Page 17 of An Offer for a Spinster
Katherine bit her lower lip. It felt odd, talking about marital prospects with her mother. Before the late Duke passed away, the matter of his children’s marriages had been his decision. It was very clear that he would have the final decisions on who they would marry, and when. Had the Duchess even cared? Katherine could easily have believed not.
“He was very charming,” Katherine managed at last. “He made an effort with me, too.”
“You danced with a great many gentlemen, all entirely suitable. And your brothers all chose their partners wisely. Except for Henry, of course, who seemed intent on choosing the most ridiculous ladies to dance with. Spinsters, widows, and so on, all entirely unsuitable. You must have a word with him.”
Katherine clenched her jaw. “Yes, Papa used to think I ought to marshal my brothers, too. He didn’t believe I could do anything right, but somehow, I ought to be able to do that.”
The Duchess pressed her lips together, but admirably did not rise to the bait.
“Lord Barwood had business dealings with your Papa,” she said instead. “He thought well of the man. He said that he had great potential and had achieved much for one so young. I think he would be pleased at the idea of a match between Lord Barwood and you.”
That doesn’t make me like him more,Katherine thought. She was glad she wasn’t quite tired enough to say this out loud.
The Duchess had never been a strong woman in any way, but she was more diminished now than ever. Some days, she seemed so wan and colourless that it seemed she would disappear eventually.
“I haven’t made any decisions,” Katherine said, when it became clear that a response was required.
The Duchess pursed her lips and took a tentative step forward.
“It would make me very proud if you made a match with a man like Lord Barwood,” she said, reaching out a tentative hand. Her fingers were cold on Katherine’s arm. She didn’t pull away, but after a moment, the Duchess limply took her fingers away. “I was proud of you tonight. Of all of you. You looked remarkably beautiful.”
Katherine stared at her mother. She’d wanted, so badly, to hear that before. She’d wanted to hear her mother say that she was proud of her, for whatever reason, even if it was only for her looks.
And now here it was, and she felt nothing. Was it too late?
“I’m tired, Mama,” Katherine heard herself say. “I think I’d better go up to bed. I’m sure Lord Barwood might visittomorrow. Or today, rather. I keep forgetting that it’stodaynow. Elizabeth is coming today as well.”
The Duchess made a littlemoue. She’d never much approved of Elizabeth as a friend for her daughter. The late Duke certainly hadn’t, but now William was the Duke, and Katherine could choose her own friends.
“Goodnight, Mama.”
Katherine turned without waiting for a reply and hurried along the lightening hallway towards the stairs. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed but had a strange feeling that she wouldn’t sleep very well.
***
“It was an absolute triumph,” Elizabeth gushed, leaning forward to help herself to another small cake, one of the leftovers from last night. “Everybody said so. Did you read what the gossip column said about it?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Shall I read it out to you?”
“Please, Lizzie, donot.”
The ladies sat together in one of the smaller, informal parlours, mid-afternoon, drinking tea and enjoying cakes. The party atmosphere of last night seemed very far away.
Elizabeth was wearing a lemon-coloured gown with orange polka-dots, a rather bold shade and pattern. Katherine had always admired that about her friend – she stuck to her own style, preferring bright, jaunty colours to the pastels of the Season. Elizabeth was never going to be considered a Beauty, but nobody in the city had a bad word to say about her. And some of them had tried, certainly.
“What did you think of Lord Barwood?” Katherine asked, after a pause.
Elizabeth considered, swilling her tea around her cup. “He’s very handsome.”
“Yes, he is handsome. But what else?”
Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Well, I don’t know, it’s not as if he spoke to me.”
Katherine flinched. “Why not? Why wouldn’t he?”
Her friend cast her a sympathetic look. “Gentlemen often don’t, Kat. I’m not as pretty as you.”
