A boy called Henry asks me to dance, and I go through the motions while searching to see who Benedict is dancing with. I've known Henry my whole life, which makes his attempts to flirt with me awkward at best. I'm not sure if I can say anything to make him stop, though.
The dance brings me in line with Benedict during a group section. He winks at me, and I smother a giggle.
He's going to cause problems for me. The more time I spend in his vicinity, the more certain I am of that. I'm not even sure what the best way to avoid the disaster that's going to take hold of my heart.
The rest of the even passes in a blur of movement. Even though I keep looking for Benedict, I manage to enjoy the movement of the dances and the way the music flows through us all. I even manage to get some blood and wine over the course of the evening, sending a fun buzz to my head and helping to soothe the ache in my feet.
Chapter 3
"Up," Mother instructs as she marches into my room.
I groan and pull my covers over my head. "It's too early."
"It's almost midnight, you've wasted most of your day in bed. Now you're going to get up and get dressed, and talk to your Father. He's waiting in the parlour." She doesn't add the threat of what Father will do if I don't go out and talk to him.
I throw the covers off and slip out of bed. I have a couple of dresses that'll be easy to put on, I'll pick one of them and I'll be decent within moments. I won't be the best dressed young woman in court, but if no one except my parents are seeing me, I doubt it matters.
I'm dressed within moments. Mother purses her lips, then directs me to the stool in front of my dressing table. I perch on the stool as she grabs hold of my hairbrush and begins tugging it through my tangled hair.
"You did well last night," she observes. "Your Father is pleased."
I perk up. "He is?"
"Mmhmm. I believe he's had several offers of marriage for you already. But he'll only tell us once he's settled on one."
A weight drops in my stomach. Marriage. I know that's what the previous night is all about, but I don't want to face the realities of it.
"So soon?"
"You should be glad. Not a lot of girls will have many offers this early. Your station, and your decorum last night helped."
The image of Benedict's smiling face slips into my mind. I push it away. I don't know him. There's no reason for me to fixate on him.
"I am glad," I say instead. I suppose in a way I am. I want my parents to be happy, and I want them to be pleased with what I do.
"Good. You need to do everything right from now on," Mother says. "If you put a foot wrong, then there's a chance everything we've worked for will fall through and you'll be to blame."
I bite my lip. Is she trying to tell me I may grow old as an unmarried maid? It seems unlikely. For one, we can't be stuck in these times forever. The humans are advancing every day, and vampires tend to follow behind. Or sometimes ahead. More than one of the famous inventors humans claim are geniuses is actually a vampire, or at the very least someone with a vampire whispering to them.
"Pass me the hair net, please," Mother says.
I frown. What does she want that for? I'm only meeting Father, and as an unmarried girl, I'm allowed to wear my hair loose if I want to. Tying it back in a net would be some kind of signal that I'm no longer available for marriage. Which is odd to say the least.
Even so, I do as she asks, passing her the silver filigree net studied in jewels from my dresser. Within moments, she has my hair pinned back and swept out of the way. I can never manage the same when I try.
"There. You're done." She steps back.
I rise to my feet and turn to face her, smoothing down my skirts in the process. They've bunched up after being sat on the stool and I don't like the way they look.
Mother nods approvingly, then opens the door to my bedroom and walks out. I follow her, knowing there's no other choice. Father is waiting for me, and the last thing I want is to make him angry.
The moment I'm in our other family room, I dip into a curtsy to show him the respect he demands. I'm not sure this is the way families should work, but I'm not in a position to change that.
At least, not yet.
"Catherine," Father says, rising to his feet and putting his hands behind his back in a stance I've seen many times and know to mean he's in serious moments.
"Lord Father," I say calmly, and wait patiently for him to continue. There's no use rushing him. He'll tell me what he's thinking in his own time, and there's nothing anyone can do to change that.
"I'm sure your Mother has told you that you behaved admirably last night."
"She has," I admit, keeping my eyes downcast and practising my ability not to fidget. It's hard, especially when I don't know what he's going to say.
"We've had several offers of marriage for you. I'll be taking the rest of the week to review them and make a decision about which of them is the most profitable for our family," he says matter-of-factly.
I swallow the lump in my throat and ignore the tears stinging the corners of my eyes. "Yes, Lord Father."
"Prepare to be married within the month."
"So soon?" I blurt.
"Yes," he answers, much to my surprise. "I'm leaning towards the Lord Dewsbury, and he is an impatient man..."
"But he's so old," the words are out before I can think about them. I curse myself inwardly and hope he won't take his anger out on me too much. I'm not saying anything that isn't true, but that doesn't mean anything.
"You're a vampire, I don't think it matters, Catherine," Mother interrupts.
"Listen to your Mother," Father says.
"Sorry," I mutter, not meaning the word at all.
"You'll marry where you're told to, and when you're told to," Father reminds me. "And it will be for the good of this family."
"Yes, Lord Father," I reply demurely.
How can he do this to me? I'm his only daughter, it doesn't seem to be outside the realms of possibility that he has some twinge of affection for me somewhere inside him. Though it doesn't seem likely given his current actions. It's not like he spends much time with me anyway.
"When will I get to meet him, Lord Father?" I attempt.
"At the wedding will be sufficient." He turns to Mother. "See to it she's better behaved by then."
Father doesn't wait for her reply and walks out, slamming the door behind him.
"Why did you say that?" she demands as soon as he's gone.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I don't know what happened."
She sighs loudly. "You have to hold your tongue. All you have to do is give Lord Dewsbury a son, and then you'll be free to do as you please."
My mouth drops open. "Are you telling me it's acceptable to have affairs?"
She shrugs. "Of course. Once you've done your duty with an heir, it's your time to do things the way you want them. Our child mortality rate is small, you'll be fine."
A shiver runs down my spine as I think about what I'll have to do in order to get the son in the first place. It's not the Lord's age that's a real problem, but more his circle. If I marry him, I'll almost never get to spend any time with anyone even approaching my own. I'll be embedded in politics and boring conversations I've never had any interest in.