“I do wish one had been planned,” Miss Catherine said wistfully. “I don’t know what we’re going to do with this time.”
“I’m sure we can find something to pass the time. I have a painting I wouldn’t mind getting your opinion on.”
“I don’t knowanythingabout paintings,” Miss Catherine said with a tone of such happy innocence that Allan was sure must be the truth. “I wouldn’t know where to begin, I’m afraid.”
“Well, that’s all right. I’m happy to help you learn about art since we’ve been given this time together.”
Miss Catherine shrugged. “I’m not interested,” she said frankly. “I don’t know anything about art, and I don’t care to.”
“What about books?” He recalled choosing the texts he had for Edwina. Perhaps he and Miss Catherine would be able to connect over something like that.”
“Books hardly seem a proper interest for a young lady,” Miss Catherine said. “I don’t believe any gentleman truly wishes for a young lady who reads—surely you can’t mean to suggest otherwise.”
“There are plenty of ladies who read,” Allan argued.
“Perhaps, but in my opinion, they all have something wrong with them.”
“Something wrong with them?”
“Perhaps they aren’t lovely to look at,” Miss Catherine suggested. “Or they lack social graces, or…” She trailed off.
“Or what? What more were you about to say?”
“Forgive me, Your Grace, it’s just that…I know you’ve been spending time with the unattainable spinster as of late.”
“I think everyone knows that,” Allan said. “I haven’t made a secret of it.”
“Of course. I only bring it up becausesheis the sort of lady I can imagine being very interested in books. Perhaps you’ve come to expect that all ladies are going to be the same as she is.”
“I haven’t come to expect anything at all. I also don’t welcome conversation about Lady Edwina,” he added. “I don’t appreciate speculation about her.”
“I don’t suppose—might I ask you a question?”
Allan had the feeling he wasn’t going to like the question very much. “Ask, if you must,” he said.
“I wondered whether you intend to marry her.”
“I don’t have any intention of marrying anyone at all at the moment,” Allan said.
“Oh,” Miss Catherine replied. “My mother seemed to think that it was your intention to marry this season, Your Grace.”
“Your mother was mistaken. I have not declared any intentions at all,” he said. “When I meet the right young lady, the perfect one to be my duchess, I shall entertain thoughts of marriage. But not until.”
Miss Catherine nodded. “I’m not dissuaded,” she told him. “I believe I may be the young lady you seek, Your Grace.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope,” he warned. “I don’t want to disappoint you, Miss Catherine, but I don’t want to mislead you either.”
“We hardly know one another,” she pointed out. “You may find that I am what you’re looking for, and you simply don’t realize it yet.”
In fact, Allan was confident. This short conversation had been enough to assure him that he had no further interest in Miss Catherine. She seemed almost unbearably shallow when compared with Lady Edwina—though, of course, he shouldn’t be comparing anyone with Lady Edwina since he couldn’t have her.
And there was still the problem of the fact that he would have to spend the next three days in Miss Catherine’s company. He didn’t want that time to be made unbearable, so he wouldn’t tell her what he truly thought of her. There was no need.
Hewasresolved, though, to avoid her company as much as he possibly could, and his frustration with his grandmother for putting them in this situation mounted. He would make sure she understood that this was unacceptable—that she must neveragain invite anyone to the house without his express permission. If he allowed this to go by without making that abundantly clear, he could see what it would lead to—a parade of young ladies traipsing through the house, someone new every weekend with an eager mother on her arm. He must make it clear to his grandmother that he would marry whenhefound the right young lady and that there was nothing she could do or say to hasten that process along.
For now, he would do his best to be polite and accommodating. He was not interested in Miss Catherine, but she’d done nothing wrong. There was no reason to be discourteous.
But he found, to his own shock and confusion, that being around her only made him miss Lady Edwina more than ever.
