They fell into a simple routine as they moved across the drawing room, remembering the sensual rhythms. After they’d crossed and recrossed the room several times, Diana said rather breathlessly, “I doubt our dance would be approved by many Indians, but it’s such fun! Remember the time when we were performing in front of the British Resident and I tripped over the Panda?”
“The Panda does like getting underfoot.” Rory laughed. “And the Resident didn’t mind your ending up in his lap!”
Her laughter was contagious and Diana joined in, bending sideways from the waist as her raised hands stroked the air like delicate birds. Rory did the same and added a slow, provocative swing of the hips.
As Diana echoed the movements, the drawing room door opened and a tall brown-haired man entered the room. So this was Rory’s captain! Still dancing, Diana studied him with interest. Quietly handsome, quietly well dressed in blue coat and tan trousers, and with gray eyes that showed strength, intelligence, and humor.
Rory bounced over to him. “Look who has arrived!”
Gabriel put an arm around her and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “Clearly she’s a Lawrence, and since she’s not one of your sisters, she must be the Aunt Diana you’ve been longing for?”
“In person, Captain!” Diana swept into a graceful curtsy. “Rory has invited me to stay here for a while. If you don’t object?”
“Of course not.” With Rory still under his arm, Gabriel approached and offered his hand. “I didn’t realize you were so young, Lady Diana. Nor that you and Rory look so much alike. Because you have the same coloring, you look even more like her than her cousin Constance.”
“Call me Diana. I was the youngest of my family, one of those late mistakes,” Diana explained as she took his hand. His clasp was warm and strong. “I’m only five years older than Rory, and we were always natural allies.”
“Until you left England,” Rory said sadly. “No one else tolerated me half so well. But I did understand your desire to escape the gilded cage.”
“I’m glad you did, since we wouldn’t have met if you’d behaved as a proper, boring young lady.” Gabriel’s eyes turned thoughtful. “Rory, you’ve been thinking about taking advantage of this house’s grand ballroom. What about an end of the season masquerade ball to gather our friends before they travel to the country for the Christmas holidays? You and your aunt could dance together before the midnight unmasking.”
“What a splendid idea!” Diana exclaimed. “But I’m amazed you suggested it. So many men dislike dressing up for masquerades.”
Gabriel chuckled. “I thought I’d come as a sea captain. That would be easy.”
“You must at least be a blockade-runner, my dear!” Rory said.
“When I was a blockade-runner, I dressed the same way as when I was a legitimate sea captain,” he pointed out apologetically.
“We’ll figure something out,” Rory said. “Perhaps a tricorn hat and an eye patch like a pirate? I do like the idea of wearing Indian clothing and dancing with my aunt. It will be a way to introduce you to society again, Diana.”
Diana thought of the man she didn’t want to meet, but he preferred the country, so it wasn’t likely their paths would cross any time soon. Still... “I’d prefer to quietly sneak back so no one will notice,” Diana said. “The advantage of being veiled.”
A long-legged feline stealthily entered the door Gabriel had left open. Diana blinked. “Is that the Spook, the ship’s cat you wrote about? You’re right; he is rather oddly proportioned.” She grinned. “I do believe that he is a Norwegian Ice Cat.”
It was Rory’s turn to blink. “A what?”
“A Norwegian Ice Cat. Those long legs, the pale Viking coloring of white and soft gray, the crossed blue eyes. Clearly a Scandinavian breed.”
Gabriel laughed. “I assume you just made that up, but I like it. It’s a much more impressive designation than being a crossbreed wharf cat.”
“His pedigree doesn’t matter,” Rory said as she bent and beckoned to the new arrival. The cat approached and offered his head for scratching. “His origins are mysterious and he’s very shy, but he’s also very sweet. A most superior cat.”
Gabriel said, “Whether wharf cat or Norwegian Ice Cat, he was the best ratter I’ve ever had on a ship.” He put a small cheese puff on a tea plate and set it on the floor. The Spook abandoned head scratching in favor of food. “His life is easier now, but he does ensure that our kitchen is vermin-free.”
The Panda emerged from behind the sofa and paused, his gaze intent on the other feline. “Your cat?” Gabriel remarked. “He’s a very substantial fellow. Solid, not as rangy as the Spook.”
Ears flattening, the Panda moved forward with stiff legs, his gaze locked on the alleged ice cat, who began to look anxious. The three humans held their breath, hoping there wouldn’t be an explosion of fur.
The Panda reached his rival and there was a long, fraught pause before he gently touched his nose to that of the other cat. The Spook relaxed and began licking the Panda’s ears. There was a general sigh of relief. “That went well,” Diana observed. “If they hated each other, I would have had to move to a hotel.”
“Luckily that’s not necessary.” Rory split the rest of the small cheese puffs between two plates, then set them down a yard apart. Both cats began eating peacefully.
Diana hoped that was a good omen for her return home.
Chapter 3
Anthony Raines was serving himself breakfast eggs and ham from the sideboard when his sister Athena said, “The Vances are giving a ball that you should attend. You’ll be getting a card.”
