Page 38 of A Duchess Disciplined

He drummed his fingers against the polished wood of his desk and considered the young woman. Their wedding night had been pleasant, as expected, and he supposed that she was doing well.

A better man might have joined her at breakfast or arrived at her chambers to ensure that her first amorous congress had come to a satisfactory conclusion and had resulted in only a little pain, but he was not most men. Besides, he had far too many obligations as the Duke of Sarsen to let himself become distracted by a wife. As fetching as she was.

There was a polite knock at his door. “Enter,” he announced.

The door opened, and Geoffrey bowed deeply. “As requested, Your Grace.”

The butler stepped aside, revealing the massive form of Algernon Hamilton, the Earl of Brookshire. He grinned rakishly, sauntering into William’s study as if he owned it. The man’s brown eyes were warm and alight with good humor. “I hear that you have been married, and you did not invite me,” Hamilton said.

William sighed. If Hamilton had been any other man, William would have found the comment irritating, but of all his companions from Eton and Cambridge, Hamilton was the closest thing William had to a real friend. He was someone Williamshouldhave invited to the wedding.

“How did you evenlearnabout that?” William asked instead.

“Pour me a drink, and I will tell you.”

William scowled, but Hamilton remained unaffected. Instead, the man dropped into a chair and mockingly cocked a leg over the arm of it. Hamilton had never taken himself very seriously. Indeed, he did not takeanythingseriously, aside from a peculiar and enduring fondness for the poor in London.

“I am mystified as to why I remain friends with you,” William said, reaching for the decanter.

“You have excellent taste,” Hamilton quipped.

William filled a glass and pushed it to his friend, who took it in an instant. “However,” Hamilton drawled. “I shall not let you distract me from my original topic, which was that you neglected to inform me of your wedding.”

William considered the decanter of brandy and poured a glass of his own. “How did youlearnof my wedding? It only happened yesterday.”

Hamilton waved a dismissive hand. “Irrelevant. Why didyounot invite me? I would have liked to have been there.”

“It was a rather quick affair and would have been quicker still if my wife’s brother had not been so frustrating,” William said.

“The Duke of Reeds is well-known for being protective of his sisters,” Hamilton said. “I cannot say that I am surprised by his hesitancy to relinquish one to the marriage bed.”

Hamilton’s source was clearly someone with access to the ton and apparently quite a gossip, unsurprising given most of Hamilton’s company.

“I am surprised that you chose Lady Catherine,” Hamilton continued. “Do you know anything about her, my friend?”

“Of course,” William said. “I married her.”

Hamilton took a sip of his brandy and tilted his head slightly, an expression that William recognized all too well.

“You do not need to look at me as though I have taken leave of my senses,” William said gruffly. “She is a suitable bride and will be an adequate duchess.”

“She is unlike most ladies of the ton,” Hamilton cautioned. “She is too…fiery. Undisciplined.”

“I am surprised that you did not get along well with her,” William replied dryly, “given that you are also ruled chiefly by your passions and are the very embodiment ofundisciplined.”

“You wound me,” Hamilton said. “I have no particular dislike for the young lady, and you are right. We very well might have become friends with her if we had any mutual acquaintances in our circles. Because she is your wife, we may yet become friends. But I would not wish tomarryher. She is too much like me.”

“I hope she is nottoo muchlike you,” William said, thinking about all the salacious stories he had heard about Hamilton over their years of friendship.

“You know what I meant,” Hamilton scoffed. “Still, if you are happy, I am happy for you.”

“Good,” William said. “I really married her for Hester and Hannah, though. They need a womanly presence in their lives.”

“They have a governess,” Hamilton said. “A pretty governess with good breeding.”

“She is insufficient,” William said. “She tries to manage the girls, but she is young and inexperienced. Besides, she was unable to marry well. I need a lady who can prepare my sisters for their Seasons and help them make advantageous marriages.”

Hamilton raised an eyebrow. “Until quite recently, your own wife was not particularly adept at securing marriage proposals. How do you foresee her managing your own sisters any better?”

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