CHAPTER 11: The Tea Time

Diana Stallard Preface

The morning turned to evening and the only thing that I did all the day was just to think about the proposal that the Duke of Medici put forward to me. Many times thought came in my mind that Deitrick's proposal was just an act of foolery, then I reminded myself that such an influential man has no need for this kind of ridiculousness to entertain himself.

By looking at this little accommodation, I'll get all the advantage but still I felt something empty in my heart. I always wanted a decent love marriage to an average person but now that circumstances of my life are changed I have to discard this little wish of mine and walk with what I have in my hand.

"Miss Preface, Duchess came back from the Inauguration and she is asking for you to have tea with her.", Helena, the middle-aged maid-servant delivered the message and brought me out of the world of my thoughts.

"Alright. Please take me to her.", I said. I was bored to death because Anisha was not here.

I started to call her aunt. She gave me warmth of a mother for which I was craving since my birth.

My mother passed away after giving birth to me. Although my father poured all his love and care on me but I always longed for a mother's love. I blame it on human nature, always wanting more than given.

I was deep in my thoughts and didn't realized that Helena brought me the lounge where Duchess was sitting gracefully, taking small sips of the tea in her hands while enjoying the scenery of the beautiful garden.

When she saw me her eyes beamed with happiness, full of vim and vigour, "Oh Diana, You don't know how much I missed you when I was out. It's strange but I have an unspeakable connection with you in my heart in such a short time."

"Good evening, I missed you as well.", I said with a smile on my face.

Although Duchess is in her fifties but she still looks so young and beautiful, and even younger than her actual age.

She giggled because she was pleased by my revelation. "I thought to take you there but then your injures came in my way." she said with another sip of tea.

"How does the event went? I asked.

"It went well, yet I find these kind of events pretty boring." She expressed "I don't like being in crowd."

"Yes these events are boring indeed.", I always tried to avoid flaunty occasions in San Francisco even when my father tried to introduced in high-society of top notch businessmen.

"Aren't they?" she said with cheerful smile adoring her face very different from the infamous smirk that her son carries "I'm very happy to find someone who have same taste as me. I always felt lonely in this spacious palace.", the sadness was visible in her eyes.

"In my mansion back in San Francisco, I also felt bored when my father was busy in his business." My throat felt like clogged when the name of my father escaped my mouth.

"Business men are all boring when they are busy." She said, displeased with something.

"You know what I was on the cloud nine when I came to know that Deitrick was bringing a girl in palace as a guest. And when I met you it felt like this palace became lively one again.", then she pointed towards the freshly brewed tea by Helena and said, "This tea is specially cultivated in my garden because I like it. Take it and tell my how you feel about the taste."

"Thank you." I said and took the cup and sipped tea. An enrich flavour filled my mouth, in combination with flowery scent the tea feels like you are in a garden filled with the scent of flowers.

"It is very good. It feels like I'm in a garden enriched with flowers." I said with my very fascinated voice.

She laughed and said, "You know what! This was the same sentence that I said when I took first sip of it. At that time Damien arranged this tea to grow in our garden because he wanted to give me everything I like.". She laughed and said, "Oh I totally forgot, you possibly don't know about Damien. He is Deitrick's father. Former Duke of Florence."

She was visibly sad, "I'm sorry about your loss." I know how you feel when you lose a love one in your life.

I am suddenly missing my dad. Terribly.

"Oh no no. You don't have to be sad like this.", she said and then gave me a warm smile. "I am stupid enough to bring the past to make such a young girl sad."

"You must miss him.", I asked.

"I miss him more than anything. You know Deitrick is very much like his father. Every time I see him I can see Damien's shadow in him," she said in nostalgic way.

"That means he was very handsome." I said enthusiastically and when I realized that I praised Deitrick indirectly, I felt a bit embarrassed and my cheeks started heating up.

God.

Duchess chuckled at my sudden exclamation, "He was. Diana, the way you are saying this it looks like you are complementing Deitrick's looks. Aren't you?"

Damn!

"But I didn't said that." I hurriedly tried to clear the situation.

She smile, "You don't have to explain that, I also passed this age..... I know how young girls get a little crush on handsome men. And I know that my son is a way more than handsome... But it's a pity that he cannot open up his heart to any girl." she sighed.

Here is the problem. Who can inform this naive Duchess that his not-so-interested son proposed to me in a blink of an eye about eight hours ago?

"What if he decided to marry someone?", I asked to check Duchess' reaction in this expense.

"That is utterly impossible, this thick-headed son of mine has planned about every single second of his life and he said that marriage is not in his plan for the next five years.", she said in a robotic tone. "That's why all my matchmaking attempts couldn't bring in any result."

"You are too naive Aunt." I mumbled under my breath.

"What did you say?" she looked at me with curiosity.

"Nothing.", I replied.

"If Deitrick marries sometime in future then I might consider you as the first choice for his bride.", she observed my embarrassed expression and laughed, "I think Deitrick is interested in you when I look at him. He didn't bring a girl home before but he is very generous towards you."

"You are thinking too much, Aunt. I heard Duke was involved with countless women in past." I said trying to hide my expressions.

"It's irony that three years ago I was worried due to his playboy ways and now because he has not interested with any woman." She was saddened by something that I couldn't comprehend at the moment.

"Why so?" Does anything happen?" I asked out of curiosity.

"My son changed after Damien passed away in an accident." She sighed "He was most affected by it then the biggest responsibility of being Duke also kept him from doing anything else."

"It must have been hard on you both." I murmured. I went through this loss already.

"It was." She sighed and put the empty cup of tea on the table. "I entertain myself by finding match for Deitrick these days and place your faith in the fact that he is least entertained by this." She said with a cunning smile hinting that she was up to no good.

I chucked at her confession. I wonder what will the duchess do when she come to know about the little bargain between his son and me. He obviously said that he is asking me to marry him for her mother. I think duke wants to get away from her mother's matchmaking sessions.

Bipolar devil.

"What if he has someone in his mind?" I asked tactfully. My heartbeat increased for an unknown reason.

"Then my worries will be gone with the wind." She said "He will get himself a wife without my involvement."

"Let me tell you a little secret.", she leaned a little towards me and said, "When a man in Medici Duke's family gets interested in a woman then there will be no way for a woman to turn her back on him. It runs in their blood."

'Is that dangerous?", I thought in my mind.