Page 67 of The Marriage Debt
‘There, you know it all as well as I do,’ Lady Fanny said gaily, unfurling her fan. ‘Now, let us sit over there next to Mrs Cartwright – the general’s wife you know – and their daughters.Sucha nice family.’ She broke off with the approach of Mr Graham.
‘Ma’am, I have come to solicit the favour of a dance with Mss Cunningham, if you will permit.’
Lady Fanny beamed. ‘Of course, sir.’
‘Miss Cunningham? Might I hope for a waltz?’
Katherine received an encouraging nod from Lady Fanny and opened her empty dance card. ‘The choice is yours, Mr Graham.’
‘The first?’ He took her nod for assent and carefully wrote his name in the tiny space. ‘And a cotillion?’ Again he wrote, then bowed and effaced himself.
To her surprise Katherine found her card filled rapidly, although she kept the latter part free, mindful of Theo’s words. Still, it seemed odd. He could not, obeying convention, ask her for more than two dances, nor could Robert.
The ballroom filled up rapidly, the band ceased playing light airs, paused to retune and then Katherine realised that the duke with his sons had entered, were taking partners and sets were forming for the opening cotillion.
Theo led out the eligible redhead, Robert was with a middle-aged lady who was chatting to him in an animated fashion and the duke, looking extremely distinguished, escorted a formidably handsome lady.
‘Baroness van Elvestein,’ Mr Crace murmured, arriving to lead her out. ‘The ambassador’s wife.’
Soon Katherine was lost in the magic of the ball. It was not so terrifying after all, she realised. True, the setting was magnificent, the tone lofty, the company distinguished, but she had the satisfaction, regularly reinforced by compliments and admiring glances, of knowing that she looked well and her half-full dance card was most gratifying.
The first waltz was next, she realised, glancing round from her position beside Lady Fanny. She need not have worried, Mr Graham was at her side, bowing punctiliously to Lady Fanny, then leading Katherine out.
‘I am not a very experienced waltzer,’ she confided, her cheeks slightly warm with the daring pressure of his hand at her waist.
‘What a relief. Neither am I,’ Mr Graham admitted. ‘We willjust take it carefully and hope your toes will be safe.’
In the event it was a pleasure. He had a natural sense of rhythm and was too considerate to try any fancy steps, so Katherine circled the dance floor feeling perfectly at ease.
Mr Graham’s new-found expertise was not, however, up to timing his movements to deliver Katherine back in front of her chaperone as the music stopped and they found themselves on the far side of the floor.
‘Don’t worry,’ Katherine reassured him as he apologised for them having to circle back. ‘I was intending to sit this country dance out in any case.‘
‘Miss Cunningham.’ It was Theo, firmly in front of them and looking, to Katherine’s appreciative, and somewhat nervous eye, distinctly saturnine.
Chapter Twenty Three
‘Graham.’ Theo nodded to the other man.
‘Seaton.’ Mr Graham’s voice was equally pleasant, equally unyielding.
‘If you will excuse me, I will escort Miss Cunningham back to her chaperone.’
‘Unnecessary, I was just escorting her myself.’
‘But I insist.’
‘And so do I.’
Oh Lord.Now what to do?The two were bristling at each other in the most perfectly polite manner imaginable. ‘Mr Graham?’
‘Yes, Miss Cunningham?’
‘I would be most grateful for a glass of lemonade, if you would be so kind.’ Katherine smiled warmly at the Scotsman.
‘But of course, Miss Cunningham. I will bring it to where Lady Fanny is sitting immediately.’ There was the slightest emphasis on the last word, then he turned on his heel and began to weave his way through the onlookers.
‘Honestly, Theo,’ Katherine hissed as he took her arm and began to walk in the opposite direction. ‘I felt like a bone between two dogs.’
