“Never ask me about her again,” he stated, his voice cold.
Catriona stiffened. “Never? I think that is rather unreas?—”
“I’m done talking about it, Catriona.”
“And I am not.”
His scowl came with full force, but she wasn’t bothered. She was certain that she could cause a storm.
“My past is none of your concern. Don’t think that because you tended to me last night, you may overstep your boundaries like this. I won’t allow it.”
“Ah, that’s right,” she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcastic derision. “How could I have forgotten never to step over that invisible line you’ve drawn between us? How foolish of me. Please, accept my apology for asking you what I had assumed was a normal question a wife may ask of her husband, and allow me to take my leave.”
“Catriona—” he bit out, but she was already getting up to leave, blinking back furious tears. She didn’t need her family seeing her upset, so she took her time in walking, not wanting to alarm anyone.
She supposed that she shouldn’t have been surprised that he didn’t follow her. Disappointed and a little hurt, yes but not surprised. He’d made it clear after all. They were nothing more than a business transaction, and she should take care never to forget that.
CHAPTER 16
The manor was quiet again. Once upon a time, Catriona had craved the peace. She would slip away at any given moment for brief periods of silence. But right now, she despised it. Her thoughts were now far too loud to be ignored.
It had been days since she’d seen or spoken to Joseph. He’d since recovered and was back in his office by the end of that day while she’d taken care to stick to the sections of the manor she doubted he would ever frequent, not wanting to run into him. But all that meant was that she spent long periods of time thinking about him.
She sighed, leaning over the side of the armchair in a small parlor to scratch behind Nina’s neck. Her anger had fizzled out that day, and in its absence came clarity of how utterly selfish she might have acted. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, yes, but why did she think that he would open up to her? Why had she hoped to understand him a little better in the first place? Surely, she should have known how he would react?
Her reaction to his blatant rejection was out of pure hurt and embarrassment. She didn’t know how she was going to apologize. The mere thought of facing him again was both embarrassing and endearing. And it had been the only thing she could think of for days.
“I should just do it, shouldn’t I?” she murmured to Nina. Her loyal dog lifted her head to look at her.
Catriona knew what that meant, but still, she asked, “Should I?”
Nina barked softly. Catriona sighed. She was delaying the inevitable at this point.
She pulled herself to stand, brushing off the front of her dress in an effort to gather her courage. Apologizing was the responsible thing to do after all, and she was nothing if not responsible. If she could face him after misjudging him on their first meeting and issue a sincere apology, then she could certainly do so now that they resided under the roof. Though she knew that it was that small fact was what made all the difference.
She wouldn’t think about it any longer though. If she did, she was liable to drive herself mad by the end of the day.
Catriona, with Nina trailing behind her, made her way to Joseph’s office. She hesitated before she knocked, her heart pounding loudly in her ears.
“Come.”
Faking a bravado, Catriona entered the office. Her eyes landed on Joseph immediately, who was still too busy writing something to look up at who had entered. She lingered by the door, observing for a moment.
At some point, the mere sight of him was enough to steal her breath away. But, like the other times, Catriona told herself there was a valid reason for it. This time, it was only because she was nervous to apologize.
Not because she had wondered if he truly had recovered well, and seeing the healthy glow of his skin and his restored energy showed her that she had no reason to worry. Not because she had been thinking about him constantly, but her memory could never compare to the real thing.
And certainly not because when he finally looked up at her, she felt like she was the only woman in the world if only for a brief moment.
His face was impassive, giving nothing away, but he returned his quill pen to its ink pot, not taking his eyes off her as he leaned back against his chair. “Catriona.”
“Am I… interrupting you?” she asked a bit uncertainly. “If so, I could come back another time.”
“No need. There is no better time than the present. What do you need?”
“Just a moment of your time,” she told him.
Joseph raised a brow. “And do you intend to take that moment while standing by the door?”
