And weighest thy words before thou givest them breath.
—Othello, act 3, scene 3
“Good night,” Katherine called, and waved to Penny as she climbed into the carriage.
“Was that the last of our guests?” Aunt Leola asked as she and Katherine stood at the bottom of the front steps.
“Ours, yes,” Katherine said, looking across the street. “Uncle Quillsbury’s, no. I count three carriages waiting and probably one or two more that we can’t see from here because of the hedge.”
“No doubt the duke will be ready for bed and shoo them all out within an hour, but we won’t worry about him. Let’s go inside and you can tell me all about your evening sitting beside the infamous Earl of Greyhawke. You know, I only heard this morning that he was back in London. I have no idea how long he’s been here, but I rushed an invitation over to his house, never expecting him to respond to such a late request. To my surprise, he immediately sent back a note accepting.”
Probably because he was starving for a hearty meal.
“Luckily, I was able to squeeze in one more chair,” her aunt said, and then paused before adding, “Right beside you.”
“Why did you seat him beside me?”
“It was the easiest way to avoid upsetting my entire seating arrangements, of course. It would have been a nightmare of shuffling back and forth at the last minute if I’d tried to move anyone else.” She purposefully paused. “I’m thinking now perhaps I should have.”
“Why is that?” Katherine asked casually, though she was sure she knew the reason. She’d seen Lady Littlehaven bending her aunt’s ear with a prolonged conversation.
Her aunt looked at her with piercing green eyes. “Did you really exchange dinner plates with the earl?”
Katherine would bet her pin money that the Dowager Countess of Littlehaven was the one who’d spilled the tattle. Still, she asked, “Which one told you? Lady Littlehaven or Mrs. Henshawe?”
“Both.”
Oh dear!
There was nothing to do but admit to the breach in manners. “I’m sorry, Auntie. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but all I can say is that I offered the food to Lord Greyhawke before I thought about the consequences.”
“That is obvious, my dear. I did my best to smooth over your peccadillo by assuring them you saw a chip in the china and you simply couldn’t let an earl eat off a dinner plate that had been damaged. Why, the broken piece could have been in his food. Imagine what would have happened if he’d bitten down on it!”
Katherine laughed. “Auntie, how did you get so clever?”
“With age, my dear. There are not many things that haven’t passed by me at least once or twice. But I’m baffled as to why you would do such a thing. He had his own food.”
Her aunt was not only clever, she was curious. Katherine shifted her weight from her good leg to her cane. She didn’t want to be asked more questions about Lord Greyhawke. She had already been set upon by Melba, Madeline, and Penny twice tonight about the earl, and other ladies who stayed for coffee, too. Plus there was constant chatter in the drawing room about him and all the possible reasons he might have returned to Town after such a long absence. Most of the ladies were certain he’d come to London looking for a countess. Katherine had once again successfully dodged having to give any of them information about her discussions with the earl.
Lady Leola would not be so easy to evade.
“He had already finished his dinner and he still looked hungry,” she said, deciding the truth was the best answer.
Her aunt looked aghast. “Hungry? That’s preposterous. How does anyone look hungry?”
“Aunt Lee, I’m sorry. It’s done. Over. All I can do is ask that you forgive me.”
“Of course. That is not the issue here.” She reached up and patted Katherine’s cheek affectionately. “Knowing Lady Littlehaven as I do, I fear this incident will end up in the scandal sheets. And the duke will be asking me why you can get your name in gossip columns but not on a marriage license.”
Auntie Lee looked so stricken that Katherine felt truly repentant for her antics at the dinner table. But how could she explain that even though she knew it was wrong, she’d wanted to do it for the earl?
“I will just have to tell Uncle Quillsbury that gossip is part of finding the right man to make a match.”
“That will not satisfy the duke, my dear. Now, let’s go in. My feet are getting cold.”
“Auntie, may I stay out here for a little while? I know it’s chilly, but look how big and bright and beautiful the moon is tonight. There isn’t a cloud in the sky to shadow it. I promise I won’t stay too long.”
Auntie Lee didn’t look up at the sky. She studied Katherine’s face a bit more closely than Katherine would have liked. “Something tells me you want to stand out here in the quiet of the evening, look at that romantic moon, and think about Lord Greyhawke. Am I right?”
“He’s like no one I’ve ever met before,” Katherine admitted without fear of reprisal or teasing.
“That’s saying a lot, my dear, considering you’ve been in Society for more than two years now and have met every eligible bachelor in the ton and most of the Italian counts who are visiting London, too. I must confess, it never crossed my mind when I seated the earl beside you that he might be the first gentleman to prick that hard shell of yours.”
Did she have a hard shell? Yes, she’d rebuffed all the gentlemen who’d shown interest in her in the past, but she couldn’t do that anymore. She’d promised the duke she would make a match by the end of the Season.
“Or that you might find favor with the man,” her aunt continued.
Katherine was willing to admit to being interested in the earl. And once again, she wondered if she should add him to her list of prospects, even if he enjoyed dancing.
“The earl is very handsome and intriguing.”
“Indeed he is.”
“How well do you know him?”
“We’ve met, of course, but I don’t know him.”
“Did you hear gossip about him after he left London?” Katherine asked cautiously.
“Of course, my dear. We all did and we all understood.” She paused. “All right, stay out here and dream your dreams, enjoy your flights of fancy. I hope the real earl will measure up to whatever your imagination conjures tonight. Don’t stay out too long.”
“Thank you, Auntie. I won’t.”
While her aunt turned away and went inside, Katherine clutched her velvet wrap tighter at the base of her throat and walked a short distance down the stone pathway to get out from under the harsh glare of the lamp beside the door. She was thankful for the few minutes alone in the cold air. Perhaps she needed to clear her head concerning the earl.
After her unexpected brush with Lord Greyhawke’s hand, she’d had little to say to anyone. Thankfully, Mrs. Henshawe and Lady Littlehaven chose not to say anything to her about the breach in etiquette and carried the conversation through their buttery dessert and until Uncle Quillsbury signaled dinner was over.
Everyone knew what to do without being told. Gentlemen were to join the duke in his book room for brandy and the latest business and political gossip. The ladies joined Katherine and her aunt in the drawing room for coffee, port, and the latest Society chatter from the gossipmongers. And the main topic among the ladies had been Lord Greyhawke.
After the drinks had been poured, Katherine had been set upon by her friends to divulge her dinner conversation with the handsome earl. She managed to foil their attempts once again by insisting Lord Greyhawke spent most of the time talking to Lady Littlehaven and Mrs. Henshawe. Later, when Penny and Madeline cornered Mrs. Henshawe, they had to agree with Katherine. Once the lady had started talking, she talked only about herself and not the earl at all.
Katherine was definitely conflicted about him. It was odd. Though she hardly knew anything about him, she felt she knew him well. He created an uncommon mixture of feelings and emotions inside her. In the space of one evening and two separate meetings, he had stunned her, complimented her, and confused her. He’d made her laugh, made her remember, and made her want to know more about the thrilling, swirling sensations that swept through her when his hand touched hers.
Too, there was that unfamiliar fear that she couldn’t quite shake. Just because she thought the earl had felt all the wonderful things that filled her didn’t mean that he had felt the same things she had.
The front door opened and Katherine looked behind her. Her heart lurched and then began the enticing fluttering she always felt when she first saw Lord Greyhawke. He was walking out, swinging his cloak over his shoulders as he went. Looking at him from a distance, she could tell what a tall, magnificent, powerfully built man he was.
He didn’t see her standing halfway down the stone path until he placed his hat on his head and started down the steps. His footfalls slowed and he removed the hat that she’d just watched him don.
His gaze swept up and down her face. Katherine felt an unfamiliar sensation in her breasts, her lower stomach, and between her legs as his stride shortened the distance between them.