Page 38 of The Duke's Last Dance
“What if I believe that what I had in childhood with Lord Lockhart is only a fleeting infatuation, Mother?” As they had been talking, Catherine realized that she had not known what she felt for anyone. She felt butterflies and tingles around Lord Burton, but around Lord Lockhart, it was something familiar and older. She could not quite pin down what it was, but she knew she had felt this around Nicolas before.
“If you believe it a fleeting infatuation, then you must tell Lord Lockhart you have no interest in him at this moment,” her mother replied. “I warn you, though, this may end a relationship before it begins. If you come to find that you were wrong and only feel a fleeting infatuation for the Duke of Hestina, then Lord Lockhart may have moved on and may be courting someone else when you come to that realization.”
“Is real love that hard to get over, if he does feel that way about me?”
“I do not believe so, but there is no way to tell for certain how it feels for one person compared to another, Catherine.” Her mother looked back to the flowers. “You are a young woman, and I cannot believe how wonderful you have become. But your heart is your own, and you must listen to it.”
“Countess, Lady Catherine, some of the guests have arrived,” a butler interrupted the conversation. “Shall I show them in?”
“Yes, please.” Her mother nodded towards the butler. “If you would be so kind as to show them to the dining room.”
“Of course, My Lady.” The butler gave a soft bow and walked away before Catherine or her mother could say anything more.
“What if I am not sure what my heart is saying to me, Mother?” Catherine asked one final question as her mother started towards the dining room.
“If you are not sure what your heart says to you, then you must follow what you believe it is telling you for as long as you can. If that is not what you want then you can always follow another path, provided you have not created scandal.” Her mother walked out without another word.
Catherine sighed.
That was not what she had thought her mother would have to say to her. It gave her an interesting perspective on what had been last night. If her mother had thought that Nicolas was truly in love with her, then why had she not spoken up earlier? Why had she been so excited about the Duke of Hestina, just as Catherine still was, when he had first introduced himself to her?
Perhaps it was because Nicolas had not shown any interest in Catherine in that way before. He had been away in the Navy and had not written to her before showing up in Town to help take care of his father.
Catherine walked back upstairs and into her room. With some of the guests having arrived, and with her mother directing the butler to show them to the dining room, she wanted to take a moment to ensure that her dress was lying properly.
She had decided to wear the lavender gown from the modiste. It was full-length, but the skirt was not as fully filled out as the ball gown skirts were. A modest piece of lace ribbed the bodice, and it had shorter sleeves than the ball gowns. The square neckline showed a soft cleavage in this corset, but it was nothing inappropriate for a tea party.
She had picked white gloves for the party, as she had thought it indecent to go without gloves.
With a reassurance that her dress lay as it should have, and that everything was smooth, she walked back downstairs. When she arrived in the sitting room, she was glad to find that the party had not yet begun. Her mother had everyone in the dining room, still, as they were still waiting for other guests.
She peeked in.
All the guests who had arrived so far were friends of her mother’s. They were all making conversation, and her mother invited her to join the conversation.
“Come, Catherine, come,” her mother said. “You mustn’t hide like that. What were you doing?”
“I thought my dress felt funny,” she replied. “I wanted to make sure that I was still properly dressed for the occasion, Mother.”
“Oh…” Her mother did not say anything more about the answer she had given.
For that, Catherine was glad.
The other participants in the conversation introduced themselves, and they began to ask Catherine what she had thought of the Season so far. Given that it was only a fortnight or so into the Season she could not say much, but that she had thoroughly enjoyed her debut at Almack House.
“Quite the classy place to have a debut, Lady Catherine,” one of the older women said. “I am sure your mother’s contacts there had something to do with the fact that you debuted there. Did you dance with many men?”
“I did, though the one that caught my eye was the Duke of Hestina, one Lord Burton.” Catherine smiled as she recalled the dances she had shared with him. “He wore a wonderful three-piece suit, and he was all around a gentleman.”
“Was your dance card full?” another lady spoke up. “I hear that young women often have full dance cards their first night at Almack House. If I remember correctly, mine was full my first night… and all subsequent nights. My husband was very bold in asking me to dance when at Almack House.”
“Yes, my dance card was full. ‘Twas full before I arrived, and I believe my father had a hand in setting that up,” Catherine replied. “I would not have traded it for anything else in the world, though. ‘Twas a wonderful evening.”
“Did you dance with Lord Lockhart? I hear he is back in town, and that he has wanted to dance properly with you for many years,” the first woman spoke up. “Has he seen you since he arrived in Town?”
“He did ask me to dance, yes, but I did not feel anything magical about the dance,” Catherine said. “I believe there is nothing there, but I believe something could happen with the Duke of Hestina.”
“I have heard that the Duke is charming. What of Lord Lockhart? How has he grown since he last left?”
