Page 1 of The Duke's Last Dance
Prologue
Catherine laughed. Lord Lockhart stood bowed in front of her as if there was something more to the meeting than just two friends having fun. He rose up from his bow.
“May I have a dance, Lady Catherine?” He held his hand out for her as if there was nothing in the world to stop them.
Her laughter filled the dining hall again. At the tender age of ten-years-old, she had never thought that she would be so close to the son of the Duke and Duchess of Ashwood, another prominent family in the neighborhood. Yet, here she was. With Lord Nicolas Lockhart, standing in front of her, his boyish face curled into a smile at the idea of a dance with her as their favorite song began to play.
“Of course, Lord Lockhart. I would be honored.” She gave him a curtsy, humoring his manners, and minding hers.
He took her hands in his and they started to sway. This afforded them a chance to watch each other, stare into the other’s eyes. Though Catherine had never quite understood what she was supposed to do, she had understood something; staring at someone like this could lead to feelings of love. She had seen her father stare at her mother the way Lord Lockhart was staring at her now.
“Catherine, this song will always be our song.” Lord Lockhart spoke quietly, letting his words tickle over her ears.
She felt her cheeks flushing as she met his grin with one of her own.
“That sounds lovely, Lord Lockhart,” she managed to say.
The fact that he had used her Christian name had surprised her, but there was nothing more for her to think about at this point.
They were still swaying, hand in hand, to the music. Neither one of them really knew how to dance yet, but Lord Lockhart now made to pull away from her. He pulled her into a kind of dance frame, if Catherine was remembering what she had learned from watching her parents late at night when they thought she was asleep.
His right hand found her shoulder bone, and then his left took her right. She placed her left hand on his shoulder, not sure what she was doing.
He took her around the room, their feet tripping over each other. They ended up in a heap of giggles on the floor with Catherine taking great care to make sure that she didn’t muck up her dress.
“Catherine, one day, I promise you, we will be married. I do not care what anyone says.” Lord Lockhart looked at her with hard, intense eyes.
He only ever looked at her with such a look when he wanted to let her know that he was serious about whatever they were talking about.
“Do you mean that, Nicolas?” Her heart fluttered.
He could not mean that. They were still children. Marriage was something that would happen many years down the road, and by then, whatever feelings they could have had…
She shook those thoughts away. She didn’t care what the societal norms were. Catherine knew, somewhere within her heart, she wanted to marry Lord Lockhart. And if he was promising her now that he would, she would hold that promise tight and never let go of it.
“Yes. I do.” He sat up. “Come, let us get you up off the floor, and then I will give you a token of the promise.”
A token? Catherine had never heard of someone giving a woman a token of a promise. It was always a token of affection or appreciation. Never a promise.
She let him help her up, his hand warm in hers. Her hand felt clammy and cold, sweating a little. She wondered if she was now nervous because of what he wanted to tell her. Of what he wanted to say to her.
“What is this… token of the promise?” Catherine could not help but ask the question.
Her curiosity often got the better of her, and today was no different. She was not sure what was going on, but she wanted to know that he was true to his word. Considering how often he was there when she needed him for little things, she wanted to believe that he would be there for the bigger things as time went on.
He did not answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
She took the box when he offered it to her. When she opened it, a glimmer met her eyes. A silver brooch with a beautiful opal in the center sat in the box, the candlelight sparkling against both the silver and the opal as she moved it around.
“Oh…” She did not know what else to say. Butterflies flittered in her stomach.
How had he managed to come up with the money to get this for her? How had he gotten such a beautiful brooch? Jewelers, in her limited experience, did not sell to thirteen-year-old boys.
“This is a symbol of the promise that I have made you, Catherine. We will be together one day, and there is nothing the world can do to stop us from fulfilling the promise we have made each other.” He smiled at her.
She pinned it to her dress in a spot that would not be so obvious if her parents looked for it.
“It’s beautiful, just like the promise, Nicholas. Thank you.” She gave him another curtsy, and she smiled widely as she came out of it.
