Page 43 of What's a Duke Got to Do With It
Sighing wearily, he ran a hand over his face. That made two of them.
“I cannot divulge what Miss Denby does not wish to have revealed,” he replied gently. “And I wish there was something I could say to ease your mind. But there is not.”
Lady Tesh’s shoulders, which until then had been held in a rigid line, drooped. She closed her eyes, as if in pain. “I was worried you would say something like that.”
“I am sorry,” he replied softly.
She pursed her lips. “You know, I could attempt to force it out of you.”
His lips twitched at her attempt at humor. “You could certainly try, my lady.”
“Hmm. It might be fun, at that.” But the lightheartedness of the moment was short-lived. Looking suddenly a decade older, she sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders.
“I have done all I can for her these last weeks. But with the vicar grabbing hold of the scandal like a dog with a bone and spreading his vitriol, I fear I will fail in protecting her. But this is not your concern. I will leave you to your rest. Come along, Freya.”
The dog jumped down and headed for the door as Lady Tesh made to rise. Sebastian, still reeling from such a defeated speech from the dowager, hurriedly rose and assisted her to standing. He had thought surely Katrina must be exaggerating when she spoke of needing to protect her employer. But here was proof that she had a right to worry about the older woman. Though he had not known Lady Tesh long, he was still shocked at the change in her as she admitted to what she perceived as her failure in protecting her companion.
“Why has Miss Denby never married?”
The words tumbled from his lips, unbidden, and he wanted to kick himself the moment they emerged. Especially when Lady Tesh turned and speared him with those sharp eyes of hers that saw much, much more than they should. But there was nothing to be done now; the words were out, and there was no taking them back. He raised his head and continued as if he had meant to question her on it.
“I am fully aware that the scandal four years ago has harmed her in ways I cannot begin to imagine.” Here fury sizzled under his skin for all Landon had put her through. He quickly brought it under control lest Lady Tesh see more than he wished for her to.
“But she is young and beautiful.”And sweet, and kind, and incredible…“And she has regained some respectability while she has been in your employ.” Which Landon once again destroyed. Again that fury, though this time it took some effort to control. “Surely there has been someone who has shown interest in her.”
Blessedly Lady Tesh did not seem to see anything suspicious in his line of questioning. Lacing her fingers over the head of her cane, she sighed. “Much to my frustration, there has not. Or, rather,” she amended with a wry smile, “there has been no one to capture Miss Denby’s interest. Oh, I have tried to find someone for her, you may believe that.” She laughed quietly. “I fancy myself as something of a matchmaker, you see, and had hoped to add Miss Denby to my list of successes. And there have been many successes, you may be assured.”
Her expression altered then, the lines of her face deepening. “It is yet one more thing I failed at with her. And now I fear it will be even more difficult than before.”
Which Katrina had proved to him. He recalled her frustration with him that afternoon, the sheen of tears in her eyes, and the acidic guilt that had begun to corrode his gut returned even stronger. Pressing a fist to his stomach in a fruitless attempt to relieve it, he said, “But surely there are men who are receptive to her, despite the recent tragedy. The young men who joined our excursion to the beach, for instance, did not seem to look at her with anything but kindness.”
But he had finally gone too far in his concern. The dowager narrowed her eyes, a preternatural stillness coming over her features. “You have an uncommon interest in Miss Denby’s future.”
His face heated, but he maintained eye contact with Lady Tesh. God knew it would not do to show he had been cowed; she would scent the blood and go in for the kill if he did. “She is merely my friend,” he replied quietly, sending up a prayer that she believed him—as well as a prayer that he believed it himself, for anything more was an impossibility. “It grieves me to see her so maligned. I daresay I would feel the same for any young woman put in such a position.”
“Hmm,” was her thoughtful reply, a sound that made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. If there was anything that could make the dowager dangerous, that was piquing her curiosity.
But it seemed luck was on his side tonight. She appeared to shrug off whatever suspicions she had and continued. “While I would love nothing better than for Miss Denby to find happiness with one of those young men, they are either still in university or already promised to another, and so it is an impossibility. But I have taken up enough of your time. I shall see you tomorrow morning.”
She made to leave. As she reached the door, however, she turned back to him, eyes full of a desperate pleading.
“I’m glad to know she has at least you to confide in. Please continue to watch out for her, Your Grace.”
With that she was gone, the door closing softly behind her. Leaving Sebastian to stare in dismay after her. For watching after Katrina was the very last thing he could do.
For the first time since arriving on Synne and befriending the Oddments, Katrina dreaded going to their weekly meeting.
She stepped down from Lady Tesh’s carriage with Mouse in tow, dragging in a deep breath as she prepared to hurry through the Quayside to the blue velvet curtain at the back of the shop. Would there be more cold stares and cruelties from the patrons as she passed through the circulating library? And if she were to make it through unscathed, what would be waiting for her behind that blue curtain and in Seraphina’s small office? Had Adelaide told them all what happened yesterday at the Beakhead?
Just as she gathered her courage and took the first step toward the entrance to the Quayside, however, a figure materialized from the shadows near the door and rushed toward her. But it was not a ruffian intent on her purse. Nor was it that horrible woman from last week or anyone like her, determined to let Katrina know what a scandalous person she was. No, it was Adelaide, looking as somber and determined as Katrina had ever seen her. Before Katrina could call out a greeting, Adelaide grabbed her arm, dragging her and Mouse down the street to a private alcove near a small silhouette shop. And Katrina quickly learned the answer to those questions that had been preying on her since the day before. Or, at least, one of them.
“I have not told the others what happened yesterday,” she whispered, eyeing the passersby cautiously to make certain they were not being overheard. “I wanted you to know that before we joined them.”
Relief coursed through Katrina, so potent she could taste it. But it was short-lived.
“That is not to say you and I will not have a conversation about it,” she continued. She bit her lip, her large brown eyes brimming with worry.
“I was simply ill,” Katrina mumbled, directing her attention to Mouse as he attempted to greet every person who passed by their small alcove. Though controlling him was only part of the reason she became so focused on her pet; the rest was to prevent Adelaide from becoming aware that she was lying through her teeth. Just as she had lied to Lady Tesh all day yesterday when asked about the commotion at the Beakhead.
