An Impetuous Miss (13 page)

“
Now that is hardly fair, Mr. Hazelforth,” Cat scolded him as Caesar and Brutus threw themselves at once into a whirling frenzy. “You know very well that 'walk' is one of the two or three words they recognize. I shall thank you very much not to say T-R-E-A-T in front of them, or we shall be forced to take our walk in the pantry!”

****

As they strolled through the park's shaded lanes, Caesar and Brutus panting and tugging furiously at their leads, Hazelforth asked, “Now what of Sir Harold? What was the purpose of his call?”

“
Why, Mr. Hazelforth, I can only assume he called in order to further acquaint himself with my charms. That was the general idea of my introduction to him, was it not?” Cat asked archly.

“
I have had second thoughts, Miss Catherine,” Hazelforth admitted gruffly. “I am not at all sure he is the proper gentleman for you.”

“
Why ever not, Mr. Hazelforth?” Cat asked with pointed innocence. “By your own admission, he is a single man of good fortune and character. What else should a woman desire in a man?”

“
Nothing whatever,” Hazelforth snapped irritably, “although I must say he did not appear to have left in a very romantic frame of mind. Or do all of your smitten callers exit swearing like sailors?”

Cat at last relented and recounted the high
lights of Sir Harold's abbreviated visit, concluding with his painful encounter with the very creatures whose vitality he had questioned. Hazelforth at last seemed somewhat more at ease, and he laughed appreciatively.

“
So his admiration is, I fear, to be short-lived,” Cat allowed, “for I believe Caesar and Brutus will have destroyed any sort of interest he might have entertained. But it is all the better for the association to have been brief. You are, of course, quite correct in your assessment: Sir Harold and I would never suit. I wonder you should have thought of it at all.”

“
However true that may be, I suspect you have not seen the last of Sir Harold, in spite of the considerable hazards a continued courtship may portend for his much-abused foot. I fear he is not one to bestow his romantic attentions lightly, Miss Catherine.”

“
But surely,” she protested, “he must see how little we have in common?”

“
Come, sit here, and I shall explain,” he directed, leading her to a little bench. When he had secured the dogs' leads to it, he continued, “Perhaps as far as tastes and sentiments are concerned, this would indeed seem an odd match. But those niceties mean little in society, and certainly less to a man like Sir Harold. To his way of thinking, you and he are perfectly suited, amazing as that may seem. He was widowed before an heir could be produced, and you are young. He still hopes to expand his holdings, and Sparrowell Hall is a tempting piece of property. What's more, however little interest you may have in the hunt, that sport constitutes Sir Harold's most important reason for living—and the environs of Sparrowell, as you know, are unsurpassed for that pursuit.”

“
Drat the man,” Cat fumed in consternation, forgetting entirely the polite simulations she had practiced. “However much my grandmother's well-meaning designs may have intruded on my expectations, such an alliance was not her intention nor is it mine.”

“
Come, come, Miss Catherine. Is not marriage a business arrangement for the vast number of souls who embark on it? Those who look for more ask a great deal.”

“
I do ask it,” she declared, “and I shall have it. I refuse to be a mere commodity.”

“
Perhaps it shall not come to that, Miss Catherine,” he said quietly after a moment. “There may be those who have been overlooked.”

“
Indeed there might,” she admitted. She turned to Hazelforth, who was looking at her pensively. If only he were not so committed to his bachelorhood, she felt almost certain that she could love him. Their interests, humor, and sentiments seemed so compatible at times. But no, this was the man who was so anxiously seeking partners for her. Certainly, he had thrown himself into that mission with, if not enthusiasm, at least a businesslike practicality. It would be altogether too humiliating if he were to recognize her inclination for him.

For his part, Hazelforth regarded himself and his mixed emotions with equal consternation. He had never even fleetingly contemplated marriage, and never, since the days of his callow youth, imagined himself to be in love. Certainly, if the general mediocrity of each Season's debutantes were not enough, society offered sufficient exam
ples of disastrous alliances to warn off any man of sense. And yet, here he was, acting suspiciously like a jealous schoolboy. The most practical thing to do, of course, was to find her a husband at once—if only he could overcome the anger that rose up in him whenever he saw her with another gentleman.

“
It seems I do have another prospect. Mr. Abelwhite escorts me to Vauxhall next week,” Cat went on, interrupting his musings. “He seems to me quite a likely sort, in spite of all your cautions.”

“
That rake!” Hazelforth protested. “You will do no such thing, Miss Catherine.”

“
I assure you, I shall do just as I please, Mr. Hazelforth! You are no relation of mine that you can command me in any way. Besides, the introduction you offered me turned out to be such a dismal prospect, I have determined to form my own alliances. Now, whatever are these two fussing about?” she broke off, for Caesar and Brutus were indeed barking wildly and pulling at their leads as a familiar-looking gentleman leaning on a walking stick tried unsuccessfully to escape their attention. Cat recognized him at once as her would-be savior from the preposterous highwayman.

“
Ah, Miss Mansard, so good to see you again,” he mumbled, bowing awkwardly when he realized he had been recognized. “Geoffrey D'Ashley at your service, once more.”

“
Mr. D'Ashley! This is indeed a surprise and a coincidence. Allow me to present Mr. Charles Hazelforth. You remember my speaking of Mr. D'Ashley, do you not? This is the gentleman whose very valiant, if belated, efforts put our poor highwayman to flight,” Cat said with an admirably straight face.

“
I do indeed, Miss Catherine,” Hazelforth returned, looking at D'Ashley as if he were some new sort of stinging insect which bore watching. “And surely, Mr. D'Ashley, you must remember Caesar and Brutus here, your partners in this daring rescue.”

Mr. D'Ashley, they noted, was eyeing the en
thusiastic pair with some marked wariness.

“
How do you mend, Mr. D'Ashley?” Cat asked with all the appearance of solicitude.

“
Remarkably well, I am happy to say,” he returned, sounding anything but happy. “And you, Miss Mansard? I trust you have not fallen prey to any disorder of the nerves as a result of that unhappy encounter.”

“
I, too, have recovered remarkably,” Cat told him with an amiable smile. Then looking willfully at Hazelforth, she continued, “Indeed, you must soon wait on me at Montrose House. I am certain my godmother would be grateful for an opportunity to thank you herself for your part in our delivery.”

Mr. D'Ashley, looking somewhat nonplussed at this attention, bowed once again by way of an
swer and Hazelforth, now quite red in the face with vexation, seized the canines' leads and, taking brusque leave of their acquaintance, firmly guided Cat down the path and through the park the way that they had come.

“
How can you be so headstrong?” he fumed at her. “You know absolutely nothing of this man. He could well be dangerous, and I am certain he means to do you some mischief. That is quite the stupidest thing I have seen in many a day.”

“
You may keep your criticisms to yourself, Mr. Hazelforth,” Cat returned sharply. “I shall do just as I please, and I shall thank you very much not to interfere further.”

“
You may certainly risk your own stubborn neck for aught I care,” Hazelforth exploded, “but you have no right whatsoever to introduce such a questionable person to Lady Mouse's home.”

Cat could indeed see the validity of his cen
sure, and the justice of it stung her to the core. Nevertheless, she was not one to readily admit an error in judgment. It was just as well, she thought huffily as they arrived at Montrose House, that there was no chance of a romantic inclination on Hazelforth's part, for each of them would very likely vie for the honor of murdering the other before their nuptials had long been concluded.

Mr. Hazelforth left Cat at the door of Montrose House in what she considered to be a chillingly uncivil manner; indeed, he paused only a moment to scratch Caesar and Brutus under their chins before brusquely bidding her a good day. Had his demeanor been less forbidding as they left the park, Cat felt she might well have conceded her error in inviting the dubious Mr. D'Ashley to call. But I shall be
damned,
she thought wickedly, if I do any such thing now.

As Cat entered the foyer, she was greeted by an ecstatic Lady Montrose, who fairly pulled her in
side the door. “Ah, Catherine, my dear, you have callers! Now don't worry about changing from your walking dress. Just go along in and greet them.”

At the prospect of still more callers that day, Cat groaned inwardly and hoped that she could contrive to make the visit a short one. Gritting her teeth determinedly, she turned toward the drawing room. It was with a great deal of pleasure, therefore, that when she opened the door she discov
ered none other than Cecily and John, just returned from their wedding trip on the Continent.

Cat flung herself into their arms with an enthu
siasm and affection equaled only by that displayed by the two little terriers. “Cecily, my angel! John, my dear! Let me just look at you. Lord, how I have missed you both! Now you must sit and tell me everything. Shall I ring for tea? No, I see you have some. Where is Eveline?”

“
Calm down, Cat,” Cecily laughed merrily at her. “I declare, you are acting just like me. Can London have changed you that much? Eveline is not here—she has gone riding out with somebody or another. Now,
you
sit down and have some tea with us. Our news is quite simple: the Continent, of course, is quite lovely, but I fear we have admired more great monuments, been lost in more cavernous museums, and stared into the depths of more dark paintings than even you and Eveline could bear. In short, we are come back to comfortable old England and are enormously glad of it.”

“
Quite so,” John added with his characteristic succinctness.

During Cecily's speech,
Cat had drunk in the sight of this pair. She had not known just how fond she was of this lighthearted couple until now. John looked much as he ever had, but Cecily seemed to have acquired a good deal of sophistication during her short time on the Continent. Her gown of azure blue trimmed in Bruges lace was elegantly styled and fit to perfection. Atop her golden curls sat a Victoria hat turned up on one side and ornamented with several ostrich feathers.

“
I have just been acquainting myself with your charming cousins, Catherine,” Lady Montrose told her with a smile.

“
Oh, yes,” Cecily chimed in, “and we are become old friends in just an hour's time. Lady Mouse and I shall be intimates before the day is much older.”

At this,
Cat reflected with amusement that it was a good thing Cecily had so little to conceal or she might well be reading the secrets of her young life in the pages of the
Daily Courant
the next morning.

“
It seems to me, Catherine,” Lady Montrose interjected, “that we must have some celebration in honor of your cousins now they are returned. What do you say to a fancy dress ball?”

“
Oh, I should like that of all things!” Cecily cried out before Cat could reply. “I could be a shepherdess all in pink ruffles, and John could be a dear rustic with a peaked cap and a staff! It will be great fun, don't you think, John?”

“
Won't wear a mask, Cecily. Deuced bother, masks. Dribble my punch down when I wear a mask.”

“
Then we shall just wear little dominoes, my love. You see, Cat! John is just as excited as I am! I shall set about ordering my costume immediately. What a grand time we shall have!”

“
I believe we can have all the arrangements made and entertainments devised in two weeks' time, if we put our heads to it,” Lady Montrose continued, toying speculatively with her lorgnette. “I shall speak to Matey this very day. If we open the doors into the conservatory and out from there into the orangeries, we should have room for thirty couples. That would be just the right size, don't you agree, Cecily?”

As the two ladies began
to plan the upcoming festivity, Cat could not help but feel somewhat superfluous to their gaiety and turned to John who sat quietly by, basking in his wife's energies.

“
It seems we are to leave you no peace at all in which to enjoy your homecoming, John. Tell me, have you taken a house?”

“
Indeed, we are not five minutes' walk from here, Cat, so you and Cecily can contrive your visits most conveniently. We are fortunate in having such ready access to our families, for my parents are here, as well as my cousin Hazelforth, I hear from Lady Montrose.” Here John paused significantly, and it was clear that he meant her to say something, but she knew not what. She was sincerely tired of explaining her situation, as well as disturbed by the role Hazelforth had taken.