chapter 3 ( The barren duchess)

Deep in the heart of England, amidst the rolling hills and picturesque landscape, lies the tale of a barren duchess who carried the weight of her fears and insecurities. She was known as the lady Eleanor Ashford, her grace, duchess of Harcourt.

A woman of uncommon beauty and grace, yet haunted by the looming spector of fear and concern. Her husband, the esteemed duke of Harcourt, is a formidable figure, whose presence commanded respect and admiration, loved his dearest wife ever so deeply.

However behind closed doors, Eleanor wrestle with the fear of losing everything once her husband was no more. This fear stemmed from the fact that they had no children after many years of marriage.

In the quiet hours of the night, Eleanor would often find herself immersed in contemplation, seeking solace in the barrenness of her soul. She yearned for a child to fill the echoing halls of their grand estate, to offer a sense of purpose and continuity beyond her own life time.

The engagement party had just started at viscount Sinclair's house, who were good friends with the duke and duchess. Henry and his wife Eleanor had arrived earlier but Eleanor was no where to be found.

"Have you seen my wife?" Henry asked the host anxiously, looking elegent in his tailored british suit as usual. The host who was infact the lady of the house, lady Violet Sinclair, viscountess of the Sinclair fortune.

"She was here a moment ago," she replied while trying to give orders to the butler.

Where could she be? He thought to himself.

The night festivities were being held on the south lawn. It seemed a good spot for an outdoor fête-level ground, a view to the lake and a large potion of seating for the less energetic.

He wasn't certain how many people the viscountess had invited for her daughter's engagement party, probably something between twenty and thirty; small enough to be intimate, but still large enough that he couldn't find his wife.

A tap on the back suddenly interrupted his thoughts turning to see his wife staring at him. He starred at her, her eyes so sad, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"Where have you been?" He questioned in a tone of concern.

"I was with Mrs Pembroke", she lied, narrowing her eyes, trying to clear her eyes confirming Henry's suspicion. She was crying. He knew she was, this wouldn't be her first. Its was her goddaughter's engagement, for once he thought today would be different.

"Mr Ashford," lord Langford called, distracting henry from his wife.

"Your grace," lord Langford said, paying his respect to the duchess.

She left the gentlemen to discuss their business. She was hungry. She hadn't had anything to eat, well not since breakfast of course. She didn't know what to eat.

Sweet, Eleanor decided, smelling a hint of cinnamon as she reached the light gray stone of the patio.

Eleanor looked around, both for the refreshment and for someone she could converse with, most preferably her best friend the viscountess, Charlotte's mama, to discuss the wedding plans with. But as her eyes swept the scene, instead she saw Charlotte who immediately gave her a warm hug.

"godmother, I have missed you terribly." she felt as though all her sadness had been taken away. Maybe it was silly. Maybe it was mad. It was probably both those things. But sometimes she wished Charlotte was her own daughter. Oh, how she wanted a daughter like her so badly.

"I have missed you more." She replied, nodding towards a table laden with small snacks. "We have spent the last few weeks preparing, going to the modiste every now and then.

" polishing yourself?' She asked with a smile.

Her lips curved in answer. "Exactly that. I should make and excellent bride." They both burst into laughter.

"Your grace," lady violet called. "Where have you been? You had me worried."

"Oh dearest, lady Pembroke kept me company, am sorry." Violet sighed with a nod.

Lady Violet the viscountess was the duchess best friend. Violet had four children, three girls, Charlotte, the eldest, Ella, the second born, Harrison, the only male child, who was also the next viscount Sinclair after his father and Jane who was the last.

Charlotte made her debut this season and was already getting married to lord heselby, an Earl of a grand estate. One would think that the diamond of the season chosen by queen Victoria her self would get married before anyone else. One can never comprehend how these London societies work.

"I'll take my leave now. I have a headache." Eleanor lied.

"Are you alright?" Charlotte asked, concerned.

"Just tired, nothing more."

"You can go upstairs and take a nap." Violet suggested.

"No, its alright, I'll just go home. Have you seen the duke? She asked. " he's with papa," Charlotte answered, looking at her papa and the duke from a corner of the party.

Eleanor left the party. She didn't have any ache, she just wanted to leave the environment.

"Where's my wife?" Henry asked one of the maids as he got home.

"I believe she should be in your bedchamber your grace." Worried enough, he quickly headed upstairs. He barged into the room as he saw her sitting on their bed, poring over what appeared to be a latter. Henry knew Eleanor didn't have a headache or any sort of ache for that matter.

He saw her carefully reading the latter written in an extremely compact hand.

"A footman brought it to me," Eleanor said, not even looking up. "He said it arrived in today's post, but we had already left for the party. "

Henry sighed. "Its from the queen." Eleanor said.

"She wants me to join the ladies in her court." She said still keeping her head down.

"Wow, dearest, that's wonderful new. You should be excited." However, she wasn't an inch excited.

"Why aren't you happy? Its such an honor to be in her Majesty's court."

"You should be happy," henry added.

"Why aren't you happy?" He questioned. "They'll just mock me, and now worst in front of her royal Majesty, the queen."

"And don't forget, lady Hampton is there, I can't stand her, she's her Majesty right hand woman, she'll just embarrass me."

"No they won't. Beside we won't be childless for much longer." She quickly rose her head in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed.

"There's a child up for adoption. He was left in front of the orphanage. She quickly rose up from the bed out of anxiety, pacing back and forth.

"I told you, I don't want a child from the orphanage. Sooner or later someone would come claiming him as theirs."

"Remember the lord and Lady alderbrook, they had raised Anthony as their own after so many years, the parents showed up and claimed him as theirs, and had to give him away."

"I understand your concern," he said leaving his initial position trying to soothe her. "He's just five and he has no one else to claim him, and the chances of a family coming forward are slim."

"Jonathan spoke about adopting one of the African female slaves but I said you will not like the idea, so.... hang on." She interrupted.

"What do you mean?" She yelled, "I don't care where she's from, I want her."

"Queen Charlotte was black and king George loved her so. Their love story was the best anyone could ever wish for."

"She sighed and sat down in the chair at the vanity table close to her drower.

" oh dash," she muttered, "I hate when she does that." Her maid had left a pair of shoes the wrong way, with the left on the right and right on the left, and while the duchess knew there was nothing earth shatteringly wrong with that, it did offend some strong ( and extremely tidy) little corner of her sensibilities. So she righted the slippers, then stood back to inspect her handiwork then planted her hands on her hips.

He sat down on the bed with a huff.

"So you don't mind having her as our daughter?" He asked. "I don't if you don't," she confirmed.

"I want us to adopt the boy also. I know you've always wanted a son, I am sorry I couldn't give you a son but I won't deny you this happiness." As Eleanor spoke those words, his face held a mix of compassion and curiosity. The decision to adopt a child is a profound leap of faith, and she knew that it was important to consider all aspects of this life changing commitment. While the initial agreement was to adopt a female child, she agreed to adopt the boy also. It was a testament of her open mindedness and understanding that she acknowledged the importance of siblings relationship and the potential impact on the children's lives.

She suddenly woke up, trying to decipher where she was.

She didn't know where she was,but the unfamiliar surroundings sent a shiver down her Spine. The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows on the gray walls. Panic surged through her veins as she realized she was strapped to chains, immobilize and powerless. Her heart pounded in her chest as she surveyed the scene, her people all looking on with wide eyes filled with fear and confusion.

The air was heavy with a mix of tension and despair, as if the weight of their collective uncertainty had settled upon them.

Whispers filled the air, hushed conversation between the captives trying to make out what they were saying.

She didn't know where she was. She tried to calm the captives, telling them everything will be alright as the ship came to a halt. It felt as though they had finally reached their destination.

Two soldiers came and forcibly dragged her away from her people.

The pain and confusion etched on her as she struggled against the strong grip of the soldier painted a vivid picture of anguish and despair that she must have felt.

As the soldier disembarked from the ship with her, the were met with an expected sight. Standing before them was a footman dressed in a uniform that was different from theirs.

"They are waiting," the footman said in haste.

"We are ready," the soldier's word resonated in the air as he carefully placed her in the carriage. The carriage immediately set off its wheels rolling the Mayfair streets, carrying her towards the illustrious Harcourt castle. As the carriage disappeared into the distance, one couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for what triumphs awaited her at the castle grand gates.

As she sat amidst a sea of unfamiliar faces, she strained to catch the fragments of the soldiers conversion.

They kept starring and whispering only God's knows what. English a foreign language to her seemed to dance on their tongues effortlessly.

She had once learned a few about the language but not enough to grasp completely what they were saying.

Yet, despite the barrier, her determination to bridge the gap pushed her to grasp at the few she could understand. Piece by piece, she delicately assembled the puzzle of their discourse, picking up snippets of meaning and intent. Though her knowledge of the language was limited, she refused to let it hinder her. Armed with her determination and a pocketful of phrases, she navigated the linguistic maze, eager to learn and communicate with the world that lay beyond her native tongue.

Eleanor's heart swelled with love and anticipation as she eagerly waited for the arrival of her adopted daughter. After going through a long and rigorous process, she had finally adopted the little boy and named him Oliver.

Her heart raced with anticipation as she stood outside the majestic castle, her trusted maids lined up beside her and her husband standing behind her. The sun cast a warm glow on the grand entrance, emphasizing the intricately carved stone walls and towering turrets. Today was the day she would finally met her. She clutched her maid's hand, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness coursing through her veins. "Your grace, everything will be alright." One her maid assured her. The castle, adorned with intricate carvings band majestic towers, seemed to hold the promise of a new chapter in Eleanor's life.

Eleanor's heart fluttered like a butterfly in a meadow as the carriage finally arrived. There she was, her daughter.

Eleanor's eyes welled up with joy as she embraced her daughter for the first time, feeling an instant connection and an overwhelming gratitude.

This was the beginning of a remarkable journey filled with unconditional love and a bond that would transcend time and space.

Henry gently touched Eleanor's shoulders. He could feel the joy in her soul.

Adesuwa, who was still in her wedding garments, starred incessantly at the duke and duchess, trying to assess the situation.

After a moment of awkward silent and emotions. They duchess finally gave her a name.

"We'll call you Emma."