Page 24 of The Burdened Duke
There was another brief silence. Henry and Alexander shot a meaningful look which William did not like at all.
“I am not courting Miss Brookford,” he said hotly. “I do not intend to court her. It’s a serious decision, choosing the duchess of Dunleigh. Miss Bainbridge is the obvious choice.”
And I have already agreed to marry her.
“That,” Henry remarked contemplatively, "is a most intriguing manner of expressing it.”
William felt the urge to scream in frustration. He was beginning to remember why he and his siblings didn’t spendtoomuch time together these days.
“Do elaborate.”
“You don’t speak of your future bride as your wife, your dearest friend, or even a partner in life. You talk about the next duchess of Dunleigh.”
“What is your point? This is a decision based on logic. I am not falling in love, Henry.”
Henry nodded thoughtfully. “We were all in accord regarding that sentiment.”
William bit his lip. “I’m not like you three.”
There was another silence. More meaningful looks were exchanged, and William began to feel as though he had compromised himself.
“I don’t… I don’t mean that as an insult,” he managed at last, not looking anyone in the eye. “I… I’ve known for a long time that I am not an emotional man. I’m like him, aren’t I? It’s best that I allow logic and reason to dictate my choices. You three had the freedom to choose, but I’m the duke. I cannot simply do what I want. I have people who rely on me, an estate to run, and I need to be serious. Marrying a woman like Miss Bainbridge would be a good choice.”
Katherine pursed her lips. “Explain.”
William shrugged. “She’s clever and efficient. She could handle social matters, run the house and part of the estate well. I could trust her. She’d bring a great deal of money along, allowing us to expand and improve the estate. She knows how to behave as a duchess, she knows what it is expected of her, and frankly, I think we’d work well together.”
“How romantic,” Henry observed, and Alexander gave a hoot of laughter.
“Youcan’t talk about romance!” he laughed, shaking his head. “You’re the least romantic person I have ever met.”
“Eleanor thinks otherwise,” Henry shot back, but Alexander was still laughing.
“Eleanor mirrors your disposition perfectly. She is earnest, businesslike, and candid. One might presume she perceives you as a romantic.”
“Ugh. You are quite a simpleton, Kat. Proceed, it is your turn.”
“I daresay I could afford to forgo a turn, truth be told,” Katherine replied with a smirk. “I am currently in the lead.”
They exploded into arguments, laughing and jesting. William said nothing, simply letting the atmosphere wash over him.
For a moment, he could pretend there were no guests at all, only perhaps his mother and his in-laws floating around the house. Just him and his siblings, laughing and jesting with each other, the way the old Duke had hated so much.
Why did he have to separate us so often?William caught himself wondering.Did he believe that loving somebody, even one’s spouse or siblings, was a sign of weakness? Did he think he was making us strong?
William sometimes felt as though he understood his father rather too well. He believed that the answer was yes – the old Duke thought that isolation and hardship would make his children strong, able to withstand the world, able to live up to the exacting standards he thought they should achieve.
Well, he had made them strong, but not in the way he had imagined.
Katherine made her final shot, the winning shot, and leapt up and down in glee, billiard cue held above her head in triumph.
Henry complained loudly, Alexander laughed, and William allowed himself a small smile, etching the scene into his memory.
I love my family.
The moment was swiftly ruined. A light tap on the door made Katherine’s triumphant crows fade away. She came back to herself, shaking out her skirts and putting on the face of a polite, passive lady.
A footman nervously shuffled into the room.
