Page 50 of A Duchess Disciplined

“I will confess that my eyes do wander from my work on occasion,” he said. “In those moment, I look at the sky.”

“I see.”

“I like the rain sometimes,” Hester said. “The sound of it is soothing, and there is nothing as beautiful as watching lightning strike in the distance.”

“Lightning is terrifying,” Hannah said, wrinkling her nose. “I do not understand how anyone can derive enjoyment from it.”

“You never understand my enjoyment in anything,” Hester replied. “Just as I do not understand your fondness for embroidery.”

“What about you?” Hannah asked, turning her attention toward Catherine. “What do you enjoy?”

Catherine pressed her lips together, thinking. “A great many things, I suppose. I will confess that I have never been overly fond of embroidery, but I admire ladies who are skilled with needlework. I have seen some truly exquisite creations.”

Hannah beamed at Catherine, seemingly quite satisfied with that answer. “Well-constructed embroidery is an unparalleled artform,” she said. “I think there ought to be museums of it.”

“Museums?” Hester asked dubiously.

“Indeed,” Hannah replied. “There are museums for statues, paintings, and waxwork. Why not embroidery, also?”

“What a novel idea,” Catherine murmured.

William did not understand why there ought to be a museum dedicated to embroidery, a skill which most ladies developed, but if Hannah wished to imagine one, he would say nothing against the idea.

“Perhaps, you shall create one,” Catherine said.

Hannah nodded and furrowed her brow. “I would need much time to embroider enough pieces to fill an entire building.”

“Indeed, you would,” Catherine replied. “I would offer you my assistance, but I am quite slow and regrettably uneven with my stitches.”

“Maybe I could have other ladies helping me, though,” Hannah said. “Those who are not quite so reckless with their stitches.”

Hannah did not seem to realize that she had just indirectly insulted Catherine, but when William looked at his wife, searching her face for any sign of vexation, he found only frank amusement.

“I suppose I could help,” Hester mused. “Although I am not usually fond of embroidery, I should like to inspire others to understand the beauty in nature as I do. Perhaps, I could embroider illustrations of fauna, much like I record in my herbarium.”

“I think that would be a lovely addition to the museum,” Catherine said.

“Or perhaps, you might all use your enthusiasm for embroidery in some other manner,” William said. “Mother used to visit seminaries for young ladies when she was in London. The women in such institutions would probably enjoy spending an evening embroidering with proper ladies.”

Of course, it would not really be the entire evening. William imagined that Catherine and his sisters would make proper quarter-hour visits.

“How thoughtful, Your Grace,” Catherine said. “But I do not see why a lady could not found an embroidery museum. The work of women is as worthy of admiration as that of men, is it not?”

William smiled thinly. “And embroideryisadmired. Households would be quite lacking without it.”

“If it is sufficient for a noble household, it is sufficient enough to grace a museum,” Catherine replied sharply.

“Ladies ought to concern themselves with the home,” William said, “or else, with representing their husbands. It does not suit a woman to do something as immodest as to promote her wifely skills in such an obvious manner.”

“No?” Catherine asked. “But when young ladies go on the marriage mart, we are expected to flaunt our talents for many suitors and to promote ourselves over other ladies. Why should it be shameful if a lady wishes to do something for herself?”

William looked at her for a long moment, unsure what to make of this strange, young lady. She liked to argue, which ought not be an attractive trait in a woman, but he found himself growing increasingly…charmedby her strange tendency to fight and argue with all his well-reasoned thoughts.

“If you wish to do something for yourself, you may embroider as many linens as you like, my lady,” he said, “but there is no need to advertise how industrious you are. Doing so is at odds with a modest woman’s nature.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Bold of you to presume that I am modest, my lord. You must not know me well at all.”

Hannah and Hester glanced at the two of them, their expressions a strange mix of excitement and confusion. William grimaced, trying to decide how much of Catherine’s witticisms he was willing to tolerate. Their bargain had been that she would be a proper duchess in public, and the parkwasa public place. Her suggestions were not entirely appropriate, but William also did not find them overly offensive.

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