“It was a disaster!” Anna said, slumping down on her sister’s bed. “How can we expect to fool the duke if we couldn’t even convince our own father!”
Judith nodded, sinking into the chair by her vanity.
“Now, do not be too harsh with yourselves!” their mother chided. “Naturally, your father was surprised when you suddenly behaved differently. You must not forget, he knows you. The duke does not!”
Anna lifted her head, eyes shining as she looked at her mother. “You’re right, Mother.” She shook her head, smiling at her own insecurity. “The duke does not know what we are truly like.” She turned to her sister, nodding her head eagerly, her eyes imploring. “We can do it, Judith.”
“Will father not give us away?” Judith asked. “He did not seem pleased tonight.”
Sliding off the bed, Anna brushed her concern away. “Father was just confused. He does not know of our plan, and he would never risk offending the duke.” Anna smiled. “He will have no choice but to play along.”
Judith shook her head. “I don’t like this. Father deserves better. And maybe he is right. Maybe this will all be for the best.” Her voice almost broke as the words left her lips.
Their mother pulled Judith into her arms. “Do not falter now, my child. You have chosen your path; now you must walk it.” Lifting her daughter’s chin, she looked into her eyes. “It will be worth it. Trust me. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you bow to your father’s wishes.”
Judith nodded, clinging to their mother who held her as she had from the day she had been born.
As mother and daughter stood holding each other, Anna’s gaze was drawn to her mother’s eyes, squeezed shut as though a dormant pain had reawakened. Again Anna wondered what her mother’s past held. What had been the circumstances of her own marriage? Anna realised she knew very little about her mother’s life before she and Judith had been born.
***
Simple, yet elegant and of sufficient space, the townhouse stood in one of London’s better parts. Edmond rarely travelled here; however, he noticed the potential of the merchant’s home, wondering if a new place for the man’s family would be in order soon. Could Mr. Hanford afford an improvement in location after providing one of his daughter’s with such a substantial dowry? He only hoped it was true. Naturally, Edmond’s main concern rested with settling his debts, not losing his family’s estate. However, the higher his future father-in-law climbed on the social ladder, the better it would reflect on Edmond with regard to his choice of a wife.
After his steward, Mr. Lloyd, had informed him of Mr. Hanford’s new position in life, Edmond had made enquiries with regard to the two young ladies of the house. While Mr. Lloyd had reluctantly suggested, based on his own knowledge of the family, that the youngest daughter probably suited him best with regard to spirit and temperament, the general opinion of his acquaintances urged him to stay well clear of same young lady due to her ill-manners and wilful attitude. Determined to let his own judgement choose for him, Edmond entered the house with a sense of eager anticipation, like a young boy awakening on Christmas morning.
After being shown to the front parlour, Edmond merely had to wait a matter of seconds be-fore the door flew open and in walked Mr. Hanford effusively welcoming him to his humble abode. The lady of the house, while cordial, appeared less enthusiastic and mostly remained in the back-ground, eyeing him through guarded eyes.
While Edmond had no mind for numbers or other serious and mostly boring aspects of life, he was an infallible judge of character. He immediately recognised Mr. Hanford’s exuberant ways as those of a man anticipating a promising business deal, and yet the man’s eyes held an ulterior motive buried under layers of cordiality. Edmond could not help but wonder if it were wiser to find a wife elsewhere.
Mrs. Hanford, on the other hand, appeared perfectly sincere, despite the stolen looks she cast at him. Edmond understood them as a mother’s concern for her daughter’s happiness. She was appraising him with regard to his own qualities.
Before Edmond could make up his mind with regard to whether or not it would be advisable to choose one of Mr. Hanford’s daughters for his wife, the door opened once more, and the two young ladies in question entered.
Introductions were quick, and before long, they were seated around the supper table. All the while, Edmond conversed with Mr. Hanford, while casting his own stolen glances at the man’s daughters, trying to determine if one of them had the potential to be his duchess.
Upon first meeting them, Edmond had been surprised to hear the blond one was Judith. Her chin raised, lips pressed into a thin line, she had greeted him with a cold look of derision in her eyes while her courtesy had been anything but courteous. When he enquired after her favourite pastimes, she answered him with short, clipped replies, never smiling, an ever-present scowl on her face. According to his enquiries prior to this dinner, Edmond would have assumed she was the younger, bold sister without manners.
Miss Anna, however, was politeness in person. Her eyes shone as she looked at him, a dazzling smile decorating her full lips. Occasionally, she would avert her eyes as though shy and answer his questions in a polite yet insecure manner, her voice a mere whisper. By all means, judging from her character, he would have assumed her to be Miss Hanford.
As the evening proceeded, Edmond, at first, assumed that he had to have gotten the names mixed up. But, then he noticed slight discrepancies in their behaviour.
When he enquired after the most recent performance they had seen at Covent Garden, Miss Anna’s answer was delivered in a melodic voice and with a sweet smile. However, when Edmond turned his attention to Mr. Hanford, he observed from the corner of his eyes that she rolled her eyes at him, then winked at her sister.
Confused at first, Edmond detected many more of these slight oddities. In fact, what he had first attributed to Miss Hanford’s ill manners, he now understood as shyness masked by a strangely, curt behaviour. Sometimes her voice would come out soft and sweet only to harden in the next instant like an actress who had only just then remembered her lines. Whenever she turned her gaze from him, the cold in her eyes immediately vanished as though she didn’t have the strength to maintain this ruse any longer, which is exactly how Edmond came to understand their behaviour.
For a reason he could not fathom, Mr. Hanford’s two daughters did their best to convince him that they were not who everyone else knew them to be. While Mr. Hanford prattled on in his usual enthusiastic manner, Mrs. Hanford observed their interaction through her by now familiar guarded eyes. Occasionally, she would place a hand on Miss Hanford’s arm, give her a slight nudge or whisper what Edmond presumed to be an encouragement to maintain their charade. She clearly was part of this ruse.
The only thing Edmond could not unravel was why the women of the family went to such drastic measures to ensure that he would choose Miss Anna for his bride. Because clearly that was the purpose of their charade.