To Love A Duke

Inequalities

Song Recommendation: Still into you vitamin string quartet

When Dukes become footmen, then ladies may be regarded as equal to gentlemen..

Bites and all, Orion wanted to kiss her.

He cleared his throat at the thought. This evening was about making her happy and getting her more comfortable with him

It was a meal of bread, cheese and toast. They ate whilst they spoke on different light topics. At least not the weather.

“..and of all the instruments, you would not believe she chose the violin! Lord help my ears if I am to put it through such gruesome torment as as her performance again.” Artemis concluded joining him in laughter. She had told him tales of the women of the Ton she had come in contact with and thier many musicale talents or lack thereof. The rising tones of Miss Riverdale was a particularly dashing tale that ended up with Artemis on her rear and a very angry marmalade, miss Riverdale’s cat on penny’s face. Said lady had never spoken to Artemis and penny after the singing disaster. Retelling it now, it seemed hilarious.

Orion was shaking his head, holding back fits of laughter. He had never been quite able to rap his head around the many absurd reasons why women insisted on displaying skills they weren’t well versed in. The results were always similar. Chaos and ridicule.

“We are not entirely to blame you know?” She said like she had read his mind, smiling but sounding serious

“Hmm, I can hardly see how the deafening notorious high notes of miss Riverdale is anyone’s blunder but hers, truly”

Her face had taken on a more serious expression, she shook her head slightly, “

you wouldn’t know, but when a womans entire existence is reduced to one single moment, to marry, it doesn’t do so much for her self worth, the constant pressure to marry well drives us to try to be the best, we want to be worth a husband, and sincerely we have to earn it we are driven to seek pursuits were we may succeed or fail. The irony is that There at least we are given a chance, a choice, between Greek or Latin, between the violin or the piano, stitching or embroidery. Sometimes all of it, but mostly we can choose. And that’s about all the choices we control” somehow the conversation had turned serious and he didn’t particularly like the ground they treaded. It all came down the issue of misogyny.

“Thus is the society we find ourselves Artemis, something’s can’t be changed” she stilled, bollocks he should have simply kept his mouth shut

She laughter bitterly “of course your grace, we wouldn’t want to upset the balance of nature would we?”

He opened his mouth then shut it agin, grinding on his teeth as she spoke again.

“I don’t expect you to see things any differently, you are after all a man just like papa” the comparison felt like a slap he shot her a hard look

“I’m nothing like your father and you know it” he said to her

“Aren’t you?” She smiled and it didn’t quite reach her eyes “ Despite the self righteous act of kindness you put up to feed your guilt, I am but a common tool to you, like I was to my father, like mama died trying to be him, so pardon me your grace if I can’t find the contrast” she had rushed the words and now she blew out a frustrated breath.

“Artemis-” he started slowly but she interrupted him and spoke, every word made him ache

“I must admit For a moment I lost myself” the light was completely gone from her eyes now and he cursed himself “I almost forgot who I was, how I came to be who I am to you, but this is the last time I make such error” she got up controlled and gracefully, and threw her napkin to the table

“You can be sure I won’t be gracing your table, so don’t tire yourself extending out vain invitations, you can feast on that fact my Lord” she swung around and stalked from the room.