Page 10 of A Duke's Scandalous Obsession
“Yes,” Catherine nodded, stepping closer to him, as if to show Dominic which side she was standing on, and that was opposite him. The conversation he had just started was over before it even began properly. “His Grace was just bidding me good night, after I told him what a lovely time we had during his dinner party.”
“A lovely time indeed,” Reginald nodded respectfully. “We thank you most graciously for your hospitality, Your Grace.”
“It was my pleasure,” Dominic said through clenched teeth, as he bowed before Lady Catherine. His mind burned with the imprint of embarrassment, but he knew that he had to bide his time and wait for the right moment again to speak to her, to show her that she was mistaken.
But... why?A simple question blossomed inside of him. Why was he so eager to have her, when he could have any other lady of the ton? And that was the question which, at the same time, provided the answer as well. He could have any other lady, which made them far less interesting than Lady Catherine, who for some reason, stubbornly refused his advances. He needed to show her that she was wrong and that he was right. Yes, that would set everything straight.
“Good night, Your Grace,” Catherine’s words brought him back to the present moment just as she was climbing into her carriage and out of sight.
Reginald repeated her words, then he also disappeared behind closed doors. Dominic watched the carriage take them away, then he realized that he had other guests to both send away as well as tend to. His role of the gracious host had not finished for the evening. But he also knew that he would not give up on Lady Catherine that easily.
***
As the carriage rolled through the quiet streets on their way home, Catherine couldn’t get the duke’s words out of her mind. Her thoughtful expression must have been an indication to her brother that something was amiss, as always.
“Cate, is everything all right?” she heard him ask. “Something seems to be on your mind.”
Catherine responded with a wry smile, fully aware that she could never hide anything from him. He knew her too well. “Is it that obvious?”
He smiled tenderly, leaning over to her and taking her hand in his own. “You forget that I know you better than anyone else.”
“Well…” she inhaled deeply in an effort to choose the right words. She would have shared this with Reginald, just like she shared everything else in her life, but she thought she would be granted a few hours of solitary contemplation and divulge what transpired during their breakfast the following day.
Then again, it was not like her mind would be changed overnight. She firmly believed that she had told the duke exactly what she needed to tell him, to bring him down to earth a bit. She smiled at the thought.
“Yes?” Reginald seemed eager, and Catherine was obviously taking her time to respond.
“The duke made quite an offer this evening,” she revealed. Reginald seemed even more intrigued, but he didn’t ask anything. All he did was lean in slightly as Catherine continued to recount the events of the evening, namely the duke’s proposition of courtship. The details unfolded like the chapters of a mystery novel, and Reginald was captivated by the discovery.
“My word!” he exclaimed amusedly. “I told you that you have captured his interest at the ball, and you didn’t believe me.”
“I must say I didn’t,” she admitted. “That was actually the last thing I thought he would ever ask me.”
Reginald chuckled. “What an enigmatic man.”
She frowned. “Annoying would be a more appropriate word.”
This made them both chuckle at the same time.
“And what are your sentiments regarding the duke’s proposal, Cate?” Reginald inquired, still amused by her comment.
Her expression took a more serious note as she responded candidly. “I admit, the duke does have his allure, but I have no intention of entering into a union with someone so conceited and full of himself. There is more to a marriage than grandeur and social standing.”
Reginald nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging his sister’s wise words. “Well said, Cate. A union should be built on more than mere appearances. It seems you’ve seen through the veneer and recognized the substance beneath.”
“I do not claim to know the man,” she clarified, as her gaze fixed for a fleeting moment on the passing scenery out of the carriage window. “But the little I have come to know of him, I do not like, and that is more than enough to make up my mind.”
“Have you told him that in those exact words?” Reginald wondered, ever the politician.
“No,” she shook her head. Then she frowned. “Well… I could have put it more nicely, I admit.”
He tilted his head a little, as if to take a closer look at her. “Whatdidyou tell him?”
She shrugged. “That I believe he would be better off turning his attentions elsewhere, to a woman who would simply be nodding to everything he said, as that is truly what he is looking for.”
Reginald eyed her in utter shock for a moment or two, then he burst out into a boisterous chuckle that ran throughout the carriage.
“Sothatis why he looked as if he had seen a river flow uphill,” he managed to muster through another bout of laughter. When it finally subsided, he continued more calmly, although that smile still lingered on his lips, a testament to his pride at his sister’s resilience.
