Chapter 6 #2
Joseph couldn’t fathom why, especially seeing that he and Dorothea had only arrived less than thirty minutes ago.
But the look his future wife was giving him was enough to melt steel.
A weaker man would have folded instantly, sweating profusely under the weight of her persistent glare.
But Joseph wasn’t a weak man. He’d faced hardier men with the steeliness of a man who been through far too much in his life.
A small-framed lady with big green eyes shouldn’t be enough to throw him off his balance.
And yet…
He squirmed uncomfortably, trying to pay attention to the conversation at hand.
Miss Ava, he’d learned, was quite an active young lady and was currently in a heated discussion with Lord Heaton on whether ladies should be able to participate at the Royal Ascot.
Lord Heaton seemed only to be indulging her by playing devil’s advocate for the purpose of amusing himself, and everyone seemed to be aware of that fact except for Miss Ava herself.
And maybe Catriona. Joseph couldn’t tell if she was paying the conversation much mind since her attention seemed solely focused on him.
Unable to help himself a moment longer, he looked at her. Her scowl deepened, and she jabbed her fork into her peas with remarkable aim before slowly raising it to her lips. Joseph thinned his lips. Why did it feel as if he was just threatened?
“Tell me you agree with me, Your Grace.”
Joseph tore his gaze away from Catriona, frowning at Miss Ava who had twisted completely in her seat to face him. “Pardon me?”
“Don’t bring him into your madness, Ava,” Miss Maisie sighed, sounding both exasperated and amused. “He has long since stopped listening to your argument.”
“It is not an argument,” Miss Ava expressed. “I am only stating my point, and you lot have decided to disagree with me, even though it is clear that I am right.”
“Are you?” Lord Heaton taunted before raising his glass to his lips, hiding his smile. Ava gave him a venomous look. Apparently those expressions ran in the family.
She didn’t bother to respond to her uncle however. She simply turned back to Joseph and asked, “Don’t you think that ladies should be allowed to take part in horse racing events if they wish?”
He didn’t answer immediately, even though a response came to mind.
Instead, he swept his gaze across the table, noting that the Wallace family seemed to truly care what his stance was.
Even Catriona, though she regarded him with quiet consternation as if she knew she was not going to like what he was about to say.
He held in his sigh. Perhaps choosing Catriona to be his wife had been a mistake. Was it worth marrying into this excitable family that was bound to upend his quiet life?
“I think women should be allowed to do whatever they wish,” he responded at last. “Who am I to tell them not to?”
Ava’s eyes went wide with elation. “Oh, I’m so happy you will be marrying my sister! Finally, a man with the sense to see a lady’s worth beyond her embroidery skills.”
“Did she just call me misogynistic?” Lord Heaton murmured to Maisie, who nodded somberly.
“I believe she did,” Maisie whispered back.
Their words faded to the background. Joseph was far too aware of Catriona setting her fork down and patting her lips delicately with her napkin, as if she was preparing to either speak or leave the table.
“That is quite an interesting stance, Your Grace,” she said to him.
Tension seized his insides. Joseph schooled his face to submission, annoyed. Why did it matter to him that she was clearly so displeased?
“Is it?” he heard himself ask.
“One would think that you thought the opposite, given what occurred earlier.”
“What occurred earlier?” he echoed, brows furrowing.
Catriona shifted her gaze to Dorothea, who silently sat finishing her food next to him, before returning her attention pointedly to him.
That only confused him further. What did Dorothea have to do with any of this?
“I think His Grace is quite the forward thinker,” Maisie chimed in before he could think of a response that wasn’t another question full of confusion.
“It is quite commendable in this day and age. I imagine he would not be very taken aback if he were to see a lady sitting atop horse prepared to race.”
“Oh, I sense a bit of curiosity in your voice, Maisie.” Ava waggled her eyebrows at her sister. “Do you secretly want to partake in horse racing?”
Maisie rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I hardly like horses as it is. Though I would love to attend the Royal Ascot one day. I hear that it is quite the event.”
“Yes, and quite popular during the Season as well.” Ava was basically bouncing in her seat in excitement which caught Dorothea’s eye. Joseph noticed his daughter watching Ava curiously, but when she caught him looking, she lowered her eyes back to her plate.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Catriona muttered under her breath.
Joseph caught her eyes. He held it, the need to understand what had gotten her so upset overwhelming enough to distract him from everything and everyone else.
She stared back at him with much intensity, and disappointment seeped into her green eyes.
She thinned her lips further which only drew Joseph’s attention to them.
For a brief moment, he forgot why he was here. His mind emptied, and he could only focus on Catriona.
All he saw were those beautiful full lips, pink and firm. Angry yet inviting.
For that brief moment, his mind emptied of proper, gentlemanly thoughts. He caught himself, frustration lancing him when he realized how distracted he’d gotten, even if it was for a small moment. Catriona was a beauty, yes, but there was no reason for such a reaction.
“Your Grace?”
Joseph tore his gaze away from Catriona to see Lord Heaton staring at him with a rather knowing smile. He straightened. “Pardon me, My Lord?”
“You seem rather distracted, Your Grace. Or is it that I am not alone in my degenerating hearing?” He chuckled at his own joke.
Joseph didn’t miss the fact that all three sisters subtly rolled their eyes.
“I was asking if you would be so inclined to join us in the drawing room now that dinner has come to an end. Maisie has been practicing her pianoforte and would like to have the opinion of someone other than her family.”
Maisie flushed though she didn’t lower her gaze. “They always tell me that my skill rivals Bach, but they are obligated to say nice things, you see.”
“I wasn’t aware we were under such stipulations,” Ava observed. She turned to Catriona. “Were you?”
“Completely unaware,” Catriona murmured in agreement.
Maisie simply sighed. “Perhaps you could give me a more objective opinion, Your Grace.”
Joseph nodded. He didn’t want the night to end just yet anyway. Not until he’d gotten to the bottom of Catriona’s suddenly prickly attitude. “I would be delighted.”
“Marvelous.” Lord Heaton was the first to rise. “Let us make haste then, shall we?”
Everyone else began to stand as well, and Catriona the last to her feet.
Dorothea was quick to press herself into Joseph’s leg the moment she left her chair.
Joseph resisted the urge to sigh. In the years gone by, Dorothea had only grown clingier.
It was fine for a toddler, but as she grew older, Joseph knew it was a habit he would have to break her out of. He just didn’t have a clue how to.
“Your Grace?” Catriona called, drawing his attention. “May I have a word? It will be brief, I assure you.”
“Here?”
She raised a brow, clasping her hands behind her. “Why not? The footmen will serve as proper chaperones, will they not?”
Joseph straightened. A gauntlet had been thrown though he couldn’t fathom why.
“We shall give you the room then,” Lord Heaton assured them before quickly ushering the curious Ava and Maisie to the door.
“Go with them,” Joseph murmured to Dorothea. She hesitated of course, but she knew better than to complain in front of strangers so, after obvious resistance, she pulled away from his leg and shifted towards Maisie, who was already holding a hand out to her.
“Do you know how to play the pianoforte, Dorothea?” Maisie asked her in a sweet voice as they headed out the door.
Silence met her words, but Joseph could imagine that Dorothea had shaken her head in the negative.
He didn’t look to see for himself. His eyes remained fixed on Catriona as her eyes remained fixed on him.
The next second, they were alone.
He broke the silence first. “What is the matter?” Joseph asked. “You have been glaring at me all evening.”
“Not without reason, Your Grace—”
“Joseph,” he interrupted.
Her eyebrow twitched. “Let me be frank, Joseph. I do not like how you speak to Dorothea.”
He waited for more. Because surely she had a better reason for glaring at him as if she wished he was struck down by lightning than how he disciplined his child. “Is that it?”
“Is that—” she broke off on incredulous scoff. “What do you mean, is that it? That’s good enough reason to be displeased with you.”
“I can hardly fathom why. How I discipline my child is none of your concern, Catriona.”
“You made it my concern when you asked me to marry you.”
“Only for you to be a proper female influence on Dorothea. Only out of duty. Not because I needed help with my parenting.”
“Well, it is clear to me that you do need the help since you obviously don’t know what you’re doing.”
God, she was good. Not many people could get a rise out of him that quickly.
He crossed his arms, glaring down at her from across the table. To his surprise, she did the very same thing. “I don’t recall you having a child yourself, Catriona. I doubt you know anything of substance either, other than how to criticize others of course.”
“I know better than to snap at my child simply for stating her opinion,” she pressed stubbornly. “You made her feel half her size which is quite the feat considering how small she already is. And there was no reason for it either. She did nothing wrong.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he maintained.
And he was quite good as well because those words made her red with indignation.
But before she could let loose her retort, he continued, “You are not to be her mother or her governess. That is not why I asked you to marry me. What I require instead is a female influence for Dorothea and a duchess.”
She raised her chin. He could see her digging her nails into her arms in an effort of self-control. “If you did not see me fit, then why bother ask to marry you?”
“Because I see your potential. Current conversation aside of course.”
“Oh, for heavens’ sake, you’re maddening!”
“And you have already agreed to marry me. Unless you wish not to any longer?”
And she certainly took her time in responding. Tapped her finger against her upper arm. Twisted her lips to the side in obvious consternation. Shaking her head slightly as if she couldn’t believe he’d asked that.
“We may continue with our arrangement,” she told him. “But clearly you have expectations of me that I was not aware of. Is there anything else I should know, Your Grace?”
Joseph clenched his jaw at the formal address but said nothing about it. “Only that you will become a proper duchess. I will make sure of it.”
“Then I have a request as well.”
“I shall honor it to the best of my abilities.”
She didn’t appear to believe that, but she continued nonetheless, holding up her pointer finger. “One hour. I need one hour per day to be away from your expectations.”
He inclined his head to the side, regarding her carefully as if she would somehow reveal the motive behind her request. Catriona didn’t give anything away. She was as stalwart as ever, holding up her finger in quiet patience. He couldn’t help but admire it, even if he was a little apprehensive.
But one hour should be nothing. What could she possibly get up to with just one hour a day?
“Very well.”
“Marvelous.” She swiveled on her heels, marching to the door. “Then let us make way to the drawing room before my sisters come banging down this door.”
Joseph followed. After spending one evening with the younger Wallace sisters, he knew that was very likely.