Page 39 of The Duke's Last Dance
The fact that the conversation had turned to Nicolas did not please Catherine, but she gave her measured answers as best as she could without sounding tired of the conversation. Her mother gave her a look, and she knew that her mother could tell she was not enjoying the conversation.
She also knew her mother would not do anything to get her out of the conversation. She was a young lady now, and if she were tired of a conversation, she would have to excuse herself from it.
Eventually, the ladies were satisfied with the answers she gave and the updates on how Nicolas was doing. It seemed that there were some ladies with eligible daughters and hearing that Nicolas was in Town again had done something to send everyone into a flurry to find a suitable reason to introduce their daughters to him.
Though Catherine would not have said anything to her mother about it, it hurt to know that they wanted to introduce their daughters to Nicolas.
“Though he is not currently courting anyone, I believe he will soon be courting one Miss Alexia Balfour,” Catherine finally said. She was not one to gossip, usually, but when one was jealous, one would do almost anything to keep others from being introduced to the man. “He danced with her almost exclusively at Almack House.”
“Almost exclusively? Other than you and Miss Alexia, did he dance with anyone else?” her mother asked.
She shook her head.
If he had danced with anyone else, she had not seen it. She had been too busy dancing with other men and with talking to Lord Burton to pay much attention to Nicolas’s other dealings. Especially the other women he danced with; but every time she had caught a glimpse of him when he was dancing, it was with Miss Alexia.
“Well, ‘tis a terrible thing, what his father is going through. Perhaps Miss Alexia is using him.” One of the women who had been quiet until this point finally spoke up. It earned her a look of shock from everyone. “Everyone else was too polite to say what we are all thinking. Miss Alexia Balfour is not a woman many men associate with if they can help it.”
Catherine wondered what this woman meant, but soon, other guests were arriving and the conversation had to be diverted to something less like gossip and more like polite conversation. She took part in many of the conversations, greeting the guests and making sure they were all happy at the start of the party.
When everyone had arrived, her mother made sure to welcome everyone and announce that since it was such a beautiful day – with the snow melting away enough to make the garden pathways easier to walk and enjoy – that the gardens would be open for shuttlecock, battledore, and for walking with others. They would be free to enjoy these activities as they pleased.
Immediately, one of the other young ladies invited her to join them in the gardens.
Knowing that her mother would still be running around and making sure everyone was enjoying themselves, Catherine considered staying inside and helping her mother. However, her mother gave her a look. It was time that Catherine enjoyed herself, and that was going to be the end of that.
There would be no discussion. Especially since the Duke of Hestina had arrived and would want to talk to her after she was done playing games outside.
“That sounds lovely, thank you.” Catherine smiled.
She headed outside with the ladies. It was a little chillier than she had hoped it would be, and without a jacket, she worried that she would get cold. So, she excused herself and found Miss Amelia. She instructed Miss Amelia to grab her white jacket with the lavender trimming. It was meant to be a walking jacket, but it was the only jacket that matched this dress.
The other ladies patiently waited for her to return before continuing to walk. She had told Miss Amelia where they would be, and to meet them there instead of returning to the place she had been found to give her the jacket.
“’Tis nice that your ladies’ maid can find such a jacket so quickly,” one of the ladies commented.
“’Twill not be hard to find. We had pulled it out this morning to make sure it matched the dress,just in case,” Catherine said.
Chapter Seventeen
She joined the other ladies once Miss Amelia had brought her jacket back to her. They played battledore and shuttlecock to start, which Catherine greatly appreciated. It was a game easy enough to play in the various layers they wore on days like this, and there was nothing more they could do than make sure they were having fun.
Especially since her mother had come out to join them after a while.
The men eventually came out to enjoy some fresh air as well. Catherine paid them no notice, her mind still swirling from what her mother had told her earlier. If there was really a difference between a fleeting infatuation and real love, then what had she been feeling for the Duke of Hestina and for Nicolas?
Had she really fallen in love, or was she struggling to know what her heart wanted? She did not know, and it bothered her. She had thought that the Season was meant to be the time when you found the way your heart wanted to work, and what it was supposed to tell you would be as clear as hearing your mother scold you for ripping a new stocking.
If that was not how it worked, then Catherine worried she would never figure out what her heart really wanted.
Then, she looked around at all the men that had come out. She wanted to see how many she recognized.
What a shock it was to find that the Duke of Hestina – the object of her desires – was staring at her, rather blatantly. He dared not hide it, and his cheeks colored slightly at the fact that she had found him staring.
Her spine tingled for the same reason.
Why she felt this way for the Duke and not for Nicolas, she did not understand. When she had been younger, she had hoped against everything that perhaps she would be able to marry Nicolas. He had promised her as much when she was ten, giving her that old, faded brooch.
Maybe she did love him, Catherine thought. Nicolas had been the one there for her through so much as a child, whether it was typical child’s angst or if it was something more serious. She knew that she did love him, but she was not sure if it was a love based on friendship or something else.
