C20 Lies and Deceptions

The two guards immediately crossed their spears so as to reinforce the gate of the metal manor.

“The duchess had banned anyone from coming into the house, except those given with a permission by the duchess herself,” one of the guard said, maintaining a straight face.

Lord Syford’s footman immediately felt agitated on the treatment and stepped in for his master. “How impudent of you! This is the Earl of Verindale. You shalt not draw your spears just like that on a respectable man of honor as my master,” he defended.

The two guards immediately lowered their heads and apologized on the display of hostility. Nonetheless, they remain faithful on the restriction order of entering the manor.

“Our deepest apology, my lord, but the mistress of the house ordered us not to let anyone in. Unless you got her permission, only then would we step aside,” one of the loyal guard explained.

“Then, can I talked with the duchess then, myself. Tell her, it was the Earl of Verindale who was requesting her presence. Perhaps, she would be courteous enough to face such far away visitor who traveled mountains just to get here,” Lord Syford contended.

One of the guard heeded his words and excused himself out to inform Duchess Carlotta about such request. Not seeing any problem in it, the duchess got up from her chair and out to meet the Verindale lord. She had been hearing this man from a spy he sent to tail Francesca while in her grandma’s hometown. It would be her pleasure to shatter such young heart in her own hands.

The marriage agreement shall and must persist no matter what.

“I heard you are requesting about my presence,” Carlotta started once she stood behind the stripes vertical metal bars of the manor. Her eyes narrowed while reminiscing where did he possibly last saw the man.

On on the infamous character of the earl among the ton, she was quick to remember him. The August woman couldn’t hide her grin realizing how rebellious and scandalous such man Lady Francesca actually got acquainted with. T’was as if same feathers, flocks together.

Dynirho was fast on his tract to spill what he was after for coming all the way from his earldom.

“I will be blunt on my real intention, most respectable Duchess Carlotta. I wish to have a private talk with Lady Francesca. I knew she was there inside. I...” the earl halted a bit. No matter what pretention he does, his fear for rejection still finds its way to show up.

“I… I wanted to confirm one thing from her b-before she marries another man,” he bravely continued despite the stammers in between.

Francesca’s stepmother mentally smirked in her mind. ‘Such poor soul.’ she thought. There is no stopping her in realizing her grand plan after all these years of preparation.

She got on her wicked acting skills. Putting her hand over her forehead, she feigned a distress.

“Poor soul, poor soul. Francesca was such a coy. Why would she let a man believes she was interested when everyone here in Feledencia how much head over heels she was for her betrothed...”

Dynirho could not believe what he was hearing. The Francesca he knew would never be like that.

“Such sweet lady actually returned into her bad habits of making petty scandals all over again. Haven’t you heard about about how wild, and untamed she was on her younger years. She had thrashed a countess, even humiliated a high lord. I wouldn’t wonder if she decided to play with a respectable earl’s heart now,” Carlotta articulated while feigning a sympathetic and apologetic look towards the man.

And no matter how much Lord Syford tries to disregard her argument, he could not deny the small part of him being doubtful about it. Long before Lady Francesca came to Verindale, he already knew who she was.

She was the rumored scandalous lady of the Feledencia dukedom. In fact, she had rode his horse Rodnie once during his last visit here, without permission. The intriguing part was, she was on her ballgown outfit, making everyone looked at her as she get passed them. He planned to mention about it when they horseback ride to mountains, which unfortunately didn’t happen.

Seeing his master confused, the footman excused themselves from the duchess with a polite farewell. Dynirho couldn’t come to resist and simply walked away alongside his men.

When they arrived at the inn, he started trashing things. Vases, chairs, and tables are being shove into the wall ignoring any sense of rationality and dignity. The inn owner kept on shouting to stopped him but his ears were already close.

He was frustrated, pained, down, and felt cheated by the only woman whom he considered the only muse in his life worthy enough for him to change into something better.

It doesn’t matter whether the allegations of the duchess were true or not. All Dynirho could thought was, why would Francesca agree to marry such man if Catherine’s womanly intuition was right. Or maybe his source of information was erroneous. Perhaps, it was the blonde’s perception that was wrong.

The Feledencian heiress never had had shared an interest nor an affection towards him as she claims it. It was him who was so desperate of her time and attention that easily believes such lie.

Now, he was ending as the loser of this game of illusion.

Grabbing at the bottle of booze, he smashed it hard on the drinks counter. Yet again, the inn owner shriek in panic. All the remaining nearby customers already had evacuated into safer places. The butlers and footman kept on assuring the owner of the rightful compensation to his properties in exchange of not reporting it into the authorities.

It would dreadful for his lordship to be acquitted even of petty crimes especially when the prince regent demands all the lords and ladies of the land to gather at his palace by tomorrow at the social gatherings. Lord Syford should be clear from any source of yet another source of gossips.

Just like that, the earl had vented out his foul mood and brokenness until he could thrash nothing, no more.

The next day, he stayed up his room alone lamenting on the alleged karma he received. He got a lot going on his head, but he force himself to hastily get back on his composure already. The social gathering will start at seven o’clock of the afternoon. It was too late for him to send for Emily to be his escort as he failed to secure Francesca as planned.

He laughed at himself on how ridiculously low he’d become for a single woman, who could not even see nor touch for the last time before letting any other man take over her for the rest of eternity.

The thought alone kills him inside. For the first time after three years, he shed tears over someone who left him alone in the air, just like his mother did too.

‘Huh! How can the bold, atrocious Lord Syford fall out like this? It was not as if there will be a crisis of women in the world. Surely, you’ll find another one sooner or later. Maybe, fate was to cruel to let you taste a glimpse of her warmth and force you to let her go when you got the hang of it. Maybe, it would be easier if you hate her, that way it will forget her in no time.’ The earl tried to convinced himself.

Stepping outside his room, he walked towards the bathroom. No matter how much he wanted to stay put much longer, the call of duty and responsibility over his people topped his priority.

After washing up, the footman, also acting his valet, assisted him in his formal coat. Now, he was off to the party. Feledencia lies just beside the intricate, well-famed, streets of London, where the St. James Palace was located.

And the young man couldn’t react much when he saw a very familiar woman, standing at the center of the crowd, wearing a rather simple ballgown than what was expected from every noble ladies attending to such grand event.

Eyes searching every pillars and corners of the function hall, while everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. All full of intrigue and criticism.

“Fra...Francesca….” Her name slipped past his lips, betraying his own ought not long ago of simply hating her. His way of saying it was soft and careful as if afraid of sounding rough about her.

Just like a lost sheep, Francesca ran toward him when she located his whereabouts. Oblivious of how much lies did her stepmother told him about her, she acted casual and invited him outside the garden.

Lord Syford on the other hand was clueless on how did she managed to show herself in front of him. She had worked with Eloisa, her handmaid, who turned out to have stayed loyal to her and her father even after Duchess Carlotta took over the manor.

She had paved her way out secretly using a back exit through the back small forest of the manor. At the end of it, she met with Sussana, the former matron of their house who turned out to have been unjustly removed by the duchess herself.

Sussana secretly bears the last will and testament of Duke Landon declaring Francesca her irrefutable rightful heiress for all his possessions and titles. He had also retracted about the marriage agreement signed by him, stating he was compelled to do so or else the Augusts will resort into a bloody siege to restore power.

He admitted to Francesca about his sacrifice of remarrying Carlotta to keep their enemies under control. After Duchess Savrina, he couldn’t afford to lose her too. That’s why he resorted to such. He even apologize on all his shortcomings as father and wishes her well.

But Francesca was aware that such last will letter would not suffice to fully suppress her stepmother’s scheme of marrying her off to her nephew. She needed her betrothed to voluntarily decease his will of continuing with the wedding.

And as a man of wealth and pride, she could only think of one possible solution in demoralizing her betrothed's will - ruination of her virtue! And should be more than willing of administering it with the Earl of Verindale. It was her plan in the beginning after all.