Page 87 of A Duchess Disciplined

She fell a week or so ago and hurt her head, and this is the first time she has exerted herself since then. The physician insists that she is fine, but it does seem as though she may be experiencing some lingering symptoms.

His explanation had received sympathetic nods and murmurs, and the rest of the ball had passed uneventfully. He had returned home to a quiet house and enjoyed a quiet breakfast the next morning. And if he felt an inkling of regret that he could not delight in Catherine’s company, no one needed to know about that.

There was a knock on his door. “Come in!”

When the door opened, his breath caught in his throat. It was Catherine, dressed in a white gown that swept gently over every curve of her perfect body. She had been just as beautiful the night before in her new, sky blue gown. He wished that he had told her that.

“Your Grace,” she said. “Do you have a moment to speak with me?”

“Of course. How is your morning?”

“Fine,” she said. “You would know that if you had joined me at breakfast.”

“I did not believe that was necessary,” he replied. “I ate breakfast in my study, as I often do, and read over some papers. I will not bore you with the details.”

“Of course, you would not.”

“What do you need?” William asked. “I have time to speak to you, but it cannot be a conversation which lasts all morning, my lady. I have much business to attend to.”

Catherine crossed the room, her movements so elegant and measured that she nearly glided across the floor. He forced his face into an impassive mask, trying not to betray how the very sight of her made his pulse quicken and his body stir with interest.

“I have been considering our conversation at the ball last night,” Catherine said, “and after some thought, I have decided that I need some time to process the new reality that you have laid out for me.”

William frowned. He had the sinking suspicion that an argument was brewing. “Do you? Have you come here to convince me otherwise?”

“No,” she said. “I believe that I need to return to Elias’s estate and live with my family for a little while. I need some time to clear my head and to decide how best to behave as your wife from this point forward.”

He inhaled sharply. This could have been worse. She could have argued and screamed at him. She might have insulted him or impugned his honor. Somehow, the fact that she had so quickly agreed to accept his decision was more unnerving than any refusal she might have offered.

“What of Hester and Hannah?” he asked. “Who is to be their guardian, while you are away?”

“You are,” she replied. “They survived a long time without having a feminine presence in their lives, and I am certain that they can survive without me for a little while. They are quite resilient.”

“How long do you intend on being away?” William asked.

“I was thinking that I would spend a couple of weeks with my family,” Catherine replied. “Perhaps longer. I do not intend to return indefinitely to my brother’s house if that is your concern.”

“You cannot simply abandon your responsibilities here,” William said. “My sisters will be distraught in your absence, and I will be forced to make arrangements to accommodate for your absence.”

Pink rose to Catherine’s face, and her hands curled over the back of the chair in front of her. “So you will not let me go?” she asked. “Is that it?”

“I am only asking you to account for the consequences of your actions,” William said. “You agree to?—”

“You keep changing the agreement!” she snapped. “I know what I agreed to, and I would have been happy to honor that agreement! But you keep changing the terms, and I am sick of it! I am ill from trying to always do what you want when you cannot even decide what you want from me!”

William was becoming sorely tired of feeling guilty. She was like a phoenix, incandescent with fury, and he slumped against the cushioned back of her chair. “Then, you should be pleased that I wish to return to our original agreement,” William said. “I am correcting our course.”

The defense sounded paltry even to his own ears.

Catherine laughed harshly. “Oh no! You—I told you from the start that I am not your plaything.”

“I remember.”

“You do not get to touch me and treat me kindly and be good to me and then—then, just cast me aside! I cannot live here any longer!”

“You have no choice,” William said, rising. “You are my wife, and I will not have the tongossiping about us because my own wife refuses to live with me.”

She swept around the chair and slammed her palms against his desk. “Then, I suggest that you agree to my request to spend a couple of weeks living on my brother’s estate,” Catherine said. “Otherwise, I may just choosenotto return.”

---