“Harumph.” This time the sound was followed by speech. “Aye, it’s clear you have a mind of your own, gel.”
“Which clearly drives you to distraction,” she said none too softly.
“I am only trying to do what is best for you,” countered Cluyne. “It is my familial duty to see you well settled.”
To Kate’s ears, the words were eerily similar to what he had said to her mother so many years ago. Anne Woodbridge had not been bitter, merely sad when she had repeated them.
“We clearly have very different notions as to family and duty,” replied Kate.
His eyes flashed, but in the shifting lamplight it was impossible to tell whether it was in anger or some other emotion.
Kate sighed. “I don’t want to quarrel with you, sir. As you have pointed out, I have spent a good deal of my life studying science. So perhaps I should have known from the start that this experiment was not going to work out well. Like oil and water, certain elements just don’t mix.”
His brows drew together. “What are you saying?”
“That maybe it would be best for both of us if I leave England,” she replied slowly.
“And go where?” he demanded in a thunderous voice. “Back to living on naught but a wing and a prayer?”
She waited for his imperious ire to stop echoing off the polished paneling. “I have not yet decided. However, you need not worry that I will make any demands on you to fund my future plans. I have enough money of my own to live quite comfortably.” That was a gross exaggeration, but pride would not allow her to admit otherwise.
“Now see here, missy—”
“I’m not a schoolgirl, Your Grace,” she interrupted hotly. “Please remember that I don’t need your permission—or your blessing—to live my life as I please. I have been in London long enough to see that most people of the ton allow themselves to be controlled by family money and influence. I am not one of them.”
A muscle twitched along the line of Cluyne’s clenched jaw.
She looked down at her fisted hands, feeling torn between guilt and resentment that they often ended up arguing. “Forgive me for shrieking like a fishwife. As you have noticed, I have an unfortunate tendency to let my temper get the best of me.”
The seat slats creaked as the duke shifted his bulky body.
“I am not ungrateful for your hospitality, sir,” she added. “There are things I do like about London. I have made some very good friends, and the scientific societies offer a wealth of interesting lectures.” Cluyne was not overly happy with her intellectual pursuits or her botanical studies, though he himself was quite knowledgeable on the subject. He would much rather she chase after some Tulip of the ton.
But she wouldn’t pretend to be someone she was not, simply to curry his favor.
“Then perhaps you should not be so hasty to leave Town,” he said tightly. “No need to kick up your heels and run off to some far corner of the globe at this moment.”
It was as close to an apology as the duke would ever make. Kate decided to accept it.
“Very well.”
She thought she heard him exhale a pent-up breath. But maybe it was just the whisper of her silk skirts or a hiss of wind blowing up against the windowpanes.
They rode on in uneasy silence for several moments, the sounds of the jingling harness and the hooves clattering over the cobblestones filling the void between them.
“I was hoping you would consent to come to the country next week,” said the duke after smoothing out his cravat. “At the request of the Foreign Office, I am hosting a house party at the Kent estate in honor of the upcoming peace conference in Vienna. If you recall, Lord Tappan, one of the junior ministers, lives on the estate adjoining mine, but his house is not large enough to accommodate such a distinguished group. The guests will include a number of visiting European intellectuals and diplomats.”
Kate couldn’t help but be cynical—several of them must be unmarried and under the age of eighty.
“Lord Tappan also expressed a hope that you would consider the invitation.”
“Me?” Her head came up in surprise. “I can’t imagine why.”
“To begin with, he mentioned that he has met you at a ball and is aware of your scholarly pursuits. He feels that your presence would add a nice touch to the gathering.”
Kate did not recall ever meeting Lord Tappan. Was this just one