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“And that includes ruining other people’s marriages? Again?”
“I’ve always wanted you. We both married for reasons other than love, so you must be pretty bored of that girl.”
“So you would lie to my wife and say you’re having an affair with me for… what? Sport? To get her out of the way?”
“A bit of both.” Catherine shrugged. “It’s nothing, really. If I want someone, no one’s going to get in the way, especially not a penniless wench like her.”
She sounded mad. She was being obsessive over someone she couldn’t have? Why did Catherine think this was a good idea?
Lady Northampton stood up, which had Derrick tensing. Catherine faltered in her smugness as the older woman approached her. For a moment, they stood staring at each other. Then, Lady Northampton slapped her. Derrick jumped at the sound, and Catherine rocked back, bumping into the dresser behind her. The dowager countess was breathing heavily.
“I told myself that I was not going to use violence of any sort, but hearing you speak so brazenly and without remorse just made me furious.” She pointed at Catherine, who was clutching at her cheek.
“You are a disgusting human being, Lady Saxton. You’ve been playing around with everyone’s emotions for a long, long time, and it’s got to stop. You’re not an eighteen-year-old brat anymore. You’re a grown woman, and you’re married. Do you realise how many people you’ve hurt over the years?”
“You… you slapped me!” Catherine stared at Lady Northampton. “How could you lay your hands on me?”
“And how could you target my son for your pathetic games? They were actually happy. My daughter-in-law is a good person. Why did you have to come in and mess it up for them? It’s simply pathetic, if you ask me.” Lady Northampton shook her head. “Honestly, I would have thought better of you. It was bad enough that you were doing it to other people, but then you do it to my own son? How could you?”
“But… but…” Catherine straightened, lifting her chin as she glowered at the dowager countess. “I love your son! What’s wrong with keeping him in my life even if I can’t truly have him?”
Lady Northampton snorted. “Don’t start that. You don’t want my son for yourself. You just want a plaything to while away your time. Derrick is not going to be doing that for you.”
“I said I love him! What’s wrong with that?”
Derrick shook his head. She really was stubborn.
“You just love having the attention of a gentleman on you, that’s all. And you had my attention recently, so to see me married and off-limits made you upset. That’s why you went after my wife.”
“I should have been your wife, not her! If you had asked me to marry you, I wouldn’t be married to that old man.” Catherine shook her head. “This is not on me. You should have proposed before.”
“I was planning to, actually.”
Catherine’s eyes widened. Lady Northampton arched an eyebrow at her son.
“Wh-what?”
“I was planning to propose marriage, but then I heard you had married Saxton. My love for you died after that. I don’t want anything to do with someone who would play with me and then throw me aside.” Derrick pushed off the settee and came around it. “I just came to say that your games need to stop. I don’t love you, and I don’t want you in my life. You need to stay away from my family.”
“Why should I do that?”
“Because we’ll tell your husband about what you’ve done,” Lady Northampton said calmly. “We’ll let him know that his wife is a manipulative witch who keeps breaking up marriages and needs to be reined in.”
“What?”
“If you don’t want your reputation ruined by your lies and your… indiscretions, I suggest you leave my son and daughter-in-law alone.”
Catherine’s jaw tightened.
“You’re bluffing. If you tell my husband about this, you’re going to have to tell him about your son’s involvement. Do you want them to fight about it? Because my husband will have a right to challenge Derrick.”
Lady Northampton sighed and looked at Derrick. “I think this is the time you leave us alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“She’s not going to listen, so I’m going to have to start a very long conversation with Lady Catherine Saxton.” She waved Derrick towards the door. “You go to your wife. I’ll deal with this… woman on my own.”
Derrick wasn’t sure about that. His mother was up to something, and he wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone with Catherine. However, the urge to go after Ellie was greater, and it was a long journey.
