Page 49 of A Duchess Disciplined

“No one has asked ifyoulike parks, my lady,” William said.

“I do,” she replied, as the footman opened the carriage door.

They exited one at a time. Catherine lit upon the ground and stretched her calves, rising onto the tips of her toes. The sun was pleasantly warm, its heat tempered by the autumn breeze.

“It is beautiful,” she said, gazing at the greenery surrounding them.

“It is the best park in the county,” Hester said enthusiastically. “It has a wonderful duck pond.”

“Does it?”

Hester nodded eagerly. “I am rather fond of it,” she said, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I have always thought of chasing the ducks, but I have always worried that it would be seen as improper.”

Hester’s eyes flickered fleetingly to her brother, who was engaged in a discussion with the footman and did not seem to notice that he was the topic of conversation. Beside Hannah, Hester bit her lip and looked askance, as though she had been caught in the act of committing some misdeed.

Catherine was beginning to understand a little. It was unclear if the sisters found William as intimidating as she did or if they were merely overly eager to please him, but itwasapparent that they did not feel as if they could truly be themselves around him.

A knot tightened in Catherine’s chest, for she knew too well whatthatfelt like. Before realizing that she would simply never be a proper lady, she had tried to charm suitors. She had tried to be proper like Dorothy and Bridget were, but in the end, she was forced to concede that such behavior simply did not suit her.

“We can chase them today,” Catherine whispered.

Hester inhaled a sharp, disbelieving breath. Hannah looked horrified.

“We cannot!’ Hester exclaimed.

“Unthinkable,” Hannah murmured.

“Why?” Catherine asked slyly.

“His Grace will be displeased,” Hester whispered. “He does not like for us to behave in an unladylike manner. He says that it will prevent us from being married in the future.”

“And the tonare here,” Hannah said, gesturing around them.

Catherine saw readily enough the ladies in their fine gowns and the gentlemen in their expensive jackets. Hannah was right.

“You will only be young once, though,” Catherine said. “Every girl needs the opportunity to be a little unladylike, and there is no better time than when you are young. You need not be concerned, for I shall take the blame and make sure everything is well with His Grace.”

Hester and Hannah exchanged doubtful looks. At last, William ended his conversation with the footman and joined them. “Shall we?” he asked.

Catherine winked at the girls. “Weshall.”

CHAPTER15

Catherine kept her head high and her shoulders rolled back as she walked through the park, Hester and Hannah following close behind. She looked like a proper duchess, as she had promised to be. Given her whispered remarks about beingunladylike,William had anticipated something appalling.

Still, her promise left him feeling on edge. Many of the tonwere at the park, and a large number of them seemed to be gossiping about William and his new bride. He saw how ladies’ eyes cut towards him, as they murmured to one another behind their fans, and nearly every gentleman they passed gazed too hard at Catherine before grinning at him, as if to say,ah, you have a fetching lady.

“Lovely weather,” Catherine said.

It was a droll choice of topic but entirely appropriate, so William supposed he did not have the grounds to complain.

“Indeed, it is,” William replied. “The first beautiful day in a while.”

“How could you know? You never leave your study.”

That remark was a little less proper but admittedly deserved. “My study has a window, darling wife. I can see that the sky has been dreary and overcast for the past several days.”

“You must still look up from your papers toseethe sky,” she replied, her eyes bright with amusement.

---