Catherine let out a breath of relief, having not realized until that very moment that she had been a little afraid that Miss Cordner would return to Lord Rutherford and his eager advances. “I am glad to hear it,” she said as the others nodded. “Let us hope that she will be very happy indeed.” Her eyes suddenly snagged on none other than Lord Rutherford himself, and she sighed heavily, feeling her heart sink into her shoes at his presence. He had walked into the room and bowed to their host, a charming smile on his face as he had greeted the gentleman. He then moved to the lady of the house, the sister of their host, who blushed as he took her hand and bent over it. Her stomach tightened as she saw his lips briefly touch the lady’s skin, knowing full well that the man was a well-known rake and praying that the lady in question knew so too. The soiree was certainly quieter than a ball and she was easily able to watch him as he advanced into the room, clearly eager to draw the attention of the many ladies who were now studying him with cautious eyes.
She did not want to be one of them, so she turned her head away entirely, feeling a deep sense of dislike settle in her soul.
“He has arrived, then,” Lady Paxton asked with a small teasing note in her voice. “Goodness, Lady Catherine, I do not think I have ever seen you so displeased.”
“I do not like him,” Catherine stated with a shrug. “I was the one who spoke to him and I confess that I found him vulgar in his attempts to pull me toward him so that I might be somewhat softened in my judgment of him.” She laughed, her smile hard. “There is nothing he could say or do that would incline me toward him.”
Lady Haddington shrugged. “That is to be expected from someone as wise as you,” she said honestly. “I appreciate your candor, Lady Catherine. We will make certain not to speak to him often.”
Their host captured their attention before they could say any more, leaving Catherine with her mouth half open, the words stuck in her throat. The music room was opened for the guests, with the promise of dancing to begin in a few minutes. There were coos of delight from some of the ladies within the room, and Catherine noticed how Lady Bentham looked up to her husband immediately, and how he smiled at her and nodded, offering her his arm. She watched them go dispassionately, feeling no urge to find a partner of her own. Whilst she had been glad for her friends, happy to see them married to gentlemen that they truly cared for, she had never had such an eagerness within her own heart. There was no need for her to marry well, for if she remained as she was at present, her father would simply ensure that she had enough money to be contented with for the rest of her days. Most likely, he would give her a small property somewhere also, for he was vastly rich and held a great many properties, although very few were ever lived in for a prolonged length of time, aside from the estate, of course. But still, Catherine smiled as her friends took their husbands into the next room for dancing, leaving her and Lady Ann to stand together.
“Should you care for dancing, Catherine?” her sister asked, turning blue eyes onto Catherine, wide with expectant hope. “I should be glad to help you secure a partner, if you would wish it.”
Catherine laughed and waved a hand. “You go and dance with whomever you please, Ann,” she told her, thinking to herself that it was something of a surprise that Ann had not yet had a single gentleman eager to court her given her delicate beauty. “I will remain with the other guests in here, I think.” She looked all about her. “Father will be present here somewhere also and I will merely stand by him if I need to.”
Lady Ann opened her mouth to protest, then shrugged and turned away, leaving Catherine smiling. Her sister was always trying to ensure that Catherine had all she required, encouraging her where she could, but this eagerness to dance and to converse and to tease the gentlemen of the ton was not something Catherine liked to engage in. Ann was a little more contemplative in her character, with often a wistfulness about her when she spoke of their newly wed friends. Catherine, however, was much more level-headed and had already decided that, should it come time for her to wed or if she was encouraged to do so, the match would have to bring practical benefits to both herself and to her husband. There was no need for any particular feeling on either side, since it would be a sensible arrangement. Besides which, Catherine had never met a gentleman who had evoked any sense of feeling or emotion within her, who had ever made her feel giddy or bright with happiness, as she had seen with her friends. Whilst she hoped that her sister found all that she was looking for, Catherine did not even allow a thought into her mind as regarded her future. She would continue with The Shadows for as long as she could and, thereafter, would consider her future with practicality and sober judgment.
A quiet giggle interrupted her reverie and she turned her head sharply. To her horror and disgust, she saw none other than Lord Rutherford standing close to a lady of quality, who was now gazing up at him with bright eyes, a teasing smile on her face as she took a small step closer. She was standing much too near Lord Rutherford for it to be proper, but Catherine had little doubt that the gentleman in question cared nothing for such a thing as propriety. For whatever reason, she could not and would not lift her eyes from him, narrowing them slightly as he glanced at her, perhaps aware of the heavy weight of her gaze.
For a moment, he did not react. And then, with a smirk catching the corner of his mouth, he inclined his head, as though he were greeting an acquaintance of some importance. She did not move, nor did she turn her head, now shifting her gaze to the lady standing in front of Lord Rutherford, seeing how she did not so much as glance in Catherine’s direction. Her stomach dropped as Lord Rutherford laughed, shaking his head at the lady and throwing a gesture in Catherine’s direction as if to suggest that she was not worth considering.
“Are you acquainted with that gentleman? If you are, I would advise you to end your acquaintance immediately. He is not worth your time or your company.”
Catherine started and swung her head around to see another man standing to her left, half hidden in the shadows at the corner of the room.
“We—we are acquainted,” she said, struggling to make him out and yet not wanting to step closer so as to see him better. “Might I enquire as to whether or not we are acquainted, sir?”
She waited for an answer but none came. The gentleman did not say a word but rather stood precisely where he was. Looking back to Lord Rutherford and the lady in question, Catherine turned back to ask the gentleman if he also knew Lord Rutherford, only to see that he was gone.
Swallowing hard, Catherine felt a frisson of fear run down her spine, as though she had only just realized that she had been in the presence of a ghost. Giving herself a slight shake, she cleared her throat and turned away from the couple, walking through to the music room in the hope that she might find someone who would spark a flicker of recognition there. She had barely had time to take in the gentleman’s features, and his voice, whilst low, was not in any way distinguishable.
Frowning, Catherine took a few more quickened steps until she was able to find a space near the wall, able to look out over the crowd and let her gaze rest on each and every face. She could spy no one that she recognized, although there were quite a few gentlemen whom she did not know at all.
“Ah, Lady Catherine.”
Pasting a warm smile on her face, Catherine smiled back into the warm, welcoming face of their host. “Good evening,” she replied, thinking he had a very kind face, with warmth emanating from his eyes and a glad smile on his lips, as though he were truly delighted to be in the company of every guest present this evening.