“I-I was going to say that it was quite a bold choice, Your Grace,” Belinda stammered. “But in a good way!”
“Is that so? What else were you saying?”
“P-pardon me?”
“Nothing, Your Grace,” Cassandra chimed in. “We only wished to congratulate Miss Wallace on her betrothal. Now, if you’d excuse us…”
They hurried away, their footsteps fading quickly. Catriona waited to hear Joseph’s footsteps fade as well. She prayed that he would leave. But the silence that followed their departure was so heavy that she knew that he was still standing her.
“I thought I would come and check on you,” he spoke at last, his voice soft. “It is a good thing that I did.”
She said nothing. She was holding her breath to hold in her sob and knew that if she dared to speak, her voice would crack.
To her horror, he stepped closer. “Catriona?”
“I’m fine,” she managed to push out. “Thank you.”
His hand touched her elbow, sending thrills through her body. She was wholly unprepared for when he gripped her suddenly and twirled her around.
Catriona let out a gasp of surprise, and the tears she’d been holding in went streaking down her cheeks. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. His face hardened as he took her in, but the grip on her elbow eased.
She didn’t know what do to. She didn’t like crying in front of others, didn’t like it when her heart and her mind were not aligned. Even when her father died, Catriona had made sure to wait until she was alone in her chambers to grieve. Joseph witnessing her like this felt like a betrayal to herself.
But she didn’t move. She waited, held her breath. She knew she should move away and end this maddening and humiliating stare-down, but she wanted to see what he would say.
He didn’t say anything. He reached out to wipe her cheeks instead. She was caught off guard by how gentle his touch was.
“They aren’t worth it,” he murmured softly.
Catriona didn’t think twice about her next words. Later, she would regret saying them, she knew. She would be mortified to recall being this vulnerable with her innermost insecurities. But in this moment, she didn’t care.
“But they were right,” she whispered.
Joseph shook his head. “They know nothing. They’re idiots, plain and simple. You should not waste your time on their jealousy.”
She was quite aware of the fact that his hand was still holding her cheek. “I’m sure others are saying the same thing.”
“Their opinions don’t matter either.”
“As much as I would like to believe that, you and I both know that is not the truth.”
“The only thing I know to be true is that you are too beautiful, too intelligent, and too strong-willed to let their words upset you.”
Her heart thudded against her chest. Catriona stared into his eyes, seemingly so dark that they could almost be black. She longed to see the sincerity, to know that he meant those words even if they weren’t really true.
She saw it, and she didn’t know what to make of it.
Then she saw his gaze fall, resting on her lips. She parted them on instinct, and that hand against her cheek tightened slightly. Catriona felt a pull she’d never experienced before, felt her very core being drawn to the man before her. The hurtful words fell to the wayside, her tears forgotten. It was only she and he under the canopy of stars.
Someone laughed nearby, the sharp sound ringing out between them. Catriona quickly stepped back.
“I should return to the ballroom,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “It is inappropriate of us to be alone.”
“Catriona,” he began, but she didn’t give him the chance to finish. She left, racing away from her future husband, hoping to put enough distance between her and the conflicting emotions he stirred within her.
CHAPTER 10
Please come to see me this afternoon if you are available.
