My Last Duchess J

My Last Duchess - Rewritten

What a magnificent room the man thought to himself, but what else could one expect of a Duke with such a reputation? The room the Duke and the man had entered just now, was filled with magnificent artifacts, from urns and pictures to majestic statues of bronze, which seemed too beautiful for this world, but what else could one expect of a Duke with such a reputation? In the magnificent room, one single item stood out from the rest to the man, not that it seemed of greater value than the rest, but a certain presence seemed to embrace it. The item was a painting of a beautiful woman. The man had noticed it just now, and at the same time he heard the Duke speak of it with what seemed like affection. Wait a minute. The man knew this woman; he had seen her around the town and in the streets. The man remembered her as a kindred and gentle spirit, always smiling at folks passing her. In the man's memory she seemed like a very friendly person, she did not even act superior despite her status as a Duchess, what one else could expect of a Duchess with such a reputation. The man got interrupted in his reminiscing, even though he had toned out the Duke's story of his last Duchess. The man's interruption was caused by the Duke's tone, it had drastically shifted. What first seemed like affection had changed into something else, was it hostility? The man could not be sure of it. The man, toning out the Duke again, thought why anyone would want to bear any hostility towards such a seemingly gentle and loving person. Especially one who mingles so great with the common people, thanking them and the Duke with same gratitude, normally not what one would expect of a Duchess with such a reputation. From what at first seemed like affection and later hostility, the Duke's attitude had yet again shifted towards, what seemed like, well, pride and remorse, what a noble Duke the man thought to himself. The Duke did indeed seem like a proud and great man, with all his land, servants, artifacts and wealth. And no less, a man who would not take no for an answer, yes, indeed a great example of mankind, but nothing else could be expected of a Duke with such a reputation. All of a sudden the Duke gave an end to what seemed like an endless story, leaving the man still in his thoughts. Leaving the room, the man was gazing upon a magnificent statue of Neptune, but only a single thought was crossing the man's mind. What ever became of his last Duchess?