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Besides, the tonwalking past on their morning strolls did not seem as though they were paying much mind to his conversation with Catherine. And Hannah and Hester did seem more enthusiastic than he had ever seen them. They seemed to like Catherine, and that was what he had wanted, was it not?

Well, no. He had wanted for Catherine to teach Hester and Hannah to be proper ladies and to—someday—help launch them into society. William had not wanted Catherine to encourage outlandish dreams like a museum for embroidery, and yet he could not deny that his sisters seemed livelier in Catherine’s presence than they had been in a long time. Catherine was…good for them, if not exactly in the way he intended.

“For the sake of the dukedom, I should hope that you are more modest than you claim,” William said in a warning tone.

“I assume that you recall our agreement,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

“I do,” he replied.

Their eyes met for just an instant. Catherine’s gaze was fierce and determined; she had no intention of conceding. William’s lips twitched in amusement as he imagined means of persuading her to accept his point. His mind conjured images of Catherine tossed across his lap, squirming and moaning as he administered the promised correction.

“We are in public, my lady,” he said, “in case you failed to notice.”

“Perhaps, the fault lies with you. I do not recall you ever offering a definition for what constitutes as apublicsituation.”

“Being willfully contrary is not an attractive trait in a lady,” William said dryly.

“No?” Catherine asked. “I do not see why you ought to be bothered by it. On the contrary, I strongly suspect that you would be bored if I always agreed with you.”

William grimaced. “You are much mistaken,” he said. “If I wanted someone to argue with me, I would talk with my solicitor.”

Catherine’s lip thinned into a line. It seemed as though she had no retort for him. Pleased with his victory, he let himself relax a little. Thus far, she had only made a few improper remarks, and he knew she could have done far worse damage.

“Oh, look!” Hester exclaimed. “There are so many ducks!”

Indeed, there were. They had reached the small pond towards the center of the park, and several brown and white ducks waddled about and flapped in the water.

“I have always found ducks to be amusing animals,” Hannah said. “I enjoy watching how they walk.”

“They are amusing,” Catherine agreed. “When I was a little girl, I made a sport of chasing them.”

“You did not!” Hannah exclaimed, sounding scandalized.

“I should hope not,” William agreed disapprovingly.

Catherine cast him a cross look. “There is little harm in chasing a few ducks.”

“There is great harm in it,” he argued. “It is terribly undignified.”

Catherine looked displeased with him, but rather than arguing, she remained mercifully quiet. William found that he liked this side of her, the woman who quietly acquiesced to his desires, but the pleasure of her obedience was nothing compared to the fissure of excitement that he felt when she disobeyed him. He was a contrary man, and sometimes, being contrary was a curse.

They walked a little longer along the path, and William idly noted they were alone. If his sisters were not present, he might have been tempted to engage in some exercise other than mere walking. The path turned just ahead, and there was a small cluster of trees, where one might hide and engage in moreintimatepursuits.

“You seem to believe that everything is undignified, my husband,” Catherine said.

“Whereas you seem to believe that dignity or the lack thereof does not matter,” William replied.

“I would argue that your perspective is more harmful than mine,” Catherine said. “At least, it sounds significantly less enjoyable.”

“Propriety is notmeantto be enjoyable.”

“Maybe it should be,” she countered.

“What proprietyshouldorshould notbe does not matter,” William said. “We live in the real world, Catherine.”

Rather than looking frustrated, as he had expected, Catherine looked sly. A cold sense of foreboding swept over him. He sensed that she was planning something, but he had no sense of how he might counter a reckless action.

Without warning, Catherine yelled. She ran across the grass towards the ducks, her arms spread wide. “Join me!” she exclaimed as she chased the ducks.