Page 10 of His Scottish Duchess (The Dukes of Sin #5)

CHAPTER TEN

“ T he man is determined to be the death of me,” Catherine sighed.

Mr. Oswald had informed her that the Duke was waiting for her in a drawing room, and after dinner, she immediately set out to find him. It might have seemed as though she was eager to see him, but that was not the case.

It is better to get it over with, once and for all .

Any longer and she would manage to talk herself out of it.

Her mind was buzzing with the discovery she had made earlier that day, the abject lack of answers disturbing her for some reason. She couldn’t help but wonder what had transpired between the Duke and his family for him to act as though they had never existed.

When she arrived at the drawing room, she knocked.

“You may enter.” The deep sound of his voice stirred something within her.

Catherine opened the door and stepped into the room, fighting the urge to flee at the sight of him.

He was lying on his back, his eyes trained on the pages of a book he held in his hands, looking quite relaxed.

Sampson glanced in her direction and grinned, sitting up immediately. “Well, well. If it isn’t my precious wife. It feels like eons have passed since I saw you last. I thought for sure something would’ve changed, but you still look as lovely as ever.”

He looked more pleased with himself with every passing moment.

“Good evening, Your Grace,” Catherine greeted stiffly, hoping to dispel the heat in her cheeks by barely reacting.

“What a good evening it is, Duchess. Especially seeing as you have chosen not to avoid me any longer. I thought I would have to go and find you myself.” Sampson shook his head slowly.

“I havenae been avoiding ye,” she squawked indignantly.

“That can’t be. I know the house we live in is quite large, but for us to not have crossed paths for days now seems like purposeful machination, does it not?” Sampson frowned.

“I did not try to avoid ye. The house is quite large, and I have been busy,” Catherine told him defensively.

“Busy? And what, pray tell, has kept you so occupied as of late? Is Mrs. Starling giving you a hard time? Shall I have a word or two with her on your behalf?”

“Nay! No—don’t. That is unnecessary. It’s not her fault. There is much to be done, and I merely want to ensure that I am rightfully handling my duties,” she stated stubbornly, her cheeks burning.

Sampson studied her carefully, and then he smirked, shrugging casually. “I did not call you here to argue with you, Duchess. We can do that at a later date. For now, I want you to come closer.”

The refusal was hanging on the tip of Catherine’s tongue, but she held back, knowing that he might grow even more suspicious if she kept him at arm’s length.

Not to mention that she was expected to do what he needed her to do as his wife.

Reluctantly, she drew nearer, trying not to glare at him when he patted the spot next to him on the settee. She lowered herself onto the cushion gingerly.

Although she expected it somewhat, it still startled her when he rested his head on her lap.

“Ah, yes. This is much better than arguing with you.” Sampson sighed as he tipped his head back to look her in the eye.

“Surely ye did not bring me here to act as a cushion for ye, Your Grace,” Catherine said, deadpan.

“Why not? You are certainly warmer and softer than any cushion I’ve ever lain on.” He grinned, much to her irritation. “Not to mention, you are much prettier, and you smell like dessert—sweet and elegant.”

He lifted a hand, using a single finger to trace the tip of her chin to the line of her jaw.

“It makes me want to swallow you whole.”

A shiver ran down Catherine’s spine, and she looked away, putting what distance she could between herself and his touch.

If she upset him, he did not show it, merely smirking as he held the book he had been reading up to her.

“Read to me for a little bit.”

Complying was much better than giving him more reasons to taunt her, so Catherine took the book and held it open to the part where the bookmark had been placed. The weight of his head on her lap and his gaze on her face would definitely prove to be a distraction, but she was determined to overcome it as best as she could.

She cleared her throat slightly and began to read.

“ Stella couldn’t stand the sight of him, nor the memories his presence dredged up. She hated how he walked, and how he talked. She despised how he behaved and thought he’d been gifted the whole world to put in his pocket. It annoyed her immensely, as much as it made him unforgettable ? — ”

“Was it because of the kiss?”

Catherine nearly bit her tongue.

“I-I beg yer pardon?” She coughed.

“I want to know why you were avoiding me. So I’ll ask again. Was it because of the kiss? Did you not like it? I’ve never had any complaints before, so I find it hard to believe that is the case,” Sampson said, his brow furrowed in thought.

Catherine closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, counted to three, opened her eyes, and looked down at the book, picking up right where she had left off.

“ It annoyed her immensely, as much as it made him unforgettable, because suddenly, her every thought was fixated on his existence. She thought of him in her waking hours and dreamt of him at night. He had charmed her, bewitched her with his coy manner ? — ”

“Have you never been kissed by a man before? Was that why you were so startled?” Sampson pressed, his eyes shining with curiosity and mirth.

“I fail to see how those questions have anything to do with the book ye asked me to read. Which I am trying to read, but ye keep interrupting me,” Catherine said through gritted teeth.

“Well, I am merely trying to understand why you have been avoiding me for the last few days. It must be related to our kiss because I do not believe I had done anything to upset you before that. Or did I?”

“Nay more than ye are doing now,” she stated, shifting her focus back to the book. “ He had charmed her, bewitched her with his coy mannerisms and flirtatious glances. One day, she could not take it anymore and ? — ”

“Have you ever thought about being kissed? Or kissing a man? Or perhaps doing more than that?”

“Why are ye doing this?” Catherine outright whined.

“I am just trying to understand you. Perhaps if you were to answer my questions, I would feel less inclined to be so bothersome—although that is not my intention.”

“I find that extremely hard to believe,” she told him flatly.

“Cross my heart.” He grinned, and her stomach twisted itself into knots.

With a deep sigh, she said, “Nay. I havenae had such thoughts. Neither was I startled. I was simply preoccupied?—”

“But was I your first kiss?”

Something akin to shame gnawed at Catherine, and her cheeks flushed. “Aye. Ye were.”

He seemed surprised, and she hoped he would be stunned enough to forget his irritating agenda of bothering her. She continued to read.

“ She could not take it anymore, so she confronted him, demanding to know why her feelings for him bothered her so. He ? — ”

“Last question, I promise. Have you ever pleasured yourself? I know I have asked you this question before, but you didn’t answer then, and I am quite curious to hear the answer.”

Catherine continued reading as though he had not spoken at all.

“ He told her that he could show her exactly what her feelings meant and why they had plagued her for so long. He held her close and kissed her deeply as his hands traveled down her body and then slowly moved up her dress until they reached her— my word. What is this? What have ye made me read?”

“It seemed important to me. Seeing as you have never pleasured yourself, I felt it was in my best interest to educate you. Or are you upset because I did not choose to show you instead?”

Catherine felt what was left of her patience snap, and she slammed the book shut.

“I dinnae ken why I have chosen to have faith in such a raffish man as yerself! Ye’re absolutely cruel, makin’ me read somethin’ so improper! Have ye nay shame? Get yer neb out of them scandalous pages and try bein’ a proper husband for once, instead of a fumblin’ fop wi’ a mind in the gutter! Why must ye always be so vexing?” she hissed, breathless and angry at the end of her rant.

Sampson blinked at her, looking more amused than angry at her outburst.

“It is never my intention to upset you. But somehow, I always seem to put you on edge,” he said with a shrug, sitting up.

“I find that very hard to believe,” she scoffed. “Ye’re the one who told me that ye dinnae want to have an heir! I am doin’ my very best, every day, to be a good wife to ye. This is what I am here for. So, why must ye insist on makin’ fun of me? On makin’ a fool out of me?”

Catherine had known it was a bad idea to give in to his request and read to him. She knew this was what it would come to eventually, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Especially when she recalled how much she had yearned for him.

A little bit of time wouldnae hurt , she had told herself, trying to believe that perhaps he would take her seriously and not cause too much trouble for her tired and fragile heart and soul.

But as he did every single time, he regarded her as nothing more than a jester in his court.

“You misunderstand, Duchess. Just because I do not wish for an heir, does not mean we cannot find ways to enjoy each other’s company. Beyond conversations and those looks of disdain you are so fond of,” Sampson murmured, moving closer to her.

The back of his hand lightly caressed her cheek, and he leaned in to whisper softly, his warm breath tickling her ear. “You’re thinking much more than necessary. Do not worry if you lack experience. I am more than happy to show you the many ways of achieving pleasure. You can trust me.”

His words were like honey, sticky and sweet, sinking into her mind and enticing her.

But she was far too angry with him to give in to temptation.

She wanted to catch him off guard. She wanted to show him that she couldn’t be messed with as he believed. But then she remembered the unsettling things she had learned hours ago and let her intuition lead.

“Ye have such high expectations for someone who has refused to walk the little steps with me. We havenae even shared a meal, and yet ye want me to easily jump into bed with ye. Is that all ye ever did with the women who came here to keep ye company?”

For the first time since Catherine had known Sampson, his expression turned serious.

He dropped his hand, his smirk still in place but looking a little different with the irritated glint in his eyes.

“Yes,” he said nonchalantly. “That is all I’ve ever looked for in a woman.”

Catherine could have guessed the answer. In fact, she had already anticipated it. So, it wasn’t surprising. But it was quite upsetting .

It felt as though her blood had begun to boil in her veins.

She needed him to understand that he could not continue to treat her this way and say such things to her.

“Alright, I will play yer game. If ye answer one question, I’ll do whatever ye wish.”

Sampson’s expression shifted from mild annoyance to curiosity. “Only one question?”

“Just one,” Catherine confirmed.

“Deal. Ask away, Duchess.”

Catherine cleared her throat and looked him in the eye. “Tell me about yer braither.”

Almost immediately, his expression darkened, his eyes becoming more guarded as the seconds went by, and the carefree curve of his lips turned stiff.

Regret flooded her veins.

“Never mind. I take back my question. You dinnae have to answer?—”

Catherine inhaled sharply when he leaned in, his eyes never leaving hers as he told her quietly, “Get out.”

She immediately realized that she’d overstepped her boundaries and tried to apologize for her mistake.

“I am sorry, Your Grace. It is none of my business, and I shouldnae have?—”

“I said, get out. Now,” Sampson told her in the coldest voice she had ever heard, looking angry for the first time since she had known him.

Quickly, she stood and gathered her skirts, bolting from the drawing room.

Once she had put enough distance between herself and her husband, she couldn’t help but recall his distraught face, her heart hurting as his voice echoed in her head, telling her to leave.

“Oh God,” she gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. “What have I done?”