‘Good heavens!’ Caroline muttered faintly, while taking advantage of the chair conveniently positioned directly behind her. ‘Are you certain about that? I do not mean to doubt you,’ she hurriedly added, swiftly recognising the telltale glint of annoyance in her cousin’s blue-green eyes. ‘But you were quite young when you lived with Grandfather. Might you have misunderstood the rumours about him?’
‘Yes, I might,’ Katherine was forced to concede, though it almost choked her to do so. ‘Now is not the time to be discussing this, however. Come, let us return to the party, otherwise that handsome fiance of yours will justifiably blame me for depriving him of the pleasure of leading you out on to the floor.’
As they re-entered the salon, Katherine was not unduly surprised to discover Captain Charlesworth still bearing the Major company. For her cousin’s sake she was prepared to be polite and rejoin the gentlemen for a short while, and then slip quietly away in order to mingle with the other guests, thereby neatly avoiding comment.
Unfortunately, this ideal scheme was foiled at the outset, for no sooner had they arrived back at the gentlemen’s sides than the musicians struck up a chord, announcing the commencement of dancing, and Katherine found herself, much to her chagrin, quite alone with the person whom she had stigmatised as the biggest beast in nature for almost six years.
‘I trust you are feeling a little better now, ma’am?’ he remarked, breaking the short silence that had ensued after the engaged couple’s departure. ‘If I were a fanciful man I might imagine that it was my sudden appearance which had the power to overset you.’
Suppressing the strong desire to walk away without uttering a word, Katherine forced herself to meet a gaze that she might have supposed contained a deal of genuine concern had she not known better. Heartless philanderers did not worry themselves unduly over the feelings of others, she reminded herself, resolved to be polite but no more.
‘Disabuse yourself of that notion, sir. I am not so easily overset.’
Much to her surprise, Katherine saw the Major’s eyes narrow fractionally at her cool tone. She might dislike the man intensely, but she was obliged to acknowledge that he was no fool. Unless she much mistook the matter, he sensed the antagonism raging within her and was more than slightly puzzled by it.
It was quite evident that he hadn’t recognised her, not even her name. This in itself did not strike her as in any way odd. After all, she mused, transferring her gaze to those taking part in the dance, she had only ever spoken to him once in her life before today.
Her grandfather, Katherine recalled, had retained some rather antiquated views, and even though she had attained the age of sixteen he had considered her a mere child. Consequently she had never been invited to join her grandfather when he had been entertaining guests. None the less, Katherine clearly remembered coming face to face with Captain Ross, as he had been then, just once, when she had happened to be in the stable-yard when he had arrived at the house. It was unlikely, however, that he would remember such an insignificant occasion, when he had taken the trouble to pass the time of day with someone whom he also had undoubtedly considered a mere child.
‘Miss Wentworth and Captain Charlesworth make a charming couple, do they not?’ he remarked, once again breaking the lengthening silence.
‘They do indeed, sir,’ she agreed, momentarily forgetting her animosity, as she continued to follow the engaged couple’s progress down the floor, noticing in particular the way Caroline smiled lovingly up at her handsome fiance whenever they came together in the set. ‘They are well matched, and very much in love.’
She expected him to say something further, if only to maintain the conversation. When he made no attempt to do so, curiosity got the better of her. She turned back to look at him, and was slightly disconcerted to discover him staring at her intently, before his expression was softened by the winning smile of a practised seducer.
No, she must never lose sight of what he was, she reminded herself. Even so, she was forced silently to concede that, had he truly been a complete stranger, he would have been the very last person she would have stigmatised as a hardened rake. He seemed so earnest, so reliable, the kind of person to whom one instinctively turned in time of trouble. Which just went to show that one should never judge by appearances!
‘Do you hail from this part of the country, Miss O’Malley?’ he asked, while his eyes flickered momentarily over the arrangement of her curls.
‘No, Major. I lived for many years in Ireland. However, I now reside in Bath.’
Having decided that she had now conformed to the rules governing polite behaviour, and could leave Major Ross to his own devices with a clear conscience, Katherine was on the point of excusing herself when the dance came to an end and he forestalled her by requesting her to partner him in the next set.
Those good intentions deserting her completely, Katherine weakened to an imp of pure mischief. With a smile of artificial sweetness curling her lips, she looked him over from head to toe. ‘Believe me, Major Daniel Ross, nothing in this world would ever induce me to stand up with you. I have made it a rule only ever to take the floor with those gentlemen sporting scarlet coats.’
Beneath their half-hooded lids, brown eyes began to sparkle with a distinctly menacing gleam. ‘That decision, if you’ll forgive my saying so, ma’am, betrays a shocking lack of judgement for one with your particular shade of hair.’
Only partially successful in suppressing a squeal of indignation, Katherine could quite cheerfully have boxed his ears, and swung away before the temptation to do so became too great.
Daniel, following her almost flouncing progress across the room with narrowed, assessing eyes, found himself experiencing both annoyance and puzzlement in equal measures. How anyone could be radiant and smiling one moment, then offhand and disdainful the next, treating a fellow as though he were a pariah, he would never know. But there again women, he reminded himself, were a law unto themselves, unpredictable and totally illogical!
He continued to watch her as she headed towards the room set out for cards, certain in his own mind that she would have left him far sooner had the opportunity arisen, and might not have conversed with him at all if she could possibly have avoided doing so. But why? Why had she taken him in such swift dislike?
He shook his head, at a loss to understand the workings of the female mind. When Captain Charlesworth had first brought him over, Miss O’Malley had betrayed clear signs of delight at coming face to face with him again so unexpectedly. He had found that initial reaction so very refreshing. She had made not the least attempt to dissemble, to pretend their paths had never crossed before. Then, quite suddenly, she had grown pale, and a look akin to loathing had flickered momentarily in those striking turquoise eyes before she had slipped quietly away.
Undeniably, Charlesworth and his delightful fiancee had been as mystified as he had himself at such odd behaviour. Yet when Miss Wentworth had returned, her face had worn a decidedly thoughtful expression, as though she were not quite certain about something. But what could she possibly have learned to his discredit during that brief absence? He had never met either young lady until today … or had he?
‘Something appears to be troubling you, Major,’ a smooth voice remarked, and Daniel discovered Sir Giles hovering at his elbow, looking remarkably well pleased about something.
He was instantly suspicious, for he knew well enough that the man beside him was not quite what he seemed. He had the utmost respect for Sir Giles’s acute intellect. None the less, if their association during the past years had taught Daniel anything, then it was not to trust the well-mannered, silver-tongued baronet an inch.
‘I swear, Osborne, that