Page 30 of Her Duke Next Door
She threw herself onto her side, clutching one of her bed pillows. She buried her face in the pillow.
“Katie, why do you say that it is my fault you have no mama?”
She paused, her shoulders going rigid before she looked at him. “Because it is what everyone says, Papa. They all whisper together and point at me. They tell me that I have no mama because of you.”
Anger settled in his chest and he stood up. “Well, that is simply untrue! Katie, drink your tea and Ishallsee you at dinner tonight.”
“But I don’t?—”
“No arguments, Katie. Do as I say or I will not consider taking you to London.”
With that, he stormed out of her room. As the door closed, something hit it, and he knew he had narrowly missed being hit with a pillow.
He shook his head as he made his way down to his study. He could not go to London. He had been doing everything he could to forget Mary. Even as he looked out each day and could see the roof of her house from his study, he tried to forget her beautiful doe eyes that she thought hid a lot more than they did.
And hecouldtake Katie for a visit, a couple of hours, of course, but it was a long journey and he was not sure he could be in London without wanting to seek Mary out. No, he could not risk that temptation.
He shut the door to his study behind him and sighed. He needed to make his daughter happy while ignoring his desire to see Lady Yore. He needed to forget her. Instead, he turned to his ledgers, trying to fill his head with business for the remainder of the day until dinner.
Yet one question remained in his mind:Who is telling Katie that it is my fault that she has no mother?
* * *
Katie did come down for dinner that night, although she looked sour-faced as she entered the dining room and sat in one of the chairs that the butler pulled out for her.
“It is lovely to see you out of your room,” Dominique said, smiling at her. “Thank you for joining me.”
“I know how it feels to sit alone to dine, Papa,” she answered haughtily, knowing she could win that argument and make him feel guilty. She could be quite devious when she wanted. A trickster. He wondered if, when she was older, she might twist her suitors’ hearts with her words. “Besides, Geraldine told me that venison was being served tonight.”
“It is indeed.”
“I like venison.”
“Like me,” he said with a small. He liked to point out similarities that they had together, to remind her that they could grow close again if she let him regain her trust.
Soon, the serving staff came in and placed their dinner in front of them. Katie’s eyes went wide at the sight of the venison, clearly having ignored her hunger pangs. Once the dining room was empty, Dominique cleared his throat.
“Katie, I wanted to ask you about?—”
“Eloise wrote to me,” Katie interrupted.
“She did?”
“Yes. She told me that her mama misses you.”
Dominique reared back in his chair, frowning. “I amquite sureshe did not.”
He could see the flicker in her face that gave her white lie away. “Her mama misses you terribly. I think we should visit them.”
“I already told you?—”
“Papa,” Katie whined, dragging out theasound in the title. It grated on his ears, even as he forked some asparagus into his mouth to distract himself. “Please!” Under the table, she stomped her foot.
“No.”
“Why?” she complained. “All my other friends get what they ask for!”
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He truly was trying to forget Mary but it seemed his daughter was reluctant to let him do that. He had not forgotten the daughters’ meddling in their affairs already.
