Page 2 of An Offer for a Spinster
The Duchess shook her head. “Don’t be so unkind. Your father only wants to improve your riding skills. You must go down, William.”
Katherine watched the fight drain from her brother’s face. He looked exhausted.
“Very well,” he murmured, since they all knew that once the Duke had commanded something, ithad tobe done.
“I’ll go with you,” she said at once.
The Duchess frowned at her. “There’s no need for that, Katherine. Why not practice your pianoforte instead? Your dear Papa said that you must practice more frequently.”
Katherine loved hearing the pianoforte played but loathed playing it herself. She didn’t let on, of course. Informing their beloved father of their distaste for any matter was a certain method of guaranteeing its frequent occurrence henceforth.
“I’d like to see the horse riding,” Katherine said placidly.
The Duchess sighed in annoyance. “Very well, but bring your parasol. It’s very sunny out there, and it will do your skin no good. You’re already shockingly brown, Katherine.”
The fashion was indeed for fair beauties at the moment, ladies with skin so pale one might assume that they’d never encountered even the concept of the sun. Katherine found it ridiculous, but one must pick one’s battles.
So, she dutifully fetched her parasol, and scuttled after William and the Duchess onto the sun-drenched terrace.
William walked brusquely ahead of them all, head down, shoulders tight, and marched towards the horse paddock. The Duchess stayed on the terrace, where seats and tables were laid out, along with her embroidery, but Katherine followed her brother across the grass.
She heard her mother try and call her back, but the poor woman had never had a strong voice, and it was easy enough to ignore her.
“There you are,” the Duke said shortly, glaring at William. “I don’t expect any child of mine to give up so easily, William. Especially not the man who will be Duke of Dunleigh one day. I’m not entirely sure Icancall you a man.”
William lifted his head a little higher.
“I can’t ride that wretched thing, Father. You know I can’t.”
“Are you afraid of a little tumble?”
“I’m afraid of breaking my neck.”
The two men glared at each other for a long moment, and it occurred to Katherine – not for the first time – that the Duke and his eldest son resembled each other too well for anyone’s comfort.
The Duke looked away first, his gaze sliding over William’s shoulder to fix on Katherine, annoyed.
“Katherine, what are you doing out here?”
“I wanted to see the horse,” Katherine said, as lightly and stupidly as she could manage. It was always easier to let her dear Papa see what he expected to see, which in her case was foolish but harmless good nature.
He snorted, shaking his head. “Very well. If nobody here is brave enough to climb onto a horse’s back, I shall do it.”
He turned his back, gesturing to one of the grooms. The man nervously hurried forward, snatching up the dangling reins of the big black horse.
A shiver of foreboding ran along Katherine’s spine. William had his back to her, arms no doubt folded tightly, and was doubtless not in the mood to talk, so she edged along the fence to where Alexander stood. Her younger brother was stuffed into the corner of the paddock as if he were trying to squeeze through, arms folded tightly around himself.
“Is the horse really that bad tempered?” she whispered.
Alexander gave a short nod. “It kicked William when he was trying to mount it, even with all the grooms holding the creature still. It’s half wild, Kat. I’m not sure anyone ever tried to break it in. It’s a fine creature, certainly, but not easy to ride. I wouldn’t dare ride it myself.”
And yet the grooms were leading it over to the mounting block, and the Duke strode purposefully towards it. As Katherine watched, the horse snorted and bridled, huge hooves kicking up clouds of dust, scratching out grooves in the earth. She shuddered again.
“This is a bad idea,” she murmured.
Alexander wet his lips nervously and stepped forward.
“Father,” he said, his voice light and tremulous, “I’m not sure this is a good idea…”
