“The Duke of Newcastle?” Louisa had paused, staring at Catherine with wide eyes.
“You know him?”
“I know of him. I’ve seen him from a distance.” Louisa smiled. It was almost dreamy. “He’s known to be a very eligible bachelor. His mother, the dowager duchess, has been attempting to get him a wife since he became the duke three years ago.”
“And he’s still unmarried.”
“He is.” Louisa shrugged. “Women vie for his attention, but he barely gives them any heed. It’s almost as if he doesn’t know they are there.”
“Perhaps he’s not interested in having a wife right now. He is young, I take it.”
“Six-and-twenty, last time I heard.” Louisa sighed, clasping her hands to her chest. “Which is a shame. He is such a fine-looking man.”
Catherine burst out laughing. “Anyone would think you want his attention as well.”
“I wouldn’t object if a duke paid me any attention. But we’re not of the same station. It would never happen.”
Sadly, Louisa was right. Despite how much admiration the Patrick family drew, they were still singers. Not on the same social status as dukes and duchesses. They weren’t going to get anywhere talking about how handsome a duke was or was not.
Catherine stood and stretched. “Could you help me get out of this? And would you like to play the music for tomorrow night? We can go through the usual songs.”
“Of course.” Louisa beamed as she started undoing the laces on the back of the dress. “I’d be delighted.”
“Thank you.” Catherine smiled at her sister in the mirror. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Louisa.”
Louisa laughed. “Yes, you do. You would be fine without me.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Well, we’ll agree to disagree on that.”
Catherine was too tired to argue more on that.
***
“Your Grace?”
Christopher Cunliffe, Duke of Newcastle, looked up from his book. His valet was standing in the doorway to his master’s study, watching him with a vague bemusement. “What is it, Roberts?”
“The guests have been asking where you are.”
Newcastle sighed. As soon as dinner had finished, he had left the dining room as quickly as he could, ducking into his study and selecting a book to read. It was preferable than dealing with a crowd of young, immature women who thought they were going to become the next Duchess of Newcastle.
Not if Newcastle himself had anything to do with it. If he had known about this dinner party any earlier, it would never have happened. But his mother, the dowager duchess, was incredibly sly. She had managed to set up the party in his house without his knowledge.
The woman was insufferable.
Chapter 2
Dodging Potential Brides
Frank Roberts closed the door behind him and headed towards his master, the fireplace burning brightly in the hearth beside Newcastle. The heat was most welcoming with the weather outside getting worse. “That was a loud dinner party,” Roberts commented.
Newcastle grunted. His ears were still ringing. “Loud is an understatement. And overcrowded.”
“What do you mean, Your Grace?”
“Come on, Roberts, you’re not blind. Didn’t you notice that the majority of the guests in there were women? And they were unmarried, the rest of the guests being their chaperones.”
Newcastle had thought it would be bad, but his mother might have invited a few male guests over, so he would have someone to talk to. But that wasn’t the case. Now he was beginning to wish he had called it all off the moment he heard about it instead of negotiating with his mother. All through dinner, Lady Georgia Cunliffe’s face had gone from varying degrees of smug to annoyance and back to smug. Everything was going her way.
Newcastle hated when that happened.
“I did see, Your Grace,” Roberts said solemnly. “I realised that as soon as I overheard Lady Clarice Kyle telling her aunt that she would have you in the palm of her hand by the end of the night.”
“Really?” Newcastle shuddered. “I hope God strikes me down before that happens.”
“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”
“You know what Lady Clarice is like. She’s the only one out of her sisters that is unmarried, and she’s the most undesirable. Rude, arrogant, and loud.”
Roberts chuckled. “Well, would you rather be married to a mouse? Because that is not you at all.”
“Arrogant and loud isn’t what I want in a wife, either. There is always a nice balance between the two, and I want a woman who can balance both perfectly.” Newcastle tossed his book aside with a heavy sigh. “Is that too much to ask?”
Even though marriage wasn’t really on his mind right now, Newcastle knew what he wanted in a wife. If it made him sound particular in his ideals, so be it. Newcastle was firm in that. His mother wanted him married as soon as possible, despite Newcastle telling her on numerous occasions that he would find a wife in his own time.
Roberts snorted. “I’d be surprised if you can find the woman of your dreams in amongst your guests tonight.”
“No, not a chance.” Newcastle made a face. “If I found a woman my mother had practically pushed towards me, she wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.”
“It’s going to hurt if you do find the woman you want to marry like that.”
Newcastle gave a sharp laugh. “With the girls Mother has in mind, I highly doubt it.” Then he winced when he heard another shout that he recognised coming from another part of the house. “Oh dear. Sounds like she’s bellowing again.”
“Well, you’d better go into the drawing room, Your Grace,” Roberts reminded him. “Don’t forget that Miss Patrick is going to be performing anytime soon. You said you didn’t want to miss that.”
That did have Newcastle smiling. Catherine Patrick. She was the most sought-after singer in London. A beautiful voice and a majestic presence on stage, Catherine had captivated him the first moment Newcastle had seen her the previous month. And that smile of hers… It was like it was just for him, even if Catherine never looked at him.
That had been Newcastle’s only stipulation. Lady Georgia could have the dinner party, but he was choosing the entertainment. And he had chosen Catherine Patrick. It would certainly lighten the evening.
“I certainly don’t want to miss that.” Newcastle put his book aside and stood. “She’s going to be the highlight of the evening.”
“The dowager duchess has been moaning about it,” Roberts commented. “She’s not happy about the singer being here.”
“It’s not her choice, is it? And I want to hear Miss Patrick sing outside of the opera house.”
“So does everyone else in Society. She’s such a popular lady.” Roberts smiled. “And very refined. She’s eloquent and very sweet.”
“You what?” Newcastle stared at him. “You’ve spoken to her?”
“When she and her sister, Miss Louisa, arrived earlier. I helped them get their things into the drawing room and showed them where they could change. Very lovely young ladies.”
Why did that made Newcastle’s stomach tie up into knots? Roberts was a personable young man who could make friends with nobility and the common public, so it wasn’t a surprise that he would be able to charm two young women. But Newcastle didn’t like that idea.
That didn’t feel right at all. Newcastle shoved away his thoughts as they strayed and led the way to the door. “Then let’s see if they can lighten the evening.”
It couldn’t be any worse than sitting through conversation that was meaningless and ridiculous. Newcastle knew, as a duke, he needed to be in Society to show his face, but that didn’t mean he had to listen to the tripe that was talked about. Politics wasn’t really his strong point, fashion wasn’t interesting, and gossip made Newcastle cringe. He wanted more meaningful conversations.
There were days when he wished he didn’t have a title. How his father,
who had been similar to him in temperament, had managed to cope, Newcastle had no idea.
They crossed the foyer towards the drawing room. In the hallway outside, a short, round woman came charging out with a swishing of skirts. Her face was as red as her dress, her eyes bulging. Newcastle had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing at the sight.
Lady Georgia Cunliffe saw her son and hissed at him. “Where have you been?”
“I went to have my after-dinner drink.” Newcastle barely batted an eyelid. “I’m the only male in the party, practically.”
“You abandoned your guests,” Lady Georgia accused.
“I abandoned no one. It was your party.” Newcastle folded his arms. “Don’t forget I can throw you out onto the streets, as well.”
Lady Georgia’s face went even redder. She looked like she was going to faint. “How dare you?” she hissed.
“You don’t live here, do you? Don’t tempt me to eject you now, Mother. That won’t look good, will it?”
Lady Georgia looked like she was about to explode. But then someone called her name from inside the drawing room, and that look disappeared. Lady Georgia had got the ability to school her expression into a perfect mask down to a fine art. She was perfect at it. Giving her son a glassy smile, Lady Georgia turned and swept back into the room.
Roberts raised his eyebrows at his master. “Should you be saying things like that to her, Your Grace?”
“If she’s going to be angry at me for an evening she organised, she can’t expect me to be nice.”
Newcastle then saw two women at the end of the corridor, about to go through the other door into the drawing room. Bradley, the butler, was with them and they were deep in conversation. Both women were smiling, dressed simply in dark green gowns, their hair perfectly coifed. Newcastle recognised Louisa Patrick, slim and dainty with jet-black hair. She was a pretty young woman who had a talent for the pianoforte, harpsichord, and harp.
But it was Catherine herself who drew Newcastle’s eye. Taller than her sister and blonde, she had a certain poise about her that Newcastle saw whenever a debutante was gracing the ballroom. And that smile, even directed elsewhere, was enough for Newcastle to feel like someone had punched him in the gut.
Catherine Patrick was beautiful, no doubt about it.
The evening was looking up now.
***
It was a little strange going into a room where the only men present were the footmen going around the room with trays of drinks, but Catherine focused on following Mr Bradley to where the piano was set up, Louisa close beside her. The loud female voices now died down, and they were all watching the newcomers. Catherine could feel the hostility building, especially from one woman with greying black hair standing by the other door.
Maybe accepting to sing at this event hadn’t been such a good idea after all. Catherine felt like she was about to be lynched. Nevertheless, she managed to get to the piano and waited as Louisa settled herself down at it. Then Catherine was aware of someone else watching her. A tingle went down her spine, and she could feel her cheeks getting warm. Looking up, Catherine scanned the room.
Her eyes landed on the two men at the far end of the room. She saw that one was Roberts, the young valet who had been very kind to her when they first arrived. The other was, clearly, the duke. Catherine had never seen him in person, but Louisa’s stories were confirmed.
He was a fine-looking man.
Chapter 3
Captured
He was handsome. Tall, slim with black hair cut close to his head. His face was slightly angular with high cheekbones. He was wearing a dark blue that looked cut to the perfect line on his frame. And he was looking right at her.
Catherine could feel her heart beginning to race. That man’s stare was intense. But she couldn’t bring it to distract her. That wouldn’t do. She managed to drag her eyes away and looked towards her sister. Louisa caught her eye and nodded, showing that she was ready.
This could either go really well, or Catherine would be chased out of here.
They began their set pieces. As Catherine sang, she was aware that the hostility in the room was beginning to fade. Suspicion turned to wonder and fascination, everyone’s attention focused on her. The only one who didn’t relax was the plump woman in the red dress. Her lips were pursed, making her look like she was about to have a tantrum.
And the duke… His eyes never left her face. Catherine tried not to look at him as she sang, knowing that if she did, she would falter. She concentrated, her mind going blank a few times, but Louisa managed to cover for her with her fingers flying over the piano keys. If her sister hadn’t been there, Catherine knew this would have come off worse.
When she finally finished, the room erupted into applause. There were squeals of delight from some girls. Even the servants watching were smiling. Roberts was beaming, sending Catherine a wink across the room. Catherine blushed at the brazen gesture.
Then Louisa was jumping up and clutching Catherine’s hand. “Look, the duke is coming up!”
“What?”
Then Catherine saw that Newcastle was crossing the room, the rest of the guests seeming to part like the Red Sea for Moses. His eyes never left her as he walked towards her, coming to stand in front of her. Catherine didn’t often look up to men much – at the ungainly height of five-nine, she was almost on their eye-level – but she had to crane her neck to look up at Newcastle. Her heart jumped and seemed to stumble as Newcastle smiled at her. That smile made his bright blue eyes sparkle.
Then she remembered her manners and dropped into a curtsy, lowering her head so she stared at the floor. “Your Grace. Thank you for allowing me to sing at your home. It was a pleasure.”
Fingers brushed against her jaw and Catherine started up. Newcastle was looking at her with a softened look that made Catherine’s knees feel weak. His smile widened, his fingers falling against her cheek.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Newcastle indicated one of his footmen to join them. “Please, Miss Patrick, have some refreshments.”
He wanted her to stay with the guests? Catherine saw some smiles of the female guests begin to fade. “I cannot…” she began, but Newcastle held up a hand, silencing her protests.
“I insist.”
Catherine knew she shouldn’t turn him down. That would be considered rude. But she had a feeling her presence wouldn’t be welcome. She took a deep breath and nodded. “All right, Your Grace. As long as my sister stays as well.”
“Of course.” Newcastle turned his smile to Louisa, who let out a little giggle. “Miss Louisa.”
“Your Grace,” Louisa simpered, dropping into a curtsy with her face going bright red.
Catherine took the glass offered to her, watching as Louisa took a glass for herself and launched into a conversation with Newcastle. Within moments, she had taken charge and seemed very eager to have the duke’s attention. Newcastle didn’t seem to be in any rush to leave, but he did keep glancing over at Catherine. The light in his eyes was there whenever he looked at Catherine, but it faded somewhat when he turned back to Louisa. It was subtle, but Catherine could see it.
“Very well done, Miss Patrick.”
Catherine turned. Roberts had moved to stand beside the piano, bowing to her. Relieved to have a distraction, Catherine joined him. “Thank you, Roberts.” She couldn’t help but glance over at Newcastle. “Is your master always like that?”
“Like what?”
“Asking the entertainment to stay for refreshments in his presence?”
Roberts grinned. “Would you be surprised if I say no?”
“I would be.”
“Well, you’re the first one.” Roberts indicated Louisa, who seemed to have a lot more enthusiasm now that she had the handsome nobleman’s attention. “Your sister seems to be very taken with him.”
“I’m not surprised.” Catherine realised what she had said and swallowed, grimacing as her throat tightened painfully. “Besides, conversation m
ight be a little difficult for me. My throat hurts.”
Roberts chuckled. “I can imagine.” Then he straightened up, his smile fading. “Just be careful.”
“Why?”
“Because the dowager duchess is coming this way, and she doesn’t look happy.”
Catherine looked around. The ample woman who had been glowering at her the whole performance was stomping towards her, skirts swishing about her. Several of the guests seemed to realise the woman was angry and kept away from her.
Roberts bowed and moved away. Catherine wished she could follow him and disappear into the crowd. But now Lady Georgia Cunliffe had her cornered. Catherine put the glass on top of the piano and smoothed down her skirts, squaring her shoulders. This was going to be a conversation that wasn’t going to go well.
“Are you always that friendly with servants?” Lady Georgia demanded, no greeting at all.
Catherine curtsied briefly. “Roberts was very kind to me earlier.”
“Is that what it’s called today?”
Catherine decided to ignore that. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Newcastle still talking to Louisa. But the rest of the guests had milled around them, blocking her and Lady Georgia off from the duke’s sight. Maybe that had been the dowager duchess’s intention all along. “Did you enjoy the evening, Your Grace?”
Lady Georgia sniffed. “It was going as well as could be expected,” she said stiffly. “But you need to leave, immediately.”
That Catherine hadn’t been expecting. She stared at the older woman. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace?”
“My son, the duke, is having a dinner party. One that you weren’t invited to.”
“He insisted that I stay.”
Lady Georgia gave an unladylike snort. “Well, he shouldn’t have done that. And I saw the way he looked at you. He finds you attractive.”
Catherine could feel the blush starting. Newcastle found her attractive? She swallowed, grimacing as her sore throat complained, and let out a slow breath. “Most men in Society find me attractive, Your Grace. I do have plenty of admirers. But it doesn’t mean anything beyond that. I know my place in life.”
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