Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

“Do not play word games with me,” the dowager duchess snapped. “I came for the truth, and I shall have it.”

“I do not give credence to an article written by an anonymous columnist.” Miranda stood her ground. “And neither should you.”

“Do not presume to tell me what I should or should not do.”

“Or what, Your Grace?” Miranda demanded. “You’ll put me in my place by giving me the cut direct? Or by snubbing me? Or slandering me? Will you seek to punish me by failing to invite me to your par

ties?” She smiled at the dowager duchess. “You’ve already done that. What more can you do to me?”

“I can keep you from seeing my son,” Her Grace replied coldly.

Miranda arched an eyebrow. “Can you?”

“Inform my son that I wish to speak with him straightaway.” The duchess glanced around the room as if waiting for Daniel to appear.

“Your son is not here,” Miranda answered truthfully.

“Then where is he?”

“I don’t know.”

The dowager duchess looked Miranda in the eye in an attempt to take her measure. “I don’t believe you.”

“Believe me or not, Your Grace,” Miranda told her. “It’s the truth.”

The duchess snorted in contempt. “You think if you wait long enough my son will marry you, but I shall never allow you to usurp my role as the Duchess of Sussex.”

“Your son is fully grown, Your Grace. He doesn’t require your permission to marry anyone. And I have never had any desire to usurp your role as the Duchess of Sussex.”

The duchess scoffed. “Of course you do. Every young girl wishes to marry a duke and become a duchess. Who wouldn’t want to live in Sussex House and have the best of everything?” She sighed. “I know I did.”

“Perhaps you’re mistaken in assuming everyone is like you, Your Grace. I was born a peeress,” Miranda reminded her. “I may desire a husband, but I do not have to purchase my title or secure a fortune. I have grown up with the knowledge that my responsibilities and duties are equal to those of any male marquess. I’ve no need for a loftier position in society.”

The dowager duchess firmed her lips into a thin line. “I knew your father. I liked him very much. But I don’t much care for your mother and I have never liked or approved of you, Miranda.”

“I am well aware of that, Your Grace.”

“You are too strong-willed to make a suitable duchess. My son should have a young, adoring, biddable girl for his consort. The type of girl who won’t question and challenge him at every turn. Or make too many unnecessary demands. He needs a wife who will gladly provide him with an heir and a spare and not ask for too much in return.”

Miranda smiled at the dowager duchess. “Are you seeking a suitable bride for Daniel or a biddable daughter-in-law for yourself? Because His Grace prefers ladies who do challenge him.”

“I have a duty to see that my son marries and sires the next Duke of Sussex,” the duchess replied. “And while my son thinks he prefers women who challenge him, he would soon discover that having such a wife means having a wife who would delight in telling him what to do and managing his life for him.”

“A job that’s been reserved exclusively for you, Your Grace.”

The dowager duchess inhaled sharply and sputtered, “How dare you?”

“I dare because I love your son. But unlike you, I believe that your son deserves far better than the sort of beautiful but useless wife you would provide for him.” She returned the dowager duchess’s stare, refusing to back down from it. “You think choosing a young, biddable bride for him will keep him close to you, but the truth is that you will drive him further away. Your son is well aware of his duty to his name. He won’t shirk it. He loves you, Your Grace, and wishes to please you, but he despises your machinations. He is a man born to a lofty title who recognizes his responsibility and his duty to the people who depend upon him for their livelihoods. He believes in making the world a better place for them, and he deserves the sort of wife who will stand at his side and help him shoulder his responsibilities and accomplish his goals, not one who would unwittingly add to his burdens every day. You chose wisely, Your Grace, when you attempted to match him with Alyssa Carrollton, but …”

“I thought so too,” Her Grace admitted, “but he thought otherwise. Since Alyssa, I’ve done my best to choose a different sort of girl, but he shows no interest at all in pursuing them.”

Miranda smiled at the duchess’s confusion. “Then perhaps, ma’am, your purpose would best be served if you would allow your son to do his own choosing.”

The duchess met Miranda’s gaze, and for once they were in accord. “If only he would.”

Miranda saw the sheen of tears in the older woman’s eyes and knew that despite everything, the duchess loved her son. And that gave them a common bond. “He will, Your Grace,” Miranda assured her gently. “But he must be allowed to do so in his own good time.”

The dowager Duchess of Sussex nodded as she turned to go. “You understand that this changes nothing between us, Miranda.”