Married to the Marquess (15 page)

“If he did that, I would be likely to be bitten.”

“For heaven’s sake, Katherine,” Aurelia groaned dramatically with a roll of her eyes as she sat back, “how long have you been married anyway? You know nothing of men. But then, if you did, you would not be here to ask me for help.”

Katherine chose not to point out the fact that she had not asked for help at all, and would never do so. If all husbands were to be handled in the manner that Aurelia did hers, then the entire world would be doomed.

“And I do not know why you have so brazenly come to call upon anybody when we are in mourning,” her sister said in condemnation, tsking rather noisily. “It is entirely shameful of you. And you are not even in black!”

Aurelia seemed quite unaware of the fact that at the moment, she was wearing a rather ghastly looking yellow gown with no hint of mourning colors at all. Katherine opted to remain silent on this subject as well.

“I can assure you,” she continued, “that I have been quite unable to venture out of doors at all. Poor Mama.”

Katherine nearly choked on her tea that she had taken up again. Their mother would have blanched terribly at being called Mama. It was always to be Mother and nothing else.

Regardless, Katherine was quite certain that Aurelia did not venture out of doors at all unless it was to be well worth the efforts in doing so, whether in mourning or not.

But she allowed her sister to ramble on for the next three years, or so it felt to her, before she conveniently recalled an errand that had to be done, and made her escape. She moodily made her way back to the house, only to be met by Derek as he returned as well.

“Kate!” he said pleasantly as he stood back and let her enter first.

“Good morning, Derek,” she replied with a smile and a nod as she stepped into the house. She carefully removed her gloves and bonnet and handed them to Jemima with a nod of thanks. Then she turned back to her husband. “Have you been with the solicitor all this time?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” he responded with a small scowl. “I hate those meetings.”

She wrinkled up her nose in distaste. “I don’t know many that enjoy them. But is it all resolved?”

He nodded. “Yes, it was about the Shropshire tenants. Apparently, they have not been receiving adequate attention from the manager down there.”

“Mr. Everett?”

“The very same.”

“Oh dear,” Katherine murmured as she walked towards the sitting room, Derek at her side. “And Mrs. Goodrich has been so ill of late, I hope that she has not suffered more because of Mr. Everett’s inability to do his job.”

Derek looked at her in surprise.

“What?” she asked, ducking her head slightly, knowing her cheeks would be growing pink under his gaze. “I may not know all the London gossip, but I do know our tenants quite well.”

“Apparently,” he said, smiling still. “At any rate, we have sent inquiries and Randall is going to start looking for a new manager, just in case.”

“Very prudent.” She gave him an approving nod as she sat on a sofa. “Mr. Randall has excellent taste in character.”

“That he does. So what have you done all morning?”

She sighed and tried to smile. “I just returned from visiting my sister.”

The look of horror and disgust that crossed his face made her laugh. “Good heavens, why?” he asked as he took his own seat in the chair that she had always thought of as his. It was worn, but not terribly so, and had a large and comfortable back to it. She had often times caught him sleeping in this chair in this room, and every time in the past she had slipped out as quickly and quietly as she could, praying not to disturb him, as she did not wish to speak with him. Now, however, she was taking pains to do so.

How confusing things had become!

“Kate?”

His voice brought her out of her reverie. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked him.

He grinned. “What great disaster or horrific event prompted you to risk a visit to your sister?”

“I hardly know anymore,” she muttered darkly. “It seemed the only viable option at the time. But next time, if there is a next time, I’ll think it through a good deal more carefully.”

“Now that is an impressive glower,” he commented with an odd sort of amazement. “What did Aurelia do this time?”

“She calls Alice ‘the girl’.” Katherine shook her head, feeling her agitation rising again.

“That beautiful child that is so different from her brothers she has to be adopted?” Derek asked in astonishment. “That Alice?”

Katherine nodded earnestly. “She says that Alice will never amount to anything, so she did not see why she should take pains towards her. Derek, I almost slapped her.”

“I think you should have,” he said, his expression dark. “If she doesn’t want Alice, then we’ll take her.”

“We will?” Katherine gaped, stunned by his admission.

He gave her an incredulous look. “You don’t think I am going to sit by and let her ruin that child, do you? No, our niece will always be allowed to come here as often as she likes without invitation or warning. I daresay the nurse they have set her with will appreciate the break from your sister’s household.”

“Thank you, Derek,” Katherine whispered, her eyes tearing up.

“Oh dear, don’t cry again, Kate,” he said with a teasing smile. “It’s rather difficult to get you to stop once you start.”

“My apologies,” she laughed as she wiped her eyes. “And it’s Katherine.”

He gave her a look. “Don’t make me say it,
Kate
.”

She grinned, then remembered what she had actually wanted to tell him. “Oh, but I forgot to tell you the best part!”

“I tremble with excitement,” he muttered, but with a smile.

She quirked her brows knowingly. “My sister thinks you should be eating the crumbs from under my shoes.”

Derek raised one brow slowly. “Have I ever told you,” he announced, emphasizing each word carefully, “that I absolutely despise your sister?”

“She is quite a viper, isn’t she?” Katherine returned with a crinkle of her nose. “I have never been especially fond of her.”

She received a curious look for that, to which she snorted rather indelicately. “Oh, please, I lived with her for seventeen years of my life, you don’t think I know her better than you?”

Derek chuckled. “Then why did you go speak to her, if you dislike her so much?”

“Who else am I supposed to speak to?" she asked.

He shrugged. “How about me? I am your husband, after all."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Don’t be ridiculous. I cannot possibly speak to you
about
you.”

“Well, why not?” he asked with a mischievous grin. “I am an expert on the subject.” But then he took on a very serious face and nodded. “No, I suppose you’re right. Hmm. Well, I don’t want you speaking to Moira about me.”

“Too late,” she replied with a smile of her own.

He sighed heavily and shook his head. “All right, well, you need a better option. How about my sister?”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Lady Beckham? We are not especially well acquainted.”

“All the more reason to speak with her,” he said without concern. “She is wonderful, you’ll love her. And she knows me very well.” Then he winced. “On second thought, I don’t want you speaking to her either."

Now it was Kate who grinned mischievously. “Oh, I am definitely going to speak with her.”

Derek groaned, and waved a hand in surrender. “Fine, fine, but please, try to remember that I am available to talk if you need it. I can safely promise an answer to at least half of your questions concerning me roughly thirty-five percent of the time.”

She snickered, then cocked her head slightly and looked him over. “Do you think we can talk without fighting?"

“About me?” he asked, then snorted. “Probably not, but I am willing to risk it."

“Why do we fight so much, anyway?” she sighed, sitting back, even though it was not proper posture.

“Because it’s fun?”

“Be serious.”

“I am being serious. I love fighting with you.”

She laughed out loud at that. “Why?”

He grinned rather cheekily and spread his hands out as if the answer were obvious. “Well, because you are so very good at it, that’s why.”

“Derek,” she scolded, trying not to smile.

“Kate,” he replied in the same tone, mirroring her expression.

“You are ridiculous,” she said in resignation, shaking her head at him.

He shrugged one shoulder. “I know. But you like me, admit it.”

She laughed once. “Hardly.”

“Come on, Kate. You know you want to,” he taunted with a grin.

“Do I?”

He nodded emphatically. “Yes, you do.”

“Oh, very well then,” she sighed, as if surrendering. “I like you. Are you satisfied?”

A rather bright grin crossed his features. “Really?”

Katherine fought the urge to smile and shrugged. “So you say.”

“Very well, then. You like me,” he pronounced proudly, as if he were a king granting a knighthood. Then the childish grin was back. “In fact, you wonder how you ever lived without me.”

“And now I am leaving,” she said, pushing to her feet and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” he cried in dismay, looking rather petulant.

She turned with a half-smile. “As you suggested, I want to visit your sister.”

“Oh no,” he moaned, jumping up from his chair. “I’m coming along.”

“What? Why?”

“Somebody needs to keep Diana in check.”

Katherine frowned and looked up at him. “Won’t her husband do that?”

Derek gave her a rather dark look indeed. “You do not know Edward.” He turned and took her bonnet from Harville, who seemed to have a bizarre ability to sense whenever anybody was going out.

“Thank you, Harville,” he said as he handed Kate her bonnet.

“Shouldn’t we send a note over?” she asked as she put it on and tied the ribbons.

“Why?” he asked with a laugh. “She is my sister.”

Katherine gave him such a look that he suddenly turned his laugh into a series of violent coughs. “It is polite, Derek. That’s why.”

“Diana will not expect me to send a note,” he said with a roll of his eyes as he escorted her out, taking his hat and walking stick from Harville with a nod. “She would be very surprised if I did so.”

“Yes, but she would expect me to send one, I am sure,” Katherine said with a bit of worry. “It is proper and polite, Derek.
A duchess always obeys the polite order of things
.”

“Who is a duchess here?” he asked rhetorically, looking about him.  “Besides, the only rule any duchess needs is this one; a duchess can be whoever she wants to be, whatever she wants to be, wherever she wants to be, without consideration to anybody else.”

“That is not one of the rules,” Katherine said with a glare.

“No, I would imagine not,” he allowed thoughtfully. “But as a future duke, I think that I am entitled to creating a rule for the wife of a duke.” He looked down at her with a small smile. “What do you say to that?”

“I will need to think about it,” she murmured, looking away.

He took her hand and looped it through his arm as they started to approach people, who tittered at the sight of the two of them out and about together, and sighed. “By all means, think about it, Kate. But just to clear the air, I will not be testing you on whatever those rules of a duchess are. I couldn’t care less. My previously stated rule is the only one that I care about.”

Katherine did not respond, but she did not think that he had expected her to. She could not honestly have said that she thought that he would ever approach her about the proper behavior of a duchess, but she supposed that some part of her had expected somebody would at some point. Perhaps she had been wrong.

It was certainly something to consider.

But if she did not have to obey the rules of a duchess, how would she conduct herself?

Who would she be?

C
hapter
N
ine