Secondly, both Max and Perry noted the attention they received as they progressed to their reserved room. “I think a few pigeons just fluttered out,” murmured Perry as the gentlemen seated the ladies.
“Meow,” answered Max. “I rather enjoy being one the cats.”
“It’ll be all over town by tonight, of course,” Perry cautioned.
“I heard that,” Kitty glanced over her shoulder at Max. “Is that correct?”
Max sighed and nodded, taking the seat next to her. “Yes. There were several women in the restaurant I recognized as well-known busybodies. If you’d been looking, you’d have seen their eyes widen.” He grinned. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice the air being sucked out of the room. I think they all gasped at the same moment.”
She grinned. “Now I really am the scandalous Miss Ridlington.” She blinked. “No wait. I’m not.” She turned to Max. “Can I be the scandalous Mrs. Seton-Mowbray?”
Perry caught the thread of the conversation, since he and Grace were seated opposite and the table was of a comfortable size. “I believe that will be the correct form of address during interactions such as these. Without thescandalous, of course.” He leaned back and folded his hands across his chest. “However, when formally introduced, you will be the Right Honorable Mrs. Seton-Mowbray. You have married beneath you, my dear. Title-wise, that is. No offense, Max.”
“Good God. My wife outranks me.” Max placed his hand dramatically over his heart. “There goes my standing at the clubs.”
“Oh hush,” chuckled Grace. “Wives always outrank husbands. Just because this is validated by the peerage, doesn’t change the state of all the other marriages out there.”
Kitty raised her chin as she flashed a quick smile at Grace. “Your sister is quite correct, Max. Women definitely outrank men in the state of marriage.”
“Oh really?” His tone was challenging. “How so?”
“Heirs, darling,” she drawled. “Have any of your fellow club members given birth to one?”
He blinked.
“I thought not.” Content, Kitty leaned back and Grace raised her glass.
“Hear hear.”
From then on, the meal degenerated into a lot of laughing, teasing, kindly insulting comments, all parties seeming to set aside their worries and questions for a couple of hours.
Max wondered at it; four such disparate characters…his sister, usually so reserved and private, actually appearing in public and enjoying it. Then there was Perry, a brilliant man, who had gradually disappeared from Society, declaring himself jaded and tired of the absurdities he observed while in it.
And Kitty. She had worked so hard to gainentréeinto theTon, ignoring her Ridlington heritage and relying on her wit and her charm. And yet she’d craved the chance to become scandalous, notorious even, to shake up that self-satisfied world of traditions and expectations.
And then there was himself. He knew he’d found little but façades and pretenses within the Society he was supposed to be a part of; a discovery that had taken a while to sink in, but that had changed him, kept him aloof and mostly uninterested in those who swanned around him at endless, useless events.
“Enjoying yourself?” Kitty leaned into him briefly.
“Yes.” He looked at her. “If this is what married life is like, I believe it will suit me well.” He paused. “But I’ll reserve judgment until the morning.”
She blushed.
“So it will be the Chorley ball this evening, then?” Perry asked.
Max nodded. “I have it on good authority that our quarry is seeking solace for her loss by pursuing…” He leaned in, encouraging three other heads to lean toward him. “She’s…after Sir Robert Dunnover.”
“Good grief.” Kitty sat back with a shocked look on her face. “I know he’s as rich as Golden Ball, but he’s got to be well over sixty…?”
“At least,” added Perry.
Grace delicately dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Perhaps he has a bad cough?”
There was silence for at least a count of ten seconds.
Then Perry snickered.
Max grinned and choked down a guffaw.
Kitty couldn’t hold her peal of laughter back.
And Grace? She just looked at each of them, gentle innocence writ large upon her face.
“Max, I believe I shall develop atendrefor your sister. I shall abduct her and keep her in a tower room so that I may visit her and enjoy her brilliant wit as often as I feel like it.” Perry glanced at Max.
“I might have something to say about that, sir.” Grace stared at him. “For example, is it a drafty tower room? Is there a good fireplace?” She ticked off items on her fingers. “It must have a large library next door, of course, and I would like a view of the ocean too.” She thought. “Um, high ceilings…a piano, which goes without saying…”
Perry shook his head. “You know, you’d think we mere males would learn when it comes to women.”
Max grinned. “No, we never will.” He grinned at Kitty. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
