Page 77 of Kathryn

“What if I wish to spend my summers at Briarly?”

“That would not be wise.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.”

“You mean it will inconvenience you to have your wife in the same place where you keep your mistress?”

His face, which had worn a faintly perplexed expression, hardened at her words. “I mean that you and I can never be in each other’s company for ten minutes without arguing.”

So, no denial about his mistress, then.

Fuming, now, she glared at him. “Never?” she repeated scoffingly. “We have been married exactly a week and this is only the second or third time we have actually been alone together.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Other than that,” she hissed. How dare he allude to their time in bed! Especially now that she knew he kept a mistress on hand. Just when did he have time to service poor Anna Wilson. Not that three children didn’t speak of a great deal of servicing going on at some point.

Katie thrust the vile thought from her head and said, “We are having a discussion right now, not an argument.”

“We are disagreeing, as we always do,” he said firmly. “We are also off the point.”

“I’m sorry, what was the point, pray?”

“Your question about living at Briarly.”

“Ah yes,” she snapped. “And me living at Briarly is not permissible, I take it.”

Dulverton gave a pained sigh. “When my visits to your chambers are no longer necessary then why on earth would we live in the same house and expose ourselves to such disharmony if there is no reason?” He looked genuinely perplexed.

His words were worse than a slap. Actually, they were like a slap, a kick, and being spat upon. “No reason? We are married.” Only after the words left her mouth did she realize she was shouting. Not only that, but her claim was hardly compelling. After all, her parents were married and lived in different countries to avoid each other. Plenty of married people lived separate lives.

And you agreed to exactly that.

That was true; she had. All Dulverton wanted was her womb. Yet here Katie was, begging to live in the same house with him. She was pathetic.

His eyebrows had descended, and he was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. “Yes, we are married. But what does—”

“Never mind. I misspoke. You are correct.”

He hesitated only a fraction of a second before nodding, accepting her admission with a calm arrogance that made her hands itch to shove him off his horse.

Katie smiled at him, although it was not a nice smile, and said, “There is no reason for you to introduce me to your people.”

Again, he nodded.

There is no need for you to put yourself out, dear husband, because I am perfectly capable of introducing myself if and when I decide to meet them.

She did not speak another word for the rest of the ride, not that he seemed to care.

When she returned to her chambers to change out of her riding clothes, she discovered that her flux had commenced.

So, she was not with child and would not be expected to remove herself from Briarly and her husband’s presence just yet.

Katie hated the burst of joyous relief she felt at the thought. What was wrong with her? Why would she want to foist herself on a man who clearly did not want her?

“Because you are an idiot who believed Betje when she said there was a chance for this marriage,” she whispered as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.