You mean "Cardan"? i was a bit confused at first when you mention Ethan cuz boy just gimme that boy if the fl end up with cardan
lol yeah I'm horrible at character names
omg yes i agree, was thinking the same thing after seeing that scene of the dowager in the garden, I guessed too that the reason Eleanor was probably even with the duchess was that since Eleanor isn't in a state to defend herself, she could perhaps offer more protection for her since the estate is not near the royal palace it would prove tough for the dowager to attempt anything too
I'm only up to ch. 57 but I can kind of guess what happened in the original novel. The original Duchess was definitely doing everything in her power to protect Cardan and his mom. Cardan broke her trust and heart first but she was keeping Eleanor safe and away from the Dowager. My guess is that she made herself the enemy for the Dowager to focus on her. She had Cardan's image made into a tyrant and playboy so the dowager and everyone else couldn't marry him off and would be cautious around him. But ultimately she failed at trying to protect Cardan and Eleanor since Cardan offed himself. So she found someone could keep both of them alive. Since her approach was burning any threat and the new Duchess tries to customer service her way out of all threats.