Page 131 of Kathryn

He nodded slowly. “You wish to spend Christmas at Wych House? I take it that is where you gather?”

“This year Christmas is at Wych House. My sisters and brother take turns hosting it and the last time it was there was five years ago.”

“Was that the last time you went home?”

“Yes. Although in truth I do not really consider Wych House my home because we moved into a small manor on the property when I was very young. My father had to lease Wych to pay for our expenses, but even that was not enough,” she added, darkness once again seeping into her eyes.

Clearly her parents were a sore subject. Gerrit felt a pang of sympathy for her. His mother was impossible, but at least he’d had his father. The duke had been a reserved man, but Gerrit had never doubted that he’d loved him.

“Can we go to Wych House for Christmas?” she suddenly asked.

She looked so hopeful that even a man as thick as a plank could see it was important. Doubtless the visit would be excruciating for him—not just spending days and weeks in a chaotic environment, but meeting new people always left him exhausted—but he would gladly bear it to make her happy. “If you like,” he said.

She smiled. No, she glowed. “I would like very much for you to meet the rest of my family.”

The rest.

He blinked at the wording. Why did it take him by surprise so to hear himself referred to as her family?

Perhaps because it was only in the past week or so that he had begun to truly behave like a husband.

***

“You were very late tonight,” Becky said as she brushed out Katie’s hair.

“Yes,” Katie agreed, her thoughts on the evening. Playing chess again had been… fun. Yes, it had definitely been fun. She played with her family when they all gathered at Christmas, but she always curbed herself during the holidays and often let people win. Tonight, she had not held back, and Dulverton had simply become more grimly determined with each game. But not once had he looked at her with the open dislike she recalled seeing in Jasper’s eyes.

Instead, his gaze had been respectful, if thwarted.

And then there had been their conversation afterward. She’d been shocked by what she’d learned about the dowager. She could also understand now why Gerrit had been so very disgusted when she’d told him her lover had been one of her aunt’s footmen.

“Your Grace?”

Katie looked up to see Becky holding up two nightgowns. “Which do you prefer?”

She was tempted to tell her neither, but she knew her rather prim maid would be shocked by such a disclosure.

“The green,” she said, and then stood and removed her undressing gown so Becky could slip the pale green muslin over her head.

Green was her best color; Gerrit would like this, she was sure.

He would like you better naked.

Katie gave a choked laugh at the shocking thought.

“What’s that, Your Grace?” Becky said absently as she cleared off the dressing table and prepared to leave for the night.

“Oh, nothing,” Katie lied.

The moment the door shut behind Becky, Katie pulled the nightgown over her head before she could lose her courage. She was going to throw it over the foot bench but then thought about Gerrit and hurried to the dressing room and tossed the garment over the clothes horse before scampering back to bed. Something about running naked, even in her own chambers, felt indescribably wicked.

Smirking to herself, she dove beneath the sheets and had just pulled them up above her breasts when the connecting door opened, and Dulverton entered.

He stopped a few feet from the bed, his pale gaze lingering on her bare shoulders before lifting to her hot face and regarding her with the intense, inscrutable expression that always made her squirm.

He came close enough to lightly stroke the back of her hand. Katie dropped her gaze to his teasing finger, which was far easier to look at than his eyes. But she should have known it would not be so easy.

“Look at me, Kathryn.”