marry Andreas, though she hadn’t known about their potential betrothal.

“Was it because of Frances that you never accepted Dr Sommer’s offer to betroth me to Andreas, Papa?” she asked quietly. “Was it because it was a threat to Rudy and Elias?”

“Scarlett –”

“It’s fine if it was. I understand. I just want to know.”

She glanced up and locked eyes with her father; the truth was clear on his lined face. Scarlett saw that grey had coloured his luxurious, dark hair around the edges and peppered his closely cropped beard. For the first time in her life she saw that he was getting old.

For half a second Adrian Wolfe passed through her head, who didn’t look like he was getting old at all yet had that perfect, white streak of hair breaking up the black. Scarlett realised she’d never had the opportunity to ask him if he dyed it.

Well I won’t be looking for him to ask now, she thought sullenly. He can go to hell.

“Scarlett…?”

“Ah, sorry, Papa,” she said hurriedly. “I’m afraid I’ve grown tired, and I have a long walk back to Nana’s. I guess I’ll have to come back when Andreas is actually home.”

Her father smiled sadly. “I am so proud of you, Red.”

“Then will you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About my mother. Not today,” Scarlett added on when she saw a flash of panic cross her father’s face, “but some day. It would mean a lot to me to learn about her…even if you don’t know much.”

He squeezed her hands. “Okay. One day. Let’s repair our family and discuss it then. How does that sound?”

It sounded like more than Scarlett could have dared to hope for. It was everything she wanted.

Screw Adrian Wolfe, and all the other proposals I’ve had. They are nothing compared to getting my family back.

She grinned – a wide, infectious, genuine smile that her father eagerly returned.

“Like something I can agree to.”