Carlisle bowed. “My lady.”
“Allow me to introduce my son to you, Lady Katherine. This is His Grace, the Duke of Carlisle.” Katie thought this act was probably unnecessary in front of an aged butler, but she played along. She extended her hand as the duchess said,“Carlisle, this is Lady Katherine, only daughter of the Marquess of Shrewsbury.”
Carlisle had come forward and took her gloved hand by the fingers, bowing over that hand and kissing the back. At the touch of his lips, Katie felt a shiver go through her and heat radiate from somewhere low in her belly out to her limbs. Which was ridiculous, because she couldn’t actually feel his lips.
Katie worked to control her response and finally murmured, “Good day, Your Grace.”
“Good day, my lady. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I’ve heard so much about you.” Carlisle was a better actor than his mother, and Katie thought it wise to keep that in mind.
“That will be all for now, Ellsworth,” the duchess said, and the butler left, closing the doors behind him. She waited until she heard his footsteps receding. “Tea, my dear?” she asked Katie.
Katie looked at Carlisle. She had limited time and did not want to waste it taking tea. On the other hand, she could not exactly refuse a duchess. “Thank you—”
“But no,” Carlisle finished for her. “We have to ride into the village and ask after Gillett before Lady Katherine’s curfew.”
“Going into the village? Is that wise?”
Katie held up her hat with the attached veil. “I brought my veil,” she said.
The duchess blinked at her, then looked at her son. He shrugged.
“Your veil will hardly ensure you two aren’t seen together,” the duchess said, pouring tea. “In fact, I daresay it will make you more conspicuous.”
Katie felt her cheeks color. “I see. I thought—Erm, no matter. Should I stay behind?”
“I would say yes in any other situation, but given that your absence would mean Carlisle was in charge of the outing, I think you’d better go.”
The duke made a sound of annoyance. “I resent your implication, Mama.”
“What implication?” his mother demanded.
“That I cannot find a steward, or at least information on his whereabouts, in a small village.”
“Oh, I have no doubt you can find the stewardifhe is there andifyou are searching for him. But I fear you will walk into the inn, find a card game, and we won’t see you again for a sennight.”
“Ah. That implication,” Carlisle said.
“He wouldn’t do that,” Katie answered when Carlisle said no more. “He wants to find Gillett as much as I do.”
“Oh, he would do it and more,” the duchess said with a stern look at her son. “Which is why you must go, Lady Katherine, and keep him in line. No gambling. No wagering. Do not even allow him to touch a pair of dice or a deck of cards.”
Katie glanced at Carlisle, who rolled his eyes but didn’t object. She addressed the duchess again. “Very well, Your Grace, but what about people seeing us together and reporting back to my father?” That was her real concern.
The duchess nodded. “It’s a risk we’ll have to take. We have the advantage of your father not being known here. You are new to the area, and he has not spent any time here. Your family has no local friends or acquaintances. You are also known only by reputation. I don’t think anyone will rush to give him the news, and when he does hear of it, you can make an excuse.” She considered the veil Katie still held in her hand. “I think if you go without the veil, there is even less chance he will hear of it, as most people will not know who you are.”
All the warmth Katie had been feeling up to that point fled as an icy river flooded her veins. “You want me to go out in public without my veil?”
“Oh, my dear. You are as pale as a sheet. Henry!”
Carlisle was immediately at her side. He took Katie’s arm and led her to a chair. She waved a hand. “I am not about to faint. Really, I’m fine.”
The duchess leaned over her. “I obviously gave you a shock, but why should you be so concerned about going out without your veil? You’ve been to see many of the tenant farmers without it.”
“I know, but those are individual families. The main thoroughfare of a village might be crowded with people, and I”—she looked up at Carlisle, then away—“I don’t want people staring at me.”
“If anyone stares at you,” the duke said, “it will be because you’re a beautiful woman.”
The duchess smacked his shoulder. “Does that sort of thingusuallysucceed with women?” she asked. “What utter rubbish. People will look at her because of her birthmark. People always look when someone or something is different. Hold your head high, gel, and they’ll get used to it soon enough.”
