Page 34 of Duke of Destruction
That was, Percy supposed, more or less how the Duke of Wilds lived his whole life, just chasing one hedonistic pleasure after another. Percy thought it sounded rather exhausting, himself.
Most of the assembled guests did not agree, apparently.
“What are the rules?” asked a woman in a truly ridiculous hat, her hands clasped eagerly before her. “Shall we have teams?”
“You shall have partners,” David said with a distinct air of magnanimity.
Fuck, Percy thought. Nobody could resist swearing after that pronouncement.
“And,” David went on?—
He’s about to ruin my day,Percy thought, his internal voice almost awestruck.
“—I have selected the partners in advance, so as to best mix up our little band of revelers, eh?”
Titters from the eager ladies. A hungry, intense look on that one fellow, the Earl of Something. Nerves on other expressions.
Percy knew that he had to look resigned. Because there was only one person who David would pair him with. Because his friend was a terrible person whom Percy would cease associating with after this.
“First,” David said, beaming at Percy. “We have Lady Catherine with the Duke of Seaton.”
Percy kept his eyes fixed on David. He didn’t dare look back to see how Catherine was reacting to this news.
Not well, he imagined.
He thought every single swear word he knew in David’s direction.
His friend just went on naming partnerships. Percy heard almost none of them, though he observed that David had put himself with one of the most cantankerous old matrons, and had paired his sister, Margaret, with Lady Ariadne Lightholder.
Footmen were instructed to pass out copies of a list of things to find. They moved through the guests, giving one copy to each set of partners.
It was only when Percy held the document in his hand that he felt Catherine come up beside him. The resentment was practically coming off her in waves. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for that.
He faced her, took in the harsh press of her lips, and opened his mouth to say something—anything.
But she shook her head sharply, cutting him off. Her bonnet ribbons actuallyweren’tperfect today, he noted. They were faintly lopsided and out of sorts.
Something about those imperfect ribbons changed his perspective on the day. He could just picture her, cheeks pink with excitement, as she hunted down clues, determined to win. She wouldn’t be Lady Catherine Lightholder then—and, he had to admit, he was already thinking of her as such less and less frequently. She was becoming, with a regularity that should have alarmed him, just Catherine.
Prickly and difficult Catherine, yes. Endlessly irksome Catherine.
Catherine, who, for some reason, showed that side of herself only to him.
He made sure that his expression did not reveal any of these thoughts.
“Don’t,” she said flatly, not looking directly at him. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Percy felt the same way. Hedid, despite any errant thoughts about seeing a secret side of Catherine that was hidden from all others.
He did, and so he really couldn’t say why her words felt like an arrow straight to his chest.
CHAPTER 9
Another game.
Only this time, she was playingwiththe Duke of Seaton, instead of against him.
Justperfect.
