A Bad Match

The closer we got to my debut, the more of a slave driver the countess was. She made me spend hours with my dance master every single day and I danced so hard my feet ached constantly. It didn't help that the shoes here had zero arch support.

I wondered if I could contact a cobbler about making me some more comfortable shoes. What I wouldn't give for some gel inserts about now.

"Percy, I'm going to die long before I debut," I said dramatically as we dismounted our horses after one of our daily rides.

He smiled. "Is it really that bad?"

"Worse," I confirmed. "Mother won't stop nagging me about how it will be shameful if I don't find a husband within the first year of my debut. Apparently Lady Iris's daughter didn't get married until her third year out in society and they still gossip about that at tea."

"I don't think you'll have a problem with that, Catherine."

Percival was the only one of my siblings who refused to use nicknames at all. It was nice that Edmund and Adele called me Katie.

My birth name was Katrina though no one ever called me that. It's kind of funny that my name here still worked for the name I've been called all my life.

"Because I'm the daughter of an earl? Daughters of marquises and dukes are far more in demand," I reasoned.

I didn't want to get married anyway. What 21st century woman wanted to be a trophy wife, most likely for someone way older than her? Gross.

"That is a factor but I was referring to your beauty. You tend to captivate people, Catherine. Surely you noticed the duke's interest while he visited."

Ugh, don't remind me. "I have no desire to be a duchess."

Percy frowned at me. "Why ever not? The only titles more prestigious than a duchess are princess or queen."

"I don't want a prestigious title," I insisted. "I wish to live my life peacefully with my family."

I had no attachment to these fake parents of mine since they were much colder than the ones I lost in a natural disaster when I was little but I enjoyed the time I spent with my fake siblings, especially dear Adele.

"Catherine, if you spend your life with us everyone will look down on you as a spinster. You would always be shunned by your neighbors and anyone you meet. Do you honestly want that?" he asked with a hint of incredulity in his usually flat tone. "Are you that afraid of a bad match?"

I'd never dated all that much after graduating high school because I was too sick to go out and meet people but I'd had crushes on guys before. And my parents loved each other.

I didn't want to settle for anything less and I had the feeling I couldn't find someone who would respect me for who I was in this medieval world.

"I wish to marry for love," I found myself admitting.

Percival sighed and looked me in the eye.

"Dearest sister, only commoners marry for love and they spend their whole lives wallowing in poverty. The best I can do for you is to be sure you marry into a house where you'll be comfortable to someone younger than thirty."

I figured he would say as much. At least he understood that no teenage girl wants to be married to someone more than twice their age. As far as men in this novel go Percy's mindset isn't as bad as most.

"Percy, you have to promise me," I said suddenly, gripping his arm as tightly as I could. "Swear to me that you won't let Father sell me off to some old duke or marquis. Swear on the earldom!"

Nothing mattered to the future heir more than the earldom. He'd devoted his life to it already.

Seeing me act unusually serious, he nodded gravely.

"I swear I will protect you from that fate. There are plenty of nobles out there under thirty with solid reputations that can look after you for the rest of your life. They may even have better libraries than Father's so you can read to your heart's content. I can ask any suitor you have about that."

Tears appeared in my eyes as I experienced an upsurge of affection for my brother. Catherine du Pont was a lucky girl to have someone like him in her corner.

I suddenly felt guilty for lying to him. I was not his sister and he cared for me like I was. What had happened to the real Catherine anyway? Had her illness been deadly?

"Thank you, brother," I said fervently. "This means more to me than you could know."

He smiled and tousled my carefully coiffed hair—one of his favorite pastimes. "I'll always be here for you, Catherine."

I didn't doubt his words. Percival cared about his sisters nearly as much as he cared about the earldom. If the earl tried anything shady he'd be there to lead him towards another candidate with clever words that didn't even seem like excuses.

I'd seen him at work. He may not like crowds or politics but the guy is a natural at persuasion. I'd be safe in his hands, especially since he was coming with me to the capital.

Despite his care for me my heart was heavy. More likely than not I would end up married off to someone within the next six months. How horrible.

Percy was a stickler so he wouldn't let anyone with a reputation for womanizing court me…but who knows what people are actually like behind closed doors? What if I end up stuck with someone abusive?

Women aren't worth much here. I could end up somewhere with a fantastic library that I'd never be allowed to step foot in. I could spend my whole life sitting in a drawing room sipping tea with gossipy old ladies in the day and being a slave of my husband's whims at night.

A deep shudder ran through me at the thought.