Page 58 of The Duke's Last Dance
“I was foolish to believe he would write to me,” she said. “I waited three years while he was in the Navy to hear from him, and not one word! Not one word from him, nor have I heard from him in two months while he has been in the countryside. At least in the Navy, I could have easily forgiven him a lost letter, or even a letter returned because it could not be delivered so far. He has no excuse now!” She wiped another tear from her eyes as she tried to keep her voice from quivering.
“You have been writing to him every week as you promised, yes?” Miss Amelia sat on the bed, not trying to distract Catherine, but trying instead to find a way to help her through what was going on.
“Yes. I have written every week, and still nothing from him!” Catherine threw the handkerchief to the top of the dresser and put her head down. “Still, nothing! No letters, nothing to say that he had arrived at Gracemere all right, nor to say why he has not written to me.”
“Perhaps you need to calm down some, My Lady,” Miss Amelia said. “He has an ill father. Surely, it must be taxing on everyone at Gracemere to deal with the eventuality that… that the Duke of Ashwood will die. Mortality is not an easy thing to consider, my Lady.”
“He promised me he would write, Miss Amelia,” Catherine countered. “He promised. He would respond to ever letter. He… he promised…”
“Forgive me if this is bold, but I wonder if he ever keeps his promises.” Miss Amelia put a hand on Catherine’s shoulder softly. “Did he not promise to marry you, and now, he has done nothing but attempt to marry you without any proof he means to?”
Catherine did not answer.
With the letdown of Edward’s letter, which she was certain had a lot of fun information in it and she would read when she was calmer, a small seed of doubt had been planted.
What if Nicolas did not truly love her? What if he was simply using her as a way to get out of marrying Miss Alexia Balfour and marry someone else?
If he was using her in that manner, then she would not have cared if he married Miss Alexia Balfour. In fact, she would have preferred it; they were perfect for each other if she were as self-centered as Nicolas was acting right now.
“My lady?” Miss Amelia’s voice interrupted her thoughts again.
“Miss Amelia, I would like to be alone. Please…” she said. “I need time to think. Just go.” She waved her hand dismissively.
She heard the footsteps that meant that Miss Amelia had left, and she picked up the kerchief again. She dabbed at her eyes, and then moved from the dresser to the bed. Two months… how could she have been so foolish? She had thought he would keep his promise, and just as when he went into the Navy, she had heard absolutely nothing from him.
She did not believe that her heart could handle another rejection from Nicolas, since she took silence to mean that something was wrong or that someone was avoiding her. She could not think of any reason that Nicolas would have to avoid her unless he was worried that by writing to her, he would be revealing that he did not, indeed, love her.
There was another knock on the door.
“I said to leave me be, Miss Amelia,” Catherine said.
“You have a caller downstairs, Lady Catherine,” the person replied. They did not open the door, but from the voice, Catherine could tell it was one of the butlers.
Catherine sighed. She did not want to have callers right now, but she knew that it would be ruder to tell them to go away than to go to see them for a few minutes.
“I will be down shortly, sir, thank you,” she replied.
She listened as the footsteps retreated. Then, she got off the bed. She walked to her nightstand and splashed some water on her face. After her emotions had calmed a little more, she felt stable enough to have a caller.
She walked down carefully, trying to keep her thoughts off the disappointment she’d had just a few minutes ago.
When she arrived in the sitting room, she was surprised to see the Duke of Hestina sitting there, patiently waiting for her.
“Good morning, Lady Catherine,” he said.
“A pleasure to see you, Lord Burton,” she responded. Her heart was not in the mood to see another man, but the tingles returned. She felt the butterflies. Though there was no shiver down her spine, yet she wondered why she still felt this way about the duke if she loved Nicolas.
“I was hoping you would accompany me to Haymarket Theatre tomorrow evening,” he began. “I have tickets for a show, and I would be honored if… if you would do me the honor.”
She felt her heart skip a beat.
When Nicolas ignored her, the Duke of Hestina had sought her out. He wanted her. He wanted to see her on his arm… and she could not ignore the feelings she had in that moment.
Why would he come to call on her now? When Nicolas had not returned any of her letters nor had made any attempt to tell her why?
“I would be honored to accompany you to the theatre tomorrow evening, sir,” Catherine said with a smile.
The duke’s visit had to be more than a coincidence.
