Chapter 4 - A Formidable Opponent (1/2)

”Katie, why are you crying?” Adele asked with a quivering lip. ”Don't cry!” She held out a cookie to me as we sat in her nursery having tea.

My hastily wiped my tears. I couldn't afford to be melancholy here. My identity as Catherine du Pont had to remain intact.

Little slips in my true character—like insisting Adele call me Katie instead of Cathy, like she had been before—were all I could allow.

I gave her a watery smile. ”How could I cry when I have a sweet little sister like you?”

She beamed at me with her gap-toothed grin. As a seven-year-old, she was missing nearly half her teeth.

”I love you, Katie!”

I scooped her into a hug, craving sisterly affection. Just with a different sister. ”I love you too, Addie.”

A knock sounded on the door and Percival popped his head in. ”Edmund is here visiting with his schoolmate, the Duke of Orla. Mother and Father are requesting your presence.”

Adele scrambled to her feet. ”Eddie is home?” she asked excitedly.

”Yes, but since the duke is here, you must stay in the nursery for now.”

Her expression crumbled. ”Percy, I want to see Eddie!” Now Adele was on the verge of tears.

He hoisted her up and tapped her on the noise. ”Be good. Edmund wants to see you too but you know you're too young to appear before the rest of the gentry. Catherine is only able to come because she's about to debut in society.”

That's right. My debut. My soul had been transplanted into the body of a fifteen-year-old and here they debuted at sixteen. Catherine's birthday was less than three months away. I absolutely dreaded it.

Percival…he'd make sure I didn't get married off to some creepy old guy, right? We'd developed camaraderie since I'd been here. He was on my side, right??

I tried my best to push the matter out of my mind.

”I'll make sure to sneak you to see Eddie once the duke has retired to his quarters,” I promised the little girl, who nodded cheerfully enough before sliding down her brother and resuming her position at the child-sized table.

Percival shook his head at me as we walked out the door. ”I have no idea how you handle her so well.”

I shrugged. ”Simple. We're both female.”

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. ”If only I understood the female mind as well as you. Every lady I meet is only interested in my future title and seems to have nothing in her brain but feathers.”

I wanted to get mad at him for being s.e.xist but I'd met the girls here. He had a point. There was hardly an original thought among them.

I patted his arm. ”There has to be some girls out there who are intellectually minded. There's more to this world than the earldom, you know. Why don't you come with me to the capital when I debut? Your pool of choices would be expanded.”

Percival bit his lip. ”I…am not fond of the capital. The politics there…you wouldn't understand.”

I wanted to stick my tongue out at him. I may not know the politics of Annalaias that well but I did hold a political science degree. That had to count for something.

”You need to get used to it, Percy. You are a member of the nobility. Father spends at least two months out of the year convening with other nobles and the king in the capital. That will be your job someday. Besides…”