Page 43 of Five Ways to Bed a Duke

They were conscious of the butler and maids present, and considering the servants were the purveyors of gossip for the ton, it was only proper they didn’t show how familiar they were with each other.

Her face reddened as she thought back to how familiar they’d become, and it seemed her train of thought wasn’t lost on him, as he raised an eyebrow at her, shaking his head.

“I am done with my lessons for the day, so I’ll be heading home,” she explained once she was finally able to push the errant thought aside.

“I was hoping to catch you before you left,” he admitted, halting her movement. “I have something I require your help with. We can discuss further in my study.”

She nodded and handed her coat back to the butler.

Catherine followed behind Richard, heart beating fast as she wondered if perhaps he wanted to repeat what had happened the last time they’d been alone together.

When they stepped into his study and made straight for his desk after shutting the door, she felt disappointment settle in the pit of her stomach.

“I need your help in finding out if Emmy is being courted by someone,” he announced suddenly.

“Excuse me?” she asked, sitting up.

“I know it’s an odd thing for me to ask, but I’m desperate.”

He did sound like he had given much thought to it, and it was a hard thing to ask her. It was obvious how much he loved his sister, and it was that fact that made it so hard for Catherine to lie to him.

“Why do you think she is being courted by someone?” she asked past the lump that had formed in her throat.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I have seen her receiving letters and hiding them, and I don’t want to seem overbearing by asking her about them.” He sighed. “If she does have someone she is courting, I would like to know. Could she be hiding him because he’s someone beneath her station? She should know I wouldn’t care about things as trivial as social standing, as long as he isn’t just after her dowry.”

“But there’s no reason I’d be in possession of such information, Richard,” Catherine argued.

“You’re the closest thing she has to a best friend now, Cathy,” he argued. “If she’s going to tell anyone, it will be you. Do you know anything about this?”

Catherine bit her lip and tried not to look guilty. She’d already promised Emmy that she would keep her secret, so she had to come up with a way to assuage her brother’s doubts.

“Unfortunately, no. Emmy hasn’t told me anything,” she started. “If she does have someone she likes, though, you’ll most definitely be the first one to know. She could be writing back to one of the girls that she befriended while you were in your country estate.”

She mentally clapped herself on the back for her quick thinking. Emmy had mentioned the girls in passing but didn’t realize she was giving Catherine the means to save her in the future.

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Richard laughed awkwardly. “Thank you, Cathy. You have no idea how worried I’ve been.”

“It is my pleasure.” She smiled, rising from her seat. “If that is all…”

“I also have something else to ask,” he added, rising from his seat as well. “But this has nothing to do with Emmy.”

“Oh? What is it?”

He stepped even closer to her then, the scent of his spicy saffron and sandalwood cologne filling her senses. His eyes, normally a bright cerulean blue, had darkened to an almost midnight blue, and Catherine noted the stubble on his jaw. He’d most definitely rushed out of the house earlier.

It added a rugged appeal to his otherwise handsome features, and she decided then that it wasn’t a bad look on him. She quite liked it and was tempted to run a hand over it to see how it felt against her skin.

If he were to kiss her now, would it be harsh enough to leave scars on her cheeks?

“I would like to know if Lord Livingston has called on you yet,” he said, looking innocently curious, once again disappointing her with his question.

“Why would you want to know that?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

The Viscount had yet to call on her, but that was to be expected, since he had only claimed one dance, despite marking two on her dance card, and he’d been all but snubbed when Richard had interrupted them.

He was a man after all, and it seemed his ego was also easily bruised, so it didn’t beg the question of him not calling on her.

But to let Richard know was to remind her of the fact that Lord Livingston hadn’t actually called on her quite when she was looking forward to their discussion on botany and better yet an invitation to see the transplanting of the palm seedlings.

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