Page 1 of Duke in Shining Armor
CHAPTER1
Windemere Estate
Hampshire
“Icannot go to finishing school in Switzerland!”
Lady Catherine Davenport stared at her father aghast, her heart a pounding mess. She could not believe she was being primed for the marriage market when it was the furthest thing from her mind. “Father, please, I cannot—”
“Yet you will obey me in this, young lady.”
His tone brooked no arguments, and she fisted her hands tightly at her side.Oh, why is this happening?
“I have been unsuccessful in my efforts to find you a proper husband! Almost all who courted you felt you were too bold and opinionated!”
“What the blazes do they know,” she cried, forgetting for a moment that even when feeling desperate one was expected to always be ladylike.
“Catherine,” her father snapped, pinning her with a hard glare.
She took a deep breath. Catherine never understood why swearing was reserved for men. It was only an expression after all, so why was it so improper? She found it summed up one’s feelings quite well, in just a word or a few choice words. She never swore in public, but rather her mind availed itself to swearing from time to time, and there was an occasional slip of the tongue when she was alone.
He peered at her over the top of his spectacles, and he was quite imposing even as he sat behind his large oak desk in the library surrounded by volumes of books and political journals. “Your mother and I have indulged you for far too long, and your deportment is dissimilar from all the other young ladies in thehaut ton. I daresay, allowing you to have lessons with Edward was a grave error for it has made you willful and headstrong.”
“But papa….” Catherine pleaded, hoping it would not fall on deaf ears. She loved her family, and she could not envisage being sent away as if she was being punished. Her only crime was deciding she did not wish to spend her life making house calls, having afternoon tea, and doing needlepoint. She was no simpleton. God forbid!
A resigned expression settled on his face. “Catherine, it was only yesterday I overheard you swear like a hoyden when you bumped your shin in the garden, and I will not stand for it. It has been decided that you will travel to Switzerland where the finishing school will prepare you for a marriage befitting your station. All the arrangements have been made. Now go to your mother.”
She was dismissed. Catherine knew it would be no use objecting any further because her father’s mind was made up.
Dickens.
She pivoted and walked unsteadily from the library, tears burning behind her eyes. They spilled down her cheeks, and she wiped at them fiercely. Catherine had never cried easily, and she was not about to start now. She went to her bedchamber to consider what she would say to her mother and to make herself more presentable. She walked over to her dressing table, promptly sat, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Catherine looked at her tear-streaked face, bold blue eyes, and cupid-shaped lips, framed by her curly blonde tresses.
Catherine had several suitors who all complimented her beauty and flattered her vanity. She was considered to be beautiful, charming, and quite a catch, but she yearned for a gentleman that would look beyond her beauty. She did not wish to be courted just for her looks … after all she did have a brain in her pretty head.
She disdained socializing and did all she could to avoid it. The idle chatter of the ladies in thehaut tonwas rather boring, and it drove her to distraction. Catherine would much prefer to spend her time riding around the vast estates of Windemere or discussing politics with Edward. He had gone to Oxford University, was very learned, and prepared to take the reins from their father one day soon. He was a loving, protectivebrother, and he humored her somewhat ‘manly’ pursuits. He never criticized her.
How was she going to save herself from the abyss that she knew would crush her spirit? She would no longer be able to review the ledgers, discuss crops, yields, and profits, or read the political journals she loved so much. There was a knock on the door, and she bid entry. It was her lady’s maid, Helen. Catherine’s thoughts continued to whirl while her lady’s maid applied fresh powder to her pale cheeks. Her mother would know what to do, and there was no point in delaying further. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and made her way to her mother’s bedchamber.
Catherine hesitated for a moment at her mother’s door before she knocked and waited to be admitted.
“Come in,” her mother replied.
Catherine entered her mother’s bedchamber and found her sitting at the desk where she wrote her correspondence. “Good morning, mama. I have just been to see father, and we had the most extraordinary conversation. He said….”
Her mother raised her head and looked at her with tenderness. “Cath dear, I know this news has come as a shock to you. Women do not usually speak of such things, but I shall explain it so that you may understand.”
Catherine felt a sense of foreboding.
“We are in an unfortunate position, Cath. Your father invested heavily in the trade with the East India Company, and we have suffered a great loss. It pains my heart to say that we have lost several ships with valuable cargo including cotton, silk, sugar, and spices, and we face financial ruin.”
Her mother was stoic when she faced Catherine, but then her veil dropped for a moment; Catherine’s heart broke for the pain that she saw there. Her mother was a proud woman, and this would not be easy for her.
“Oh, mama.” Catherine strolled over and placed her hands atop her mother’s. She did not think things could get worse this day. She felt her world was turning on its axis.
“Your father has decided that Edward must marry well. Naturally, it must be an heiress with a fortune, but we will not rely solely on Edward. The meagre funds we have remaining should be used to find you a suitable match and provide a dowry.”
“How would my marriage help, mama? I do not understand.”
