Lady Sarah

Chapter eight

Feeling a little ill composed by his gaze and close presence, Catherina took a moment before she replied.

“Will you grant me my wish sir or will you continue to mock my gender?” Sarah responded to the Duke’s humour. She was amused too but did not want him to distract her from her goal. If she continued in this manner of familiarity with she would not be able control her feelings.

She needed to leave here with a lawyer’s name to call upon, nothing more.

“I would like to continue with the latter because my many ailments and complaints about the fair sex need to be aired to sympathetic ear” The Duke said, taking note of her body language.

“And you find me the sympathetic ear?”

“No, I find myself more open with you, although I fear your fiery tongue too” The Duke said with a slow smile that was clearly used with a set result intent.

“My fiery tongue, my lord I hope you hear your own words”- Catherina replied hoping he would de-sis.

“I don’t always hear myself before I speak, do you Miss?”

“I hear my thoughts before I speak”

“Always?”

“No not always, sometimes emotions push through words one would not say in a calm disposition”

“I know but even within the normal conversations, you can’t always think before you speak, majority of the time your mind and tongue follow a practiced method but there will be times when the mind forgets this method and speaks in an unsuitable manner”

“I agree, our language is context bond, as are our expectations of communications. Take for example class, the working classes manner’s of speaking is more frank and open, yet little of language is used to offend. Whereas the higher classes value speech and language as weapons and take great pains to suppress honest conversation with many words”

“I agree, in my own profession, body language means a lot more than words and when I find myself in polite society, I suddenly forget how to speak and the matrons fussy over me, making the process even more daunting” The Duke laughed remembering his many blunders at parties while still experiencing the memories of war in his mind.

“I can image, especially when your mind must be occupied elsewhere, darker plains”

Duke looked carefully at Sarah and noticed she had a faraway look, as if she was experiencing what she made reference to. Her level of intellect and maturity did not surprise him, he has witnessed it in their first meeting but her obvious experience of a harsh reality did he did not. He found himself drawn more to her and had sudden need to know what her ‘dark plain’ was.

“Aaah I see you have succeed in distracting me my lord” She shook herself back into the Duke’s drawing room and noticed his blue eyes looking at her as if to pierce her heart.

“I have indeed, a pleasant distraction too, now about that wager, what does your heart desire my lady?”

“I wish for a name of an excellent lawyer and no questions are to be asked about why I need one- Is that something you can provide?”

 “I see, no questions?” The Duke worriedly asked.

“None”

The Duke then turned to Mrs. Canines.

“Mrs. Canines, why does your charge need a lawyer?”

“Your grace, no questions are to be asked!” Spoke Sarah rather bloodedly. Her temper was another aspect of her that she kept hidden but the Duke seemed to draw it out so easily.