Page 32 of The Duke's Last Dance
“Then, I suppose I must convince my father that Miss Alexia is not the woman for me,” Nicolas said. “Oh… this is going to be hard.”
Lord Radcliff chuckled.
“I believe you, but do you marry the woman you love and risk it all, or do you marry the woman your father wants you to marry and be miserable the rest of your life?” Lord Radcliff questioned.
His friend had a point.
If he was going to marry Catherine, he would have to make his father understand that there was more to life than being in control of everything. His father’s hold on his life must end, and if it took disobeying him and losing his inheritance, Nicolas was willing to risk it.
Lord Radcliff left the flat after a few more minutes. Nicolas still had half a glass of brandy left, but Lord Radcliff had refused a refill. He said that he still had a few other errands to run, and that he would be at Almack House later that evening.
Almack House. Lady Catherine used to pretend that they had gone to Almack House and had danced the night away when they were kids. He had found the imagining of this event fun, and now that it was really happening, he hoped that she would at least allow him a dance with her. If nothing else, that was his hope.
As he finished off the brandy, he began to wonder if Lady Catherine was courting someone and that was why she had looked uncomfortable at the gardens when he pulled her closer, about to kiss her. Surely, she would have said something in the carriage on the way there when there had been a lull in the conversation. She would have said something to him about it… right?
Lord Radcliff would not have hinted at the idea of going to dance with her at Vauxhall Gardens if she was courting someone, he realized. If Lord Radcliff thought it a good idea to softly push him to dance with Lady Catherine, then she was not courting anyone.
He had not done anything wrong by attempting to kiss her at Vauxhall, except perhaps when one remembered that he was not officially courting Lady Catherine, either.
He shook his head and set the glass down. Ashwood Manor and inheritance or not, he knew that he did not want to marry Miss Alexia. Lord Radcliff was right; he would have to attempt to talk some sense into his father. It would be easier to do that if he had someone else who was ready to tell his father that trying to force a marriage between himself and Miss Alexia would not work. The best person he could think of would be Lady Catherine.
The problem was that she did not know how he felt about her. If she knew, she was intentionally ignoring it so that she could court other men or make him jealous, perhaps both. If she did not know, then ignoring his advances was her way of telling him that she was not interested.
Lord Radcliff seemed to think that there was something there worth fighting for, and Nicolas agreed. He knew in his heart that the way he had felt about Lady Catherine during their childhood had grown into something more while he was away from her. Absence made his heart grow fonder of Lady Catherine, but it seemed to do the opposite for Lady Catherine.
He shook his head and began to get ready for his appearance and debut at Almack House. He wanted to make a good impression on Lady Catherine, and he knew from Lord Radcliff’s earlier words that he was doing something right when he was a child. Thinking back to when he had seen her again after so long away at the first dinner party he had attended when he arrived in Town, he knew that she liked to see him in his Navy uniform.
Unfortunately, his uniform was not considered proper attire for Almack House. He had to dress in a suit and a tie. It was no matter to him but making a good impression on Lady Catherine made it harder for him to find a suitable tie for the event. He did not know what she was to wear, and he wanted to compliment her outfit in some way.
He knew what Miss Alexia would be wearing, as he was to compliment her outfit instead. She was to wear a deep blue dress, something of a rarity this early in the Season. Of course, this no longer surprised Nicolas; she was so self-centered that she was probably going to wear colors other women did not at certain times in the Season so that she would stand out in the crowd. Whether it worked in her favor or against it, he did not know, and he did not care.
He finally picked a black tie. Black matched everything, after all, and if Miss Alexia complained that his tie was too close to the color of her dress to work as a complimentary color, then he would say that he did not have anything in that specific color and that was the best he could do to compliment it. He didn’t want to take away from her spotlight.
He groaned to himself when he had that thought.
Of course, the point of wearing a tie to compliment the woman’s dress was to show that he had some interest in her. By wearing a black tie, he would be able to show that he attempted, but he was not interested in her. He hoped.
His father and Miss Alexia would probably not understand what he was trying to say, but he did not care. As he cinched the knot on his tie, he wondered what color dress Lady Catherine would be wearing. Since no one was explicitly courting her, he would have been surprised if someone wore a tie to match her dress specifically.
He shaved his face to make sure that it was as clean-shaven as it would get. Single men did better without a beard, but he knew that Lady Catherine would not appreciate a beard. Or a moustache, but he did not like moustaches to begin with. If they got too long, they curled and got into the mouth. It was not fun.
Once he was ready and dressed, he carefully pulled a pocket watch out of a small, protective bag. It had been his grandfather’s, and his father had given it to him when he went away to the Navy. He put it in the pocket of his vest, trailing the chain to one of the buttonholes. He looked the perfect picture of propriety… and he hoped that Lady Catherine appreciated it.
Chapter Fourteen
Miss Amelia brushed out her hair, and then styled it. A French twist, a pouf of curls on top. It was perfect for her debut at Almack House, and to finish it off, Miss Amelia carefully placed an emerald encrusted tiara into the hairdo. It was her mother’s tiara, but for the night, it was Catherine’s. Looking in the mirror on the vanity, Catherine could not help but wonder who the woman in front of her was. She had never had her hair done up in such a beautiful way before, nor had she worn such a beautiful headpiece.
“Come, Lady Catherine. We must get you dressed now.” Miss Amelia’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
It was time to put on the Pomona green ballgown that the modiste had finished that day. Miss Amelia helped her into it, and when she was done, Catherine could hardly believe how beautiful the outfit pulled together. She wore matching lace gloves, and the outfit looked like she was a princess, not the daughter of an earl.
Miss Amelia escorted her downstairs, and then into the carriage. The maid would not be coming to Almack House with her; her mother would be acting as her chaperone for the night. Her father would be coming, too, but he had other reasons to be there for the night. It was her debut into society, after all, and her father wanted to make sure that there were men worthy of his daughter there.
“Have a wonderful night, Lady Catherine.” Miss Amelia smiled.
“You too, Miss Amelia,” Catherine replied.
Then, the carriage was off.
