I did not speak to the Duke of Bedford for another week after our tea. This time it was not due to his foul mood, he seemed to be extremely busy. In fact, after our tea, he had not returned to the Winton Estate once. He sent no word about any future dinners or parties, so I had no idea what was going on. Even Lord Winton seemed baffled about the absence of his friend.
"Perhaps he abandoned the plan," I guessed one evening as I helped Lady Gwendoline get ready for dinner.
"I doubt that," she replied. "Cecil needs to save the estate, and his plan saves the estate. Besides, if he had a new way to get an enormous sum of money without you, then we would know. Or he would tell Ernest at the very least. And he has not."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Because Ernest keeps complaining about how Cecil has not visited in days, and he has not received word from him. He plans to head to the Bedford Estate tomorrow to see him."
I nodded as I continued to fix Lady Gwendoline's hair. She had gone for a ride earlier that day, but then it started to rain, so her hair was in knots when she returned. Even after a bath, it seemed impossible to tame it.
"It is a lost cause," Lady Gwendoline groaned, tugging at a strand of her hair. "Someday, I want to chop it all off."
"That seems like an unwise plan," I warned. "Besides, your hair is beautiful. Perhaps not right now, but in general."
"Short hair would be much easier to tame. Yet another reason why men are luckier than women. Men can have short hair, spend no time brushing it, and look handsome. If I were to enter a ballroom with short hair, people would assume that I am a boy, or mad. Or both."
"I can fix it; do not worry. And next time, consider wearing a hat when you ride."
"I did have a hat. But when I started galloping, it flew off."
"I thought that Lord Winton did not allow you to gallop."
"He only told me that I could not race. But since I abandoned my groom, it was not a race. I merely ran away from him...and I was not on side-saddle. But do not tell my brother that! I gave the groom a decent amount of money to keep him quiet."
I laughed. It was quite funny how much Lady Gwendoline hated to do anything properly.

There was a knock on the door and Lord Winton poked his head in.
"What happened to your hair?" He demanded, looking at his sister.
"I just had a bath," Lady Gwendoline replied. "I got caught in the rain during my ride earlier today."
"What happened to your hat?"
"I forgot to wear it."
"Well, remember it next time."
"Good advice, thanks."
Lord Winton rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to me, "Cecil is here. He wants to speak with you in the library."
"Cecil's alive?!" Lady Gwendoline exclaimed.
"Do not be so dramatic, Gwen. Yes, he is alive. And he wishes to speak with Susan in the library."
"Would you mind telling him that I shall be there once I finish with Lady Gwendoline's hair?" I requested.
"No, you go. I shall deal with it," Lady Gwendoline assured.
"Are you positive?"
"Yes, go. Speak to Cecil."
"All right, thank you. Do not do anything rash."
"I will not chop it off today."
"What do you mean you will not chop it off today?" Lord Winton cried. "Why would you ever chop it off?"
I bobbed a quick curtsy and slipped out of the room as the siblings bickered about short versus long hair.

I went downstairs and entered the library to find the Duke of Bedford pacing. His brow was furrowed, and he seemed deep in thought.
"Good evening," I greeted.
"Ah, Susan," he smiled, looking up. "Good evening. I am sorry for arriving unannounced."
"That is quite all right. I hope that everything is well with you. We have not seen you much over the past week."
"It has been a busy week. I had a lot of thinking to do."
I nodded, "Well, what can I do for you?"
The Duke seemed nervous, which was an odd emotion for me to see on him. He normally displayed such confidence, that seeing his lack of it was strange.
"Is everything all right?" I inquired.
"Yes, everything is fine," the Duke nodded. "In fact, for you, everything is more than all right. You got your sum."
"What?"
"A messenger came to my house two days ago with a note from my aunt, saying that she had an important matter to discuss with you. I went to her house yesterday and claimed that you were feeling unwell, so you could not go. So, she handed me this envelope."
The Duke extracted an envelope from his breast pocket and held it out for me. I crossed the library floor and took it from his hand. I felt rather nervous as I tore open the envelope to find the following message:

Dear Duchess,
It was lovely to meet you a few weeks back. You seem like a polite, kind, young woman and I am sure that you will make my great-nephew happy. I am glad to see that he has settled down, and you seem to be a fine choice.
Now, this might come as a shock to you: but I do not believe that a woman should have to rely on her husband for everything, Women should have their own minds, and their own say over matters. When I was married, my father gave me a yearly allowance in secret so that I could purchase my own belongings. Without needing my husband's permission.
I wish to extend the same freedom to you. Cecil is a nice man, but he is still a man and could be traditional when it comes to a wife's role. Consider the enclosed sum a wedding gift.
Please feel free to call on me whenever you wish.
Until we meet again.
Yours sincerely,
The Dowager Duchess of Kimberly

I finished reading the letter, quite surprised that the Duchess' father gave her money secretly. I handed the letter back to the Duke so that he could read it, then looked at the envelope's contents. It was full of banknotes; some were even worth £1,000. The Duke had not exaggerated when he told me that it would be a generous sum. But I had not expected it to be this generous.
"This is...so generous," I gasped.
"I told you that it would be a handsome sum," the Duke shrugged.
"I know. But this...I have never seen this much money in my life. How? How does your great-aunt have all this money?"
"Her husband, unfortunately, died young, and they did not have any children. So she was his only heir. She did not get the estate, but his successor allowed her to remain at the house since he already had an estate."
"This is too much."
"Susan, do not worry about it. Trust me, she would not have given you this money if it had been too much. She may believe in a woman's independence, but she would not bankrupt herself."
I suddenly felt faint. I walked over to the nearest armchair and sank into it. I took some deep breaths, trying to compose myself. I knew what the Duke's plan was from the start; I knew that the goal was for him to get his hands on his great-aunt's money. However, upon seeing the money, especially the amount she gave me, the plan felt horrible. I felt terrible for deceiving a generous old woman who wanted to give me independence. It did not seem fair for us to take advantage of her kindness. I felt terrible for going along with the plan. But part of me never expected the plan to go well enough that we would ever get the money. I thought for sure that someone would catch us before the money arrived.
"Susan, are you all right?" The Duke asked, sitting across from me. "What is the matter?"
"This...this feels wrong," I whispered, as a tear ran down my cheek.
"What does?"
"That we accept this money. I wanted to help you, but your great-aunt...this is wrong."
"Susan, calm down. Everything is all right."
"No, it is not," I snapped. "We tricked Her Grace...and I know it is for a good cause; I do not want you to have to sell your house. But this is a large sum, that I do not deserve. She set this money aside for your wife so that she could have independence. And we stole it."
"We did not steal anything," the Duke assured. "Susan, my great-aunt is a very rich widow. I told you that she would not have given you this money unless she could afford to."
"But we are not supposed to have it. It is for your wife. I do not feel right taking this money."
I wiped my tears away and looked down at the floor. I could not bear to meet the Duke's gaze. I had a feeling that he would be angry with me for not going through with the plan. Although I suppose it did not matter anymore since he got the money.
"Well, what if she did give the money to my wife?" The Duke inquired.
"What do you mean?" I replied. "You wish to return the money to your great-aunt?"
"No, what if you become my wife?"
"Excuse me?" I said, finally looking up.
I expected the Duke to start laughing and admit that he asked the question as a prank. Or as a way to make me stop crying. However, he had a serious expression on his face.

The Duke of Bedford got up from his chair, crossed the space between our seats and knelt down before me. He took my hands in his.
"Susan Taylor, you are the kindest woman that I know. You risked your reputation to help me save my estate. I know these past few weeks have been hard for you, but I am so very grateful that you did not walk away. During the time that I have spent with you, I realized that I am in love with you," he informed. "So, will you marry me? For real this time?"
My jaw dropped. I could not believe the words that came out of the Duke's mouth. He proposed to me, for real. I did not understand why he would do such a thing. We barely spent any time together. The only time we spent talking was during carriage rides and when he came over for tea.
"You cannot be serious," I gasped.
"I am serious," the Duke assured. "I love you, Susan. And I want to marry you."
"Last week you gave me a speech about how you never wish to marry. That it would cause pain to you, your wife, or your future child."
"In the past, that has been my philosophy. But that was before I met you. That was before I fell in love. Now I realize that love is worth the risk of pain. So, what do you think? Will you marry me?"
"No."

I pulled my hands away from his, got to my feet and walked farther away from the Duke. I wanted there to be more space between us.
"Susan..." he started, getting up.
"I am sorry, Your Grace," I said, deciding that it was the right time to resume formalities. "But I cannot marry you. You speak of love, and how love is worth the risk of pain. While your sentiments are poetic, I am afraid that I do not feel the same. I do not love you, Your Grace. You are a kind man, and I appreciate the offer, but I must decline."
"You do not need to give me your answer right away. You can have some time to think about it."
"I do not need time to think, Your Grace. I do not love you, and time will not change that. I am sorry. Besides, you cannot marry me. We would not be able to keep our deception up forever."
"If we were to marry, there would be no deception," the Duke reminded.
"Of course, there would be," I replied. "There would always be deception, Your Grace. We have told dozens of members of the upper class that I am the daughter of a baron. People think that we met at a house party, that we fell madly in love, and married in a haste. But none of that is true. I have been in service all my life. I am a lady's maid; you cannot marry me."
"I do not care about your title, Susan."
"That is kind of you to say, Your Grace. But people would eventually find out, and you would be a scandal."
The Duke of Bedford looked as if he were about to say something. But then he closed his mouth and looked down at the floor. It looked as if he were about to cry, and I felt terrible for breaking his heart. But I did not love him, and guilt would not be the cause of our marriage.
I walked back over to him and handed him the envelope.
"I do not need half," I informed. "I only need enough to move away. Take the rest to save your estate."
"Move away?" He repeated, looking up at me. "Why?"
"I cannot stay here. Someone from the ball might come over to the estate at some point and recognize me. Besides, you need to find yourself a real wife, and forget about me."
"I told you; I love you. I want to marry you."
"I appreciate that, Your Grace. But if you were able to love me, it is possible for you to love someone else. And this time, it can be someone who is a real lady."
"You are a real lady to me, Susan Taylor."
I smiled. Even in his sadness, the Duke was able to make me laugh
"Take half," the Duke insisted.
"But, Your Grace..." I started.
"I accept the fact that you declined my proposal, and that you are to move away. However, when you agreed to this daft plan, I said that half the money is yours. Take it, and start a good life somewhere. I insist."
"Very well, Your Grace."
The Duke took the envelope from me and went to sit by the coffee table. He spread all the banknotes out and calculated how much money there was. I looked away. I could not bear to see the look of sadness on his face. And I did not want to see the amount of money that the Dowager Duchess gave me. Seeing half of it filled me with enough guilt.
After a while, the Duke divided the money in two and placed half back in the envelope. He closed it and handed it to me.
"There you are," he nodded. "Thank you for your help, Susan."
"Of course, Your Grace," I replied. "I am glad that your estate is safe."
"I will never forget your kindness, Susan. I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you, Your Grace. The same to you."
I bobbed a curtsy and left the library, shutting the door behind me.