Page 21 of The Duke's Last Dance
“Yes, I am. May I ask who you are?” Catherine was not certain of the proper protocol for introductions during promenade hour, but he seemed to be well-versed in them.
“I am Lord Burton, the Duke of Hestina,” he replied with a bow. “I have been looking to make your acquaintance for some time. If you do not mind, I would like to escort you through the park. I have heard ‘tis quite beautiful to do so at sun set.” He pointed towards the sky.
The sun was indeed setting.
“That would be quite wonderful, thank you,” Catherine said.
Miss Amelia dutifully walked behind them.
The Duke talked to her as they walked, and Catherine found him nothing but dashing and charming. He had a tongue that could convince convicted men to give up their secrets, and soon, she had felt that he knew almost everything that he wanted to know about her. He had asked so many questions as he walked her down one side of the park and then back towards her carriage, Miss Amelia always following right behind.
When she returned to the carriage, him at her side, her mother had abandoned her friends to talk to the footman.
“Ah, there you are, Catherine! If we do not hur…” Her mother trailed off.
“I sincerely apologize if I have made you late for something, Lady Catherine, Countess,” the Duke said. “Forgive me. I am Lord Burton, the Duke.”
“I am glad that someone came to introduce himself to my daughter, and ‘twas a pleasure to meet you, but I am afraid that we will be late for dinner if we do not leave immediately,” Catherine’s mother said. “Come along, Catherine, Miss Amelia.”
“Thank you for the walk, Lord Burton.” Catherine softly curtsied to him.
“I hope to see you around, Lady Catherine.” The Duke smiled at her before giving another soft bow and walking away.
Catherine got into the carriage, with Miss Amelia still following.
As the carriage pulled away, Catherine could not believe how lucky she was. She had heard that the Duke of Hestina had been meaning to introduce himself to women tonight, and the fact that he had spent the entire time she was there with her meant something. It had to. Her stomach had had butterflies when he came over, and she could not deny that he was handsome, charming…
Everything she thought a good man would have in the early stages of a courtship. The earliest stages were always meeting and getting to know a man or woman, and that was exactly what had happened tonight.
The carriage stopped, startling Catherine. Had she been thinking about the Duke of Hestina the entire time they had been on the ride home? A look out the window confirmed it; she had been thinking about the Duke of Hestina the entire time they had been in the carriage.
She got out, and Miss Amelia followed her to her room. She changed out of her promenade dress, her mother’s orders, and into a dress for dinner.
When she returned to the dining room, in the same champagne evening dress she wore when Nicolas had come over, her mother was gushing to her father about the man that had escorted her around the park for the entire hour they had been there. The Duke of Hestina was taking an interest in her, and wasn’t that so exciting?
Catherine listened to her mother’s excited statements for as long as she could bare. IT was not long.
Instead, she slipped into thought. Why would her stomach start feeling so full of butterflies around the Duke if she wanted to marry Nicolas? It made no sense to her, and if she had truly still felt something for Nicolas, she did not think she would feel as she did for the Duke of Hestina.
“He was such a gentleman to her. He did not mind that we had to leave as soon as she returned to the carriage!” Her mother continued to gush about the introduction. “And the fact that he came right over and introduced himself without waiting for her to show interest! This man is going places in the world, and I think he plans to take Catherine with him.”
Chapter Nine
He looked around his loft room with a contented smile. Ashwood Manor was too suffocating with his father and the insistence that he ought to develop a courtship and finally marry Lady Alexia. The loft room had a wonderful view of the Thames river, in the center of Town, and it was worth every penny his father had paid for. It was here that he hoped to become the man of someone’s dreams, and he hoped that someone would be Lady Catherine.
That reminded him that Lord Radcliff had invited him to Vauxhall Gardens, and he looked at the clock in the corner of the room. There was no time like the present; it was just after dinner time, and Lord Radcliff had not given him a specific time to meet him in the gardens. Knowing Lord Radcliff, he was going to be collecting Miss Juliet before arriving in the gardens.
There would be plenty of time for Nicholas to walk to where he would be meeting Lord Radcliff. The gardens were too far to walk, and he had a feeling that it would not do well to arrive at the gardens out of breath and sweaty.
A man could go unchaperoned anywhere, and he was now very grateful that he could do that. As he grabbed his suit jacket, he made sure that he was well-dressed and ready for the occasion. Hopefully, Lady Catherine would be joining as Miss Juliet’s chaperone.
As he walked towards Camberton Manor, he watched the sunset in front of him. West of his apartment, the beautiful gardens did not appear immediately. It was a walk, but as long as the sunset was getting bigger, he was on the right track.
He fidgeted with his jacket, not sure if he was ready to meet Lady Catherine in such a formal setting. However, he knew that there was going to be no one to tell his father that he had seen her. His father did not know of his plans, and that was how he wanted it to stay for the moment.
Miss Alexia could wait. He was to see the gardens with a friend, his sister, and his fiancée. If his father had a problem with him even associating with Lord Radcliff now, then his father would have to worry about that as well. He needed a friend with everything that was going on.
When he arrived at the designated spot, he saw Lord Radcliff waiting beside a beautiful carriage.
