Page 9 of A Duchess Disciplined

Had Reeds always been so feckless? The man was not even really fighting, just floundering like a fish!

“Marriage to Lady Dorothy is the most advantageous choice for me. Give the history between our families, I cannot imagine any reason for your objection, unless Lady Dorothy’s previous Season was more successful than I had heard.”

He knew that he was right. None of the Leedway daughters had managed to secure a husband. Reeds ought to begladthat William was willing to take one of his unwed sisters as his bride.

“Charming,” Lady Catherine said. “I cannot fathom why you must depend upon a contract to find a suitable duchess. Certainly, ladies must be swooning in your presence, tearing one another to pieces for a chance to marry you.”

William fixed his gaze on the younger Leedway sister, who smirked at him. “And with your sharp tongue, I imagine that all the lords in Britain are begging to be your lord,” he said.

Her smirk only widened. The insolence of her! William hid a smile. Some man would have an enjoyable time, indeed, crafting that brazen young woman into a proper lady and wife. It was almost a pity that his bride was to be the demure Lady Dorothy, instead of this fiery creature. While the rest of her family simpered in disbelief, Lady Catherine had decided to be sharp and angry instead.

William would delight in bringing Lady Catherine over his knee, hitching her skirts past her waist, and teaching her to be a proper duchess with his hand. He imagined her pale face flushed with color, as he pinkened her buttocks with every strike. His loins stirred in anticipation.

“My brother does not have to honor this contract,” Catherine said. “It does not matter if our father wrote it. He is the Duke of Reeds, and he decides who my sister will wed!”

“Perhaps, you should consider it,” Lady Bridget murmured. “It might be romantic!”

William was not a romantic man. “If your brother values his title and reputation, he will do exactly as I ask. I only want what is mine and what has been promised to me.”

“My sister does not wish to wed you,” Catherine said. “If you were a good man, you would care about that! You would not marry a woman who does not desire to be your wife!”

He crossed his arms and forced his attention to Lady Dorothy. Her face fell, and she glanced about her like a trapped animal searching for escape. “Your Grace, I mean no offense. There is no fault to be found in you. It is only that I do not envision myself marrying any man,” Dorothy said. “I have resolved to be a spinster, so I may better support my family.”

“As my duchess, you will have my sisters to care for. You need not find yourself without a family, my lady,” William said.

“That is hardly the same,” Lady Dorothy murmured, her shoulders slumping.

“You do not need to marry him,” Catherine said heatedly. “He has come to us with a piece of paper that we have neither seen nor heard of before this day. I am sure that we owe him nothing!”

“We cannot offend him!” Reeds argued. “An honorable man?—”

“An honorable man would give me the wife I was promised,” William finished, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Not that any of them seemed intent on arguing.

Except for Lady Catherine. Their eyes met across the table. Her smirk had faded. Instead, concern etched deep lines across her forehead. As she rose from her seat, Lady Catherine’s eyes never left his face. She strode slowly to him and tilted her head a little, as though she were a cat and he was some curiosity that she had found.

“You speak too boldly, my lady,” William said.

“Am I bolder than a man who demanded to join us and arrived with such startling news, so as to catch us unaware? You could have mentioned in your letter the purpose of your visit, yet you did not.”

“Catherine,” Reeds said warningly.

Catherine seemed to pay her brother no heed. Now, William understood the cause of the young woman’s defiance. Her brother had never bothered to teach her how to behave, how to be aproperlady. Reeds was too soft and had indulged this young lady until she believed herself equal to every man in the room.

William tilted his head towards her. She stood near him, allowing him a clear look at her slender figure. She was slighter than Lady Dorothy with a smaller bosom and less prominent hips. Still lovely, though. She was like a flower in full bloom, and with a more masterful hand, she might be molded into the perfect wife.

“And why, my lady, do you imagine that I was not more forthright?” William asked.

He felt as though the entire world was just himself and this brazen young lady. William took a step closer to her, so he towered over the young woman.

She lifted her chin, craning her head back to meet his eyes. William was sure that the position was uncomfortable, but Lady Catherine gave no indication of discomfort. “I believe that you enjoyed the thought of distressing us. You felt that it would be like—like some play upon a stage. You would arrive with some unexpected letter to start the third act.”

“I want what is mine,” he said in a low voice. “If you were promised a husband, I imagine you would be equally vexed at having that promise reneged upon.”

“We are not reneging on it,” Reeds said. “I wish to send for my solicitor, though. That is reasonable for all parties.”

It seemed as though Reeds had grown a spine.

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