Catriona tried not to sigh. They’d been at this for some time now. Joseph was guiding her on all the influential families in London, and she was fast beginning to wonder if she could truly learn all of them. There were just so many.
Unaware of her inner conflict, he went on, pacing back and forth in his office with his arms folded behind him. “You may like Lord Macintyre. His family hails from Scotland. I believe he is participating in the London Season to find a wife.”
Catriona perked up. “Is he a good potential suitor?” she asked, immediately thinking of Ava.
“No,” Joseph answered instantly. “He is three times your age and has a terrible temper.”
“Then why would you assume that I would like him?”
“You have Scotland in common.”
“So?” she asked with a laugh.
He stopped, turning to face her. “You instantly seemed to like Henry when you two first met. Unlike with others…”
She opened her mouth to protest, but the way he mumbled that last bit gave her pause. She frowned. “Did it bother you that I got along so well with Mr. Macdonald?”
“Of course not.” He turned away.
Catriona stood, approaching from behind. “If I didn’t know any better, Joseph, I would think that you were jealous.”
She meant it as a jest, just to tease him. She certainly didn’t expect catch a hint of redness on his cheeks.”
“Enough,” he clipped in a tone that brooked no argument. “Let us continue with the lesson.”
She’d hoped to probe a bit more, to see if she had truly caught him blushing or if she’d just imagined it, but he moved on to another family and she resigned herself to listening instead.
Catriona hadn’t realized just how intricate the ton was, though she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. She’d spent the last three years indoors, preparing for the Season in smaller ways rather than integrating herself in society. It was nearly as overwhelming as it was exciting.
By the end of it, however, she was happy to be done with it. Having to be in the same room as Joseph when all she could think of was what it must feel like to have his lips pressed against hers again was torturous.
“Dorothea?” Catriona poked her head into Dorothea’s nursery and saw her sitting at the same small table. This time, however, she was not alone. Her governess was there, reading in the corner of the room.
Catriona slipped inside, her heart warming at the way Dorothea perked up at her presence. But she kept her attention on the governess. “I’m going to steal Dorothea away for a few hours,” she told her.
The governess frowned, looking uncertain. “Ah, I see. Is… His Grace aware?”
“You needn’t worry about him,” Catriona said dismissively. “I will have her back after luncheon.”
The governess rose, still looking unsure, but her title as duchess held far more sway than Catriona first thought because the other woman didn’t give another word of protest. She only nodded and said, “Yes, of course, Your Grace.”
Catriona smiled, turning her attention to Dorothea who was already standing eagerly on her feet. She held out her hand, and Dorothea rushed up to take it. She kept her question inside until they had left the nursery.
“Are we going to our secret?” Dorothea asked.
“Not today,” Catriona told her. “I had another thing in mind. Something I have been planning since yesterday.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re going for a picnic by the river,” Catriona informed her. “I already have everything prepared downstairs.”
“I’ve never been on a picnic before,” Dorothea squealed excitedly. “Will Daddy be coming with us?”
“Not today,” Catriona told her with far more optimism than she felt. “But hopefully next time we’ll be able to drag him away from his desk. What do you think?”
Dorothea nodded, looking serious all of a sudden. “Daddy works too much. That must have been why he got sick.”
“Yes, that’s what I think as well. So next time, we’ll ask him to come with us. But this time will just be you and I, all right?”
