The reappearance of Lady Fanny instantly ended all conversation on dangerous topics and Katherine once more found herself descending the stairs in her chaperon’s wake.
‘I do hope I have the duties of my charge right,’ Lady Fanny confided as they entered the ballroom, bypassing the receiving line where those not resident or dining were being greeted. ‘I have never been a chaperon before, you know.’ She looked anxious. ‘Should I perhaps have warned you about not dancing more than twice with any gentleman? And not drinking champagne?’
‘I expect so,’ Katherine said gravely. ‘And I think you should also warn me that you must give your approval before I waltz, that I must not romp during country dances and I must not go out on to the terrace unless you are with me.’
‘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. Such a nice family—’ She broke off with the approach of Mr Graham.
‘Ma’am, I have come hoping to solicit the favour of a dance with Miss Cunningham, if you will permit.’
Lady Fanny beamed. This was her idea of a well set-up young gentleman. ‘Of course, sir.’
‘Miss Cunningham? Might I hope for a waltz?’
Katherine received an encouraging nod 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 Nick’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.
Nick, she felt predictably, was leading out the eligible redhead; Robert was with a middle-aged lady who was chatting to him in animated fashion and the Duke, looking extremely distinguished, had offered his hand to a formidably handsome lady.
‘Baroness van Elvestein,’ Mr Crace murmured, arriving to lead her out. ‘The ambassador’s wife. Now, this set appears to have a space for us.’
Soon Katherine was lost in the magic of the ball. It was not so terrifying after all, she soon 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. Her upbringing and natural charm stood her in good stead with even the highest sticklers amongst the grande dames she encountered, and her full dance card was most gratifying.
The first waltz was next, she realised, glancing round from her position seated meekly beside Lady Fanny. She need not have worried, Mr Graham was at her side, bowing punctiliously to Lady Fanny before taking her charge by the hand and leading her out.
‘I am not a very experienced waltzer,’ Katherine confided, her cheeks slightly warm with the daring pressure of his hand at her waist.
‘What a relief! Neither am I,’ Roderick Graham admitted. ‘We will just take it carefully and hope your toes will be safe.’
In the event it was a pleasure. Mr Graham 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 so as to deliver Katherine neatly back in front of her chaperon as the music stopped and they found themselves on the far side of the floor.
‘Do not 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 Nick, firmly in front of them and looking, to Katherine’s appreciative, and somewhat nervous eye, distinctly saturnine.
Chapter Twenty-Three
‘Graham.’ Nick 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 chaperon.’
‘Unnecessary, Seaton, 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 opened wide brown eyes at the Scotsman and smiled.
‘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 watching the dancing.
‘Honestly, Nick,’ Katherine hissed as he took her arm and began to walk in the opposite direction. ‘I was feeling like a bone between two dogs.’
‘That Scotsman is paying you altogether too much attention.’
‘He is not that Scotsman,’ Katherine retorted. ‘He is a perfectly pleasant young lawyer who has simply been courteous enough to talk to me at dinner and to ask me for two dances. If you did not want me to talk to him, you should not have placed me next to him.’
‘I had nothing to do with the seating plans.’
‘I can see that. If you had, I doubt you would have placed me next to a man who saw you hanged.’
‘What?’
‘He was at Newgate. Somehow I do not think he will recognise you.’
‘Is that why you suddenly looked faint at dinner?’ She nodded and Nick steered her neatly into an alcove. ‘That is better, one can hardly hear oneself think out there.’
‘It is certainly a difficult environment in which to have an argument in whispers,’ Katherine agreed tartly.
‘Is that what we are doing?’ He smiled and took her chin between long fingers.
‘I do not know how else to characterise it. You pounce on me when I am in the company of a perfectly unexceptionable gentleman, you lecture me on associating with him, for no good reason—oh!’ Her complaint was silenced by Nick simply leaning down and kissing her, very firmly, very calmly and with a complete disregard to whatever was happening just the other side of a silk curtain.
‘Nick!’ Katherine freed her mouth and took a hasty step backwards, coming up with a bump against a pillar. ‘People will see.’
‘Please be assured, Miss Cunningham, that if I have placed you in a compromising position I am only too ready to do the honourable thing …’
With a suppressed squeak of outrage Katherine swept out of the alcove in what was dangerously close to being a flounce. Nick did not attempt to follow her and she made her way back to Lady Fanny feeling more than a little flustered. Mr Graham was waiting patiently with her drink. He had obviously brought