That was apparently a jab at his uncle.
Mr. Balfour handled it with false warmth. “Yes, but not with aformalintroduction, Your Grace. One must always pay attention to the niceties of good manners.”
The matrons were listening fervently to their every word.
“Then you have now been formally introduced,” the duke declared. “Miss Addison, my uncle is one of the premier architects in London.”
Kate had not known that.
Mr. Balfour had the good grace to bow his head at the compliment. “My nephew is very kind to me. I am working to earn that title.”
Winderton gave an indulgent laugh. “You will. He hopes to build a bridge across the Thames.”
“I understand another bridge is exactly what London needs,” Kate said pleasantly, as if she hadn’t been ready to punch Mr. Balfour in his arrogant nose mere hours ago.
“One can hope,” Mr. Balfour acknowledged, as if he hadn’t threatened to run her out of the village. “Ah, look, Your Grace, they are setting up for the next set. Certainly you and Miss Addison wish to join theyoungpeople?”
Yes, he put a slight emphasis on the wordyoung.
“Miss Addison, will you honor me with this dance?” the duke asked.
Dancing was the last thing Kate wanted. Now, she would like to return to her troupe, remove the shoes that had started pinching her feet, and retire to her bed. Alone.
“Of course,” she answered.
“I imagine you have never been to a country dance like this?” Mr. Balfour suggested.
What? Did he believe she’d been born in a gutter?
With pride, she announced, “My sisters and I were considered the belles of Huntingdon, not too far from here. I always enjoyed dancing.” She flashed Mr. Balfour a brilliant smile as she put her hand on the duke’s arm. This time, she didn’t lean too close to the duke. She’d made her point... and perhaps it would be best if she started negotiating a bit of distance between herself and Winderton. She was using him, yes, but she didn’t wish to lead him on.
As the duke started to escort her away, Mr. Balfour called out, “Miss Addison, would you like for me to hold your crook? It might be awkward on the dance floor.”
He was right. It was turning into an annoyance. “Why, thank you, Mr. Balfour,” she answered with the same veneer of politeness. He took the crook from her.
“Thank you, Uncle,” Winderton threw over his shoulder.
The area for dancing took up half the room. Foursomes were being set up. Several gentlemen nodded to the duke to join their groups. Winderton chose one made up of people close to his age.
Kate didn’t dare look at Mr. Balfour because she was certain he noticed how out of place she looked, especially with the silly hat and its billowing plumes. She felt like an exotic bird ready to take flight. The smile she’d kept plastered on her face began to feel more like a grimace.
The duke introduced her to the couples around them. She could tell he was popular and would have been even without his title. Like his uncle, he had an air of confidence, and in some ways Winderton reminded her of the young man Balfour had been—except the duke had wealth and position while Balfour had not.
“It is nice to meet you,” a young woman said perfunctorily while avoiding eye contact. In contrast, the white-clad debutante by her side stared with undisguised disgust. Their behavior was actually rather comical, until the debutante asked her companions in a pseudo-whisper, “Do you think it will be hard to dance in such a hat?” She punctuated her question with a snicker.
“It shouldn’t be,” Kate answered serenely, interjecting herself into the conversation. “After all, I dance with my feet and not my head.”
The ladies smirked their opinions of her words to each other, but the gentlemen laughed as if Kate had made the wittiest remark. They also seemed to be squeezing in around her... and the duke appeared at a loss over what to do. In fact, they almost disregarded his presence. Not one of them met her eye because they were busy ogling her chest—
“May we join this foursome?” Mr. Balfour asked. He edged in, which meant others in their group had to take a step back. Mr. Balfour was accompanied by a lovely woman with large green eyes and a smooth complexion. “You don’t mind,” he pressed pointedly to the closest man leering at Kate. The man was almost a foot shorter than herself, which made his attention very uncomfortable.
“Of course not, Balfour.” The lecher knew this was not a request he could ignore. He moved with one of the snickering ladies to join another foursome with a respect he had not shown for the duke.
Winderton didn’t hide his relief at seeing his uncle.
Kate tried to. “Ah, Mr. Balfour. I thought you were guarding my shepherd’s crook?”
“It is well protected,” he said before making the necessary introductions. “Miss Addison, this is Miss Taylor, a good friend.”
