Page 27 of Whiskers and Wiles

Kat huffed slightly and lowered her voice to a tight whisper to say, “Waldorf.”

Kat’s friends said nothing. They looked as though they were waiting for her to say more.

Aggravated beyond reason, Kat said, “The wolf at the door. It must be Waldorf. He certainly has the whiskers of a wolf. And we have all suspected for some time that he is a spy for King Swithin. Someone has discovered that he is attempting to undermine my efforts on behalf of Queen Matilda.”

Minerva and Bernadette exchanged another look, neither of them appearing particularly convinced.

Bernadette cleared her throat and said, “It is true that we have long expected Lord Waldorf is in service to King Swithin.”

“What possible reason would he have to put it about that the two of you have an understanding?” Minerva asked without a fraction of Bernadette’s delicacy. “You are the one who he believes slighted him.”

Kat pressed her lips together and huffed through her nose. “There was an incident at Lady Thistlewhite’s supper,” she admitted, her cheeks flaring hot. “He may not have put the rumor about himself, but he?—”

Kat stopped, standing a bit straighter as she spied Waldorf himself walking hurriedly out of the ballroom into a small corridor with Lord Pollock. “There’s the bastard now,” she hissed, balling her hands into fists for a moment. “I will discover what wickedness he has in mind, and I will put an end to it.”

“Kat, do you truly think?—”

Kat ignored Bernadette’s words and started across the ballroom in pursuit of Waldorf. She was certain that he was the wolf at her door. She’d been a fool to trust him, if even for a moment, and to let go of the guard she had kept up for so long.

Even if the moment between them had been wonderful. She had felt the connection between them so deeply in her heart. She’d remembered everything that had been between the two of them and had been made breathless by the thought of everything that could have been.

But to open her heart to the man who had been so cruel to her before would only be opening herself to devastation. She had fought too hard and for too long to allow Waldorf to?—

“Lady Katherine, you look absolutely stunning this evening.”

Kat’s thoughts were cut short as Lord Headland stepped into her path, causing her to nearly slam into him. He already had his arms out as if he would catch her. Indeed, he looked as though he was rather hoping for it.

“Would you care to dance once the orchestra?—”

“Not now,” Kat snapped at the odious man.

She dodged around him and continued on toward the corridor without giving Lord Headland a second look. She did not know how many times she would have to correct the man’sfalse assumptions of her, but at the moment, she had another man to set straight.

She expected to pursue Waldorf deep into the corridor and was surprised when she found him ending whatever conversation he’d been having with Lord Pollock to turn back to the ballroom. She narrowed her eyes, immediately suspicious about what the two men had been discussing. They seemed far too close for her liking, like two spies discussing the objective of their latest mission.

She would not allow unity under the Mercian Plan to be undermined by two men with horrid taste in facial hair.

“Lady Katherine.” Waldorf approached her with a confident demeanor, but a good deal of confusion in his expression. “You look delightful this evening.”

“Why does everyone insist upon commenting about my appearance,” Kat burst, nearly stomping her foot as she did. “My appearance is the least interesting thing about me.”

Waldorf’s expression pinched and expanded several times in quick succession, as if he could not decipher whether he should be amused or taken aback. “It is the first thing anyone notices about another, because we do not wear our wit or our intelligence on our sleeves.”

Kat clenched her jaw, certain Waldorf was toying with her.

For a fleeting, beautiful moment as Waldorf grew near enough to her that she could smell the crisp scent of his shaving soap and notice that someone had tied his neckcloth beautifully, Kat remembered the heated intensity of their moment in the carriage. She remembered how close she had come to forgiving everything and fighting for some way that she and Waldorf could make things right between them.

But then another gentleman with the same ridiculous whiskers as Waldorf stepped past them, causing them to shift to the side, as he entered the corridor. The man sent Waldorfa significant look before continuing onto one of the numerous parlors along the corridor.

Kat nearly saw red. So it was true that Waldorf was spreading the rumor that he had conquered her. She knew the sparkle of gossip in a man’s eyes when she saw it.

“What devilry are you causing, Waldorf?” she hissed. “You cannot hide the truth of your so-called mission to destroy everything I stand for.”

Waldorf seemed alarmed by her statement, which told Kat she’d guessed correctly. But instead of denying his mischief or feigning innocence in some other way, he extended a hand to Kat and said, “My lady, would you care to join me for this first dance?”

Kat absolutely intended to refuse him in no uncertain terms, but Waldorf glanced past her instead of looking at her with the sort of triumphant look she would have expected. She turned to see what had captured his attention only to find Lord Headland coming their way.

“Bloody bollocks,” she huffed, reaching for Waldorf’s extended hand. “I told him no. You men are the bane of every good woman’s existence.”

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