Her stomach rumbled, prompting her into action. Unfortunately, Mother would disapprove if Catherine skimped on her morning toilette, so she took her time and dressed with care. She selected a blue day dress, and Simpson, her lady’s maid, helped her into it. Catherine forced herself to sit without fidgeting while Simpson arranged her hair. As soon as she was done, Catherine hurried downstairs to the breakfast room and found Charles sitting at one end of the table. Judging by his full plate of food, he’d only just arrived.
Catherine glanced at his plate hungrily as she sidled into the chair to his left. “Has Mother been downstairs yet?”
“Yes, m’lady,” Percy, their butler, said as he placed Catherine’s meal in front of her. “She breakfasted about an hour ago and is now in the morning room. She plans to stop here to speak with you when you’re done eating so that you may both plan your day.”
Both plan their day? Catherine’s mood plummeted as she realized her plans for fencing in the ballroom would probably have to be set aside. Shortly, Mother would inform her of her plans for their day, and she would expect Catherine to follow her orders without question. “Thank you, Percy,” she said. He bowed slightly and left the room.
Catherine stifled a small yawn, and Charles grinned at her. “Now, why on earth would you be so tired this morning?”
Catherine stared at him blankly for a moment but then flushed as she realized he must be referring to last night’s outing. They had long ago agreed that the topic of fencing would be strictly off limits. “Do you mean the fact that we only arrived yesterday?” she said in icy tones. “It was indeed a long trip.”
“You know that’s not what I meant. We’re alone, Catherine...” Charles stopped short at the terrified expression as she looked past him, and then glanced over his shoulder to see the door opening. Catherine held her breath until she saw her little sister, Sarah, enter the room. Charles shot Catherine an apologetic look and mouthed the word “sorry.”
Sarah ran to the table and sat next to Catherine, staring greedily at the food on her sister’s plate. “GoodMorningCatherineYouSleptLate!CanIHaveABiteOfYourHam?” The words flew out of her mouth so quickly that it took Catherine a moment to decipher them.
Catherine laughed and offered Sarah a bite of ham from her fork. “I’ll have Percy bring you a plate. Will this be your second breakfast?” She reached out to ring the bell, and Percy appeared at the door. “Sarah needs her second breakfast,” she said with a wink at her sister.
Percy gave a nod and slipped back out the door, returning after a moment with another plate of food.
“Percy, you're astonishingly prompt. Are you clairvoyant?” Charles sounded genuinely surprised.
A pleased smile curved across Percy's normally stoic face. “The cook saw her returning from the stables and took the liberty of preparing a plate.”
“They know me well, don’t they?” Sarah grinned as she cut her ham.
“You have an astonishing appetite for a thirteen-year-old girl.” Charles shook his head ruefully. “You’ll end up plump and round if you aren’t careful.”
“Ha! Not with her constant activity. The child never slows down.” Catherine reached out and plucked a bit of straw from her sister's hair. “She’s like a little wind-up toy that never tires.”
Sarah rolled her eyes at them and swatted Catherine's hand away. Without waiting to swallow, she launched into a recitation of the observations she’d made that morning.
“Did you know that Princess had kittens? And Lord Whatsis is being a terrible bully to all of the other cats!” She lowered her voice and said, “He’s a blackguard! I saw him attack Mister Flitwitty this morning, and I had to throw a bucket of water on him to make him stop.” Her eyes widened as she glared in annoyance. “Can you believe it? Billy just laughed at me! He thought the entire incident was just a morning’s entertainment!”
“Well, perhaps it was,” Catherine suggested. “After all, he works in the stables and has probably seen hundreds of cat-fights. I’m guessing your reaction provided him with a diversion from his normal routine.”
Sarah thrust out her chin. “Why do you have to take his side? I'm your sister.” A sly look came over her face. “He was telling me about a different sort of diversion last night. One that you provided.” She gave Catherine a broad wink.
Catherine felt herself flush with annoyance as Charles and Sarah exchanged grins. “I don’t appreciate the casual way in which you both mention my...” she paused as she glanced around the empty room, “my interest.” She used hushed, staccato tones to emphasize her annoyance. “Perhaps I need to be clearer. You can never allude to it. You must guard my secret, because if it were to become public knowledge, it would ruin not only me, but our entire family.” She glanced at the closed doors. “We have new servants in the house. How can you be certain they're trustworthy? For all you know, someone could be listening at the door even now, or Mother could walk in and overhear something that might allow her to piece together small clues. I beg you, for all our sakes, don’t try to bait me or tease me. You’re playing with fire!”
Catherine was pleased that they both had the good grace to look ashamed.
“I, for one, should know better,” Charles said. “Having recently had a firsthand view of the damage rumors can cause, I should have been more circumspect.” His jaw flexed as he glanced down at his plate in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, too," Sarah said. "Can I make it up to you? Perhaps we could go riding in the park together."
The child was incorrigible. "And how is that making it up to me? You are always pestering me to ride with you."
Sarah’s bright eyes widened and her cheeks grew pink, sure indicators that she knew she'd been caught in her ruse. "But you always have fun when we go out together."
"Fine, you little minx. I'll take you out tomorrow."
Sarah grinned in triumph and turned back to her plate.
Catherine relaxed. It was obvious that they were genuinely contrite. She knew they’d never intentionally put her at risk. And anyway, she never could stay angry for long. Forgiveness came easily to her.
"I need to take my leave," Charles said, rising to his feet.
At that moment, the door to the main hall opened, and their mother walked in. “Good morning, children,” came her peremptory greeting. “I'm relieved to have caught you all here before you scatter to the winds. But Charles," she said, pinning him with her gaze, "I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you were meeting with your father’s lawyers this morning."
“As a matter of fact, I was just leaving.” He leaned down to brush his cheek against hers in an approximation of a kiss. She was a slim woman, and at five-foot-five, she was only an inch shorter than Catherine, but Charles seemed to tower over her. “I’ll be home later to change, and then I have a dinner engagement,” he said.
“That sounds lovely, dear. I hope everything goes well today,” Mother said in a vague tone, her attention already focused on her youngest child as Charles left the room. “Sarah, your governess will be returning late this afternoon from holiday. Make sure you wear something presentable when you greet her. Your sister and I will be out making social calls.”
“Yes, Mama,” said Sarah, who dutifully added, “I'm looking forward to seeing her." Mother gave her an approving nod before turning her attention to her eldest daughter.
“Catherine, dear, you look quite lovely this morning.” Her voice sounded satisfied, and she gave a brief nod of approval. “That shade of blue becomes you. I hope you plan to wear it today when we make our round of calls.”
So much for fencing. Catherine hid her disappointment at the news, but she knew better than to show even a hint of dismay. Mother often gave the impression of an army general reviewing his troops when she met with her children. Perhaps it came from the years she’d spent with Papa in India while he was still in the military. And like a general, she expected her orders to be obeyed without question or complaint. “I’ve called for the carriage to b
e brought around at half past two. I trust that you’ll be ready to depart by then?”
It was worded as a question, but Catherine recognized one of her mother’s commands when she heard it. She nodded her assent.
Sarah stood from the table. "May I be excused?"
Mother nodded. "Try not to muss your dress,” she said, and Sarah scampered from the room.
Catherine rose from the table as well, but Mother held up her hand, gesturing to her to wait. She paused, and Catherine could hear Sarah’s footsteps retreating down the hallway toward the rear of the house. Once she was out of earshot, Mother took a step closer to Catherine. “Now that we’re back in London, our primary goal will be to find you an appropriate match. To that end, we’ll attend every social function that offers high visibility and draws a respectable number of bachelors. Your father’s new title of Earl of Kensington should far outweigh his involvement in trade. Not just any man will do, of course, but I’m certain you’ll be able to choose someone suitable who has status and connections.” Mother continued talking, laying out her campaign with near-military precision. “If everything proceeds according to plan, we should secure an engagement for you within two months.”
“Two months!” Catherine blurted out. “Why the rush?” A rising sense of panic made the pitch of her voice higher than usual. The tournament was also in two months.
Mother raised her eyebrows. “It may be true that this is your second season, but with the change in your father’s status, it should be a simple matter to find someone suitable. I expect your full cooperation in this.”
Catherine nodded mutely. Over the years, she’d come to dread seeing this level of enthusiasm in her mother. Having all of that energy focused on finding a husband meant that the task would take over their lives. Simply contemplating all of the balls, soirees, social calls, and dinner parties Mother had itemized left Catherine exhausted. How would she find time to prepare for the tournament?
Mother accepted Catherine's nod of agreement as though her cooperation had already been assumed. “Now that we’re back in London, we need to make our presence known. The first important step is to make a round of calls. I know it will mean spending the afternoon driving all around London, but it must be done. Meet me in my office at a quarter past two.”
Catherine pressed her lips together and forced out a faint smile of acquiescence.
5 - Paying Calls
Years ago, Catherine had learned to craft something she liked to think of as her social mask. It wasn’t a tangible item, but still, she never attended any social situation without first slipping it in place. And she never faced her mother without taking a moment to compose herself and employ that essential bit of armor. Mother’s insistence on conformity had caused Catherine to craft the mask, and her years of secret fencing had forged it into something akin to tempered steel. She rarely allowed any errant emotions to slip past it.
At a quarter past two, Catherine slid that social mask firmly in place as she joined her mother in her office. “Good afternoon,” she said, and her mother turned to face her, seeing only the pleasant and proper young woman that Catherine wanted her to see. Catherine noticed a glint of light reflecting off a silver object in her mother’s hand and crossed the room to stand next to her. “What’s that?”
“Do you like it? It’s my new calling card case.” Mother handed it to her. “The cover has an engraving of Prince Albert’s new Balmoral Castle.”
Catherine held the case for a moment, tracing her finger across the delicate edges of the engraving.
“The castle won’t be complete for a few years, but this is based on the architect’s drawings. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Catherine nodded as she continued to examine the case. Queen Victoria was building the castle in Scotland for her husband, Prince Albert. Victoria refused to give him control of her kingdom by naming him king, preferring to keep Great Britain’s reins firmly in her own hands. Unfortunately, Catherine wouldn’t have a similar option once she married. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and Mother’s announcement of her plan to have Catherine speedily betrothed had created a tight knot of dread in the pit of her stomach. The idea of losing what few freedoms she possessed terrified her. Ever since Mother had unveiled her plan, the tangled knot had been shooting out little tendrils of self-doubt.
Rules. Her life was controlled by formal rules others had created: rules for eating, speaking, walking, and marrying. They boxed her in, leaving her with a narrow set of choices. Now that she was the daughter of an earl, the rules had become that much more onerous.
Catherine handed back the case and then watched as her mother gathered a stack of brand-new calling cards and tucked them inside it. She handed one to Catherine to examine. They were printed on embossed white cardstock with “Lady Kensington” on top and with her own name, “Lady Catherine Williams,” below it, all in small, simple type. She shuffled closer to her mother’s desk to examine the other two boxes of cards. One set had “Lady Kensington” printed on them for when she made calls alone, and the other set was for Papa. His were printed on plain, flat card stock, but the other two sets had a slight gloss, all perfectly proper and tasteful. And all printed according to society’s strict rules.
She picked up one of her father’s cards, smoothing her fingers across his name. “Have you heard anything from Papa?”
“Not since that last letter a few days ago. He hopes to be back in time for the Norfolk Ball.”
Catherine nodded. That was still a month away. These days, Papa was gone more than he was home. Between his business interests and his occasional work for the queen, he had many obligations that made it necessary for him to travel. She wished he’d come home. She missed him, and Mother’s mood always mellowed when he was around.
“Now we’re ready.” Mother tucked the calling card case into her reticule and strode through the door, intent on maintaining their schedule.
They set out at the perfectly proper time of half past two. As they neared the home of Mother’s closest friend, the Dowager Countess of Wilmot, Catherine inched forward on her carriage seat so that she was perched on its edge. Mother always marked their return to London by visiting the Wilmot residence for her first official call of the season. Lady Wilmot’s only daughter, Lady Elizabeth, was a year younger than Catherine, and they’d become close friends over the years.
Lady Wilmot greeted them as they entered her morning room. Pale-yellow curtains were pulled back, welcoming the bright winter sunlight. “I received your letter in the morning post informing me that you’d be returning to Kensington House. Welcome back to London.”
“You must catch us up on all the happenings around town.” Mother sank onto the edge of the soft yellow settee, and anticipation lit her face with an internal glow. She sat forward, appearing eager to hear what her friend had to say. “And I’m quite curious to learn about this year’s eligible bachelors.”
Catherine suppressed a groan of frustration at Mother’s words. She glanced at Elizabeth and frowned, and then led the way toward a smaller settee at the far end of the room. She certainly didn’t want to listen to Mother repeat her plan for Catherine’s marriage campaign.
Catherine tried to block out her mother’s words from across the room as she and Elizabeth settled in, but it was difficult. Fortunately, the sofa they’d chosen was positioned so that the tea tray and a bouquet of pink hothouse roses served to partially screen them from view.
Elizabeth’s vivacious green eyes flashed with exuberance, but she kept her voice low as she greeted her friend. “Lord Stansbury is back in town, as is Sir Anthony Watters. Didn’t they both offer for you last year?”
Catherine frowned. “Yes, but I never seriously considered either one of them. Watters changes his attachments so quickly it’s hard to know where his heart lies from one week to the next. And I never liked Stansbury. He’s overly fond of gambling and not at all pleasant. I do hope there are some new faces in town this season.”
Elizabeth s
cooted forward to the edge of the sofa so vigorously that she caused the soft, black curls to bounce around her face. “But they’re all new to me, since this is officially my first season. With last year’s being cut short before I’d barely begun, I’ve decided not to count it.” She’d been called away from London when her aunt had become ill, and Elizabeth had remained by the woman’s side throughout her decline.
“I always loved hearing your impressions about people during that month you were here. Your ability to assess a person’s character is quite astounding. I must confess, I’ll need your advice.” Sometimes Elizabeth’s talent at understanding people and their motivations bordered on clairvoyance. Catherine wondered, not for the first time, how she had managed to conceal her passion for fencing all this time. Perhaps it was simply too far-fetched for Elizabeth to suspect.
“My advice? Why?”
“Mother is determined to marry me off quickly. She’s like a general planning a siege, and I almost pity the bachelor she decides to target.”
“You know I’ll do anything to help.” Elizabeth reached out and gave her hand a quick squeeze as she shot a glance toward their mothers.
Catherine peeked around the bouquet and caught her mother eyeing her with a contemplative gleam in her eye. “She’s going to be difficult,” Catherine said, “so, out with it. We may not be able to stay for long, since we have a dozen more calls to make, and I need your insights.”
“Hmm,” Elizabeth said, tapping her finger against her chin. “I think we can eliminate the precocious French gentleman I just met. He may be wealthy, but he has no title. Plus, he’s quite the tease. Everything he says seems to be with the intent to curl one’s toes. There’s even a rumor that some disgruntled husband shot him after finding him in an indelicate situation with his wife. It all happened last fall around the time of the big jewel theft while you were in the country.”
Lady Catherine's Secret: A Secrets and Seduction book Page 4
