Page 32 of A Duchess Disciplined

“I should like to see all of it,” Catherine said.

“I imagine you will,” Lady Hannah said. “You are to be the Duchess of Sarsen, after all. It will be your domain alongside our brother’s.”

“Yes,” Lady Hester agreed.

An uneasy feeling settled over Catherine’s shoulders. She looked at those young, motherless girls and sensed every inch of her insecurity over her new position. Her doubt was like a weight crushing about her shoulders and threatening to overwhelm her.

Catherine thought she might drown from it. What was she to say in response? Should she ask about their mother? That seemed like too intimate a question for someone she had just met, much less a small child.

“You would probably like to rest after such a long journey,” Lady Hannah said, as imperiously as a queen. “Geoffrey will show you to the chambers His Grace has assigned to you.”

His Grace?That address seemed far too formal for one’s own dear brother. “Splendid,” Catherine said at something of a loss.

How had these two cold, reserved girls sprung from the same cloth as His Grace, who was bold and brazen? Catherine mulled over the question as the butler Geoffrey arrived to guide them to their rooms. They went together down a long corridor lined with portraits of stately men and women—doubtlessly His Grace’s ancestors. At last, they came to an imposing oak door.

“These three rooms connect to one another,” Geoffrey said. “His Grace thought that you might wish to remain close to one another since Lady Catherine is soon to leave your household.”

“That is kind of him,” Dorothy said.

“Your room is further along the corridor, Your Grace,” Geoffrey said, nodding to Elias.

“Ah, thank you.”

Elias gave them an obviously forced smile and followed the butler.

Catherine heaved open the door, half-anticipating that her groom-to-be might have decided that her lodgings were to be a dungeon or some other medieval monstrosity, but the room was nice. Elegant, if a little sterile.

Tapestries depicting unicorns and forests lined the old stonework, and the rugs over the floors softened the room. The chamber split into three, as the butler had said. Catherine peered into the nearest room, which was awash with light sweeping in from the window that overlooked the rose gardens.

“So we agree,” Bridget said, “Ladies Hester and Hannah are very…unusual.”

“I would not say it so directly,” Dorothy replied, sounding hesitant.

“But theyare,” Catherine said, glancing at her sisters. “They are very cold and proper.”

“Perhaps, they are slow to warm,” Dorothy conceded. “If given time, I am sure that you will come to see that they are just…proper.”

Catherine sighed and resisted the urge to fling herself forlornly over the nearest bed. “But how am I going to beanythingto them?” she asked. “I am so different! They will know that. They probably know it already.”

“That does not mean they will dislike you,” Dorothy replied soothingly. “They are just girls. I do not imagine they will judge you for not being the proper lady. Let us not forget that this meeting was surely as awkward for them as it was for all of us.”

Catherine bit the inside of her cheek, unable to argue with that logic but still wanting to do so. She supposed that Dorothy was right. Catherine began pacing along the floor, her slippers whispering over the finely made carpet.

“I suppose you are right,” Catherine said begrudgingly.

And what did it matter if Dorothy was wrong? Catherine had already made the agreement, and the marriage contract had been signed. It was too late to change course.

CHAPTER9

If anyone had cared to ask William, his marriage to Lady Catherine would have been the quietest marriage in all of Britain. They would have said their vows before the local clergyman, and that would have been sufficient.

The only other aspect of marriage that William would have insisted upon was the wedding night, but he would not have it said that he had done nothing for his bride. In the two weeks since securing Lady Catherine as his promised bride, William had ensured that Verdant Chapel was splendidly decorated, and he had insisted on having a special menu made for the day—something he hardly ever cared about.

He had even directed the staff to clean and furnish the duchess’s chambers for their new occupant. The rooms had been left mostly untouched since his mother’s passing, but he insisted that they not only be cleaned but also made somewhat in line with the present fashion.

Now, he sat at the wedding breakfast, silently counting the hours until he would be married. William supposed that Lady Catherine’s siblings would be hesitant to depart quickly, but he would make it as apparent as he could that they were not to linger. Lady Catherine would have new duties, and it would not do for her to neglect them for overly long.

“Good morning,” Lady Catherine said, seated beside her brother.

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