The Accidental Duchess

Chapter 4

"Welcome," Emmett said after a moment's awkward silence. "Everyone, may I introduce to you to Her Grace, Elizabeth, the Duchess of Ascot. Bess, my family and staff. It is lovely to see you again."

Bess resisted scoffing. When they were alone, she would give him an earful. "Thank you," she managed to say. Physically holding in her hatred was harder than she thought.

She felt completely on display. It was as if she were being engulfed by questioning eyes. What alarmed her most was the fact that Emmett's sisters left their brother's side and quickly ran to her, throwing their arms around her in a tight hug.

Bess jumped, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Hello?" she said as if she were asking a question.

The taller sister, the one with the blue eyes, pulled back first, flashing a brilliant smile of perfectly straight teeth. "Oh, we are so happy to meet you! We have a new sister!" she exclaimed.

"I'm Rose," the younger introduced. "But my family calls me Rosie— You are family now, so you can call me that too." She beamed, flashing an equally lovely smile. She was actually very attractive when she smiled.

"And I'm Charlotte," the elder said. "Emmett tells us you prefer Bess?" she checked. "Not Elizabeth?" she clarified.

"Yes, Bess," she confirmed. She didn't like to be called Elizabeth. It was her mother's name and she'd never felt like the name belonged to her. Bess was her name.

Charlotte and Rose each took one of Bess' hands and pulled her towards the house. "Please bring her things inside to her bedchamber," Charlotte called out to the servants who'd been standing behind her.

They brought her up the stairs before Emmett and his mother. Emmett appeared tense but his mother just looked horribly angry as she looked Bess up and down. She knew she wasn't exactly an oil painting, but was she really so terrible?

"So, this is the woman who is going to drive Ascot into an abyss," she murmured distastefully.

"Mother," Emmett hushed. "Bess, this is my mother, Marie. Mother, this is Bess."

Bess held her hand out, trying to be polite to her mother-in-law. She didn't want anyone to dislike her—except for Emmett; she didn't care if he disliked her. "It's nice to meet you, Your Grace," Bess said politely, adding a smile onto her face.

Marie scoffed. "She doesn't know anything," she snapped.

"Clearly not, Mama, but she will learn," Charlotte said to her mother firmly. "You are a duchess now, Bess, so you don't refer to your fellow aristocrats as if you were a servant. You'd call her Duchess... Though, as we're family, Mama won't mind if you call her Marie."

"I do mind!" Marie exclaimed. "You will address me appropriately, young lady. Though I am now a dowager, I still preside over this house!" She turned on her heel and stalked inside, huffing and muttering under her breath.

"She does that a lot," Rose said quietly to Bess, sounding amused. "But usually it is due to something that Emmett has done."

Emmett rolled his eyes and seized Bess' hand from Rose, beginning to pull her inside. "Back to your duties!" he ordered of the stationary servants who were all watching the family interact curiously. "Come with me," he said quietly. He pulled Bess along behind him.

Her jaw immediately dropped at the grandeur of the foyer. It was so large and spacious and filled with sculptures and paintings that most likely cost more than her house. How could one person afford to spend their money on such frivolous items? Instead of buying a statue, why not give that money to a church or an orphanage? That made more sense to Bess.