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Chapter 43 – A mother’s love, a father’s reason


AN* Joyce and William have a talk



By ten o’clock that evening the house was quiet. Craven had removed himself back to Chelsea and Annandale had retired to bed. Xander had gone courting the Lady Cordelia and Dawn was fast asleep. Buffy and William were sitting cuddled on a sofa in the drawing room holding hands and exchanging small kisses.

As the drawing room clock chimed the hour, Buffy remembered her mother’s request. Turning to William she relayed her mother’s instructions and requested he join her in a visit. He was happy to comply. Lady Joyce was known for her compassion and he would like to chat with her awhile.

Buffy and William made their way to her mother’s room. Outside the door, Buffy turned to William and lifted her finger to her lips before asking him to wait. She slipped quietly through the door to check that her mother was able to receive him and had not fallen asleep. Within moments the door opened and she bid him through.

Lady Joyce was sitting up in bed smiling at William as he entered her room. As he walked to her bedside she gestured to the chair at her side for him to sit.

“Would you leave us, Buffy?” her mother asked.

Taken aback at her dismissal, Buffy merely nodded and made for the door.

“Please do not stay too long, William. My mother needs rest.”

William smiled back at Buffy as he replied. “We’re just going to have a cosy chat, luv, then I think I will talk to my father for a while.” He winked at her, “I’ll see you at breakfast, kitten. Don’t be late. If the weather if fine I’ll take us for a ride in the park.”

Buffy’s smile lit the room. “I would like that very much, William. I will ask Giles to speak to cook about a picnic.” The door closed quietly behind her.

Her grace turned her head slightly until she caught William’s eye.

“Do you love my daughter, William? Or are you bamming her for money?”

He looked back at Lady Joyce in surprise. “I happen to love her very much, your grace. I thank the gods daily that she agreed to marry me.”

A look of fury passed over the duchess’ face. “Do not try that tack with me, my lord. I know exactly why you are marrying my daughter. If you think for one minute that Buffy does not realise the tactics both your family and her father have employed, you are much mistaken.”

William laughed softly and smiled at the duchess. “Buffy has left me in no doubt about this marriage, your grace. She has made it quite plain where we both stand.” His face took on a serious countenance “I will be honest with you as I have been with her.” He sighed before he continued.

“This marriage was proposed as a way of bringing money into the Annandale family. I neither wanted a marriage nor cared about one. I was willing to go along with your husband’s conditions as it meant I could keep my mistress. You, Lady Dawn and Buffy were to be removed from London within a month of the nuptials.”

Her grace interrupted him to enquire. “Are you telling me part of the marriage agreement was to remove most of the family to your estate?”

“Indeed, your grace. I had been instructed to get Buffy increasing as soon as possible after the marriage and then remove you all to Annandale. The agreement was that I would spend but one month a year in Annandale and could spend the rest of the year in London following my own pursuits.

Lady Joyce was quick to pick up on what exactly his pursuits entailed. “So you were to spend my daughter’s money on gambling and whores while Buffy, Dawn and I rotted away in the north.” She sighed as she looked at William, “I always knew Henry was an absolute bastard, but this really is the limit. And stop calling me ‘your grace’, William. We are almost family, call me Joyce,” she smiled at him.

William decided that there was no point in holding anything back. This woman was loved by Buffy, and he suspected also by his father. She deserved to know the whole truth, well not quite everything. She did not need to know just how well he had come to know her daughter.

“Buffy worked it out, Joyce. As you say she is not stupid.” William smiled wryly in remembrance of Buffy’s ultimatum in the library. “For the marriage to go ahead, she has some conditions of her own. Number one, I must hand her half the dower on the night of the marriage. Number two, we are to leave for Annandale almost immediately after the wedding. Number three, I have to hand over an additional fifteen thousand pounds to be used to bring the estate back in order, which she has promised to do for myself and my father. She also informed me that as I had a mistress, she would take a lover. She promised to be discreet and ensure that there were no bastards in the Annandale line, but I was not to ask her anything about her affairs. And finally I must never enter her bed while I have….uh….other interests.”

The duchess looked at him in shock. “These are her conditions, William? And you have agreed to them?”

William’s head rolled back as he laughed. “I thought I had got a bargain, Joyce. A rich wife who promised more gold from her hard work and I could keep my mistress on the money she brought me. Forty thousand pounds seemed a good investment.”

His face turned serious “But I was wrong Joyce. I fell in love with Buffy and I want nothing more than to be at her side forever. I have already broken with my mistress and have no intention of going back to her.” In a small voice he added, “She does not love me Joyce but we have learned to deal well together. If I have to spend the rest of my life proving my love to her, I will.”

He looked at Joyce sitting still on the bed and continued. “She had one more condition. I was to live on the dower estate ten miles hence from Annandale and never come near her. I can’t do that, Joyce. I have to be near her to survive.” He sighed and looked towards the fireplace, he was not sure he could say what needed to be said to the duchess’ face, but say it he must.

“I have not lived a good life, Joyce. I have spent most of my time in darkness and evil. I will not tell you of some of the things I have done with my life, but suffice to say it has not been pretty.” He turned back to her then, an earnest look on his face.

“She is my sun, Joyce. She brings light into all aspects of my life. I would do anything she asked even if it meant my own life. Buffy is everything to me.”

Joyce looked at the young man sitting beside her in wonder. “You are serious, William. You would lay down your life for her?”

“If it made her happy, I would do it with pleasure.” When he looked at Joyce she could see a tear in his eye. “I love her.”

Extending her hand for him to hold, she lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingers. She continued to hold his hand as she spoke.

“I trust you to look after her, William. Be patient in your dealings with her and show her that you care. Her father always treated her badly and she will need constant reassurance that you will never leave her.”

His eyes filled with anger as he replied. “Craven hit her tonight, Joyce. She had to stop me killing him. I have never felt such anger in my life. I want to bring the wedding forward and get you all out of here, but Buffy believes it would be best to wait.” He smiled at her then and held her hand in both of his. “He is spending a fortune on Annandale House to make sure it is fit for you to live in, Joyce. Let him spend his money as he sees fit, ‘twill be us who benefit.”

Joyce laughed at his comment. “Oh he is not spending his money, William. He is spending mine.”

“I beg your pardon, Joyce?” he asked.

“Craven was down to his last five thousand when we married, William. I brought almost a million pounds to his coffers. He will always ensure I have the best.”

William stared at her open-mouthed. He had always known that Craven was as rich as Croseus but had never realised the source.

“Buffy has been learning estate management since she could count and spell. Leave her to run the estate, William. She does not lie when she tells you she will bring you gold. Support all her decisions. She knows what she is doing.”

“Thank you for your advice, Joyce. I will make sure I follow it.” He dropped her hand back to the counterpane and rose to leave.

“I am glad we have cleared the air, William. I admit I had my doubts about this alliance, but I think it will turn out well for us all.” Joyce lay back against the pillows and a tired look crept into her eyes. “I have to warn you of one thing, William.”

He raised one eyebrow as he waited for her to finish.

“If you ever hurt my little girl, I will kill you myself.”

William laughed heartily. “You won’t need to, Joyce. I will gladly do it myself.”

She smiled at him from the pillows. “Good night, son. Please come and speak to me tomorrow.”

It had been many years since William had heard almost the same phrase from his mother’s lips. Without thinking he bent and dropped a light kiss to her forehead.

“Good night, Joyce. I will come visit you on the morrow.”

She smiled as she fell asleep.


William entered his father’s room without knocking. He knew his father well and was not surprised when he found him sitting up in bed reading a book. He felt like a young child again as he sat on the bed at his father’s feet.

“Well you look like the cat that got the cream. Is everything all right, son?”

William lay back across the bed and smiled at his father.

“Everything is perfect, father. I am about to marry the most beautiful, courageous, intelligent woman in the world, and I love her”

Annandale smiled at his son. “I was watching you both tonight, my boy. There is a definite affection between you.”

William sat up on the bed and turned to face his father. He leaned back against the footrest and spoke bluntly.

“I have just had a long talk with Joyce.” William laughed at his father’s raised eyebrows at his son’s lack of use of the duchess’ title. “She told me to call her Joyce, father. She is a wonderful woman and I cannot understand what Craven sees in his whores.”

His father thought William deserved the truth. “Craven likes to be cruel to his women, William. He seeks out whores who enjoy the type of pleasure he likes. I believe he never used any of his evil practices on his wife which is why he strayed so quickly after their marriage. She may have been disappointed that her husband did not share her bed often, but I tell you this she was lucky he did not.”

“How do you know this, father?” asked William.

“We shared a room at Oxford. He liked to inflict pain even then.”

Silently William pondered his next question. “Do you have strong feelings for her grace, father?”

Annandale smiled at his son. “Not as strong as the feelings I had for Anne, my boy, but there are some feelings still in this old heart.” There was sadness in his voice as he continued, “She has always been loyal to Henry. I would never ask anything of her.”

Before he could stop himself, William asked the question that had been on his mind all day.

“Do you have a mistress tucked away somewhere, father?”

Annandale laughed uproariously at his son’s comment.

“Not at the moment, William. I gave the last one her conge in July.”

William decided to joke with his father over this announcement. “I have one going spare if you want to take on Dru”

“I would rather kill the bitch, William, than fuck her.”

Father and son continued to talk long into the night.






Craven had taken a detour in his journey to Chelsea. As he walked up to the large black-painted door, he wondered if lady of the house would be at home.

The knocker had not been removed from the door which meant the mistress of the house was at home. He was glad. He had neither the time nor inclination to dally in front of this house. Lifting the heavy brass, he knocked loudly. The door was answered within moments.

Imperious as ever, Craven walked straight past the butler and stood in the hallway as he demanded. “Get your mistress, man. Tell her the Duke of Craven requires a word.”

The duke had to wait fifteen minutes on the mistress of the house meeting him in the foyer. He had forgotten how alluring she could be and wondered if she was available for a small dalliance before her returned to Chelsea. It was then he remembered the purpose of his visit.

Lifting the woman’s hand to his lips, he smiled down to her dark brown eyes.

“It has been too long since we last met, my dear. I hope you are well?”

The beauty in front of him smiled and tilted her head to the side.

“You have not visited me for over a year, Henry. I have missed how well we play together”

For the first time that evening, Craven smiled a genuine smile. Here was a woman who understood his needs and could pander to them well. She was not exclusive though, and Craven did not like to share.

“I think you and I have business to discuss, Drusilla my dear. Do you not agree?”





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