Chapter 6
“He said he would like to have dinner with us, and I agreed.”
Maisie hit the wrong key, the sharp sound only punctuating the shock that resounded in the room after Catriona’s words. Catriona rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her embroidery. Sometimes she wondered how everyone around her ended up being such dramatics.
Everyone was staring at her. Even Nina and the other dogs, though Gemma and Culver went back to playing moments later while Nina returned to her nap.
“You agreed?” Miraculously, Frederic heard that without issue. “You didn’t tell him that there was no reason to do such a thing and that he should stay where he is?”
“Or that you did not think it a good idea and that you would contact him when it is time for the wedding?” Ava asked.
For once, she was reading. She rarely ever sat still long enough to be engrossed in a book, but apparently the romance novel Maisie had recommended to her truly was as good as she’d said.
“I don’t think I would do either one of those things,” Catriona protested.
“Ha!” her uncle laughed. “We know you well, Cat. Which means that if you agreed to having him over for dinner, then it means you see some benefit in it.”
“Or she likes him,” Maisie suggested with a cheeky grin.
“I do not like him,” Catriona disagreed a little too quickly. “I only thought it would be a good idea for him to get to know all of you. And he thought it would be a good idea for his daughter to meet us as well which I agreed with.”
“And is there a reason you decided to tell us this only twenty minutes before dinner is to be served?” Frederic asked with a raise of his brow.
Catriona didn’t have an answer to that. She’d been so thrown by her walk with Joseph yesterday afternoon that she’d avoided all conversation surrounding him.
She didn’t understand what she was feeling, didn’t know why she felt the need to avoid bringing him up when she had been thinking about him all day.
“Because,” she answered, her mind working quickly for a believable response that would result in the least amount of teasing, “I knew you all would react like this, so I wished to minimize any conversation about it because it is not as important as you’d all like to think.”
“I beg to differ,” Ava began, but the look Frederic gave her kept her from continuing.
“We’ll be on our best behavior,” her uncle assured her.
Catriona looked up at him, about to show her gratitude, but then she saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. She sighed. “I certainly hope so.”
He and Ava looked at each other, saying everything and nothing in those few seconds. Catriona lowered her eyes back to her embroidery and tried not to think about the fact that they were clearly cooking something up. Her mind was full of other things after all.
She was nervous. It felt like the day they’d arrived in Mayfair all over again, her insides trembling with the fear that she was going to be found lacking by her uncle.
But at that time, such an emotion made sense.
They’d been orphans, underaged, and unable to care for themselves.
The money her father had left behind upon his passing could only take care of them for so long.
At that time, Catriona knew that she needed her uncle’s approval simply to keep a roof over her and her sisters’ heads.
But she didn’t need the Duke. She didn’t need to be married. Yes, her sisters would benefit greatly from his wealth and influence, but they’d been expecting to rely on her uncle’s influence as the Earl of Heaton before the Duke came into her life, so it was not as if they were out of options.
So why on God’s green earth did she feel so out of sorts?
The door opened, and it took every ounce of Catriona’s strength not to twist around when the butler entered to announce the arrival of the Duke and his daughter.
She acted calmer than she felt, putting aside her embroidery and getting to her feet as Joseph and Dorothea were shown into the drawing room.
His eyes swept the room and immediately landed on her. As if he was looking for her. As if he only cared to know that she was present.
She tried not to put her hand to her chest in an effort to still her racing heart.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” Frederic greeted as he approached the Duke. “Welcome back to our home. You must forgive our surprise, but we were informed of your attendance rather late, you see.”
“Uncle,” Catriona hissed under her breath, her face growing hot.
Joseph glanced at her then back at Frederic. “I had suggested that our families have dinner with each other yesterday afternoon.”
“Yes, so my niece says though she neglected to tell us until mere seconds ago.”
“I told you twenty minutes ago,” Catriona expressed without thinking. Only when the words were out her mouth did she realize that it helped very little with her argument.
“Yes, yes, same thing,” Frederic said with a chuckle. Then his eyes fell to Joseph’s side. “And who is this lovely young lady?”
“Forgive me.” Joseph put a hand on Dorothea’s back, guiding her forward. She’d been standing so close to her father’s leg, one would assume that their clothes were sewn together. She seemed reluctant to step ahead. “This is Dorothea, my daughter. Dorothea, please greet them.”
Dorothea gripped the skirt of her dress and sank into a curtsy worthy of the queen. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she said softly, her eyes on the floor.
“The pleasure is mine, young lady,” Frederic returned warmly. “These are my nieces, Ava and Maisie. And I’m sure you already know Catriona.”
Dorothea’s eyes fell on Ava, Maisie, and then Catriona last, expressionless. She said nothing, returning to her father’s side.
To Catriona’s surprise and pleasure, her sisters seemed to be behaving themselves. She only hoped it would last throughout dinner.
“It is nice to finally meet you, Your Grace,” Ava said, shooting forward. Maisie was quick on her heels. “Catriona has told us so much about you.”
“I have not,” Catriona felt the need to protest, approaching as well.
Ava ignored her. “She thinks you are quite handsome, you know. Which was quite marvelous to find out since she is rather hard to please.”
“I also do not recall saying such a thing.”
“Then do you not think I’m handsome?” Joseph asked.
Catriona blinked, her heart skipping a beat. “I… I’m not…”
“That means, ‘Of course, I do!’,” Maisie informed him with a laugh.
Ava was staring at Catriona with wide eyes “I don’t think I have ever seen Cat speechless. This is a momentous moment. Uncle Frederic, we should document this.”
“I have already committed the sight to memory, and I will call for our painter in the morning.”
Ava and Maisie laughed at her uncle’s response. Catriona almost did as well though she maintained her strict expression out of sheer principle. But she didn’t miss the twitch of Joseph’s lips.
“Why are we standing around like this?” Catriona asked. “We don’t want our guests to remain hungry for much longer.”
“Ah, yes, yes,” Ava agreed, nodding her head hard enough to shake a few curls loose. “Isn’t she such a good hostess? She would make a wonderful duchess.”
“I agree,” Joseph chimed in with a nod. “And she gets along rather well with Dorothea as well, which is quite the boon.”
Catriona flushed. Feeling the sudden urge to avoid Joseph’s eyes, she knelt next to Dorothea, taking her hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Dorothea. I hope you did not get in too much trouble that day.”
Dorothea slowly shook her head. “Daddy only sent me to bed early without dessert.”
“Without dessert?” Ava gasped dramatically. “I never would have survived such an ordeal.”
Dorothea’s eyes flew to Ava. She blinked, seemingly not knowing how to react to such a response. “It was rather hard.”
“I can imagine,” Maisie chimed in. She knelt in front of Dorothea, wrapping her arms around her knees. “I remember being sent to bed early without dessert when I was younger. I cried the entire night.”
“The entire night?” Dorothea repeated, slightly incredulous.
“Yes, of course,” Maisie sighed. “Cook had served raspberry tarts, after all, which were my favorites.”
Dorothea giggled, and the sound filled the room without lighthearted happiness. “You were quite emotional when you were younger.” she observed between her laughter.
“Dorothea!”
The little girl flinched, head whipping up at her father’s bark. Catriona eyes widened at the stern look on Joseph’s face.
“That was rude. Apologize.”
“But I—”
“You know better than to talk back to me,” he snapped. “Apologize. Now.”
Dorothea sank into his leg, away from Ava and Maisie. “Please forgive me,” she murmured so quietly that she could barely be heard.
Discomfort filled the room. “It’s quite all right,” Maisie assured her gently. “I truly was quite an emotional child.”
But the damage was already done. Dorothea eyes remained fixed on the ground. Ava and Maisie stood, taking a step back. Catriona glared at Joseph, and when he caught the stare, he frowned a little as if he did not understand what he’d done to receive it.
“Let us make haste to the dining room then, shall we?” Frederic suggested and began ushering everyone out.
“Let’s hope that Cook made raspberry tarts today,” Ava said, which earned a bit of laughter, diffusing the tension a bit.
But Catriona’s attention was still on Joseph, glaring at him as if that would be enough to give him a piece of her mind.
And he stared back at her with as much intensity though it was clear he hadn’t seen what he’d done wrong.
She would tell him at the earliest opportunity, she promised herself. The night could not end without letting him know how little she appreciated the way he treated his daughter.
Catriona was upset with him.