Page 47 of The Duke Who Claimed Her

“Your Grace,” he said with a short bow. “I am sorry to disturb you, but you have a visitor.”

“Oh.” She forced a smile and pushed down her disappointment. “Who is it?”

“Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, and Lady Ashcombe. Shall I send them in?”

“They are here to see me?” she asked with surprise.

“That is what they said, Your Grace.”

Arabella pushed her lips together in thought. She had met the Dowager a few times, and she liked the woman well enough. As Caspian’s cousin, Arabella knew how important he was to her; possibly, she was the only person to whom he might listen about anything. As for Lady Ashcombe? That was more of a surprise. Arabella had met the lady briefly the previous evening, but they spoke little and were practically strangers.

I wonder what they want…

“Yes, send them in,” Arabella said, knowing that she had no choice.

A moment later, the Dowager and Lady Ashcombe entered the room. The Dowager headed straight for Timothy, who tried to dodge around her, but she blocked him and hugged the child.

Lady Ashcombe was more reserved, but she made for Arabella and offered her a small curtsy. “We are sorry for the suddenness of this visit, Your Grace,” she said. “But Penelope was insistent that you would not mind.”

“Of course I was,” the Dowager said as she released Timothy. “I have not paid a visit since the wedding, which is too long in my estimation. Where is that husband of yours?”

“Oh…” Arabella resisted the urge to look away as if in shame. “I have not seen him this morning. Likely, he is in his study.”

“Of course he is,” the Dowager sighed. “He works far too hard when he ought to be spending time with his wife and nephew. Do not even think of running off—” She pointed a finger at Timothy, who was in the process of sneaking from the room.

His smile was wicked, and Arabella was certain that he would duck his head and sprint from the room. But the Dowager raised a warning eyebrow at the boy, and he skulked back toward her.

“I will speak to Caspian later,” the Dowager said with a firm nod. “For now… What is this?” She eyed the cards on the table. “Ah, yes, you said you enjoyed playing games.”

“Timothy certainly does,” Arabella chuckled.

“As do I. What do you say, Sybil?” The Dowager raised her eyebrow at her friend. “Are we keen for a game of whist, perhaps? Seeing as there are four of us. Timothy, be a dear and set the table. There is a good boy.”

Arabella was always impressed by how the Dowager took charge of the room. She did it so smoothly and with such confidence and assertiveness that Arabella could hardly believe it.

That is who I want to be…

That was why she needed to forget what had happened last evening with Caspian. For a moment, she had wanted to be under his control, as if that was something to covet. She could not let that happen again.

Within minutes, the four of them were seated around the table, playing a game of whist. It was a game that Arabella was rather good at, and she felt a sudden desire to win, as if she needed to prove something to both herself and the Dowager. Better still, Timothy was on her team, and he liked to win even more than she did.

However, as she should have expected, the Dowager was just as impressive at the game, and she commanded the table as she did every other aspect of her life.

“So, tell me, Your Grace, how goes the marriage so far?” the Dowager asked as she placed down a card to match the suit of the one that sat face-up on the table.

“Oh…” Arabella hesitated. “It is going well.”

“It looked as if it was,” the Dowager noted with a coy smile. “Last evening, you and Caspian appeared a perfect couple. I could scarcely believe it.”

“And how the two of you left,” Lady Ashcombe added with a smile that was knowing. She placed down her own card, flashing her eyes as she did. “Lord Carlisle was certainly put out.”

“As he should be,” the Dowager said sharply. “He overstepped, and Caspian was right to put the man in his place. Not that it was not a surprise, mind you. I cannot remember a time that Caspian would court controversy like that.”

“He…” Arabella’s throat was restricted. “He was merely doing his duty. It was not so surprising, truly.”

The Dowager eyed Arabella over her cards. “Yes, his duty. I am sure that is all it was.”

The woman was fishing for information. Or perhaps she was merely looking to confirm what she suspected to be true. Where she knew well the reason for Arabella and Caspian’s marriage, it looked as if she was starting to consider that something else had come of it.