His Mother Seated Her With the Servants—The Duke Moved His Chair and Ate Beside Her in Silence

The Dowager had arranged the seating herself. This was unusual. The housekeeper had been doing it for thirty years. The housekeeper had not been consulted. The housekeeper had stood at the back of the dining room when the guests arrived and watched the Dowager direct the new Duchess to a chair at the far end of the table — among the staff, in full view of every guest, beside the steward and the cook. The Duchess had taken the chair without comment. The Duke arrived a moment later. He took in the arrangement in a single glance — his mother at the head, his wife at the foot among the servants, the long polished table stretched between them like a verdict. He did not say a word. He walked the length of the dining room, picked up his own chair, carried it past every guest, and set it down beside his wife. He sat. He ate. He did not look at his mother once.