Page 102 of Duke of Destruction
“And she wasfirst,” Grace said emphatically. “So, she gets to keep her name. That’s justfairness.”
Catherine nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I agree with you, of course,” she said.
“What?” Percy yelped. Catherine ignored him.
“But you see,” she went on, looking only at the girls, “this isn’t actually a problem at all because of one important detail.”
Lucy looked suspicious but definitely interested. “What detail?” she demanded.
The line was baited; Catherine reeled in gently.
“Well, this Percy—” A gesture behind her. “—isn’t actually your uncle at all.”
Grace looked Percy up and down. “He isn’t?”
“No,” Catherine assured her. “Your Uncle Hugh is my cousin, which really makes me your cousin, too, not your aunt at all—though you are welcome to keep calling me Aunt Catherine, if you prefer.”
A quick glance between them seemed to be enough conference for the girls, who all nodded.
“Yes,” Martha said. “We will.”
“Marvelous,” Catherine said, smiling at them . “But since I’ve married the duke—” She forced herself to stay on track instead of getting distracted by her happiness. “—that makes him your cousin. Cousin Percy. Not uncle, at all. Completely different.”
The tension melted out of the girls.
“Thatiscompletely different,” Lucy agreed.
“You can be Cousin Percy,” Grace said to Percy with an air of magnanimity.
“I, um, thank you?” Percy said.
“You’re welcome,” Grace said politely and with utter sincerity.
Catherine was starting to lose the fight against her laughter.
“Now, could you go find your Uncle Hugh, please? He’ll take you to your Aunt Percy?—”
“The real Percy,” Lucy muttered threateningly at Catherine’s husband, who wisely remained silent.
“—and we don’t want her to worry about you, do we?” This was perhaps a dirty trick, but Catherine had seen how ardently all three girls worshipped Persephone.
“No!” Martha said, eyes wide. “She’s having a baby!”
“A girl,” Lucy said dangerously, like they had best not interfere with her efforts to will this into being.
“Of course,” Catherine said, because she’d already won one argument with the children; she didn’t dare try her luck with a second. “Why don’t you go find your uncle and see if she needs anything then.”
“Very well,” Grace said cheerfully. “Goodbye, Aunt Catherine! Goodbye, Cousin Percy! Thank you for the wedding!”
Martha just bobbed a curtsey before scampering after her sister.
“Yes,” Lucy said loudly as she left. “Let us go see therealPercy! Yay!”
With this last barb, all three girls retreated out of sight. Percy sagged.
“I don’t know why that was so alarming,” he confessed, reaching out and grabbing Catherine about the waist, pulling her close to him. “They were just children.”
“Oh, all little girls are terrifying,” she reassured him. “Don’t worry, you shall see for yourself when we have children.”
