“That is quite an interesting stance, Your Grace,” she said to him.
Tension seized his insides. Joseph schooled his face to submission, annoyed. Why did it matter to him that she was clearly so displeased?
“Is it?” he heard himself ask.
“One would think that you thought the opposite, given what occurred earlier.”
“What occurred earlier?” he echoed, brows furrowing.
Catriona shifted her gaze to Dorothea, who silently sat finishing her food next to him, before returning her attention pointedly to him.
That only confused him further. What did Dorothea have to do with any of this?
“I think His Grace is quite the forward thinker,” Maisie chimed in before he could think of a response that wasn’t another question full of confusion. “It is quite commendable in this day and age. I imagine he would not be very taken aback if he were to see a lady sitting atop horse prepared to race.”
“Oh, I sense a bit of curiosity in your voice, Maisie.” Ava waggled her eyebrows at her sister. “Do you secretly want to partake in horse racing?”
Maisie rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I hardly like horses as it is. Though I would love to attend the Royal Ascot one day. I hear that it is quite the event.”
“Yes, and quite popular during the Season as well.” Ava was basically bouncing in her seat in excitement which caught Dorothea’s eye. Joseph noticed his daughter watching Ava curiously, but when she caught him looking, she lowered her eyes back to her plate.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Catriona muttered under her breath.
Joseph caught her eyes. He held it, the need to understand what had gotten her so upset overwhelming enough to distract him from everything and everyone else. She stared back at him with much intensity, and disappointment seeped into her green eyes. She thinned her lips further which only drew Joseph’s attention to them.
For a brief moment, he forgot why he was here. His mind emptied, and he could only focus on Catriona.
All he saw were those beautiful full lips, pink and firm. Angry yet inviting.
For that brief moment, his mind emptied of proper, gentlemanly thoughts. He caught himself, frustration lancing him when he realized how distracted he’d gotten, even if it was for a small moment. Catriona was a beauty, yes, but there was no reason for such a reaction.
“Your Grace?”
Joseph tore his gaze away from Catriona to see Lord Heaton staring at him with a rather knowing smile. He straightened. “Pardon me, My Lord?”
“You seem rather distracted, Your Grace. Or is it that I am not alone in my degenerating hearing?” He chuckled at his own joke. Joseph didn’t miss the fact that all three sisters subtly rolled their eyes. “I was asking if you would be so inclined to join us in the drawing room now that dinner has come to an end. Maisiehas been practicing her pianoforte and would like to have the opinion of someone other than her family.”
Maisie flushed though she didn’t lower her gaze. “They always tell me that my skill rivals Bach, but they are obligated to say nice things, you see.”
“I wasn’t aware we were under such stipulations,” Ava observed. She turned to Catriona. “Were you?”
“Completely unaware,” Catriona murmured in agreement.
Maisie simply sighed. “Perhaps you could give me a more objective opinion, Your Grace.”
Joseph nodded. He didn’t want the night to end just yet anyway. Not until he’d gotten to the bottom of Catriona’s suddenly prickly attitude. “I would be delighted.”
“Marvelous.” Lord Heaton was the first to rise. “Let us make haste then, shall we?”
Everyone else began to stand as well, and Catriona the last to her feet. Dorothea was quick to press herself into Joseph’s leg the moment she left her chair. Joseph resisted the urge to sigh. In the years gone by, Dorothea had only grown clingier. It was fine for a toddler, but as she grew older, Joseph knew it was a habit he would have to break her out of. He just didn’t have a clue how to.
“Your Grace?” Catriona called, drawing his attention. “May I have a word? It will be brief, I assure you.”
“Here?”
She raised a brow, clasping her hands behind her. “Why not? The footmen will serve as proper chaperones, will they not?”
Joseph straightened. A gauntlet had been thrown though he couldn’t fathom why.
