Married to the Marquess by Rebecca Connolly Page B

done the deed, as they say, with his wife, no matter what the rumors say.”
    “Oh, heavens no,” Lady Greversham said in a disapproving tone. “Can you imagine? He could not get within ten feet of her without being burned or bruised. No, the day they produce a child of any sex, heir or not, is the day that pigs will fly. The dukedom will pass to the younger brother, unless they will accept illegitimate children of the marquess.”
    “Are there illegitimates?” one of them gasped.
    Lady Greversham tsked. “No one knows, to be sure, but you could hardly blame the man if there were.”
    “Do you think their marriage has even been consummated?” the third woman hissed, the three of them almost past Katherine’s hiding spot now.
    The other two snickered. “I am quite certain it has not. Which means the marquess could have the marriage annulled, if he should choose. The scandal might be worth it, if it means finding a new bride.”
    “And he would have his pick,” Lady Greversham said importantly, her voice fading as they turned the corner. “All of London would line up for him, and I do mean all…”
    When she could not hear them anymore, Katherine stepped out from her hiding spot, her knees weak, her eyes watering, and her lungs burning.
    So that was what people thought of her. Though they had not seen her, though they would never know she had heard them, their words wounded her as though they had been flung in her face like mud.
    Things were far worse than she had imagined.
    She could not stay here any longer, not even for Moira.
    Somehow, she made her way back to the ballroom without seeing another person, and she only prayed that her countenance was not too distraught, though she knew that if anybody looked closely enough, they would see her distress. But if what she had just heard was true, no one would look at her anyway. No one would care.
    She saw her husband instantly, standing and talking with his friends, and she cursed the fact that he was never alone. She approached, unnoticed by anyone, and touched his arm. “Whitlock, can we leave?”
    “What’s that, Kate?” he asked with a smile, turning to face her. Then his smile vanished and he looked at her with concern. “What is the matter?”
    She shook her head, feeling the eyes of each of his friends upon her. “Can we go, please?”
    “Kate,” he whispered, stepping closer, “we have only just arrived. We cannot possibly…”
    “Please, Derek,” she begged, her voice breaking as more tears rose to the surface.
    He stopped talking and looked a trifle stunned, but instantly he nodded. “Yes, of course… Of course, we can.” He turned to Nathan. “Sorry, Nate, but we have to leave.”
    “It’s quite all right,” Nathan responded, still looking at Katherine with concern. “I am certain that…”
    “Katherine?”
    She closed her eyes as Moira’s voice met her ears. Then her arm was seized and she opened them to find Moira directly beside her, looking worried.
    “Katherine, what happened, what is it?”
    She shook her head again. “I have to go, Moira, I’m sorry, but I…”
    “What happened?” Moira asked again.
    “I do not wish to create a scene,” Katherine whispered, as tears continued to threaten.
    “You aren’t,” Derek assured her, taking her other arm gently. “Duncan is blocking everybody’s view, and nobody ever looks at Colin anymore.”
    “It’s true,” Colin said with a sigh, for once not against her. “You are in luck, Lady Whitlock. They are getting my more popular side at the moment.”
    She tried to smile, but could not manage it. “I just…” She broke off with a sharp inhale as she saw Lady Greversham enter with two companions, and she knew immediately those were the women she had heard. Worst of all, they were women who had been one-time friends of her mother. As if she were hearing the words for the first time, she felt as though a knife were slicing through her, and her hand fluttered to her