A Season for Christmas (Desire and Discipline #3)

Chapter 11

11

Samuel

Their stolen time together was everything Samuel could have hoped for, but the next morning, the road had been cleared, and they got back on their way to Clarence. Once again, he’d chosen to spend the morning riding Herod rather than in the carriage to help wear the horse down. Herod had been mad with joy and extra mischievous after being cooped up in the stables during the snowfall. He enjoyed playing in the snow.

He bounced around with Samuel on his back, gritting his teeth, much to Catherine and Anna’s delight as they clapped their hands in appreciation from the carriage.

After they stopped for a midday meal, Samuel rejoined them in the carriage—which was much warmer. Anna was mending clothes, keeping her focus on her hands, so he and Catherine could talk. The conversation meandered, from the books they’d read recently to the current art exhibits in London to politics.

When she was younger, Catherine had been interested in all those things but loath to speak on them. Her parents had deemed them improper topics of conversation for a young lady. Apparently, either her husband had not minded, or she had pursued her interests after his death, and now she was as strongly opinioned as she had been meekly curious as a debutante.

Samuel rather enjoyed the debates and was pleased when she listened to his points based on his experiences abroad and his business acumen and was rather startled to find himself changing his mind on several points based on her experiences in London.

It was clear she spent a lot of time talking about her favorite ‘improper topics’ when she was socializing.

She also took a great interest in what he was doing with his business, insisting he explain it to her, and some of the questions she asked opened several intriguing lines of thought that he fully intended to pursue. If they were to marry, she would be an equal partner in his ventures.

And marriage was very much on his mind.

His greatest concern—whether or not he would be able to handle her desires—had been soothed by their extra day together. He was sore but far more satiated than he’d ever felt before. Taking her lead was no hardship; in fact, it was a joy. And his greatest pleasure was her pleasure, something he could feel assured of giving her—she would not accept anything less.

Being with her was oddly restful. He did not have to think about what she might like or what she wanted from him because she stated it from the beginning. Being helpless to her whims was exciting. Giving up the reins of control was freeing.

When they finally pulled up to the Clarence estate late afternoon as the sun was beginning to fall in the west, he was disappointed their conversation had to come to an end, even though they’d been talking for hours. It was not enough. He was not sure he would ever have enough of her time and attention.

Truly, marriage was the only solution.

Hopefully, this time, she would agree.

But he could hardly ask her now.

She and Anna leaned to peer out the window, though it was hard to see the landscape when it was covered in snow. There were quite a few trees and bushes and some statuary, but the details were lost under the blanket of white. In order to see the house, they would have had to stick their heads out the window, which neither of them did, waiting until the carriage was pulling around in front of it to get the first glimpse.

The windows at the front were lit up with candles, like a beacon against the growing dark, though daylight was not so far gone yet. Samuel wondered if Clarence had wanted to ensure they’d be able to find their way in case the weather turned again. It would be very like him. As feckless as he liked to pretend to be, he was also always thinking ahead.

“How beautiful,” Catherine murmured as the driver opened the door. Samuel went down first before turning and helping Catherine down. His driver gave him a look, and grinning, he turned away to let the man take care of assisting the maid. Samuel would have been happy to do so himself, but who was he to stand in the way of a flirtation—or even love?

Catherine tilted her head back, taking in the house. It was a grand old estate, well maintained, though clearly the kind of house that had housed generations of a family. Gregory had mentioned that his father was a stickler for ensuring the house and grounds were always spruced up—he’d been far more interested in that than in his own son. The grey stone looked a bit darker than he remembered against the white of the snow, the three stories rising above them with three rows of paned windows lit by candles to brighten its appearance.

The large black doors of the front entrance swung open, and Gregory came striding out, looking almost exactly as Samuel remembered, beaming with his arms wide open.

“Samuel!”

“Gregory!” Letting go of Catherine’s hand, Samuel went to meet him, and they embraced each other with a slap on the back before Samuel stepped back.

“I hear you brought a lovely lady to visit me as well,” Gregory said, turning his attention to Catherine with his most charming smile.

Samuel felt a small twinge. Gregory was a very handsome man. When they’d been at school together, everyone knew that there was no point in trying to charm a lady Gregory had expressed interest in. She would always choose the ducal heir, with his poetically dark waving hair, his intensely penetrating black eyes, a face like an angel, and a body fit to pose for the Statue of David. The fact that he was also the heir to a dukedom, and incredibly charming and good-natured only increased his appeal.

In the time since Samuel had last seen him, Gregory had only grown more rakish, his hair now down to his shoulders and a brooding intensity hovering behind his charming smile, as if begging a lady to discover what hurts he was hiding beneath it. That he was now a duke, and not the heir, only made his appeal more potent. The unrelenting black of mourning made him appear dangerous rather than withdrawn or pallid.

Samuel had not meant their meeting to be a test. After all, Catherine had been a debutante, beholden to her parents, when she’d refused him in favor of a lord… but he felt a sudden sick twist to his stomach as he realized history could easily repeat itself.

“Gregory, this is the Dowager Countess of Cross,” Samuel said, hiding his sudden uncertainty behind the social mores of a polite introduction. He did use Catherine’s name, as a kind of reminder of their intimacy. Though he knew Gregory would not intentionally poach, the man seemed physically incapable of turning off his charm or even putting a damper on it. “Catherine, this is the Duke of Clarence.”

“My lady. Welcome to my humble abode.” Gregory bowed quite properly over the gloved hand she offered him as she curtsied to the exact degree owed to him as a duke.

“Your Grace,” she replied from the dip of her curtsy before straightening again.

“Very humble, just like its owner,” Samuel said dryly, relieved when Catherine dropped her hand back to her side and smiled at Gregory with her polite, social smile. It was not at all flirtatious, nor did she look at him with anything like the special light in her eyes that so far had been reserved for Samuel himself.

Some of the tight bands around his chest loosened in relief.

“We all have our virtues.” Gregory grinned. “Damn, but it’s good to see you. Let’s get you inside and settled, then we can talk over supper. All of your things are already in your rooms.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Catherine said as Gregory led her inside. His staff swarmed around the carriage, easily unloading. “I apologize for the short notice on my attendance, especially during your period of mourning. ”

“Oh, very happy to have you,” Gregory said cheerfully. “My mother is currently taking her afternoon rest, but she will be delighted to meet you when she emerges from her rooms.” His smile turned a little more brittle. “She is desperate for more feminine company in the house, as she keeps reminding me.”

“Oh, dear,” Catherine murmured, glancing over her shoulder at Samuel with some trepidation. He was happy to see it. “She will not think…”

“You should be safe, and since you are Samuel’s, I will not be offended that you do not intend to prostrate yourself at my feet,” Gregory replied with a laugh, patting her hand on his arm as they moved up the stairs.

Samuel chuckled, the last of his nerves falling away. Though Gregory and Catherine were clearly immediately taken with each other, it was not in a romantic sense at all. He appreciated being able to witness Catherine’s alarm at the very idea of the dowager duchess attempting to matchmake between them.

“My mother has very firm ideas about what constitutes a proper wife for a duke, and a widow does not meet her criteria. However, I appreciate that you will help distract her from her current focus.”

Though Samuel could not see Gregory’s expression, he could practically hear his friend rolling his eyes.

“You are going to need to marry eventually, you know,” Samuel pointed out with some amusement, which grew even greater at Gregory’s exaggerated shudder.

“As I keep telling my mother, there is plenty of time. I’m still young.” The defensiveness in Gregory’s tone had Samuel backing off, though he did wonder if Gregory had considered the notion that he might be in danger from whoever was behind his father’s death. Something else he would bring up this visit, though it would hopefully not put a damper on the holiday spirit.

Catherine

Her room was directly beside Samuel’s.

Despite his rakish nature, the Duke of Clarence was doing his best to ensure that Samuel had easy access to her. Which was just as well. She was very glad not to have to fend off any advances when her heart was already secure in Samuel’s palm. Not that she had admitted as much to him.

She’d scarcely been able to admit it to herself. The young man he’d been had grown and changed, though he was still the same person at his core. His life experiences had seasoned him, maturing him and turning him into the kind of man she would want by her side. The kind of man who could make her break her vow never to marry again.

Because he was the kind of man who would be worth it. He even knew about her inability to provide the late Lord Cross with an heir and was unbothered by the notion. Perhaps it was because he was not part of the ton , but she thought it more than that. He valued her more than he valued any progeny she could give him. Which was a heady feeling.

At least, she thought he did. That or he was unbothered because he did not see a future for them. But considering how he’d reacted to his introduction to her preferred perversions, she hoped he was of the same mind as her. She did not want this trip to be the end of them.

“There,” Anna said smiling as she finished pushing in the last pin to Catherine’s coiffure.

Since Clarence’s mother, the duchess, would be partaking in the evening meal with them, she wanted to ensure she looked her best. Though she doubted that Gregory would be able to avoid his mother’s intentions for him forever, she would at least attempt to assist him.

Besides, it was very likely his mother would have knowledge of his father that he did not. She might know of someone who had wished the late duke ill, perhaps even kept the knowledge from her son. Or she might not. Catherine was going to do her best to find out.

She caught Anna’s eye in the mirror.

“While you are getting to know the duke’s staff, see if you can get their impressions of their new master,” she instructed. Anna immediately lit up, her eyes gleaming with interest. “If he’s the kind of man who might have wanted to speed up his inheritance.”

“Coo, do you think so?” Anna asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

“I do not,” Catherine admitted. “Samuel does not think so, and I do trust his judgment. Having met the man himself, he comes off as charming but blunt, not particularly apt at pretense… but one never knows.”

Mouth firming, Anna nodded.

“I will let you know anything I hear.”

“Thank you.”

The knock at the door ended the opportunity for any further conversation, but Catherine knew Anna would have plenty to report the next morning. Her maid was very good at listening, and her trustworthy face often had others divulging information they might not have otherwise. It did not hurt that Anna was happy to trade information as well, and Catherine had been very clear on what information she did not mind Anna trading .

Giving tit for tat was often the best way to learn something one might not otherwise.

Opening the door, Anna stepped back to reveal Samuel standing there in his evening wear. His black jacket and trousers were set off by the emerald green waistcoat beneath them, his freshly starched collar points accentuating his strong jawline, and the complicated knot on his cravat begged to be untied. Perhaps not everyone would agree with her on that last point, but her fingers itched to strip him of all that finery so she could touch the hard body beneath.

Sadly, duty called.

His gaze ate her up the same way she had him, and she smiled as she brushed her hands over her jonquil skirt. Taking a deep breath, she moved to him, placing her hand on his offered one.

“My lady.” He lifted her hand to his lips, brushing them against the back of her glove. She could feel the burn of it through the fabric. “You look stunning, as always.”

“Thank you. And you look impeccably handsome, as always.” This close to him, she could see the way his gaze lingered over the swells of her breasts, his eyes darkening with interest. Likely having the same thoughts about stripping her as she was about him.

It was a very good thing his room was right next to hers.

Winding her hand about his arm, he turned to escort her down the hall.

Their personal lives were going to have to wait. Right now, they had a duchess to meet, a supper to get through, and a mission to accomplish.