Being a Duchess in the 19th century came with three strict rules. And the last one reveals the dark truth about high society. Rule number one stated that you must never walk alone. You needed a chaperone everywhere you went to protect your reputation. Rule number two was don’t eat too much. At dinner parties women were expected to peck at their food like birds to maintain an air of delicacy.
Rule number three was the most specific. You cannot take a lover until you provide a son. Why was this rule so absolute? It was not about morality. It was entirely about property. If a wife cheated before having a son the heir to the family fortune might actually be the lover’s child. This would mean a stranger stealing the family bloodline and wealth.
But once the legitimate heir was born and the bloodline was secure everything changed. The husband often turned a blind eye to her affairs. The job was done. In the 19th century marriage was not a romance. It was a business contract.
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