Page 25 of A Duchess Disciplined (Dukes of Dominance #1)

CHAPTER 24

“Y ou ought to tear yourself away from your desk and greet the day properly,” Catherine said, arms crossed as she confronted her husband.

It was approaching noon, and the man had yet to leave his study. This was not unusual behavior, but of late, William’s behavior had been much improved. It was Catherine’s duty as his wife to ensure that he did not return to his old habits.

William arched an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked. “I do not believe you have any reason to criticize me, for you rose only an hour ago yourself.”

Her face grew so hot and so quickly that Catherine suspected her face must be the color of the setting sun. She reflexively squeezed her thighs together. Catherine had awakened with a faint ache between her legs and with a pleasant sort of tiredness that pulled at her limbs. It had taken significantly more willpower than usual for her to leave the bed.

“I engaged in some rather vigorous exercise last night,” Catherine said. “If memory serves, that was your doing. You are responsible for my behavior this morning.”

“Well-reasoned,” William replied, eyes gleaming with dark mischief. “However, I am certain that you do not wish for me to spare you from future exercises. Do you?”

Catherine adopted a look of mock offense. “I am upset at the suggestion, sir, but I doubt that you could manage to refrain from such exercise either.”

“You might be right,” he conceded. “Now, what is it that you wish for me to do?”

Catherine clasped her hands behind her back and smiled. “As I am certain you have noticed, it is a beautiful day.”

He glanced at the window, seemingly having not noticed that it was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and devoid of clouds, filled with sunshine and a gentle breeze that sent ripples skipping over the surface of the lake. “So it is,” he said.

“Yes. Well. Hannah and Hester wish to play in the gardens. When we last did that, I recall you being quite upset with me. You said that it was dangerous.”

William folded his hands over his desk. “Are you here to ask for my permission? That does not sound like you. Who are you, and what have you done with my duchess?”

She laughed. “He jests! In truth, I had hoped that you might be willing to compromise. Perhaps, you would like to come and watch over us to ensure that we are safe.”

William’s face softened. He sighed and looked at his papers. Catherine took a step forward, curiously eyeing the documents. She balked a little when she saw the carefully written columns of numbers. Although she was quite good at arithmetic, she had never developed a strong liking for numbers.

“You are busy,” Catherine said. “I am sorry that I am always trying to take you away from your desk.”

“What an odd thing to say.”

“It is true,” Catherine said. “I am always coming to ask you to join us, and while I do think that your presence benefits your sisters greatly, I have never really told you that I understand how difficult it is to manage the dukedom. It is no wonder that you are always so busy.”

“Yes, well…” William trailed off. “I would not envy anyone my position, but someone must do it. Our tenants are the lifeblood of our dukedom, and I must ensure that they have everything they need to live peaceful and prosperous lives.”

“An admirable goal,” Catherine said. “What do you think? Maybe you can join us for just a little while. That will leave the rest of the evening for you to work on your papers.”

William hummed and tapped his pen against the desk. “Very well,” he said, rising from his chair. “Let us enjoy the garden.”

Catherine went onto the balls of her feet and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, my lord. Your sisters and I will be waiting downstairs for you.”

“No need,” he said, offering his arm. “I shall join you at once.”

She smiled shyly at him and accepted his arm. Together, they left his study and went down the stairs.

Catherine felt a smoldering glow of pride for persuading him to come with her, for her husband could be as stubborn as a cantankerous old mule. He had progressed nicely over the course of their marriage, however, and she could not help but feel a burst of pride that she had managed to coax him from his study much more easily than she had in the past.

“We have had many beautiful days in the country,” Catherine said. “I am rather enjoying them.”

“Indeed,” William said. “I am surprised that we have not had more rain. The last time I was in the country, I am certain that it was a tempest every day.”

“I suppose that you would be most distressed if I decided to enjoy the gardens even if it was raining,” Catherine said wryly, her lips twitching in amusement.

“I would ,” he replied. “And for good reason. You might catch your death to a chill.”

“I am certain that you would find some means of warming me,” Catherine replied, grinning.

Her husband seemed to attempt a stern face, but his lips twitched in amusement. “I am certain that I would, and I doubt that you would enjoy it.”

“I would,” Catherine insisted, “just to spite you.”

William shook his head. He briefly dropped his arm so he could open the door for her. William offered a gallant bow, and Catherine curtsied. “Thank you, my gracious lord.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Catherine took his arm once again, and they walked down the marble steps leading into the garden. They walked past the hedge maze with its elegant marble statues, where Hester and Hannah waited for them.

“You came!” Hannah exclaimed.

“We are so happy that you could join us!” Hester declared, grasping her skirts and swaying them a little in her hands. “I was reading about songbirds, and I want to catalogue how many different species we have on the estate.”

“A noble pursuit,” Catherine said. “You will be just like a proper biologist!”

Hester beamed at her. “Yes, exactly!”

“Well, we do not want to keep the songbirds waiting,” William said. “Shall we?”

Hannah and Hester both nodded. They turned and excitedly bounded into the maze. Catherine and William followed, as the girls ran about, laughing and shouting at one another, as they tried to find their way through the maze. They had seemingly not entered it very often, for they came to dead ends again and again.

At the center of the maze was a lake surrounded by gardens and a tall, sprawling oak tree. It was the most marvelous place that Catherine had ever beheld, and she would have greatly enjoyed having such a place in her youth.

She wondered if Hannah and Hester had spent much of their childhood enjoying that secret, hidden garden. Or had their brother’s protectiveness kept them from spending their days running about there?

“I would like to have a modiste come to the estate,” William said suddenly.

Catherine raised an eyebrow and looked aside at him. “Oh?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Based on your performance at the garden party, I think you have proven that you will be a worthy companion at the ball, but I feel as though you ought to wear something new. Worthy of being a duchess.”

“Do you find my gowns to be insufficient?” Catherine asked.

He laughed. “Not at all! I find all your gowns to be lovely,” William said, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “Do you want to know why? It is because I am able to see all of those lovely gowns on the floor of my bedchamber.”

Catherine’s face grew hot. “You are a rogue, my lord. Do you know that?”

William grinned. “I do know that, but it is difficult to keep a leash on my more base impulses when I have such a beautiful and challenging wife.”

Catherine hummed and nudged his shoulder with her own. “You flatter me.”

“Any flattery is deserved,” William said. “A more romantic man might be inclined to write poetry to your visage.”

At that, she laughed. “You are beginning to sound insincere! No man would ever write poetry to me. I might be lovely, but I am certain that I am no lovelier than any other well-bred lady of the ton.”

“I disagree.”

“You would.”

At last, they reached the end of the maze. Hannah shouted in victory, and Hester grinned. “Look!” Hester exclaimed, pointing. “The cardinals are such perfect birds. I am always struck by how bright and red they are.”

“Some of them,” Hannah said.

Hester nodded. “Yes, only the male birds.”

Catherine followed the direction of Hannah’s hand. Four cardinals flitted about in the hedges, swooping down to the ground and plucking seeds from beneath the sweeping fronds of grass and flowers that surrounded the lake. A light breeze drifted through the area, casting ripples over the lake’s mirror-like surface.

“I have always found that interesting,” Hannah mused, “how the male birds are the ones that are so colorful.”

“It is because the female birds remain in the nest with the babies,” Hester said matter-of-factly. “They must be dully colored to remain hidden from predators.”

Catherine considered making some manner of jest about how the dandies were like male birds, but although the joke seemed like it might be promising, she could not find the proper words for it.

“Let us see if we can have a closer look,” Hester said, “without frightening them.”

“I doubt that we can get much closer,” Hannah replied.

Still, the two of them slowly edged along the hedges, approaching the birds. Catherine also doubted that the girls would be able to venture much closer, but perhaps they might, if the young ladies moved very slowly. The birds would be well-accustomed to the gardeners, after all. It was not as if they had never seen a human before.

“Shall we take a turn?” William asked.

“And leave your sisters unattended?” Catherine asked.

William let out a low breath of air. “I believe they will be fine. If we just walk along the lake, we will still be able to see them.”

Catherine nodded in approval, and they walked slowly together. A stone path ran around the course of the lake; it was a smooth path, and her slippers never caught or wavered on the stones. It was nice; she reflected. Although Catherine was a wild woman who delighted in running about with reckless abandon in gardens and fields, she was forced to concede that she had developed a kind of fondness for these quiet walks through the garden with him.

William had a firm and sturdy strength about him, and she found herself deriving comfort from him. She had never before thought much about how a husband might provide such feelings of security. She had never particularly thought that she might need or want a husband. Her only interest in marrying had been that she needed to wed to satisfy the ton. William had changed her perspective on everything, though.

“Do you believe my gowns to be unworthy?” she asked instead.

“Not at all,” William said. “I simply thought that you deserved a gift for being such a wonderful duchess.”

“How kind of you,” Catherine said. “Do you have a usual modiste who comes and makes gowns for the girls?”

“I do,” he replied, “but if you have a favored modiste, you are—of course—welcome to invite her to the estate. I will spare no expense to ensure that you look your best at this ball.”

Catherine nodded, considering the possibility of having new gowns. Although she had never had any particularly strong interest in gowns, she liked to look her best. “The girls should have some new gowns, too.”

“Indeed.”

They continued along the path, as Catherine contemplated dyes and colors. “I have heard that there is a new shade of green,” she said, “from Germany.”

“You would look lovely in green.”

They halted on the far side of the lake. Through the flowers, bushes, and past the tall and strong oak tree, Catherine could still see Hester and Hannah. The pair had halted several feet away and watched with rapt attention as the cardinals flitted over the ground and on top of the hedges.

“They adore you,” William said, seeming to know where Catherine’s thoughts had gone. “I had not anticipated that, but it pleases me. And you care for them.”

“They are very loving girls,” Catherine replied loyally. “I cannot imagine how any man or woman would not love them.”

William tilted his head and placed a quick and gentle kiss upon her cheek. “I feel similarly about you.”

A fluttering sensation spread through Catherine’s chest, and they continued along the path.