Of course not. He simply valued his cat.
And besides, he is a duke, she reminded herself. Such an arrogant outlook on life was to be expected. He’d been taught his cool demeanor since birth.It’s how dukes are raised.
And unlike his cat, he more than tolerated her. He esteemed and appreciatedher. He’d said so, hadn’t he?
Tabetha gave up on her attempts at conversation—for now. Firstly, because he hadn’t seemed to appreciate them. Secondly, because she wasn’t all that versed on card games or politics, and thirdly, because his responses were less than reassuring.
Likely, it was nerves.
Thanks to Stone Spencer for planting his blasted seeds of doubt, she had a few nerves of her own.
She shivered and directed her attention out the window again. Although her family was going to be miffed that she’d eloped, her mother would be ecstatic to have a duchess for a daughter.
Her Grace.
TheDuchessof Culpepper.
Her mind drifted back several years, to just before her fifth birthday. After waking from a terrifying nightmare about a wild boar attacking her in the fields, she’d sat shivering in her bed, trying to shake the images of his filthy sharp teeth sinking into her, when the door opened and her father had entered, illuminating the nursery with the soft light of the single taper he’d brought with him.
“Was it that nasty boar again, Poppet?” He’d been wearing a heavy dressing gown over his nightshirt and soft leather slippers on his feet. He’d smelled of bergamot and cinnamon. Sometimes, when she was at home, at Westerley Crossings, she’d open one of his old trunks and breathe in that smell, and if she concentrated very hard, she could almost imagine he was there with her.
She didn’t open it up often though, fearful that his scent would escape and one day, it wouldn’t be there at all. It would be gone forever. If she concentrated very hard, she could summon the memory without it.
He’d lifted her off the bed and carried her over to their favorite chair in the nursery. It had been a rocking chair, mostly for babies. It was one of the last times he’d ever sat and rocked her like that.
“I’ll never let anything hurt my princess,” he’d said, stroking her hair. He’d felt warm and strong and safe.
“I’m not a princess, Daddy.” It had been a joke between them.
“Then you’ll be my little duchess,” he’d said. “The prettiest duchess in all of England.”
“Do boars chase duchesses?”
“Not my duchess,” he’d answered.
“Do I have to marry a duke when I grow up?” At such a very young age, she’d already grasped the concept of her duty as a daughter.
He’d chuckled, his chest vibrating beneath her cheek. “I imagine so, Poppet.”
She’d buried her head in his neck, not wanting to think about ever leaving her father. Not wanting to think about her dream.
“I won’t let anything hurt my little duchess.”
The memory grew dim, then, and she realized she had probably fallen asleep in his arms.
The carriage hit a bump, and Tabetha grasped the leather strap over the window. This vehicle wasn’t as well-sprung as her brother’s, which was somewhat surprising, since Culpepper was a duke and her brother only an earl. Tabetha’s heart fluttered nervously.
He was going to have to meet with Westerley eventually, in order to collect her dowry. Perhaps afterward, they would purchase a newer model.
She wondered what Bowcliff Heights was like. She could decorate it to her liking. She would make it into a home, her home, a safe place where they would raise their little ducal children.
“Sexual compatibility is something all young women ought to consider before consenting to marry—even grasping little chits like you.”If she ever saw Stone Spencer again, she was going to try much harder to land her punch so that she could actually slam her fist into that impertinent mouth of his.
“Because mark my words—you will be expected to lie with him. He’s not only going to require an heir but a spare as well.”
Having him in her head was almost worse than having him trailing her around all of Mayfair.
And Culpepper had kissed her. Twice! In all honesty, fireworks hadn’t exploded in her mind, but the kisses hadn’t been repulsive.
