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He never gave Nan an engagement ring.
It never even occurred to him that she might have wanted one. No fuss, that was the premise they built their relationship on. He got down on one knee and asked a question that sealed both their fates.
He'd been so preoccupied trying to silence the world that he forgot to listen to the voice that mattered the most.
They were cursed from the very beginning, and he didn't see it.
Sat gingerly on the mahogany desk, the small ring box served as a reminder of his failure. Would things gone differently if he’d given Nan his great-grandmother’s ring? the question plagued him ever since he asked for the heirloom. Perhaps it was the very lack of a ring that emboldened their betrothal, just two kids playing the game of life.
Idealism had been their creed, obstinacy their enemy.
Cowardice her accomplice.
Theo picked up the box, pushing the clasp. ‘You never asked to see Tintagel’s jewels before’, Blanche had said. She tried to obscure her reaction, always stoic and steadfast, but Theo saw beneath the surface. She’d deny it, but it was there. A glance of unfamiliarity toward her own son. For a second, he was a stranger to her.
”I will ask the bank but Kit will ultimately need to appr-"
"No, no, no. Not those. I meant Lady Clara’s.”
Blanche jolted at the name. Her grandmother had been her closest ally when she'd been just a girl, whenever her and her mother had been at odds. She’d passed away a few years before she’d married Henry, never had the chance to see her as a wife or mother.
“Kit has no right to them. She left her favorite ring to me, that's what you’ve always said."
Ring.
Of course. She should have known. Her open-hearted son had believed himself to be in love once before. She’d been skeptical but never shared her doubts with him, convinced that her job was to protect Tintagel’s best interest. Instead, she failed to protect her son. Somewhere along the way, she'd forgotten about Theo, the man he was becoming, and the saddest part was that she wasn't sure when it first started.
“She left it to me, with the intention of passing it on to my first born, yes.”
He never seen the ring before.
Apt, considering he never met Lady Clara either. He could have gone to any jeweler in London or commissioned a ring from Paris or Vienna. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t. He wasn’t being sentimental. From what he knew, Lady Clara had an average marriage, 3 children, 8 grand-children.
The ring inside the leather case might not even be worthy of Lizzy Elmsworth.
He couldn’t account for Lady Clara’s taste in jewels, but he saw the way his mother spoke of her. With fondness in her eyes yet sadness in her heart. She rarely ever spoke about his father, for reasons now clear but unknown to him then. Blanche spoke of Lady Clara even less, but her eyes glimmered whenever she did.
Theo opened the box, revealing a cushion-cut pink topaz surrounded by a halo of pearls.
Holding the pale gold band, he leaned back on his seat. It was beautiful, but not because of the gems. Not because it was an heirloom either; he could have his choice of diamonds, inherited or bought, but none of them felt right.
Lizzy had opened her heart to him when he had nothing to offer her in return, except shame and scandal.
He had a lifetime ahead to become worthy of her - if she'll have him.
He wanted a future with her. Wanted children and grandchildren, and perhaps one day the ring will pass on to them. And they will speak about their grandmother Lizzy with the same fondness his mother spoke about Lady Clara.
He’d abdicated Tintagel, that's true. Disrupted generations of legacy in exchange for his freedom. But he’s grown up in these halls, the portraits of his ancestors watching him transform into the person he was today. He liked to believe his likeness would one day join them, hoped that future generations won't be too ashamed of him.
He renounced the title, but he still felt the same sense of obligation that had carried him through his time as Duke. Obligation not only to Tintagel, but to his mother and her side of the family, and one day to his own branch of the family tree.
Giving Lizzy Lady Clara’s ring was not only an engagement, but an invitation to his context. He was giving her a piece of his history, in hopes that they can start their own.
Theo gazed at the ring, imaged it on Lizzy’s finger. She hasn’t said yes yet, or given him any indication that she will. He didn’t even have a plan yet, didn’t know the right time or place. But he wanted to be ready, keep the ring in his pocket for when the right moment comes.
“Theodore.”
Blanche appeared at the door, regaled in her evening dress. The engagement ring didn’t escape her, though she didn't react. Stoicism wasn’t easily unlearned, not when she spent the past decades as the Duchess. She made a promise to show her son the human part of her, to repair the relationship Tintagel had fractured.
“Elizabeth arrived. She's with our guests in the drawing room.”
Her son returned the ring back into the box. He stood, hiding the box in his pocket. He looked nervous, Blanche noticed. His shoulders stiff, his jaw tense.
“Theodore.”
“Hm?”
He stopped beneath the doorframe, glancing at her with the same eyes that used to ask her if he’d done good after whatever speech he had then. Blanche smiled, straightening the bowtie of his suit.
“Remember, you don’t have to rush into—“
“Mother.” Theo warned.
“—let me finish. You don't have to rush into this. I asked you to find a bride before and you did, and I take full responsibility in whatever part I played back then.”
He was eyeing her suspiciously, like he was unsure whether he could, or should, trust her. It pained her heart, but that was her penance.
“She is a remarkable young lady. Elizabeth, I mean. A lot more resilient than we all gave her credit for, but I’m sure you already discovered that for yourself.” There it was, that smile he wore whenever he felt bashful. “Whether you marry her tomorrow or ten years from now, whether you marry at all, I am still very proud of you and I will support whatever you chose to do.”
It didn't make up for all of her errors, but hopefully it could be a start. She was no longer a mother of a Duke, and she feared she hadn’t been the best mother to a son she could have been. That will end today. She will do better.
“And as long as the two of you stand together, with complete trust and honesty, you will have a successful relationship. Now go on then, I’m sure you’re eager to see her and she’ll be very happy to see you.”
He held her hand before leaving, giving her palm a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.” He whispered, Lady Clara’s ring weighting heavy in his pocket. For once, marriage didn’t feel like an obligation. A task he needed to cross off his list.
For once, his future didn't feel like a burden.