Page 54 of The Scandalous Love of a Duke
‘Why?’ John asked without expanding, but her expression said she understood his question.
‘Why does the sun rise and set? I am baseborn, John. I am the daughter of a milkmaid.’ He already knew that, but he had never heard her say it before, and suddenly just how low her birth was hit him. ‘I am an embarrassment to her.’
‘Then why did she take you in?’
She shrugged, as though she had been asking herself the same question all her life and never found the answer to it.
‘Do not say anything to Phillip,’ she whispered suddenly.
‘How can he not know? Does he not have eyes?’
‘He knows she does not treat me the same, but Mama is not so bad when he is there because he would speak up for me and she does not wish to lose his affection, and I will not destroy his closeness with her. He may jest, but he loves her. She is his mother.’
‘While you are ignored.’
‘I am fed and clothed, John, and I have a father and brother who love me, and even Mama does not ill treat me, not really. She does not beat me.’
‘Just ignores you, or treats you like a servant,’ he said, appalled. ‘Come on.’ Standing, he held out his arm.
She did not rise.
‘I said, come on.’ He heard the thread of steel in his voice. ‘She can hardly deny me and I am not going to let any of them continue cutting you.’
‘John, I cannot.’
‘You can and you will. Get up, and that is an order.’
She rose.
‘Right, to whom shall I introduce you first? Lord and Lady Ellis. Let us start with the most toplofty of our neighbours and work our way down.’
‘My mother will be furious,’ she whispered, but he discerned a note of laughter in her voice. Perhaps Katherine would judge him a little less harshly after this. Sometimes power and influence paid off, and sometimes he was not selfish.
An hour later, occupying a chair in the refreshment room which faced the archway into the assembly hall, John watched the dancing while he played cards. Or rather, he watched Katherine dance.
He would frequently hear her trill laugh and every time he looked up she was smiling.
All the sons of local society had stepped up to the mark once he had done the pretty and made the introductions, and he had done them with ruthless insistence, calling her a particularly close friend from his childhood whom he was shocked to discover no one knew. He had implied in both voice and stance if anyone continued cutting her he would cut them.
After each introduction he had remained for fifteen minutes, managing the conversation by asking Katherine questions and ensuring their neighbours engaged. Her mother would never get away with treating her badly in public again, and Katherine was having the time of her life. He did not even begrudge watching her dance with others, including her reverend. She shone with a beauty brighter than her sister’s.
‘Thank you,’ Phillip said, drawing John’s attention back to the table.
‘For what?’
‘For getting Kate accepted. I’ve not seen her smile so much in years.’
‘I have never been able to abide snobbery,’ John answered, looking at his cards. Then he selected one and laid it against Phillip.
‘Still, you had no need to do it.’
John met Phillip’s gaze.
In London John had found himself becoming less affected with Phillip. They had met twice in the last two days, to discuss business, and obviously travelled back together. Phillip was like his sister, he hid nothing of himself.
‘No, but how could I sit here and not stop this? They will never dare snub her again now my favour relies on it.’
Phillip laughed, retrieving John’s discarded card and then looking at his own. ‘What it is to have the power of a duke…’
