Lady Ines Scandalous Hobby-Chapter 158 - Hundred And Fifty Eight

Ines sat in her favorite velvet armchair near the window. A book rested on her lap, open to a Chapter about a garden in spring. She was reading the words, but her mind was drifting. She was thinking about the future. She was thinking about becoming the Duchess of Carleton.

Suddenly, the peace was shattered.

The door to her room flew open. There was no knock. There was no polite request to enter.

"My lady!"

Ines jumped, her heart skipping a beat. She looked up, startled.

It was Edith.

Usually, Edith was the picture of propriety. She moved quietly, she spoke softly, and she always, always knocked. But today, Edith looked like she had drunk three pots of coffee. Her cheeks were flushed pink. Her cap was slightly askew. Her eyes were sparkling with an excitement that she couldn’t contain.

"My lady," Edith fussed as she entered the room, breathless. "Oh, forgive me. I was so excited I forgot to knock. But you must see this!"

Ines looked at her maid, blinking in confusion. "Edith? Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? Oh no, my lady. Everything is right," Edith gushed. She stepped aside and waved her hand toward the hallway. Two footmen walked in, carrying a large, heavy wooden chest between them.

"Your trousseau is here," Edith announced, clapping her hands together. "It just arrived from the country. Aunt Eleonora sent it."

Ines looked up. "Aunt Eleonora?" She repeated.

She dropped the book on her laps. She hadn’t seen her Aunt Eleonora in months. She rarely sent letters, let alone chests of this size. She must have been happy to hear she’s getting married.

"Bring it in," Ines commanded softly.

The footmen placed the chest in the center of the room. It landed with a heavy, solid sound that spoke of quality. They bowed and left, closing the door behind them.

Ines stood up. She placed her book on the small table and walked toward the chest. It was made of dark oak, polished until it gleamed. There was a simple card resting on top.

For my niece. For her new life.

Edith was already kneeling beside it. Her hands hovered over the latch.

"May I, my lady?" Edith asked, practically vibrating with anticipation.

"Go ahead," Ines said, smiling at her maid’s enthusiasm.

Edith flipped the brass latches.

Click. Click.

She lifted the heavy lid.

A scent drifted out of the box. It was the smell of dried lavender and cedar wood.

Inside, wrapped in layers and layers of acid-free tissue paper, lay fabric.

Edith carefully peeled back the paper. The rustling sound filled the silent room.

"Oh," Edith breathed. "Oh, my lady. Look."

Edith reached in and brought out a dress.

It was not just a dress. It was a masterpiece. It was made of cream-colored silk that shimmered like a pearl. The bodice was covered in intricate lace, delicate as a spiderweb. The sleeves were long and fitted, ending in points that would cover the back of the hand.

It was a wedding dress.

Ines stared at it. The smile faded from her lips. The color drained from her face. She recognized the dress.

She had seen it every day of her childhood. She had walked past it in the hallway a thousand times. There was a large oil painting hanging in the east gallery of the Hamilton mansion. It showed a young, beautiful woman with reddish brown hair and bright eyes, standing next to a proud-looking man.

It was her mother and father on their wedding day.

And her mother was wearing this dress.

Ines stood up, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. The book she had placed on the table was knocked by her elbow. It fell on the floor with a loud thud, but Ines didn’t hear it. She didn’t look down.

Her eyes were locked on the cream silk in Edith’s hands.

"How..." Ines whispered. Her voice was barely audible. "How did Aunt Eleonora get a hold of this?"

She walked closer, reaching out a trembling hand. She touched the lace on the sleeve. It was soft, worn smooth by time.

"Did mother tell her?" Ines thought to herself. Her mind raced back to when she was a little girl, sitting by her mother’s sickbed. Her mother had been so weak, yet she had spent hours writing letters.

Did she tell Aunt Eleonora to keep it safe? Did she tell her to give it to me for my wedding on her behalf?

The realization hit Ines like a blow to the chest.

Her mother had known she wouldn’t be there. She had known she would miss the day her only daughter walked down the aisle. So, she had prepared this. She had hidden the dress away, a time capsule of love, waiting for this exact moment.

It was a message from the grave. I am with you, Ines. I am still your mother.

Ines felt a sharp sting in her eyes. Her throat tightened, making it hard to breathe. Silent tears streamed down her face. They were hot and fast, tracking through the powder on her cheeks.

Edith was done looking at the dress. She was admiring the tiny seed pearls sewn into the hem, completely absorbed in the beauty of the garment.

"It is perfect, my lady," Edith said, beaming. "With a few alterations, it will fit you like a glove. The lace is so rare, you cannot buy this in London anymore. You will look like a queen. The Duke will—"

Edith looked up, her smile wide.

Her smile dropped instantly when she saw Ines crying.

Ines wasn’t just tearing up. She was standing there, her arms hanging limp at her sides, tears dripping off her chin, staring at the dress with a look of utter heartbreak.

"My Lady?" Edith gasped. She carefully placed the dress back into the box, treating it like spun glass. She stood up and rushed to Ines’s side. "My Lady, are you alright? Is it... is it the wrong dress? Do you hate it?"

Ines shook her head violently. She couldn’t speak. She lifted her hand and cleaned her tears with the back of her hand, a gesture that was childish and raw.

She sniffled, trying to clear her nose. She took a shuddering breath.

She looked at Edith. Ines asked, her voice cracking, "Can I hug you, Edith?"

Edith didn’t hesitate. She didn’t worry about her station. She didn’t worry about wrinkling Ines’s gown.

"Of course, my lady," Edith replied softly.

Edith stepped forward and enveloped Ines in a hug. It was a warm, solid embrace. She wrapped her arms around Ines’s shoulders, pulling her close.

Ines collapsed into the hug. She buried her face in Edith’s shoulder, smelling the starch of her maid’s uniform and the scent of soap.

"She saved it for me," Ines sobbed into the fabric of Edith’s dress. "She knew."

"She did," Edith murmured, rubbing Ines’s back. "She loved you so much."

Ines held on tighter. She felt the warmth of another human being, and it grounded her. But she needed something more. She needed to hear words that she hadn’t heard in a very long time.

Ines asked, still hugging Edith, "Can I ask for one more thing?"

Edith replied, patting Ines’s back in a soothing rhythm, "Anything, my lady. Anything at all."

Ines pulled back just an inch. She looked into Edith’s kind eyes. Her own eyes were red and swollen, her lashes wet. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ines spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "Can you call me by my name?"

Edith’s eyes widened slightly. To call a mistress by her first name was forbidden. It broke every rule of service.

"And," Ines continued, her lip trembling, "tell me you are proud of me? I miss my mother and... I just need to hear it. I need someone to be proud of me."

She had won against Priscilla. She had written her books alone. She had carried the weight of the family reputation alone. She just wanted to be Ines, the girl who did good.

Edith looked at the young woman standing before her. She saw the little girl who used to hide in the library. She saw a heart that was overflowing with love but starving for validation.

Edith hugged her more tightly. She squeezed Ines with all the strength she had.

"It’s okay, Ines," Edith said. The name sounded sweet and natural on her tongue.

Ines let out a small gasp at the sound of her name.

"You did well, Ines," Edith continued, her voice thick with emotion. "You did very well. I am proud of you. I am so incredibly proud of you."

Edith pulled back so she could cup Ines’s face in her hands. She used her thumbs to wipe away the fresh tears falling from Ines’s eyes.

"You fought for your happiness," Edith said firmly. "You protected your family. You found the love you have always wanted, and soon that love will be yours forever. You are strong, Ines. Stronger than anyone I know."

Ines closed her eyes, drinking in the words. They were like a balm to her soul.

"And your mother," Edith whispered, looking toward the box with the dress. "I’m sure your mother will be very happy wherever she is. She is looking down right now, and she is boasting to the angels about her daughter."

The dam broke completely.

Ines cried in Edith’s arms. But these were not tears of sadness anymore. They were tears of healing. She cried for the years she had been lonely.

Edith held her. She rocked her gently, murmuring soft words of comfort, standing in the sunlit room as the mother figure Ines so desperately needed, while the cream silk dress waited in the box, ready to witness the next Chapter of Ines’s life.