Page 56 of The Marriage Debt
‘Did you enjoy yourselves?’
‘Very much. Robert fell off three times, I fell off…’
‘I have been thinking,’ the duke announced with a sublime confidence that every other conversation in the room would cease. ‘And I have decided that to announce to local Society that my elder son has returned, I will hold a ball.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘A ball?’ Theo echoed his father icily. ‘And exactly how do you expect to introduce my wife to Society at the moment, sir?’
‘As Miss Cunningham,’ the duke replied with equalfroideur. ‘That leaves all Katherine’s options open, I believe.’ He smiled benignly at her.
‘And how do we account for the fact that an unmarried lady is living unchaperoned in an all-male household? Sir.’ Theo enquired with a politeness which did not convince Katherine for a moment.
‘I will simply not appear at all,’ she said hastily.
‘You are my wife, I will not have you skulking like some demi-rep I am ashamed to produce!’ Theo thundered, making her jump. The chaplain and archivist began an earnest conversation in a far corner about ecclesiastical Latin, obviously used to effacing themselves while the Lydgates robustly exchanged opinions.
‘Cousin Fanny,’ the duke announced, ignoring Theo’s bristling indignation. He continued to address himself to Katherine. ‘Lady Fanny Craven, a cousin of somewhat straightened means who enjoys a visit to Seaton Mandeville now and again. I am sure she will be delighted to oblige and, as she lives in Durham, I foresee no problems with her travelling here in time.’
Katherine cast a hasty glance at Theo who was still looking far from appeased. ‘Thank you, Your Grace. That would be most kind, if Lady Fanny is able to spare the time.’ The idea of a ball in the great house, the thought of dancing in Theo’s arms, was powerfully tempting.
‘I am damned if I am having her living in the Dower House,’ Theo said.
‘Of course not. Fanny will have her usual rooms. I wrote this afternoon,’ the duke said, with sublime disregard to the effect this high-handed approach was having on his son and heir. Katherine, silently musing on how much like his father Theo could be, kept her counsel.
‘When do you plan to hold the ball, Your Grace?’ she asked, deciding it was time to intervene before Theo exploded.
‘In ten days’ time.’
‘Dinner is served, Your Grace.’ Heron appeared at the door as Theo and Katherine said in unison,
‘What the devil am I supposed to wear?’
‘But I have no ball gown.’
‘You will both have to take yourselves off to Newcastle tomorrow and see to it,’ the duke announced calmly, offering Katherine his arm and proceeding to take her into dinner.
Behind her she heard Theo’s sudden laugh and loved him for it. He was never a poor loser, despite, she suspected, rarely finding himself in that position.
The next day Katherine went in search of John. She had every intention of getting him to drive her and Jenny into Newcastle rather than going with Theo, as she was quite certain her husband intended.
On her way out she pressed a letter into Heron’s hands. ‘His grace has been kind enough to frank this for me.’ It was a brief account of her whereabouts for Arthur, and a plea to keep her present circumstances a secret. She was reluctant to commit anything to writing, but Arthur had been a good friend and she hated to think of him worrying and now he knew her direction he could let her know if he heard anything about Philip.
When she reached the stable yard the grooms were polite but somewhat vague about John’s whereabouts. He might be in the tack room, or on the other hand he and Durran had been seentalking to the corn chandler. Would her ladyship like the boy sent to fetch him?
‘No, that is quite all right,’ Katherine assured them. ‘I will find him.’ She recalled Jenny telling her where John’s room was, so she made her way from the main stables into the quieter secondary yard and climbed the flight of external stone steps which led up to the room above the hay store.
The door stood open, but inside all was silent. Just in case, Katherine looked in and froze.
Her groom and her maid were locked in each other’s arms in what she could only describe as a passionate embrace. Katherine stole backwards as quietly as she could but her presence must have alerted the lovers and Jenny looked around.
‘Miss Katherine!’
‘I am sorry, I should have knocked, excuse me…’ She was already backing away down the steps when John appeared at the top.
‘Miss Katherine, please – may we speak with you?’
Flustered, she climbed the steps again. She was definitely not an employer who believed they should order their servants’ private lives for them, and even if she were, John and Jenny would soon be independent of her.
