Page 35 of The Taming of the Duke
“I never want to suffer my mother’s fate,” she said, “to be a broodmare to furnish a man with a son and be discarded if I fail—or worse still, to be tossed aside after my death, to be replaced by another and soon forgotten.”
“Iknewyou resented your stepmother.”
“I did not!” she cried. “I loved Mama Eugenie.You’rethe one responsible for her death. As you were responsible for my mother’s, though you’ve always blamed me.”
“Why you…” he stepped forward and raised his arm, and she flinched in anticipation.
But the blow never came.
A hand appeared from nowhere and caught Papa’s wrist. A huge—verymale—body moved between them, as if to shield her from Papa’s fury.
It was Daxton.
“That’senough, Lord Parville.”
“Your Grace.” Papa gave a stiff bow. “I was just reprimanding my daughter on her behavior. Surely you’d not object to a little fatherly discipline?”
“Only where it’s warranted,” Daxton said. “But I suspect the opposite is true—and has been for some years.”
“What the devil do you mean?” Papa asked.
“I mean that you have no understanding of parental love.”
“Love!” Papa scoffed, wrenching his hand free. “An emotion that weakens a man—turns him into a milksop.
“You’re wrong, Parville.”
“Daxton turned his gaze to Catherine, his eyes filled with admiration. “Love is the greatest emotion of all,” he said. “It leads us to undertake great deeds—selfless deeds. Your daughter Blanche is in love, yet you’d deny her happiness in your desperation to rid yourself of Catherine—the daughter you value so little.”
“I’ve every right to treat her as I see fit, Petrush!”
Papa raised his hand again, and Daxton caught it. “That’s your last warning, Parville,” he growled. “Your daughter is worth a thousand of you—you’ve no right to touch her.”
“I have a father’s right!”
“Only insofar as the law permits it,” Daxton said. “But the law is an ass.” He shifted his gaze to Catherine, and her belly fluttered at the frank admiration in his eyes. Admiration…
…and love.
“My daughter’s nothing!” Papa spat.
“You’re wrong, Lord Parville!” Daxton cried, his voice, his eyes glistening as he continued to gaze at Catherine. “She iseverything. She’s weathered betrayal, yet has not once lost her capacity for kindness or compassion. You believe her to be undeserving of love because you’re not capable of loving another.”
“Neither are you,” Papa said, scorn in his tone.
“I’m happy to prove you wrong, Lord Parville,” Daxton said. “I love your daughter. I didn’t intend to at first. I confess I’m guilty of the crime of courting Catherine merely to help Lord Horton in his plans to court Blanche. But I soon realized my own folly—the folly of toying with the finest woman in England.”
Catherine’s heart fluttered as Daxton took her hands in his. Long, strong fingers lovingly interlaced with hers, and he pulled her close.
“Can you forgive me, my Catherine?” he whispered, his breath caressing her cheek. “I realized what an ass I’d been as soon as I understood what a kind heart lay concealed beneath your prickly exterior.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Prickly?”
A bloom crept across his cheeks. “Forgive me,” he said, “but I must be frank.Yourfrankness is what I love about you. And your kindness. I’ve seen the love you bear your sister—your wish for her to have the happiness that you believe is forever denied you. But, if you can bestow even a fraction of that love onto me, then you’ll make me the happiest man alive. And, regardless of your opinion of me, I’m, prepared to dedicate my life to making you happy.”
A ripple of murmurs threaded through the ballroom, and Catherine glanced around. The dancing had stopped, and the small crown had formed, watching them. She caught sight of Blanche, arm in arm with Lord Horton, her face flushed with joy.
Then, Daxton took both her hands and, before the entire company, he lowered himself onto on knee.
