The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; A Romantic CommentaryWalpole, Hugh
History
The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; A Romantic Commentary
Walpole, Hugh
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901 -- Fiction
Then they came to London, Lizzie returned to her mother and to Lady
Adela, and Rachel was alone. Life was again very difficult for her.
Roddy was wonderfully cheerful, but Rachel found that she could not do
very much for him. He liked to have her there, but she knew that many of
his friends who could tell him the town gossip, the latest from clubs,
the hunting and racing chatter entertained him more than she did. She
had not, since her marriage, made many friends and she knew that almost
everyone who came to their little house came for Roddy's sake rather
than for hers. She did not mind that--she was glad that he was
happy ... but she wished that he needed her a little more. Roddy urged
her to drive, to see people, to dine and go to the theatre. She went
because she saw that it disturbed him if he felt that she stayed indoors
for his sake, but she did not enjoy her gaiety. When she was out she
wished to hurry back to him and then, when she was with him again, she
often wondered whether her presence made him any happier. Through all
his intercourse with her she discerned a wistful restraint as though he
would like to ask her for something that he had not got and yet was
afraid. When she felt this in him she redoubled her affection towards
him, but she thought that he noticed this and knew her effort.
Her thoughts went often now to Francis Breton, not as to anyone whom she
would ever see again--but she hoped that he was happy, wondered whether
there was anyone to look after him, wished that he had some friend so
that she might know that he was safe. Her pride did not allow her to
speak to Lizzie Rand about him; they had had one talk when Lizzie had
taken her letter, but that was all.
Then, as February drew to a close, she was unwell; that was so unusual
for her that she might have been disturbed had it been anything more
material than headaches, strange fits of indifference to everything and
a general failure of energy. She thought that she was indoors too much
and was now in the air as often as her duties to Roddy allowed her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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