A Cinderella for the Duke

by Abby Ayles

  * * *

  “How very magnanimous of you,” Lady Hendrickson drawled out before standing and calling her girls to follow her.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa stood shocked in her seat for just a moment at the cruel manners with which her aunt had already treated her. Surely her mother wouldn’t want to attempt to mend bonds when it seemed so clear that the other party involved had no wish to do so.

  * * *

  Her mind drifted to her mother at that moment, however. Yes, she was keeping busy and probably not wanting for much entertainment in her absence. She was however still very frail of spirit. Lady Louisa could only imagine the degree of hurt her mother would feel if she returned home without having accomplished her task.

  * * *

  If she couldn’t win over her aunt or cousins, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. She was determined to stay the course if only for her own mother’s happiness.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa stood from her seat and quickly caught up to the swaying skirts of her two cousins to follow the procession to dinner.

  * * *

  “Did you mean what you said?” Lady Louisa’s aunt asked from her right side at the table. Lady Hendrickson had insisted that Lady Louisa sit at the head of the table.

  * * *

  “Forgive me, but mean what I said about what?”

  * * *

  Lady Hendrickson gave a puff of her cheeks in an exasperated tone like she was dealing with a stupid child. Lady Louisa could hear the covered giggles from her two cousins.

  * * *

  “That you are willing to help in any way you can?”

  * * *

  “Oh yes,” Lady Louisa said perking right up. She was hoping that this could perhaps be the opening she was looking for.

  * * *

  “Well, the house has always been short-handed. You see Mr. Hendrickson had promised me the world when we first met. This is all he seemed to be able to give, however,” Lady Hendrickson said with a wave of her hand at the room.

  * * *

  “Normally, the girls and I pick up and do the extra things that just can’t be accomplished by such a small household. Unfortunately, since my husband's departure from this world,” Lady Hendrickson paused for a moment and dabbed at her nose with a handkerchief. “Well, neither the girls nor I have been up to it.”

  * * *

  “We barely manage to put ourselves right every day let alone the mountain of tasks piling up before us.”

  * * *

  Lady Louisa felt excitement inside her. This would be her chance to show her aunt that no hard feelings were harbored between the two families. She would do all that she could to get Mentheith House back on its feet.

  * * *

  After all was not charity the greatest love? Lady Louisa would show that she and her mother had high abounding love for this family, and in return she hoped the Hendricksons would again accept them into their lives. Lady Louisa was sure this was the last grievance her mother needed to fix in this life. She wasn’t willing to let her mother down.

  * * *

  By the end of dinner, Lady Louisa was high in spirits and full of tasks for the morrow. She thought it was quite a long list and figured it was only because all three would work together to accomplish the tasks.

  * * *

  Her first task would be to get the kitchen garden and medicinal gardens set to order. She actually didn’t find this task too tedious and thought she might rather enjoy it. It was after all early enough in the spring that she might yet get a good yield for the dinner table.

  * * *

  In times past, she had helped her own gardeners tend to the small plots behind their London home and therefore had good knowledge on the matter. She had even made a bit of a hobby out of medicinal plants and their uses recently.

  * * *

  The second task on her long list was to retrieve parcels from the town that the women of the house were expecting. She worried more about this job as she had no familiarity with the area and she would be in public all on her own.

  * * *

  Perhaps her cousins would accompany her on this trip, and in that way, it would not be improper. But for a lady to walk to town and through shops without even a maid at her side was more than Lady Louisa had ever done in her life.

  * * *

  As much as Lady Louisa wanted to mention such concerns to her aunt, she also knew that she would no doubt be ridiculed for them. At every moment Lady Hendrickson strove to shovel words in Lady Louisa’s mouth.

  * * *

  First, there was the instance in the drawing room. Then at dinner, she covered her insults with humility. Lady Hendrickson had initially commented on how the meal was no doubt distasteful to someone used to the finery of

  * * *

  London. Next, she remarked on how Lady Louisa must have chosen her most out of date gown so as not to make her cousins feel unfashionable.

  * * *

  All these comments, and so many more were all meant to belittle and embarrass Lady Louisa. She hated to admit it, but it was working.

  * * *

  That night before retiring to her bed in the small servant room meant for two, Lady Louisa sat at the edge of her bed and did her best not to cry. She was sure in that moment she would have much preferred to be back at Mrs. Mason’s School for Young Ladies and have her hair dipped in the inkwell than to have to spend another meal in the company of her aunt.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa’s only solace was that if she just kept her head down and did the work asked of her as she had done in primary school, then it would all be over much quicker. Tomorrow she would have nothing but sunshine and a day in the garden to look forward to. With any luck that would also mean not having to be in her aunt’s presence.

  Chapter 4

  Much to Lady Louisa’s misfortune, luck didn’t seem to be on her side. Though she did wake to a steaming hot basin of water and a simple but filling breakfast tray, things only seemed to go downhill from there.

  * * *

  Bess, the maid who regularly stayed in her room, was kind and chipper enough. She did her job efficiently and was quite skilled in dress and hair. Lady Louisa was sure Bess could best the skill of any lady’s maid of London.

  * * *

  Bess also informed her that any plans of seeing to the needs of the garden were unlikely. The plots of land were normally taken care of by Mr. Hendrickson. His illness had come on three years ago, and as a result, he was unable to keep up with the work. He had suffered three long years in bed before his body gave up the spirit.

  * * *

  Any supplies that Lady Louisa would need in recreating the gardens would first have to be procured in the village.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa, always the one to see the bright side of things, took it as an opportunity to cross off other things on her list as she would spend the morning in town and hopefully have the afternoon to garden.

  * * *

  Sadly, Bess then informed Lady Louisa that such a trip would most likely take the whole of the day. The village was a two-mile walk. Bess offered for Lady Louisa to ride in the carriage instead.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa thought on this for a moment. Her aunt certainly knew how far the distance was. No doubt her aunt and cousins never walked the journey but rather rode in the carriage. Perhaps this was yet another way for her aunt to single her out.

  * * *

  If Lady Louisa were to take the carriage as offered, then she was sure that night at dinner would be filled with talk on her overly delicate nature.

  * * *

  Unquestionably, the maids and men servants didn’t take a carriage or horse into town, though. If they could walk the distance, she was sure she could manage it too.

  * * *

  She had spent many a season walking the trails in Hyde Park. How much harder could it be to walk a level path to a village?

  * * *

  “Actually, i
f you would be so kind to hand me my sunbonnet, I would rather enjoy the walk,” Lady Louisa replied determinedly.

  * * *

  Bess looked at her with surprise through the reflection of the looking glass. She was a sweet enough looking girl in a rather dull brown muslin dress. For the most part, her conversation had been steady without any betraying emotions. That was up until this moment.

  * * *

  “I’m afraid, m’lady, that I might not be able to find someone to accompany you to the village.”

  * * *

  “I assumed as much. I will go on my own. It is not dangerous here, is it?”

  * * *

  Bess gave a nervous laugh.

  * * *

  “Of course it isn’t dangerous. I, myself, make the walk on my day off to visit with my mother. I only meant that it might not be…well…”

  * * *

  Bess hesitated to finish her sentence. It was not her place to tell Lady Louisa what was and wasn’t proper to do. Bess seemed to feel her actions too impertinent already as it was.

  * * *

  “I appreciate your concern,” Lady Louisa responded with a sincere heart, “but I am sure I will be just fine on my journey.”

  * * *

  Bess hesitantly gave Lady Louisa easy directions to find her way to the village. Lady Louisa was sure of her own abilities and bravery, though up until this day bravery was not something she would have ever associated with her personality. Her confidence slowly faltered with each step she took on the path.

  * * *

  The country surrounding her aunt’s house and fields more resembled an enchanted forest filled with deep dark secrets than the leisurely walk in the woods that Bess described.

  * * *

  Even with the sky blue and clear of clouds, when Lady Louisa left the house, she was now enshrouded by the darkness of high overarching tree branches. She shivered and pulled her shawl closer to her as she trudged down the road.

  * * *

  She was sure these paths were the old bandit trails from the fairy tales she read as a child. At any moment, one would jump out and take all she had. She was seriously reconsidering her determination and about to turn back when the sound of a horse echoed off the trees.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa moved to the side of the road and looked forward to the bend ahead, waiting for the rider to appear. From the sound, she was sure it was a single rider and no cart or carriage behind. Perhaps they would stop and inform her how much farther she had to go.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa was sure that if it was not much farther, she would be able to complete the rest of the journey. She was not surprised when it was a single rider coming around the bend but she was shocked to see his speed.

  * * *

  She took another step back to give the man the whole of the road as his heaving frothing steed pulled with all its might to reach its maximum ability. In the process of stepping back without looking, however, Lady Louisa stepped on the back of her hem and stumbled to the ground.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa hadn’t expected the rider even to see her at his high speed, but apparently he did. What was worse, he saw her fall. He pulled on the reins causing the horse to skid on the path and rear up in protest.

  * * *

  The rider must have been quite proficient for he didn’t even lose control despite the animal’s protest. Instead, he turned the beast around, dismounted, and walked it over to where Lady Louisa had fallen.

  * * *

  “I’m terribly sorry for the fright, miss. I am not used to seeing others on this path.”

  * * *

  Lady Louisa looked up past her sunbonnet at the face of the man before her. He did seem sincere in his words, but the embarrassment was still fresh for her.

  * * *

  “I was under the impression that this was the path that leads to the village. One would think it would be used enough to encourage caution from riders,” Lady Louisa said as she brushed the leaves and dirt from her dress.

  * * *

  Looking down, she could see the hem of her rose-colored dress was not only soiled with dirt, but also torn from her misstep on it.

  * * *

  “The village is just down the way and around the bend, however not much else is in that direction,” he said pointing his leather gloved hand to the path she had already trodden.

  * * *

  “Well, my aunt’s house is in fact in that direction,” Lady Louisa said with a small hint of irritation.

  * * *

  “Oh, how wonderful. You must be a neighbor of mine. I’ve only taken residence a month ago at Bassen Park and have yet to meet all those around me. Are you familiar with the estate?”

  * * *

  “I am afraid not,” Lady Louisa said truly having very little knowledge of anything past the road she now walked on. “I have only arrived myself just a day ago. I was on my way to the village to procure the necessities for a summer garden.”

  * * *

  “How splendid,” he remarked seeming relieved that she was still whole in body as she stood before him and readjusted her bonnet. “So your aunt must work at one of the small houses along the path before Bassen Park. I believe there are only three,” he said more thinking to himself. “which one can I send a note to inquire about your health Miss…”

  * * *

  It wasn’t the first time that Lady Louisa had been assumed to be a commoner. More often than not it was due to her very plain looks, for surely a member of the ton could not look as uninviting as did she. She also suspected the fact that she was soil covered and alone didn’t hamper his first assumption.

  * * *

  Perhaps it was the way that her aunt had spoken to her the night before. It may have been because Lady Louisa felt shame in announcing that she was, in fact, a lady and should have been escorted, but more than likely she was just too embarrassed by her looks to correct the man.

  * * *

  “Bess, it is just Bess. I am staying at Mentheith House, but I pray you don’t inquire. I assure you I am quite well,” Lady Louisa said.

  * * *

  “Well, just Bess,” the gentleman said with a tip of his hat and a twinkle in his clear emerald green eyes, “I am the Duke of Rowland. Please do come and inquire at my estate if you are in any need. I would be happy to oblige.”

  * * *

  Lady Louisa’s mouth opened for just a moment in shock, but she quickly regained herself. She bowed to the Duke and kept her eyes on the ground. Finally, seeing there was nothing more he could do for the maiden, the Duke of Rowland mounted his stead and returned his way down the path at a much slower pace.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa, on the other hand, stood her ground for some time stunned by her action. Not only had she made a fool of herself she had also lied to the face of a Duke. What if he sent someone to inquire about her at Lady Hendrickson’s house? How would she explain herself to both the man and her aunt?

  * * *

  Lady Louisa was so lost in her thoughts of those last few moments, and what consequences might result, that she hadn’t even realized that she had turned the bend and was now following the path out of the forest and into the open air of the village.

  * * *

  With the return of the sunshine warming her skin, Lady

  * * *

  Louisa let her worries melt away. She couldn’t help but feel accomplished as she made her way over the final hills and into the cobbled streets of the village.

  * * *

  Here people were busy with their own lives and didn’t have time to notice or question her. For someone who endeavored to be unnoticed most of her life she rather found it refreshing.

  * * *

  Though it was a country village, it was still much more significant than Lady Louisa had expected. She easily found the central market from the calls of people and animals. Lady Louisa was overjoyed that she had arrived on what seemed to be Market Day.
/>   * * *

  Slowly Lady Louisa spent the late morning and early afternoon perusing the various vendors and wares. As she came to the end of the market, she found a vendor of gardening wares. Mostly it was annual bulbs for ladies to decorate their gardens with, but she did find some good kitchen garden seeds.