Wed at Leisure by Sabrina Darby Page A

aside . . .”
    “And you would then be family,” Reggie stressed. “For God’s sake, I would be family.”
    “I know a different Kate than you.”
    “Mother won’t have it.”
    Peter laughed. As if his mother could control his actions. He had stopped letting the opinion of his parents sway him the day he left to join the army. He afforded his mother the respect he was due, but . . .
    “I am the duke. She has no say in my choice of wife.”
    “I never took you for a fool, brother. You’ve chosen the wrong Mansfield girl. She’ll make your life miserable. Make all of us miserable. When you’re hen-pecked and tired of her demands, you’ll tell me I was right.”
    Peter had never wanted to punch his brother before. Shake him, yes. Pound some sense and fiscal responsibility into him, yes. But physically hurt him? This was new, all of the anger and frustration wanting an outlet. But Peter relaxed his fists and let the force of his displeasure show in his voice.
    “Reggie, stop it. If Catherine will have me, despite the stupidity of my younger brother and the way he perpetrated a masquerade upon her family, then she will be my duchess. And you will apologize to her.”
    “I will do no such thing,” Reggie said hotly. “I’m off for Brighton tomorrow.”
    Peter squinted at his brother. He had always thought his brother irreverent, carefree, and rambunctious. A bit of a bumbling jokester. He had never thought there a layer of maliciousness beneath. But this was a different Reginald he saw by moonlight and the knowledge unsettled him. Perhaps Brighton was a good thing.
    Kate was impetuous and she had learned to rein in her behavior. Aside from his one great moment of obstinacy, disobeying his father’s wishes, Peter had always been in control. But his emotions were no less wild and the way he felt about Kate proved that to him.
    Why her? Why now? Had it always been there but it took Reggie’s prank to make him look past the fears that held him back?
    For that he could forgive his brother.
    “Do as you will,” he said simply. “And I shall, as well.”
    K ate awoke with the sense that some disaster had occurred. Then she remembered. She’d let Lord Lindley win at chess, and if he’d noticed that his victory was unearned, he hadn’t said a word. She’d done it to spite him. Because he had not even put up a fight. He’d bowed out when he’d thought Peter pursued her. Hah!
    The sound of breathing caught her attention.
    “Is that you, Jane?”
    “Yes, miss. I brought you some tea and toast.”
    She had thought to go down to breakfast but clearly she had overslept.
    “How late is it?”
    “Your father and mother have broken fast already. Many of your guests, as well. He took the men out to shoot.”
    “And the women?”
    “In the morning room.”
    It all sounded so normal. So like the original plan.
    “Some have left already.”
    “The Wildwoods and Lady Vane and her daughter, I presume.” It made the most sense. And while Miss Stanbury was equally young and presumably impressionable, her brother was not such a careful guardian that he would think to leave.
    “Yes, I believe so.”
    “And what of Mr. Dore . . . I mean, Lord Asquith?”
    “He will be moved to Lady Vane’s room once it has been aired.”
    Interesting. She would have forced him to go to an inn. Or thrown him on Lord Reginald’s mercy. After all, the Colburns were the ones to introduce him, to initiate the fraud. But her father had never done well with conflict. He would bend over backward for a peaceful home.
    Then, as she prepared to leave her room, she stopped in front of the glass once more. There had been another disaster. Bianca. Like a bit of knitting that had come unraveled and kept unraveling, events were out of control. The way they had been years ago.
    She took a deep breath. She could hardly bend the world to her bidding, no matter how hard she tried. All she could do was to act as if she didn’t care, as if no one