“Lady Tisend,” Mother snarls quietly. “Ruined my reputation with a vicious lie. My parents could hardly go to the Pump Room. I couldn’t even leave the house. If it wasn’t for your father deciding to marry me and take me to Idless despite—” She breaks off, heaving in air.
Catherine reaches out, taking her hand, heart in her throat. She can barely hear the ball around them now. “How awful,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
“My parents left Bath right after the wedding, so I hadn’t heard— But of course I knew she’d be here. To have her daughter stealing your dances even now is abhorrent.”
Catherine blinks. That seems an awfully damning conclusion to jump to. “Mama, I’m not sure—”
“She ruined me to protect her match then, and she’s trying to do it again,” Mother insists. “We have to—”
“I’ve a few more gents coming our way as soon as their card game has finished,” Cousin Louis says, appearing on Mother’s other side, blocking their view of Lady Tisend. It doesn’t stop Mother from glaring, seemingly through his shoulder. “Everything all right?” he asks.
“Mother’s just spotted an old... acquaintance,” Catherine hedges. “Lady Tisend?”
“Oh, yes,” Cousin Louis says, glancing over at her. “Just bumped into her daughter’s suitor, Mr.Dean. The viscount’s not in attendance, as usual, but his son always attempts to make an appearance.”
“Lord Dean’s son?” Mother asks.
“Came back from Oxford about two years ago,” Cousin Louis says. “He and Lady Rosalie have been courting since last year.”
So that’s the petite woman with the blue-gray eyes—Lady Rosalie.
“Rumor has it he’ll propose before the season’s out, and she’d accompany him to London when he takes his father’s seat. Oh, there he is, by the entryway,” Cousin Louis says.
Catherine glances toward the doors, and Mother tugs on her hand, abruptly marching forward.
“Come with me,” she insists.
Cousin Louis yelps, dropping the lone profiterole he’d been intent on, as Mother grabs his wrist and hauls him along as well. Catherine does her best to apologize to the myriad people they’re bumping into, but once Mother’s determined on something, there’s rarely any stopping her.
Cousin Louis glances at Catherine, who shrugs, both of them trying to look like they’re not being dragged through the room. When they reach the doorway to the ballroom, they come face-to-face with a tall, dashing young man. A strong jaw, beautiful chestnut hair, and large dark eyes—he could be the romantic hero in one of her gothic novels.
“Cousin, I know you were eager to introduce us,” Mother says to a baffled Cousin Louis.
Cousin Louis glances from Mother to the gentleman and back. Mother’s giving him quite a look.
“Oh, well, yes. Right. Mr.Dean, a pleasure to see you again,” Cousin Louis says as he extricates his arm from Mother’s grasp.
Catherine would laugh at the way he’s subtly wringing out his hand if she couldn’t see Lady Tisend starting to push her way through the crowd behind him.
“May I present my cousin and her daughter, Mrs.Pine and MissPine. They’re new to Bath.”
Mr. Dean looks at them, clearly caught off guard to be bombarded with an introduction without even stepping into the ballroom. Though, as the son of a viscount, Catherine figureshe must suffer through introductions by the minute at these events.
Everything about him is as perfect as she imagines a suitor of Lady Rosalie’s should be. So perfect that it boggles the mind to think he’d ever have an interest in Catherine, of all people.
“It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr.Dean,” Mother says, her eyes twinkling. “I’ve heard such lovely things. I’m told you’re an excellent dancer.”
Mr.Dean puffs up a little bit. Oh, that’s just too easy.
“I do rather like a turn about the dance floor, yes,” he says, smiling at Mother. It’s a ridiculously charming smile. “Is Mr.Pine in this evening? I ought to make his acquaintance before asking your lovely daughter to dance.”
That was fast. A little too fast for a man who’s supposedly almost engaged to Lady Rosalie.
“He isn’t in attendance tonight, unfortunately,” Mother says quickly. “But he would be delighted to meet you later this week at his club, or the Pump Room, if it pleases you.”
“We’ll find a time,” Mr.Dean agrees. “Please tell him I’m looking forward to it. And I suppose now I must be a bit gauche and offer MissPine my first dance, if she has any room on her card.”
“She’ll make room,” Mother says.
