“No!” Adelaide’s eyes went wide. “There is a big difference between being annoyed at him for being so unexpectedly cruel and hating him. In truth, he is a good man. He is very intelligent—he can match wits with anyone. Not just clever, you understand, which he is, but truly intelligent.”
Katherine shifted. She had never liked a stupid man. Gregory had been rather…stupid.
“And he can be incredibly kind, supportive, loving. I have watched him be so gentle with a friend when they are in need. He tries to pretend it away when he is caught, but there is a core of goodness to him. And yet…as the rest of the dukes marry, I think he feels increasingly isolated. He is the wild one of the bunch. The others joined him on his adventures in the past, tempered his worst impulses, perhaps. And now…well, he is in transition and it’s obviously not the best for him. But no one in our circle hates him. And I hope you will not either, despite his awful bet.”
Katherine had been silent, staring at Adelaide as she recited this warm and loving description of a man Katherine had hated for three long years. To hear him spoken of in such tones softened her a fraction, and she pulled herself up straight as she recalled his cruelty to her, not just in his wager, but in the interactions they’d shared so long ago.
She could not afford to do anything but hate him. And there was no way to say that to Adelaide or anyone else.
So she shrugged. “Well, I will call for help if I need it, thank you. Now, when is your husband expected?”
Just as she’d hoped, the change in subject lit up Adelaide. “Tonight,” she said. “Though I’m not certain when. He may be here before the ball, but it might not be until after it begins.”
“You must miss him,” Katherine said, unable to be anything but happy for her friend at how deeply she loved her spouse.
“I do,” Adelaide admitted. “Desperately, deeply. It is the longest we’ve been apart since our marriage, and I do…” She blushed a little. “Long for him. And the time, it goes so slowly.”
“Well, perhaps I can help with that,” Katherine suggested. “My aunt told me that Abernathe’s property is one of the loveliest in all the country.”
Adelaide nodded with enthusiasm. “It is. I see where you are going. Would you like to stretch your legs and have a turn about the garden to pass the time?”
“You read my mind,” Katherine said with a smile.
Adelaide grabbed for her hand and squeezed before she rushed off to arrange for their bonnets to be brought. In that moment when she was alone, Katherine took a final sip of the scotch that had been meant to bolster her courage. With Roseford swaggering around this place, bent on seduction, she would need it now. More than ever.
Chapter Seven
Robert had to give Katherine her credit. She was adept at avoiding him. Here they were, eight hours after the full party had arrived at Abernathe, and she had neither spoken to him nor gotten near him. Despite a supper and now a ball, she was separate from him.
Except for looking at him.Thatshe did. He’d caught her several times during the night, those dark eyes held on him with an unreadable expression.
It was disconcerting, really. This entire situation was. He’d come here to take a break from the woman. To do as his friends required and avoid her for a while. Avoid his wishes, his desires, which had nothing to do with some wager. In truth, he just wanted the woman. Once he had her, he was certain that desire would fade. It always had with other ladies. In fact, he hadn’t been sure that ten days away from her company wouldn’t kill the desire all on its own.
But here she was. Temptation in a pink dress that clung to her curves and accentuated her long, slender neck. She was a complication to his plans. He didn’t like complications.
He turned away from her, focusing instead on the drink he pulled from a servant’s tray as the man walked by. It was not strong enough by half. “Ridiculous.”
He faced the dancefloor once more and jumped. Somehow, as his attention was elsewhere, Katherine had crossed the room to him and was now standing at his side, eyes straight ahead and focused anywhere but on him. He caught a whiff of that cinnamon scent of hers and his body reacted of its own accord to her presence.
“Your Grace, we must discuss our situation,” she said, her tone very calm and careful.
“Must we?” he asked, unable to keep himself from laughing at this unexpected confrontation.
“Yes.” Her tone was sharp and silenced his chuckle as she glared at him from the corner of her eye. “You told me today that you were brought here in order to be separated from me. So please don’t sport with my intelligence by pretending that we do not havesomethingto discuss.”
He inclined his head in an attempt to acknowledge and apologize. She was clearly upset despite her tranquil tone. “I would certainly never sport with your intelligence, my lady,” he said, then winked at her. “Other things, perhaps. But not your intelligence.”
She faced him full on now and put her hands on her hips. That drew his attention to them, of course. Made him think about replacing her fingers with his, digging those fingers into her skin as he pulled her flush against him.
“You should not say such things to me,” she said, her skin suddenly rosy red with emotion. “You forget yourself.”
He arched a brow. “Is it I who forgets myself, or you?”
She shook her head. “What does that mean?”
“Of course there is a situation between us, Katherine,” he said. “I don’t deny it. But it may not be the one you think it is.”
She lifted both eyebrows and her lips pursed in displeasure. “Do enlighten me, oh great Duke of Roseford who knows so much.”
