Page 11 of A Duchess Disciplined

“This way, Your Grace,” the butler said.

William dared a glance at Lady Catherine, who met his intense stare with one of her own. As he let the butler escort him to the bedchamber, it washerface and voice that lingered in his mind. She was unlike any woman he had ever met among the ton and real in a way that most ladies were not.

“Thank you,” William said. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my ladies, and to become reacquainted with you, Reeds.”

Reeds smiled thinly. “Likewise.”

William followed the butler, who bowed formally. “It is my honor to escort you to your bedchamber, Your Grace.”

“How kind,” William replied.

As he approached the bedchamber, his trousers grew tighter. It had been far too long since William had engaged in a manner of amorous exercise, and he strongly suspected that he would spend the night dreaming, fantasizing,wantingLady Catherine.

It was unfortunate that she was not destined to be his wife. Lady Dorothy was lovely and unobtrusive, like a fine piece of art, but Lady Catherine was as bright and lively as flame.

CHAPTER3

The house was silent, save for the faintcreakof the floorboards, which sounded as loud as a gunshot to Catherine. She did not want to wake anyone, but reckless energy pulsed through her. When Catherine tried to find sleep, she found His Grace’s composed face and intense gaze instead.

The memory of him was like a fire, blazing through her body and leaving her awake and restless. She imagined that it was worse for poor Dorothy, who had been signed away to the future Duke of Sarsen mere days after her birth.

Catherine quietly pushed open the door to her sister’s bedchamber, relaxing a little when she saw the flickering light from the fireplace dancing upon the wall. Her sister sat nearly doubled over, clad in a white nightgown. Dorothy’s loose, black hair fell over her back and shoulders. Small, muffled sobs filled the air, striking at uneven moments like a poorly tuned instrument.

“Dory,” Catherine said softly. “May I join you?”

Her sister’s head snapped towards her, and Dorothy nodded. There were no nearby chairs, so Catherine sat on the floor beside her sister. Dorothy’s eyes were red. She had been crying for a long time.

“Do you want to talk about what transpired today?” Catherine asked.

Dorothy’s breath shuddered unevenly, and she curled further into herself. “I cannot marry him, Cat.”

“Elias will not make you.” Catherine pressed her cheek against Dorothy’s knee. “Even if the Duke of Sarsen insists upon it, you know that our brother will not make you wed that man.”

“I know,” Dorothy said. “Just as I know that it would be unwise for him to refuse. Whether we like it or not, His Grace has a contract promising my marriage to him. The tonwould look poorly upon Elias If he refused.”

“Do we care what the tonthinks?” Catherine asked.

She already knew the answer, though. They cared very much.

Dorothy sighed. “We must. Even if I have resolved never to wed, you have not. Bridget has not, and Elias must. The dukedom will need an heir.”

“But no matter how I try to convince myself that marrying His Grace is the best course of action, I find that I cannot make myself believe it,” Catherine said. “I cannot imagine a life away from all of you. I feel as though marrying the Duke of Sarsen would be the death of my very soul.”

Catherine’s chest ached. “Then, you must not do it.”

Dorothy nodded slowly. “I know that, just as I know that my refusal will have consequences. I wish that His Grace would relent, but I do not think that he will. If he were a kinder man, he would not have come unannounced into our home and demanded my hand.”

Catherine bit her lip, trying to think of some solution, but she could find none. It seemed the best solution would be not to wed the man, but she understood too well the dangers of refusal. In her mind,refusalcould not possibly be worse than seeing her sister married to that man, but Catherine knew her insistence to the contrary would fall upon deaf ears.

“Perhaps, we can persuade him to reconsider,” Catherine said, “or else, we can ask for more time to make our decision.”

“That will only delay the inevitable.”

“Not necessarily!” Catherine argued. “If we have more time, we may find some means of persuading the duke to choose another course of action!”

Dorothy’s smile was fond, but her eyes shone with doubt. “I do not want to wed him, but there is also nothing that I would not do for this family. If marrying him is what it takes to ensure everyone’s happiness, I must do it. Iwilldo it.”

“Dory, you cannot,” Catherine said, clasping her sister’s hands in her own. “You cannot sacrifice your own happiness for us. None of us would want that for you.”

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