"You need to tell her the truth."
Edward whipped back on his chair at the sound of his father's voice. He was in his study when His Grace sought him out.
"About your mother," Horace clarified.
Edward pursed his lips. The subject of his mother has always been taboo in this household. Lexa entered this marriage and this family ignorant of that fact. However, from what he saw, she was quick to catch on that something wasn't right.
He had to tell her the truth. He only prayed that she didn't find out the truth from another source.
"Where is she now?" Edward demanded.
"She went out with Miss Lyons," his father replied.
Edward sighed to himself.
Things were tense again, Lexa thought. She was staring at Edward's mother, who was standing in front of her waiting for her reply. Lexa was unsure of where to go forward. She was curious about the mysterious woman that was Edward's mother.
"You may join me, Miss...?" Lexa was unsure of her name
"Charlotte, Marchioness of Douro," was the reply. But you may call me Charlotte since you are the new Marchioness of Douro."
"It's an honour to meet you, Charlotte," Lexa said, politely.
Charlotte smiled at Lexa and looked up to see the still pale Miss Lyons looming behind them. "Will you give us a moment to talk, Selena?" she asked Miss Lyons.
Miss Lyons narrowed her eyes at Charlotte but say nothing as she walked away.
"Is there something you wish to speak to me of?" Lexa asked.
"Not particularly," Charlotte said, "I merely wish to get to know my new daughter-in-law."
"I was surprised to hear that Edward had married," she continued to Lexa.
"Had Edward not told you of our marriage?"
Charlotte teared at the mention of her son and began weeping, "That child has abandoned me. I'm his beloved mother and he didn't even tell me of his marriage! Can you imagine, Lady Douro?"
The way Charlotte wept, the look of a weeping angel, made Lexa feel sorry for her.
She took her silk handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Charlotte.
Charlotte took it graciously and wiped her tears.
"God bless you, my dear lady," Charlotte said.
Lexa smiled at Charlotte, her cheeks warming.
For the rest of the evening, Lexa had a wonderful chat with her mother-in-law. But the time Charlotte excused herself and left, Lexa felt nothing but pleasure from that meeting. Miss Lyons returned soon after Charlotte departed and with an expression of wariness, Lexa looked and questioned her.
"You mustn't trust her, my lady," Miss Lyons said.
"Whatever is the matter, Miss Lyons?" Lexa asked, "Charlotte was very kind to me."
Miss Lyons pursed her lips as the two of them started to walk away from the park, "Do believe me, Lady Douro. That woman..." she trailed, "something about her means trouble."
Lexa dismissed her maid's concern, "I fear you need some time off, Miss Lyons. Perhaps we ought to go to the theatre. Have you seen Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew?"
Lexa walked ahead of Miss Lyons unaware of the worry written on her maid's face. At the same time, she remember her mother's voice telling her in Danish, pas på løven i fåreskind. Beware of the lion in sheep skin.
When she returned to the manor, it was eerily quiet as if one was here spare the quiet movements of the servant working unseen. Miss Lyons cleared her throat, breaking the silence and said, suggesting, " Shall I dress you for dinner, my lady?"
Lexa looked at Miss Lyons and nodded.
They quick made their way to the marchioness's quarters and Miss Lyons closed the door behind them.
Miss Lyons quickly got started with undressing Lexa in preparation for dinner. After Lexa was removed her outer garments, she wore a fine ivory coloured dressed with red laces and ribbons.
With her hair redone, Lexa exited her room and made her way towards the dinning room. A footman bowed to her and said, "His Grace and Lord Douro await you."
Lexa politely smiled at the footman and made her way into the dining room. She smiled at the duke and Edward as they stood up.
"My dear," said the duke, "come and sit. You must be famished."
Edward pulled a chair out for her and she smiled at him as she sat down.
Her plate was laid before for her by a servant and she picked up her silver fork and knife and began eating.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Lexa noticed that the week she had been here since her marriage.
Back at Wilton House, dinner was lively with conversation. But here with the silence Lexa was unsure of she should say anything.
Shortly after dinner, Lexa returned to her quarters when she stumbled across her violin case sitting abandoned on the drawer. She clicked open the case and there sat her violin as if it looked to be rusting away. Lexa took her violin out and tuned it.
It had to be a while since she played the violin and in this dead cold manor, music was nonexistent. Music along with her passion for reading had disappeared. But, Lexa decided. She would change that.
Taking out a sheet music, she looked at the title. It was Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major.
She placed the sheet music down and placed the butt of the violin on her shoulder as she rested her chin on the fine wood. Raising the bow, once it hit the strings music began to spill out in a beautiful melody.
Edward was in the reading room reading the latest news from the London Gazette when he heard a violin playing. The sound of music was a surprise to him in a normally quiet home.
Closing his eyes, he listened to the beauty full melody that made Mozart's Violin Concerto so lovely. With the flow of music soundings in the room, he wondered if it was Lexa who was playing violin.
Looking way from his newspaper, Edward glances the lonesome pianoforte. It had been a long time since he heard anyone play the piano. His grandmother, Victoria, the former dowager duchess loved to play famous pieces on it. It had of course learned the piano for her sake but it has been months since he last played.
Folding the newspaper, Edward placed it on the table and stood up. He walked out of the reading room and followed the sound of music and it led him to the marchioness' bedchamber.
Standing there with a violin, was Lexa. He watched her play Mozart's Violin Concerto. He watched the movement of her hands, the stroking of the violin now on its strings. It was both mesmerizing and breathtaking.
The music stopped and he opened his eyes and saw Lexa staring at him, her grey eyes bewildered.
Silence stood between them. It was awkward with a doubt. They have been avoiding each other ever since the Trafalgar Incident.
Unable to bear the silence no longer, Edward cleared his throat and smiled at his wife. "You play beautiful, my dear."
She did not smile but politely replied, "Thank you, Lord Douro."
It was a stab to his heart being formally called Lord Douro. Especially from his wife.
"No need for formalities, my dear," was his reply. Then he added, "I've been meaning to speak you."
"Oh?" Wad her reply, "what matters to go wish to speak to me of, Lord Douro?"
She is upset with me, Edward decided then to himself, there is no other reason
He smiled at Lexa, recovering himself to composure. "Let us go to the dining room."
Lexa nodded and made her way to her bed so she could place her violin back in its case. Shortly after she rejoined him and together they made it down the hall to the dinning room.
He walked towards the entry of the drawing room when he realized that she was no longer following him. He turned around and found her starting at a portrait. Coming towards her, he looked up and saw it was another painting of his mother.
Seeing a painting like this made his heart hurt. It was painful memory thinking about what he and his father lost. Looking at his mother's painting, he couldn't help but think of what could have happened if things were different.
"Edward." Lexa said.
He looked at her. She looking at him and said, worry in her voice, "why do you weep?"
And he felt it. The way he denied to feel before when it came to his mother. The tears just came, as if against his will. It ran down his cheeks, showing the sorrow and agony he long held in his heart.
Without saying anything, he walked into the drawing leaving Lexa baffled and confused.