Page 70 of What's a Duke Got to Do With It
Tears blurred Katrina’s vision as she looked at the dowager. “I love you, too, my lady.”
For a moment Lady Tesh’s lower lip trembled, and her eyes shone brightly, and Katrina thought for certain the woman was about to cry. In the next instant, however, she cleared her throat loudly and glanced around at the other women, who were all looking on the scene with varying degrees of emotion.
“But what are you all standing about for?” she snapped, even as she surreptitiously sniffled. “These things are not going to pack themselves, and Miss Denby and His Grace need to get on the road if they are to make good headway in their trip north.”
“Of course, my lady,” Adelaide murmured with a small smile for Katrina as she turned back to the open trunk before her.
Seraphina surveyed the new pile of linens with a frown. “They cannot cart all of this to Gretna Green, my lady. It is illogical.”
“I daresay,” Brownyn said, taking her own turn with distracting Mouse as he sniffed curiously at all the new items filling the room, “Lady Tesh has a plan for that. Don’t you, my lady?”
“As ever, Your Grace,” the dowager murmured, inclining her head to Bronwyn, “you show your incredible good sense. Of course, I will not have them cart this all with them. I may be old, but I am not senile. I shall send it on ahead to Ramsleigh Castle, ready to bring with them wherever they may wind up. Does that suffice for logic, Miss Athwart?”
But Seraphina was too like Lady Tesh to be cowed. “It does, my lady.”
“Hmph,” the dowager grumbled. “You are too confident for your own good, young lady.”
“Oh, I think it is very much to my good,” Seraphina stated blithely.
“We’re a’ Jock Taimson’s bairns,” Phineas squawked from the bedpost, cocking his head and eyeing Lady Tesh.
“Precisely, dearest,” Seraphina said to him.
Lady Tesh scowled. “Why do I think that bird has insulted me?” she grumbled.
Before Seraphina could answer her, Sebastian was suddenly there in the doorway, and Katrina forgot everything else.
He grinned at her. “Hello, my future wife.”
She sighed happily and smiled back at him. “Hello, my future husband.”
“Hello to us as well,” Honoria piped up cheekily.
“Have you finished your packing, Your Grace?” Lady Tesh asked as she sank down onto the small desk chair that Adelaide had guided her to.
“Indeed I have. And I come here offering my services if you have need of them. Though,” he continued ruefully as he scanned the full-to-bursting space, “it seems you have a full house—or, rather, room—where that is concerned.”
Just then Mouse, who had been quite happy with Bronwyn’s attentions, perked his ears up and spied Sebastian. Tongue rolling out of his mouth like a moist pink carpet, drool flying, he bounded across the room toward his favorite person. Sebastian, instead of dodging the oncoming snout, bent down and met the dog’s greeting with enthusiasm. As Mouse whined in delight and Sebastian scratched at his back, lavishing praise on him, Katrina’s heart, which she thought was unable to hold a drop more happiness, overflowed.
Only one thing could put a damper on her joy: how deeply would his life have to alter for the worse in order to marry her? And they would be affecting the lives of his sisters as well; would they despise her for it?
Her anxiety must have shown on her face, for suddenly Sebastian was there before her, taking the shawl from her—which had become twisted in her grip—and clasping her hand. “Katrina, are you well? Mayhap this is all too fast for you. Would you rather we wait and have a proper wedding, as Lady Tesh suggested?”
“What? No! Of course not.” She tried for a smile, but from the persistent divot between his brows, Sebastian did not believe her one bit.
But he was thankfully prevented from quizzing her further when the butler arrived in the doorway. Unfortunately, the reason for the butler’s sudden presence was even more devastating than any question from her intended could be.
“Miss Denby, a Sir Francis Denby is here to see you.”
The silence following that pronouncement was so absolute, the one part of Katrina’s brain still capable of thought wondered vaguely if someone had sucked all the air out of the room. But the silence did not last long.
“Your brother?”
“He is here?”
“How dare he after all this time?”
“I would like a minute alone with him myself, after what he’s put you through.”
