The deathly silence of the dining room remained unwavering, the two Blackwood men had not budged from their positions since Catherine had left the room.
Finally, the quiet was broken by Arthur the III shuffling as he returned to his seat. He grabbed his silverware, intending to continue his meal. But the utensils remained idle in his hands.
The awkward silence once again washed over the room. It persisted for what felt like an hour, but in reality, it was closer to five minutes. Arthur Sr. spoke up.
"Was it necessary to antagonize your sister like that?" The duke asked.
His son returned his father's gaze with a sheepish look. Junior's ego had been brought down a peg, but he was committed to his ideals.
"Yes, father. I think it's a necessity that we stop this behavior before it's too late."
Arthur took a moment to collect himself, some of his stoicism returning.
"Her little outbursts of anger in the past were always easily dealt with, besides the marriage with the prince would have most likely solved it anyway."
The duke looked at this son perplexed. Perhaps Catherine was right. If this boy ever thought his sister's "outbursts" were easily dealt with, he truly was unobservant.
The duke stewed on this for a moment, but he realized that his son had ceased his incessant babbling. The duke looked at him, only to find he now had a face of deep concern.
"Oh lord, I forgot all about the prince!" He leaned his head on his arm. "What if any of this gets back to the royal family, they might call off the engagement!"
The duke shook his head.
"Son, let me tell you something. This marriage came about as a form of mutual benefit. Catherine could do anything short of treason without jeopardizing the proposal."
The planned marriage going awry was the least of his concerns. Of course, the duke's tune would've changed significantly if he knew his daughter was certain that the marriage was destined to fail.
"I happen to agree with Catherine, I think her behavior has significantly improved," said the elder Blackwood.
"What!?" His son replied in shock.
"Can you not observe that the household has been peaceful for the first time in years? Not only that, Catherines finally took up hobbies instead of fretting all day. It's a clear sign of growth."
"So you're fine with her getting all buddy-buddy with a swath of commoners, all because she's taken up the piano again?"
The Duke was starting to get cross with Junior.
"Now listen here boy," He pointed at his son. "It's not a 'swath', it's one. Elizabeth. The woman who's taken care of your sister for most of her life!"
His son rolled his eyes.
"Regardless of who it is, you can't deny it's odd behavior. Especially for her."
"Yes, maybe it's a bit eccentric…but if Catherine's now just realizing how much of a menace she's been, there's a good chance she's merely overcompensating for her past behavior."
Arthur Sr. replied
The Duke paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He was desperate to make his son understand his line of thinking.
"Regardless of why she's changed, we're in a much better position to mold her into a fine young noblewoman than ever before."
As soon as his sentence finished, Arthur the III jumped down his throat. He wasn't getting the thoughts being conveyed to him.
"You say she's exhibited growth, then why is she so cross with us now? In my opinion, it displays the opposite!"
The duke slammed his hands on the table.
"As Catherine's older sibling, were you there for her at all when your mother died?"
Arthur the III immediately clammed up at this. The duke sighed as he collected himself.
"Your silence speaks volumes, but I'm not in a position to judge you," He sunk his head. "I didn't lift a finger to help, either of you. It's my greatest failing."
His head rose to meet his sons.
"The responsibility fell to me, but make no mistake this is why she's angry with the both of us. Catherine only ever held us in high regard because that was the proper thing to do. Now she's changed her mind."
This was pure speculation on the Duke's part, most of which was wrong. However he couldn't know the true circumstances, no one could blame him for his conclusions.
"Elizabeth's always been there for her, and Catherine's finally realized that. It's no wonder she sees commoners in a more respectable light now!" Said the duke exasperated.
"Son, we're to blame for her current actions. We've treated her poorly and- well this would've always happened, it just took a while."
The Duke looked at the ground. He had been thinking about this for a while. Now that he was finally saying it all out loud it made perfect sense to him, leaving him utterly disgusted with himself.
"Catherine sees the changes in her life as a positive thing, and frankly I agree," The duke looked up again. "And what do we do after ignoring her for all this time? We question her, badger her, and tell her she's wrong!"
The Duke realized that through his ranting he hadn't let himself breathe. Once he had calmed down some he stood up to make one final proclamation.
"I don't know if I made you understand or not. I won't force you to apologize to your sister. You're not a child, you can make your own decisions."
"Yes father," his son responded.
Arthur the III intentionally left the response vague. He didn't want to distress his father any further. He couldn't remember a time the duke had gotten so worked up over something, and it disturbed him.
That being said the young Blackwood did not agree with his father, and Arthur Jr. felt like his dad was showing leniency for no good reason. Regardless of the "legitimacy" of his sister's feelings, it was still Catherine's role to know her place.
He wasn't going to back down on the matter either, but it was clear he was going to have to go about Cathreine's "rehabilitation" without his fathers help.
"I'm going to grant your sister's request to eat in her quarters, there's no sense in forcing a conflict," Stated the duke.
With that the duke left the room, his appetite long gone. His son was left alone at the table, scheming to himself on what to do about his disobedient sister