Nelson choked. “What? No. She’s beautiful. One can readily see that, but I have a mistress.”
“Ah, yes. The luscious Mrs. Berryhill, the actress,” Sebastian replied, grinning at his friend. “This is the longest you’ve been in a relationship.”
Nelson shrugged. “It’s a very satisfactory one. So much so, I might delay ending it.” He nodded towards the Lathams. “Be careful.”
“You know me better than that.” Sebastian paused. His eyes followed Miss Latham, watching as she made her way to a small group of young women.
“Before I forget to ask, would you like to meet at the club tomorrow morning?” Nelson asked.
Sebastian nodded. “I’ll probably need the exercise after spending an evening with the ton.” Before he could say anything else, the tap of a cane on the floor made them both turn.
“Duchess!” both men said in unison. The Dowager Duchess of Clarence was a favorite among their set. Sebastian had known her forever. His father and the late Duke of Clarence had been childhood friends, as were he and his brother with the current duke.
“You two gentlemen shouldn’t be huddled in the corner! Two of the most handsome and eligible bachelors at the party should be mingling with the rest of the guests. Flirting with the young ladies.” The dowager’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Besides, you have a job to do,” she whispered.
Sebastian held up his hands, imploring. “We promise to mingle.”
“And dance?” she persisted.
“And dance,” Nelson agreed with a sly grin. “If you will promise me a dance.”
Smiling, she handed him her dance card. “What a lovely idea. I’ll save you a waltz.”
“It’ll be my pleasure,” Nelson replied. He leaned over her hand and lightly kissed it before signing and returning her card.
“Lord Soren, if you haven’t promised all your waltzes, I have someone I’d like to introduce to you later. I’m giving her time to adjust to the ball first,” the dowager said.
“Certainly, Duchess,” Sebastian replied.
“I’m wounded,” Nelson said, holding his hand over his heart.
“You boys make me feel like a young girl again,” she teased. Looking around the room, she whispered conspiratorially, “I like to keep it interesting. You know how I enjoy being the object of juicy gossip.” Smiling broadly, she thumped her gilded cane on the floor before walking toward the Duke of Clarence, who appeared in a hearty discussion with a well-known adversary in Parliament on the other side of the room.
If he had the good fortune to live to the age of the Dowager Duchess of Clarence, Sebastian hoped he would be as lively and dynamic. She was one of a kind.
Chapter Two
The moment a liveried footman announced her name at the Duke of Clarence ball, everything began to feel strange. Katie watched her brother and his wife make their way down the steps to the ballroom ahead of her, but she struggled to move her feet. She noticed Lucy and Paula across the room accepting glasses of champagne from a footman and wanted to be with them, but her feet felt like lead. Her heart was pounding so hard that it pulsed in her ears, and she fought to keep her vision from blurring. Sweat beaded on her forehead and the room began to sway.
Focus on something…someone…anything…
Her gaze swiveled around the ballroom, taking in glittering candles, giggling debutantes, and glasses clinking, and then she saw him.
There was no way to miss him. He was speaking to the Dowager Duchess of Clarence. The man towered over the elderly lady by almost two feet—he towered over everyone in the room. Broad shoulders tucked into a tailored black coat, muscular thighs straining against snug buff breeches, and thick and wavy dark brown hair that shone under the light of the chandeliers—but it was his sable dark eyes that took her breath away. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.
Guilt twisted in her chest. She should not be looking at other men, should she? She would have been a married woman by now if not for… She swallowed as she tried not to think about that night. She’d spent an entire year thinking about that night. For an entire year, She blamed herself for being foolish, silly, and naïve. Shaking off the heavy gray cloud that began to envelop her whenever she thought about Wendel and how he died, Katie made her way over to Paula and Lucy, who were standing next to a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the duke’s famous gardens.
Her dear friends had been all that was supportive and kind throughout the most difficult year of her life. She didn’t know how she would have gotten through her grief if it hadn’t been for Lucy and Paula.
As she approached them, Katie happened to glance over her shoulder and a gasp escaped her as her eyes met those of the tall, handsome stranger who was speaking to the dowager duchess a few minutes ago. The man’s dark eyes stared at Katie intently, making her feel completely discombobulated. Uncanny. It was as though he knew what she was thinking.
The mystery man was standing next to Sir Jonathan Nelson. She wondered how they knew each other. Sir Jonathan ran a successful fencing club that was frequented by most of the younger men in the ton, including her brother, Thomas. Katie, feeling her face flush with heat at being “caught” looking at him, broke eye contact with the stranger and turned to greet her friends.
“Darling Katie, you look beautiful. I’m so glad you came tonight,” Lucy said, wrapping her arms around Katie in a warm embrace.
“I agree. We’ll have lots of fun. You’ll see,” Paula said, hugging her tightly.
“Thank you both. I’m so glad to see the two of you. You must think me a silly goose for not venturing out until tonight.”
