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William straightened his spine, his easy attitude vanishing in an instant. “What of them?”

“You would not need to ask that question if you had spent time with them,” Catherine replied, crossing her arms.

“Excuse me?”

“Your sisters are lonely,” Catherine said. “They need theirbrotherto tear himself away from his desk long enough to show them attention.”

William scowled, frustration rising inside him. “That is why I marriedyou, so they will not be lonely.”

“As if I am a replacement for their brother!” Catherine snapped.

“You have no place to tell me what to do,” William said. “Leave before I remind you of your place.”

“My place?” she scoffed. “Our agreement was that I could be myselfin private, and we arein private. This is who I am. I am acting as Hester and Hannah’s guardian, which is the task you charged me with, and I am of the opinion that their brother needs to spend more time with them. They are lonely, and I am insufficient company. They need a family member.”

William scowled at her and tried to think through his feelings towards the young woman. On one hand, he found himself forced to admire her boldness. She was correct; their arrangement had been that she might be herself in private, and he had no argument for that.

On the other hand, a wife was not supposed to behavelike this, and he found himself wanting to storm to her, take her over his knee, and give her a well-deserved reminder of what a wife was supposed to be.

“I am trying to manage the dukedom,” he said through gritted teeth. “Being a woman, you likely have no idea of everything involved with that.”

“I know exactly what is involved with that,” Catherine replied. “Do not forget that my brother is a duke as well.”

“A duke who wastes his time huntingfairiesin the garden,” William said, scowling.

“A duke who loves his family!” Catherine retorted.

The young woman took a brazen step forward, her face bright red and her eyes alight with fire. She was beautiful when she was angry, and William’s manhood stirred with interest. No woman had ever dared be so obviously angry with him before, and that was novel enough to be alluring.

And yetinfuriating.

“I love my sisters,” William said. “More than life itself. But I also have a responsibility to my tenants. I must ensure that they are well taken care of.”

“And do you imagine that if you leave your desk for just a handful of hours that the entire dukedom will fall into disarray?” Catherine asked, putting her hands on her hips. “It that is true, I fear that you are not doing an adequate job to begin with.”

“It does not befit a duke to become too comfortable,” William retorted. “Not that I would expect you to know.”

Catherine glared at him. “Excuses,” she said. “It will not be detrimental to the dukedom if you occasionally enjoy your sisters on some outing. Do you not realize how much they miss your company?”

“They are welcome to visit me any time that they wish,” William said, gesturing towards the door. “It is not as though my study exists on another continent.”

“No,” Catherine agreed. “But they will not. They fear that you will be vexed by their disturbances, and they do not wish for you to turn them away.”

William stared hard at her for a long time, considering her words. Hannah and Hester were hissisters. He would never find their presence vexing. Certainly, they knew that.

And yet, he had noticed that his sisters were lonely. That was why he had married Catherine, after all. She was meant to fill that void in their lives, and it seemed as if she was already trying to avoid those duties. William sighed and raked a hand through his hair. Even as he thought that, he knew it was an ungenerous interpretation of Catherine’s words.

“Do you truly believe that my sisters feel that way?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” she said. “I know they do. You must make some time for them, Your Grace.”

“William,” he said suddenly.

“Excuse me?”

“You do not seem like a woman who would naturally call meYour Grace.If you are to be yourself when you are in private, you ought to call meWilliam.”

Catherine stared at him for a long moment, and her fingers curled more tightly around the back of the chair. “I will not let you distract me from the topic at hand, William. Your sisters need you, and even if you mean well, it is unkind of you to hide yourself from them.”