Page 3 of Treating a Sinful Earl
Jasper was confused by this. “That is untrue. I merely keep to my own affairs. At least…of late that is the case.”
“And thus, all the ladies love you,” Felton replied, rolling his eyes. “It goes both ways, you realize. When a woman is distant, a man’s attention is piqued. And when a man is distant, all the ladies seem to swoon.”
This was all news to Jasper. Felton had never referred to him as distant before. Could it be that the recent news about his health had caused this? No, this was always Jasper’s manner. He kept to himself, gave his attention to those that he found interesting, and did not seek out anyone for selfish reasons. He was a self-contained sort of fellow. This kept things simple for him.
And Jasper needed things to be simple right now.
“Come, I am ready to speak with them,” Felton said, putting down his empty champagne flute.
“Now I am the one that is nervous,” Jasper replied, feeling that customary sweat come to his brow.
“Nonsense. You are the most dashing man in the room, and Catherine Trowbridge must have noticed that by now.”
Chapter 2
Lady Catherine Trowbridge was at a loss for words. How was it that Abigail fit into society so effortlessly? In fact, Abigail Hatcher was the toast of the town! For Catherine, this was certainly not the case. As Abigail and Selina carried on, Catherine was left to think about her garden back at home, and how much she missed the hounds and horses.
“Catherine, you are daydreaming again,” Abigail scolded with a smile.
“This is not anything that I am accustomed to.”
“Then make yourself accustomed to it.” Abigail placed two friendly hands upon her bare shoulders. “You know that it is inevitable. You were saying last week that your mother and father wait in anticipation of a marriage.”
Selina added, “Do not put so much pressure upon her, Abigail. I see Catherine as the sort of lady that does not require a gentleman. She could spend the rest of her days riding her horse and reading her books, perfectly content.”
Catherine could not help but smile. Selina knew her all too well, perhaps better than Abigail did. What’s more, Selina always accepted Catherine, just the way that she was. This left a rather pleasant feeling in Catherine’s heart.
Abigail removed her hands from Catherine’s shoulders and rolled her eyes. Why was it that she was so intent upon Catherine marrying? “Abigail, you cannot scold me for not finding a husband when you yourself do not have one!” Catherine protested.
Abigail crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I am in no hurry to be wed. There are far too many fetching gentlemen in Bath. I should like to dance with all of them before I make a decision!”
Now, Catherine was the one to roll her eyes playfully. Abigail could be so conceited at times, and although she loved her friend dearly, Catherine knew that Abigail’s haughtiness might get her into trouble one of these days.
Oh, but Bath was ever so pleasant this time of year, and it made it easy to distract oneself from such thinking! Catherine already planned to walk down to the coast the following morning. How could marriage be so important when there was the sea, the sky, and the healing waters of the town? She estimated that she was very fortunate that her parents, the baron and baroness, did not send her to London for the Season. It would be abominable. There would be nowhere to escape.
“Come, let us find some eligible bachelors,” Abigail exclaimed, looking about the room as though she were on the hunt.
“I am nervous,” Catherine admitted, not liking the notion of having to converse with men that she did not know.
Selina surmised, “It is most fortunate that ladies are not allowed to approach men, Catherine. That way, you can stand here, being your beautiful self, merely waiting for them to come to you.”
Catherine constricted her brow in curiosity. What was Selina implying? She felt no more beautiful than her friends, but Selina was making it sound as though there was something particularly special about Catherine’s appearance. This made no sense to her in the slightest.
“Oh, heavens! Selina, do you see what I see?” Abigail asked. She nodded her head in the direction of two gentlemen directly across the ballroom.
Catherine watched as Selina’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Is that Felton Andrews?” she asked, returning her attention to Abigail.
“Indeed.” Abigail raised her brow. “In fact, I caught him looking this way earlier in the evening. I think that he is positively spying on us!”
“Who is Felton Andrews?” Catherine asked earnestly.
“Catherine, you really must go to more balls. Mr Andrews is at every single one! Oh, he is ever so handsome, and I hear tell that he has some kind of sentiment for me.” Abigail tossed her head to the side in pride. “Not that he is all that spectacular. In fact, I have seen more handsome gentlemen.” Her voice became hushed. “But I do fancy him, I must admit. Yet, I cannot let on as such. If Mr Andrew approaches then I shall be as cool as the waters of Bath. There’s no benefit to letting a man know that you have feelings for him.”
Catherine thought this abominable. She did not care for the games that society played. What’s more, if she were ever to fancy a man, she would tell him plainly. But these thoughts vanished as Catherine had a chance to view the gentleman just to Felton Andrews’ left. “Who is that?” she asked in a small voice.
Abigail grinned from ear to ear. “Catherine, there is so much for you to learn. If you do not know who that man is, then you are past help.” Her voice turned mischievous. “That is Lord Jasper Spranklin.”
“Lord Jasper Spranklin?” Catherine asked, having never heard the name. Oh, but he was ever so handsome and tall!
