For Love of the Duke(14)
“To find some dull books about …?”
“They aren’t dull.”
“Poetry.” Anne continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “You should at least read the words of love and—”
“Enough, Anne,” Katherine said on a sigh.
She gave a flounce of her golden ringlets. “Well, I for one would far rather see to my pianoforte.”
For all of Katherine’s lack of ladylike abilities, Anne seemed to excel in every endeavor, particularly her ability to play and sing. And Mother was quite indiscriminate in the frequency in which she pointed out the differences to Katherine.
Katherine flung her legs over the side of the window seat and her brown muslin skirts settled noisily about her ankles. “Poetry is the fruit of the soul.”
Her sister snorted. “Not the poems you read.”
Katherine closed her lips tight. No, her interests didn’t lie with the romantics. As a child, studying with their governesses, upon Father’s betrayal, and Aldora’s frantic search for a wealthy, titled husband, all foolish dreams had been quashed.
“Are you certain you’d not care to join m—?”
“Quite certain,” Anne said with a decisive nod. She paused, and the usual cheerful, carefree glimmer in her sister’s sky-blue eyes turned uncharacteristically serious. She took Katherine’s hands. “That day, I…” she shook her head, dislodging a single golden curl across her I. “I saw the crowd of onlookers and I knew. I…”
Katherine gave her hands a squeeze.
“I really am just so glad you were uninjured. I would be…”
Katherine nodded. “I know, Anne,” she said quietly. “I should be lost without you as well.”
Her sister kissed her cheek, and hurried from the room.
Katherine stared after her. They always had possessed an eerie ability to know just what the other was thinking, an ability to finish one another’s sentences, even. It had grated on Mother’s nerves to no end. She grinned in remembrance of the good fun they’d had as children tormenting their poor mother.
Her smile slipped as she considered the great disappointment she’d been to Mother since she’d made her Come Out last Season. Where Anne had a bevy of suitors, who’d come in all ranks and titles, Katherine had nary a one. Mother had held out hope that Anne could make an advantageous match with an available duke or marquess, whereas Katherine, well, she’d held out hope that Katherine would make a match with any one.
With her drab brown curls and brown eyes, she held no illusions of her appearance. She would never be the kind of beauty who would inspire any grand passion in any gentleman.
You’d be wise not to make designs upon my title, madam. I’d not wed you if you were the last creature in the kingdom.
Katherine shook her head. As though she’d ever deign to wed such a foul, odious creature. She remembered back to her sister’s words about the Mad Duke and hated the blasted tug at her heart. It was hard to imagine the cold, unfeeling duke to have ever been capable of any emotion beyond icy derision, and yet, the Duke of Bainbridge must have truly loved his wife to have removed himself from Society.
She hated this desire to know more about him, and of the pain he carried. He was nothing to her. She would carry on and never see the Duke of…
Katherine swallowed, as for the first time in the two days since she’d fallen into the Thames River, she thought of her forgotten reticule.
The pendant!
Not that she believed in the foolishness of such a talisman, per se, but the bauble had been worn by her sister, and her sisters’ friends and they had believed it had brought them love…and Katherine had gone and lost it at the Frost Fair.
She shook her head. Anne didn’t know of Katherine’s find from the old peddler, and she could never find out.
The door opened, and she bit the inside of her cheek as her mother sailed through the entrance. “Anne said you are intending to go to the bookshop.” Her tone suggested that Katherine’s intended trip was as forbidden as a trip to visit the prisoners at Newgate.
She nodded. “I was just—”
“You are to take a footman.”
“Of course,” Katherine murmured.
Mother frowned. “I’d hardly say ‘of course’ is the appropriate response considering your scandalous outing at the Frost Fair.”
Katherine bit the inside of her cheek to keep from pointing out that it had been her sister’s madcap scheme. Ultimately, Katherine had gone along with those plans…and Katherine wouldn’t betray her sister’s confidence—even to spare herself from Mother’s haranguing.