Duchess In Disguise

of St

d of place that had never known wealth or grandeur. Farmers and labourers filled the streets, their backs bent with the weight of unending toil, faces etched with line

eir home. There had been a time when her mother, Catherine, had been strong enough to carry the load for both of them, but

and unforgiving. Despite its humble state, it had once been a place filled with laughter. Her mother had always managed to make life bearable, f

ered dress. She knew she couldn't afford to linger in bed. The landlord had already threatened to e

clouds were thick and grey, threatening rain. A fitting metaphor, she thought grimly, for her l

ce from her cottage to the village centre, memories of her mother's once-vibrant health flashed in her mind. Catherine had been a maid once before sickn

ympathy would not fill their bellies or pay their rent. The kindness of strangers had its l

l trinket, Amelia tried to avoid the pitying glances thrown her way. She approached Mrs. Bailey, the local bake

ey," Amelia greeted, her

with an expression that said everything. "Good morning, lass. I'm afraid

isappointment from showing. She nodded, offering a

he counter to hand Amelia a small loaf of bread. "I know i

though it only deepened her helplessness.

ed her of her ever-growing debt to the kindness of others. She turned and lef

ittle she could do to change their circumstances. The village offered only so man

grown weaker by the day, and though Amelia tended to her as best she could, the village doctor had made

id softly, sitting down beside the bed

e looked frail, her once-bright eyes now clouded with fatigu

in her throat. "Don't say that. You've done ev

er grip weak but warm. "You remind me of him... y

had always been a ghostly figure, absent from their lives but never completely f

hat something had changed. Catherine seemed different as if the

" Amelia whispered,

moment, she looked as though she might refuse again. B

e paused, letting the name sink in before continuing. "I was a maid in his household. He was... cha

g and strangely expected. She had always felt there was something more t

terly. "His mother, Duchess Louisa, had me cast out, sent away with nothing. Th

sing within her. Her father, a duke, had aba

lia asked, her voice breaking. "I could have.

ive in is cruel, especially to those of us without power or wealth. I didn't want

ng in her eyes. "We could have gone

tly. "Believe me, I knew them. They would have

been lost. Amelia felt her world shifting beneath her feet. The founda

versation had taken a toll on her. She carefully laid her moth

ne whispered, her eyes fluttering shut. "But you must

ispered back, her voice cho

*

he world. A handful of villagers attended the small funeral, and as Amelia stood by

f the man who had abandoned them. Though she had little hope of ever me

as a survivor. And if her father's blood flowed in her veins,

of her mother's love. But she swore to herself that she would find

ns would not