Page 76 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
She felt a pang of guilt, thinking about her late mother like that, but it was the truth.
The Dowager Countess dragged her daughter away without another word, leading her to another aged member of the ton. Catherine took a deep breath before approaching Patrick, who was standing on the edge of the marquee, sipping champagne.
“How are you, Patrick?” she asked in a guarded way, remembering the recent tension between them.
Patrick had been acting decidedly odd since she had gotten married. She couldn’t deny the truth of that either.
“Cathy,” he said, followed by a pained sigh. He gazed at her steadily. “I fear you are ignoring me.”
She felt a pang of irritation. “I have approached you to talk with you,” she pointed out, trying to keep her voice even. “How is that ignoring you?”
He smiled slightly. “It is kind of you to talk to an old friend. You have become different since you married him.”
“Him?” She raised her chin. “I take it you mean His Grace, the Duke of Newden? My husband?”
He snorted. “Oh, yes, the Duke of Newden himself.” He took a long sip of his champagne. “You have seen who he is talking with again, haven’t you?” He looked over her shoulder.
Catherine turned around. Thomas was on the other side of the lawn with Kenneth, his best friend, and his other friend, the Duke of Oakdale, who she had met at the opera. And there were two ladies with the group as well. One of them she did not recognize, but she knew the other one only too well.
Lady Isabella Lyndon. Again.
Her stomach lurched. Hastily, she turned back to Patrick.
“What about it?” She knew her voice had an edge to it. “He can speak with whomever he likes. It is aparty. We are here to socialize, Patrick.”
Patrick laughed again. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. He took a step closer to her, staring at her in a quizzical way.
“Surely you realize by now that he is having an affair with Lady Isabella?” His voice was low and urgent. “I did not wish to have to spell it out to you quite so blatantly, but you are being quite obtuse, Cathy.”
“What?” She stared at him, her mouth dropping. “You are lying! You do not know any such thing!”
He took a step closer and took her elbow quite firmly, before leaning down and whispering furiously, “I am not lying. It is an open secret in certain circles. I kept my ears to the ground, made a few enquiries, and discovered the truth.” He paused. “He is making a fool of you, Cathy. And you always knew he would.He has always had the reputation of a rake. Why are you so shocked?”
Catherine gaped at him. Her mind was whirling. She couldn’t think clearly. She felt like she was going to be sick.
“No,” she stammered. “No…”
“Yes,” he insisted in a low voice. “For the love of God, Cathy, why are you defending him? No matter what he says to you, he is having an affair with that lady. Why else do you think she follows him everywhere like a pet dog?”
Catherine shook her head vehemently. But, to her horror, his words were making sense to her.
She had wondered herself why Lady Isabella always seemed to pop up wherever they went. She had seen them together in the village near Newden Estate. She had seen them on Bond Street. At the Dowager Duchess’s ball. At the opera. And now, here she was again, reappearing like the bad penny.
It wasn’t coincidence. It was deliberate. Their affair was secret, of course, but that didn’t mean that Lady Isabella accepted that. She was clearly in love with Thomas and wanted to be near him whenever she could.
The lovers were hiding in plain sight.
Catherine tried to turn away, but Patrick gripped her arm tighter, leaning even closer to her face. He was so close that she could see the stubble on his chin and the slight sheen of sweat on his face.
“You should leave him,” he whispered. “You should pack your belongings and go. It will not get better, Cathy. Once he tires of Lady Isabella, he will take another lover and then another. I guarantee it.”
“No,” Catherine moaned. “No…”
“Yes,” Patrick hissed with a look of intense frustration on his face. “Why will you not believe me? You knew his reputation when you married him. As I said then, a leopard does not change its spots. I tried to warn you, but you would not listen.”
Suddenly, she flung his hand off her arm, taking a step back. She was breathing heavily, looking around, not knowing what to do, only that she needed to get away from Patrick and from everyone.
Run. Run now.
