章 5: Cornered in the Library

Dinner was largely a silent affair. I was seated in between my brothers and directly across from the duke. I could feel his stare boring into me.

What was that about? Is it just because Catherine is pretty? I hardly said two words to the guy.

Edmund kicked me under the table and I jumped. I turned towards him furiously since the countess was distracted and whispered. "What?!"

"You've been so quiet since I got here. You're no fun, Cathy."

"I prefer Katie these days," I said stiffly as I kicked him back.

He seemed surprised. "Really? Alright then. Katie it is. I suppose there are a lot of nicknames that can come from your name. All I've got is Ed or Eddie. You can't exactly call me Mund."

I was totally going to start calling him Mund. "I think Mund suits you."

"Aww, don't be like that, Katie!"

"Edmund! Catherine! Please behave yourself at the table!" the countess scolded, sounding completely scandalized. "Please forgive them, Your Grace."

The duke's bland expression shifted slightly.

"I do not mind, Lady du Pont. It was quite entertaining. I have no siblings so it is interesting to see how they interact. I have heard much from Edmund about Lady Catherine. She appears quite spirited."

The countess sniffed. "A bit too spirited at times, Your Grace."

Wow. Thanks, Mom. And after all I've done to emulate you since coming here.

"I apologize for my misconduct, Your Grace. I was merely scolding my brother for his behavior."

"Traitor," Edmund muttered.

I hid my grin. I could see why he and the original Catherine got on so well. He's kind of funny.

I returned quietly to my soup but the duke resumed staring at me. How was I supposed to eat like this?! It's like he has laser vision or something!

Was our one minute of conversation that interesting to him? Edmund started it, not me! Stare at him!

At the end of the dinner the men went off to talk business so the ladies were dismissed. I stuck my tongue out at Edmund when I thought no one else was looking but of course the duke saw. Just my luck.

One of the most powerful men in the kingdom and I'd embarrassed myself in front of him three times in one day. I didn't want him to take notice of me.

Although the men here typically didn't marry until their twenties he'd been a duke long enough that no one would question him for marrying once he was done with school. I needed to get off this guy's radar. I did not want to get involved with anyone who was a named character in this novel. My peaceful life in the country was perfectly fine, thank you.

The next few days of the duke's visit were tense. I only had to see him at mealtimes and afternoon tea at first (since the countess forbade me from joining the men riding while the duke was here).

Without being able to ride I was incredibly bored. Adele had etiquette lessons. Percival and Edmund spent their time going about the estate with the earl and the duke. And I found the perfect time to sneak off to the library instead of practicing embroidery because I had a finished one ready to whip out as evidence if needed that I'd made on a rainy day weeks ago without anyone's knowledge.

While I had a basic understanding of this world I still wanted to know more in case the need ever arose. As a habitual bookworm I was a fast reader but this library was enormous. I might never finish them all.

I curled up in my favorite armchair by the window, looking rather unladylike, and picked up where I left off on a book about foreign policy.

I majored in political science because it was one of the shortest programs at my university and I wanted to be done with school quickly since I was so sick all the time.

Because it was so short most of my classmates double majored in business, psychology, or history but I preferred having empty credits to fill in order to meet the graduation requirement.

I took classes from nearly every department on campus as electives. I'd always been more inclined towards being a jack-of-all-trades than a specialist anyway.

"Is that a novel?" a semi-familiar voice sounded from the doorway.

I looked up and my mouth dropped open in surprise. It was the duke.

"Your Grace! No, it's not…uh, what brings you to the library?"

Gothic novels were rather popular among noble ladies right now. That or poetry. It was a reasonable assumption for him to make but my blood still boiled.

Look buddy, I've read books on almost every topic under the sun in addition to novels and comics, okay? I'm probably more well-read than YOU.

He looked around with his hands behind his back, his posture ramrod straight. "We only briefly passed by this room on the tour the other day. I wanted to get a better look at it."

"My father has quite the collection," I managed to say.

Geez, where were my brothers when you needed them? How had this guy managed to get past Edmund?!

"What are you reading?"

I had been asked this question so many times back home that I instinctively held up the cover of the book I was reading so he could see for himself. This method usually got people off my back when I was reading in public so I could continue in peace.

The duke raised an eyebrow at me and I realized my mistake. This wasn't home! And I had just snubbed the highest level of nobility below the royal family!

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