“It is only a ball. It would not be the end of the world if you missed it.”
Catriona turned away, heading to the door with her shadow, Nina, on her tail. “That’s where you’re wrong, Uncle. It means everything.”
CHAPTER 3
“Your Grace! How wonderful of you to attend!”
Lady Granger fluttered her fan close to her face, eyes sparkling with interest. Joseph ignored her. He knew she was only there to foist her daughter upon him.
There were many things Joseph did not like to partake in, and the London Season headed that list. He’d done his part. He’d suffered through the long nights and obnoxiously flirtatious ladies and their ambitious mothers to do what was expected of him as the Duke of Irvin. And by the grace of God, he’d managed to secure his wife within his first Season.
The fact that he was now a widower, and he was suffering through yet another Season over seven years later, was simply a cruel twist of fate.
“My Lady,” he greeted curtly.
“Have you danced already, Your Grace? If not, then allow me to introduce you to my?—”
“Pardon me, My Lady.”
He was already walking away before she could say another word.
The good thing was that it was quite early in the Season. Many of the ton had not arrived from their countryside homes yet which meant that Lady Henderson’s ball was remarkably empty. He wondered if she’d done that on purpose, wanting to get it out of the way before she was subject to the majority of the ton’s critical eye. Whatever the reason was, Joseph was glad for it. If he could find what he was looking for this early, then he wouldn’t have to subject himself to many more of these events.
“Your Grace!” Lady Granger was on his heels. Joseph didn’t dare turn around. She was a persistent lady, he recalled. “Your Grace, one moment!”
“I’m afraid I do not have the time to talk, My Lady,” he said when she caught up.
“Of course,” she panted. “I’m sure you have a number of people to greet. But my daughter?—”
He whirled to face her. “I do not wish to meet your daughter, My Lady. Now leave me be.”
Hoping that would be enough, he stalked off again.
Sequestering himself in the corner of the room did not have the desired effect. In a full ballroom, he might have gone unnoticed—once he arrived early and claimed his spot before anyone took notice of him of course. Arriving when nearly all of the guests were in attendance would only have the ladies flocking to his side in the hopes of securing a dance with the handsome Duke of Irvin. He would rather avoid that if he could. But since this ball was not so overpopulated, he did not go unnoticed. More than once, he noticed a group of ladies looking his way, whispering to each other as if they were conspiring how to approach. He wore his scowl like a shield in the hopes that they would not gather the strength.
“Oh, Your Grace!” Another lady, a much younger one that Joseph didn’t recognize, dared to approach him with a smile.
He looked at her, and that smile faltered.
“P-pardon me,” she stammered before racing away.
There were no good prospects present. All the ladies were too done up—their faces dusted with powder and rouge. Those who weren’t, who earned a second glance from him, had various qualities that marked them as unworthy. Too shy, too loud, too talkative, too haughty. One by one, he dismissed them. And each time he did, the realization that attending this evening’s ball had been a terrible mistake grew ever more overwhelming.
Untilshewalked in.
She was not alone. As a matter of fact, of her party, she was the last to enter, drifting in behind two ladies and an older gentleman as if she did not deem herself important enough to enter alongside them. The other two ladies looked a lot like each other and nothing like her, he noticed. They didn’t share the same sandy brown hair that fell in natural waves and the moss-colored eyes that could freeze a man on the spot. Nor did they have the same stubborn tilt of their chins, matching the rigid set of shoulders as if bracing her petite frame of gentle curves for impact.
Their unruly brown hair was dark, almost black in color, and it had been pulled up into identical updos, leaving tight curly strands framing their faces. From the distance, he noticed dark pairs of eyes that drank in everything with the excitement of children in a confectionary shop, and they were both smiling from ear to ear, their enthusiasm palpable even from the distance.
But she… she seemed seconds away from bolting from the room.
“Aren’t those…” A giggle sounded next to him, but Joseph didn’t take his eyes off the sisters—because clearly, they were sisters—as they drifted further into the room. “Aren’t those the Wallace sisters?”
“They are!” Whoever responded sounded excited, on the verge of laughter themselves. Joseph still didn’t look to see who it was since he was too busy watching as she followed the older gentleman and her sisters to where the hostess stood. “I cannotbelieve they actually attended. I thought that they surely must have known better than to do such a thing.”
“Clearly, they are far more naive than we thought.” The first girl laughed again, drawing Joseph’s attention this time. Two girls stood only a few feet away from him, heads bent together as if they meant to whisper to each other. They clearly didn’t know how loud they were being.
“They must have visited the modiste recently,” the other girl went on. “I have not seen them wear anything so nice before. They must think that having a nice dress on will be enough for them to snag a husband this Season.”
