Page 34 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
Catherine reddened again. She couldn’t tell this formidable lady the truth—that they weren’t trying at all and had actually agreed that they didn’t want children. The Dowager Duchess might have apoplexy if she discovered that the new Duchess of Newden was still a maiden, and there was no possibility of an heir now, in a few weeks, or a few months—or ever.
Catherine took a deep breath. “Only God can know if we will ever be blessed,” she replied in a solemn, almost prim voice. “And I leave it in the Almighty’s hands, Duchess.”
The Duke smothered a smile with one hand.
The Dowager Duchess raised her eyebrows. “I think you will find the Almighty has little to do with it,” she returned crisply. “At least, not at the start. I repeat, you are eager to start a family?”
“Of course,” Catherine lied with a sweet smile. “I long for nothing else in this world.”
The Dowager Duchess harrumphed loudly, looking at her sharply. Catherine held her breath but didn’t lower her eyes, gazing back at her.
“I noticed one of your dogs is looking a little rounded, Grandmother,” the Duke remarked quickly, looking a bit desperate. “Will you be hearing the pitter-patter of little paws soon?”
The Dowager sighed dramatically. “Alas, yes. The steward’s dog had its wicked way with poor Mimi, despite my clear direction to keep her away from the speckled beast while she was in heat.” She shuddered, looking affronted. “Heaven knows what the pups will look like. I rather imagine they will be little monstrosities. Like that terrible creature in Mrs. Shelley’s book… what was its name again?”
“Frankenstein,” the Duke supplied, his eyes shining with amusement.
Catherine sipped her tea as the Dowager Duchess kept talking about how hideous she believed Mimi’s pups would be. The distraction had been successful. She gazed at her husband, feeling grateful which was surprising, considering how icy things were between them at the moment. It was as if they had been conspiring together to keep the truth of their marriage from his grandmother.
She had realized that the Dowager Duchess was formidable but hadn’t realizedquitehow tenacious the old lady actually was. She was going to have to keep on her toes during her stay.
Catherine sipped her tea pensively. The interrogation had been amusing, of course but also alarming, given the fact that Catherine was determined that she and her new husbandnevershare chambers. And she had a feeling it wasn’t the last time the Dowager Duchess would raise the issue.
She had best be ready for when that time came.
“You do not fool me for an instant, you know,” the Dowager Duchess said, her eyes resting on her grandson as he escorted her to her chambers. “There is something amiss in your marriage. I can tell.”
Thomas gazed at her carefully. “Whatever do you mean, Grandmother?”
Abruptly, she stopped walking, leaning heavily on her walking stick. She looked him up and down.
“I cannot quite put my finger on it yet,” she replied slowly. “But do not worry, I will find out.” She paused. “This marriage must be a success, my boy. A resounding success.”
Thomas rubbed a hand over his face. “It is already a success, Grandmother. I have snared a catch. Catherine has pedigree, beauty, wit and charm. She is the entire package.” He paused, looking at her. “She will be a splendid duchess.”
“I am not talking about her manifest qualities,” the Dowager Duchess countered, tapping her walking stick on the ground impatiently. “And you do not need to sell her to me, Thomas. I have made my assessment and found her to be superior to all the other flibbertigibbets on the circuit at the moment. You chose well. I could not have picked a better wife for you.”
“Well, what then?” Thomas’s voice was edged with impatience. “I have done what you wanted. I am married now. What more do you want?”
She gazed at him carefully. “Do you love her? Have you fallen in love with her?”
Thomas made a face, turning away. “It is not like you to be so sentimental, Grandmother. The duchy is a business, remember? You just made the point in the parlor.” He rolled his eyes. “I do not need to love her for the marriage to be successful.”
“But you do need to bed her,” his grandmother insisted sharply. “Theremustbe an heir, Thomas. If you are not in love with her, or at least on fire for her, tell me that you at least have done that.”
He stiffened. “Of course, I have,” he lied, not meeting her eyes. “What do you take me for?”
The Dowager Duchess leaned heavily on her stick, her eyes narrowing. “I am not sure that I believe you,” she said eventually. “I observed you both together in the parlor. You are avoiding each other. You do not have the air of a couple who have known each other in that way.”
“Grandmother, it really is none of your business,” he retorted, his cheeks flushing. As much as he loved and respected her, she was pushing too much today. “What happens between a married couple is private. It is not like the old days when they hung the bed sheets out after the wedding night.”
“More is the pity.” The Dowager Duchess snorted. “At least in those days, it was obvious whether the duty had been done or not.”
“This conversation is over,” Thomas declared in a firm voice. “You must stop. Leave it alone.”
They kept walking until they reached her chamber door. He kissed her on the cheek.
“Have a rest,” he said softly, opening the door for her. “You have had a long journey and are a little overwrought.”
