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He grinned. “You believe that I would do such a thing?”

“I know you would.”

William shook his head in mock dismay. “I am wounded that you have such a low opinion of me,” he said. “What have I done to gain your ire?”

“You came to my brother’s estate and demanded that my sister or I marry you,” Catherine said. “Thatis what you have done, and you well know it.”

“You volunteered, as I recall,” William replied. “If you want to discuss contradictions, you need look no further than yourself. I asked for your sister, and you volunteered to be my bride with the full understanding of what that arrangement involved. Now, you want to act as if I have misled you in some manner.”

“I didnotunderstand everything that you wanted,” Catherine argued, her gaze darting to the boat where Hester and Hannah were. Satisfied that the girls were distracted by one another’s company and would not overhear, she added, “I did not know what you meant bycorrection.”

“That should have been obvious.”

“It was not.”

William shrugged. “Then, you ought to blame your brother for not teaching you what to expect. Or perhaps, your sister. I have often held that women ought to have those conversations with one another.”

“I doubt most husbands are like you,” Catherine said.

Admittedly, her only experience withhusbandscame from her own father and from novels, usually written by ladies, about such things. Certainly, none of those had ever involved chastisement or amorous encounters. At most, stories would use some delightful euphemism about how the couple had madepassing glad.

“You might be correct on that account,” he said. “Most husbands would not tolerate such a disrespectful wife. At least, I am willing to encourage your improvement.”

“How gracious.”

He smiled brightly, as if the compliment was genuine. “There is the gratitude that I was hoping for.”

“I am curious, though,” Catherine said suddenly. “What will you do when I become a proper wife and duchess? You will no longer have any means by which to occupy your time.”

“I am certain that I will find something.”

Catherine peered into the water, watching as fish darted about between the delicate purple-pink flowers of the lily pads. They were not particularly pretty fish, just brown and black spotted things. She tried to see why Hester loved them so much. Perhaps, it was the elegant way they moved in the water. They swayed about, their translucent fins wading effortlessly through the lake.

“And what will you find?” Catherine asked.

“Who can know? It will need to be quite a large task if it is to consume as much energy as you do.”

“It seems to me as though you spend little energy on me,” Catherine replied. “The papers in your study seem to receive most of your attention.”

“Those papers are the dukedom.”

Catherine removed her glove and let her fingers idly move through the water. It was cool to the touch, and the light reflected upon it as though it was a finely faceted jewel.

“Just think,” Catherine said, “about how much more time you could spend with those papers if you would leave tormenting me.”

“I have thought about it. I have decided that a new duchess requires that some initial time be invested, however, so I am content to neglect the papers for a little while.”

“I see.”

“I thought you might.”

“Women do not like being referred to asinvestments. I would assume you know that.”

William shook his head. He took the rows and moved their boat a little. Jonathan, the gardener, had moved Hester and Hannah further into the lake. Hester gasped in delight and pointed to something that she had found in the water.

“Nevertheless, womenareinvestments,” William said. “That is why the tonplaces so much thought in who to wed. A wealthy wife might line one’s coffers more effectively than any property or cargo.”

For that, she found that she had no answer. While William’s words were true enough, Catherine did not want to concede that there was the matter ofpropriety. Ladies wished to believe that they were something more than investments, and proper gentlemen would behave as though they were.