Page 20 of The Duke's Last Dance
“Come along!” Her mother’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Catherine hurried after her mother.
“What is it, Mother?”
Her mother said nothing. Instead, she presented Catherine with two boxes, roughly the same length, stacked one on top of the other.
“Go ahead. Open them, Catherine.”
Catherine opened the one on top first. In this box was a pair of yellow gloves. They were beautiful, and the gloves stopped at the wrist. They were short promenade gloves, something she could wear at the walking hour at Hyde Park.
“Mother… these are beautiful… but I do not have a yellow dress…” Catherine frowned.
“Well, open the next box,” her mother urged.
Catherine did so. In this box, there was a beaded reticule. A reticule could hold her dance card at a dance, or perhaps her money and an extra pair of gloves if she were on a walk with a man. The reticule was white with intricate beading. The beads created small sunflowers.
Yellow. The theme of both of these accessories was yellow.
Could her mother have…
She did not have to finish that thought. Her mother had used these gifts as a distraction while Miss Amelia brought in a beautiful yellow promenade gown. It had a full skirt, and there seemed to be a bustle attached to the back of the dress. Whatever the fashion of the dress, it was beautiful, and it was exactly the kind of thing Catherine would wear. The gloves matched the dress perfectly, probably cut from the same bolt of fabric.
“We are to go to Hyde Park tonight for promenade hour,” her mother stated. “Miss Amelia, take the dress and Catherine to her room and help her get dressed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Miss Amelia nodded politely before gathering the dress carefully in her arms.
Catherine followed Miss Amelia, still carrying the boxes with the gloves and the reticule.
She could not believe it. She was to go out and about tonight instead of staying inside, and she was going to make sure that every moment counted. Promenade hour was a big event during the London Season. It happened every Sunday, and she had always wanted to attend it when she was of age.
Now that she was, her mother had shown that she had listened to her daughter’s wishes. Then again, any woman of age would love to be seen and see the other women and men – especially the men – at promenade hour. It was a good way to see who was eligible, who wore what, and who was courting whom.
The last one was the most important one to Catherine. She intended to make a show of herself, to show that she was not currently courting anyone. It was important to let single, eligible bachelors know that she was not currently in a courtship.
Perhaps that was why her mother had given her such a beautiful dress. As Miss Amelia helped her put it on, she found that it fit beautifully. It molded to her figure like the gloves molded to her hands. The modiste had done well. This shade of yellow perfectly complimented her eyes, making them stand out against everything else in her outfit.
The carriage ride to Hyde Park was a blur to Catherine. She was too excited for promenade hour, and she had to do her best to keep that excitement under control.
“Miss Amelia, I expect you to chaperone Catherine everywhere tonight,” her mother said once they were nearing the park. “A young lady is never without her chaperone during promenade hour, even if she is with someone she is courting.”
“Yes, Mother,” Catherine said.
“Yes, Countess,” Miss Amelia replied with the same politeness.
The carriage arrived at Hyde Park shortly after this conversation, and Catherine stepped out of the carriage in awe. There were bachelors and eligible ladies everywhere. She wondered if she even stood a chance at getting noticed; some of the women were wearing large hats while others had on dresses with somewhat brighter colors than hers.
“You will do fine for yourself, Lady Catherine. You are the most radiant woman here. You may not have the brightest dress, but your eyes will catch any man,” Miss Amelia commented.
“Thank you.” Catherine smiled.
She went to talk to her mother but found that her mother had seen some of her friends. She was now alone with Miss Amelia.
“That did not take long… she does not normally leave my side while we are out,” Catherine mused aloud.
“Excuse me, but are you Lady Catherine Radcliff?” A man’s voice echoed in the air before Miss Amelia could reply to Catherine.
Catherine turned around to find a young man standing there. He was tall, dressed handsomely in a three-piece suit, and had a slightly tarnished pocket watch chain strung between the pockets of his vest.
