CHAPTER 1
“Really, Katie,”her mother hissed, her voice low but insistent. “You must make an effort. Look at how your friends have succeeded. Leah’s book has made her the talk of the town, and your sisters have married well. You must seize this opportunity.”
Katie’s anxiety spiked. She had always been more comfortable in the shadows, content to watch life from the sidelines. But this Season had thrust her into the spotlight, and she struggled to navigate the new attention.
“Mother, I’m trying,” she whispered, glancing nervously around the room. “But I don’t know how to be more… alluring.”
Her mother sighed, clearly exasperated. “You must be witty and demure, my dear. Smile, laugh at their jokes, and, for heaven’s sake, stand up straight. No one will notice you if you keep slouching.”
Katie forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. She straightened her posture and tried to look more engaged, but the effort was exhausting. As she scanned the room, she saw ladies and gentlemen mingling, their conversations a cacophony of laughter and polite chatter. Tables along the walls were laden with delicate pastries, fruits, and fine wines, but Katie had no appetite.
“There’s Lord Pembroke,” her mother said, nodding discreetly toward a distinguished-looking gentleman. “He would be a fine match. Go, be intriguing—make an effort, for goodness’ sake.”
Katie hesitated, feeling a knot of dread in her stomach. “Mother, I can’t just walk up to him. What would I say?”
The Viscountess’s eyes narrowed. “You must learn to be more confident, Katie. You won’t find a husband by hiding in the corners.”
Katie clenched her fists, trying to quell her rising frustration. “I need a moment,” she said, turning away from her mother.
“Katie, don’t you dare walk away from me!” her mother called, but Katie had already slipped through the crowd, her heart pounding. She needed space, a respite from the relentless pressure.
She found a small, unoccupied room off the main hallway and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The noise from the ballroom became muted, and for a moment, she felt a semblanceof peace, but it was short-lived. Her mother had followed her and opened the door with a soft click.
“Katie, you cannot continue to avoid this,” her mother said, her tone sharp and insistent. “I only want what’s best for you, even if you can’t see it.”
Katie turned to face her, knowing her cheeks were hot and flushed with anger. “Mother, I do understand that, but you don’t realize how hard this is for me. I’m not like Leah or my sisters. I can’t just transform overnight.”
The Viscountess’s expression hardened. “You will do as you are told, Katie. Your future depends on it.”
Katie sighed, feeling the weight of her mother’s expectations pressing down upon her. Without another word, she turned and walked back to the ballroom, her resolve hardening with each step.
She would face the evening with as much grace and confidence as she could muster, for herself and her family.
A rebellious spark had been lit within her. She was determined to carve her own path despite her mother’s relentless pestering, but the evening had deteriorated into endless dancing, introductions, and curious lords and ladies.
Katie kept her smile firmly in place as she glanced around the ballroom, praying that she would not have to dance with yet another forgettable member of theton.
She felt tired down to her bones and longed for her comfortable bed and a good book.
The room was hot and unpleasant, with bodies moving in every direction. Even the small space she had found between two potted plants was constantly being disturbed by passersby.
She looked across the room at her mother, struck once more by how alike they were in appearance. If Katie needed any indication of what she would look like as she grew older, her mother was proof.
I wish I had her smaller frame. My knees are hurting from crouching.
She always tried to make herself look smaller than she was. The habit stemmed from several loud and unkind comments about her height when she’d first come out in Society.
Her father was an extremely large man, and, much to her mother’s chagrin, Katie had inherited that trait from him. She was much taller and ungainly than all of her friends.
In her first Season, her height had put off quite a few prospective suitors, and she had unintentionally become something of awallflower. It hadn’t helped that she had spent most of her time with two of the prettiest ladies in Society.
As her thoughts turned to Leah and Daphne, she smiled affectionately.
How I miss them.
It had only been a few months since she had returned from Scotland. She had stayed there for as long as possible, but much too soon, her mother had written to her, telling her in no uncertain terms that she was expected back in England before the summer.
She had returned, expecting to stand at the edges of the ballrooms again and watch as her other friends met and married their suitors. Instead, the opposite had occurred. As soon as she had joined the first ball, she was accosted by dozens of acquaintances asking about Leah’s book.
