One wrong move and everything could go wrong. While his title and standing did provide an umbrella for her to operate underneath, Catherine was worried that if she did not play the correct part, the path her mother might walk back to her old life would become muddied or impossible to cross entirely.
If not for their future, then what was the point of attempting all of this in the first place?
With Catherine’s arm in his own, they walked at a casual, slow pace around the picturesque grounds. The facade of merriment was truly impressive. Though, he liked that the duke had apparently found other occupation for himself today and had not yet been seen. Lady Harrington had not yet made whatever grand move would prove to be up her sleeve, and he was ready for it—whatever it would be.
She stood next to one of the gentlemen who was showing off his archery prowess. Every time he would make an approximation of a target, she would bounce up and down, clapping her hands like a child before loudly praising the tall man. Others on the lawns enjoyed baskets with biscuits, tarts, and tea for them to enjoy, or they could lounge while watching the rather spirited game of pall-mall.
“I do not suppose that you should like to join in any of the games?” Richard asked politely.
“There is not a single person here that I have the desire to speak with.”
“But you shall have to pick one.”
“I just keep thinking about how if only Lady Elizabeth were here, she would make things far more entertaining with her commentary on everyone’s dresses or whom she thought was doing what with the others.” Catherine sighed. “I miss her so. I miss my mother…she would like being here far better than I do.”
“Have you heard word from her?”
“Yes. She wrote of nothing but news of the vicar, actually. Elizabeth’s father?” Catherine added by way of explanation. “If I am not mistaken, I would think that she might actually be smitten with the man for how highly she prattles on and on…three pages of prattling, to be exact.”
“Is she still expressing a desire to come to visit?”
“Yes. Of course, she is…but I cannot bear it. I cannot tolerate the idea of her seeing me in the same house as the duke…nor allowing that horrible man to even speak to my mother. I have refused her requests to come and visit over and over again. I cannot deny her forever when she is all alone in that cottage…if we cannot find an opening soon, then I shall have no choice but to go and visit with her,” Catherine said with a heavy sigh.
While he did not love the idea of her being so far away from him, in her condition, it might be best to get away from stress for even just a little while.
Richard smiled and patted her hand. “Well, then, perhaps for the sake of your mother, you might attempt to make casual conversation. At this junction of our plan, we really cannot have too many allies.”
The more people that were on their side instead of their hostess’s, the better.
Catherine sighed again, and for a moment, he thought that she was going to go so far as to stomp her foot. “I do not think that I am ever going to care for you being right.”
Richard answered her with a smirk and a kiss on her forehead before she pulled away from him with a long-suffering sigh and headed toward the nearest grouping of women sitting on their lawn blanket. Tea was served, and they appeared to be happily indulging in slices of peaches and pears with honey.
He watched with no small amount of amusement as she invited herself to join them, and the women there all started to fawn and scramble to make room for the esteemed guest of honor.
Richard had hardly started to guess as to what they were saying before a shadow formed over his shoulder.
“I do not think that any amount of pretending that your marriage is real is going to convince me, boy. You do know that I am not so easily fooled?” the duke said arrogantly, a haughty air of smugness wrapped around him as he sipped from his red wine.
“I think that you are a great many things, Father, and fool is just one among many of the words that I would like to use.” Richard sighed and started to walk away from the duke, but the man simply followed him in order to continue their conversation.
“Just as we both also know that you must give truth where credit is due. Do not think that I do not see the games and schemes that you are so clumsily enacting. I see through them all.”
When he was a boy, those sorts of baiting comments used to get him into all sorts of trouble by forcing confessions from his lips prematurely. They were nothing more than fishing, hoping for information. It was a lesson he had most certainly learned the hard way.
“Besides, if one of us was to be considered a fool, it would be you for missing out on the golden opportunity that I had lined up for you! Ungrateful sod of a son you turned out to be,” the duke sneered.
“If you have only come over here to insult me, you are wasting your breath. I do not value your opinion, and thus, your words have no weight here.” Richard sighed and attempted once more to walk away.
“You could have more thantripledyour inheritance, boy. If only you had been wise enough to marry Lady Harrington. Do you not see the expanse of property that you presently stand upon?” the duke continued.
“Ah.” Richard laughed humorlessly. “Is that what this was actually about? You wished to survey her properties and land so that you might appraise it? Let me guess, the moment that I was to marry Lady Harrington, you would have confiscated her lands and begun chopping them up into pieces to sell off to the highest bidder, would you not?”
It made perfect sense.
“She would have been a smart match for you. A far more suitable match than the societal reject that you chose to hitch yourself to instead,” the duke replied with disdain.
Richard rounded on him, fury in his eyes. “You just cannot get over the fact that I won, can you? A marriage that you cannot touch or annul, a contract that cannot be voided by your lies and connections because we have something that you willneverunderstand.”
