Catriona wrinkled her nose in obvious thought before shaking her head. “Ava and Maisie may wish to, but that does not matter to me. Especially since it will not be a display of any love between us.”
Fair enough. But there’s no reason to constantly make mention of it.Joseph suddenly wished he had more wine.
“The day after tomorrow then,” she spoke again.
“Pardon me?”
“Let us get married the day after tomorrow. We may do it at Heaton Manor or at your residence if you wish.”
“Don’t you want to think about it first?”
“What more is there to think about?” she asked, sounding genuinely curious.
Joseph didn’t have an answer to that. But what should he have expected? Catriona had already shown him that she was not like any other lady. The kind of lady who would size him up as if he was some sort of predator in front of his daughter would not care about needing time to prepare for a wedding.
“Very well then. If you wish it, then it shall be. I shall make the preparations.”
“Lovely.”
“But there is a condition.”
He just barely caught the heavy sigh she let out. She tightened her grip on her lemonade, and he could almost believe that it was done in an effort to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head in frustration.
“Allow me to guess. You wish to reiterate that I do not cross any boundaries regarding ideas of love or questioning your parenthood.”
Joseph allowed the side of his lips to quirk upwards. Catriona’s attention remained trained ahead of her though there was no hiding the irritation set into her features. “While that is always good to remember, I only want a dance.”
Her irritation dissolved into surprise then morphed into wariness. “Why?”
“Because you’re my wife. And I wish to dance with my wife.”
“I am not as yet,” she pointed out.
“Will I have to wait until tomorrow to dance with you then? Because I don’t think there is a ball being hosted tomorrow.”
She didn’t say anything, staring blankly at him as he took her hand in his. And then, to his complete surprise, Catriona let out a laugh. The sound chased away that heavy dark cloud that constantly followed him, just like it had yesterday during their lesson. He hadn’t known what it was at the time, but now he understood. Her laughter was a rare occurrence as mesmerizing and breathtaking as the sight of shooting stars. And when he heard it, he forgot the heavy weight of his sadness.
She allowed him to lead her into the center of the room, under the watchful and curious eyes of the other guests. Catriona’s laughter faded and her eyes shifted about the room, realizing that they were drawing more attention themselves. But when he pulled her against his chest, her eyes snapped back to his. He didn’t say the words, but he willed her to focus on him, to forget that anyone else existed. At least for this dance.
God knew he planned on doing just that.
“Where are you going?”
Catriona turned to face Joseph, both surprised and confused at the question. “I wish for a bit of fresh air,” she told him.
Joseph scowled. “When will you return?”
She blinked. They’d been by each other’s side from the moment they set foot in the ballroom. Hours in, she didn’t think he wouldmind if she stepped away to be alone. They’d been standing in silence for the past twenty minutes after all, so she’d doubted that he even remembered that she was there.
Ava and Maisie came and went constantly, either on purpose or whisked away by admiring gentlemen. Catriona would have reveled in the fact that her sisters were clearly receiving the appropriate amount of attention for the season, but she was too distracted by Joseph’s constant presence by her side. Not to mention the fact that the ball was now too hot, too full, and too loud for her to deal with for a moment longer.
She contemplated ignoring his question, since she didn’t think that being his fiancée meant she had to brief him on her comings and goings. But curiosity got the best of her, so instead, she asked, “Why does it matter to you?”
Joseph’s eyes slid away. “It doesn’t. I am simply asking because it is my duty to.”
“Your duty?” She didn’t believe him. She didn’t know what the true reason was, but she was certain that it wasn’t that. “How proper of you, Joseph. Is it your duty to follow me to the ladies’ room if I required a bit of reprieve?”
His jaw ticked. “Of course not.”
