“No, clearly you do not. Don’t you see yourself? You will be standing in this corner for the entire night because not a singlegentleman in attendance will look at an uncultivated outcast like you.”
Catriona thinned her lips, feeling her anger come dangerously close to the surface. She had to keep it under control. This was not the time to give in to her emotions—not when she needed to ensure this night went well for her sisters.
But then she noticed Maisie making her way back to where she stood and felt panic rise. She couldn’t let Maisie hear any of this. Her sister didn’t need to have her night ruined by bullies.
“Look at her, Belinda,” Cassandra went on with a bitter laugh. “I think it’s finally setting in.”
“Cassandra,” Belinda elbowed her friend in the side as she whispered, “the Duke of Irvin is walking over to you!”
Cassandra gasped. She twisted towards her friend, her excitement palpable as she gathered herself, no longer focused on berating Catriona any further.
The Duke of Irvinwasapproaching, his long legs easily eating up the distance between them. The panic rose. She didn’t need both the Duke of Irvin and Maisie witnessing this humiliating conversation.
The Duke reached them first. “Ladies,” he greeted.
Catriona said nothing. She didn’t even look at him. She only bided her time, waiting for the moment the Duke’s full attention went to the two horrid ladies before her so that she could slip away before her sister made it over.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” Cassandra greeted, her voice high and flirtatious. Catriona didn’t need to look directly at her to know that she was batting her eyelashes. “I hope you are having a pleasant time at tonight’s ball.”
The Duke’s response was barely a grunt. Catriona took a tiny step away. They would distract each other, she told herself. They wouldn’t even notice that she’d slipped away.
“Pardon me, miss.”
It took a moment for her to realize that the Duke was talking to her. Catriona froze, looking at him with a slight frown of confusion. What could he possibly have to say to her in a situation like this?
“Would you care to dance?”
It felt like the floor gave way beneath her. Catriona just barely caught herself from staggering back in shock, but she wasn’t sure she’d succeeded in keeping it off her face. “I beg your pardon?”
“A dance,” he repeated nonchalantly. As if he were talking about the weather. Nothing of great importance. “The next set is about to begin.”
“I…” Catriona glanced at the two ladies, but their own surprise kept their attention on the Duke. And the Duke’s attention was focused solely on her.
Unable to find her words, she simply nodded and held out her hand. The Duke clasped it and promptly led her away without sparing the other ladies a second glance. Catriona passed by Maisie on her way to the middle of the room, and her younger sister gave her a bright smile of excitement and approval.
And to make matters worse, it was a waltz.
Her heart stuttered in her chest when the Duke pulled her close. He smelled of citrus and cedar, the scent so endearing that she was tempted to lean in and sniff his neck.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her heart still tripping over itself. She tried not to think about her steps as they began to move back and forth. She’d practiced the waltz so many times, she was certain she could do it in her sleep. But being in the arms of a man as handsome as the Duke of Irvin was another matter entirely.
“For what?” He didn’t look at her, his eyes trained above her head. Catriona supposed that was a good thing. Clearly the Duke had no real interest in her and was only being kind.
“For saving me from those ladies. I assume that is the reason you asked me to dance with you.”
There was a beat of silence and then, “I wasn’t aware that I was saving you from anything, but you are welcome all the same.”
She frowned, looking up at him. “Then why did you ask me to dance?”
“Can it not simply be because I wanted to share a dance with you?”
“No,” she answered instantly. At his raised brows, she expounded, “It is not that I think myself incapable of receiving such an invitation from a gentleman such as yourself. It is just that our previous interactions have been less than favorable, and you do not seem particularly thrilled to be in my company right now. So, I find it hard to believe that you truly wanted to dance with me.”
“Well… you are correct.”
“I know I am,” she responded before she could stop herself.
That earned her a glance, one of curiosity. “I needed a moment to talk with you, and I thought that would be the most appropriate time for the both of us.”
