Chapter Five
Two evenings later, Arthur, Daphne, and Charles were quietly sitting inside the carriage, waiting for it to move away from the front of the house and into the London evening traffic, people going to the theater, soirees, and musicales like the one they were on their way to.
This evening’s event was being held at the house of the popular MP, the Marquess of Bath and his wife.
Charles had tried for two days to prepare himself for what would come.
Strangers, but a lot of them friends or acquaintances from Parliament.
He and Arthur had had a few discussions on how to act, which meant not to react.
They were there to listen to the music, not socialize like one would at a ball.
He had to keep his focus on that, especially on Lady Cathryn. She had been almost all he thought of for the past two days. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.
His sister-in-law seemed to be aware of this and tried to gently reassure him. “You’ll be fine, Charles. Everyone is there to listen to the music. We don’t have to stay afterwards, do we, Arthur?”
Arthur shook his head. “Of course not. If you wish, we can stay for a short time. If not, we can immediately leave after the performance.”
“Since Lady Cathryn was kind enough to secure me an invitation, I will need to thank her and commend her on an extraordinary performance.”
“She would enjoy that,” Daphne replied. She smiled knowingly at Charles.
The coach stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke again.
“Since Parliament has a break now, I thought we’d return to Kent,” Arthur said.
A thousand emotions flowed through Charles. He did want to go to the country. He could ride or take long walks. He just wouldn’t be able to call on Lady Cathryn like he wanted, though he wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it.
“Does everyone go to their country homes?” Charles inquired.
“For the most part, yes,” Arthur replied. “I’ll show you around the estate once we arrive.”
“That would be nice.”
Finally, the carriage came to a stop as they waited to exit.
Looking outside, Charles could see a throng of people talking and walking into the grand manor.
A footman opened the carriage door, and Charles stepped down and waited for his brother to assist his wife.
He had to admit Daphne looked very much a duchess in her deep-purple gown.
He knew very little about women or their fashions, but comparing her to other ladies around her, she certainly stood apart from them.
“Remember what I said,” Arthur whispered near his ear. “Deep breaths. You’ll be fine.”
Charles nodded and followed Arthur and Daphne into the marquess’s home.
The musicale was being held in the ballroom in order to seat all the people invited.
It seemed the marquess knew a lot of people.
Daphne had told him the marquess’s wife had died three years prior and he was just now looking for a wife to bear him an heir.
Surely, he wouldn’t have any problems finding a woman, just gauging on how women seemed to react to him.
Why shouldn’t they? He was wealthy, handsome, and had a way with women.
The trio took their seats and waited for the music to begin.
First, though, their host introduced each young lady.
He was far too familiar with Lady Cathryn and personally made sure she was comfortable as she waited her turn.
From the paper they’d been given, she was to be the last one to play.
Charles noted that rather than the usual composers pianists went to, Lady Cathryn had chosen Handel, a German-British Baroque composer.
The man had left behind a large catalog of music, and Charles found himself curious which pieces Lady Cathryn would play.
The first pianist began to play Bach. Charles sat back in his chair, closed his eyes and listened to the music.
She was good, but she didn’t seem to bring much emotion to her playing.
Still, with a good tutor she would easily overcome her shortcomings.
The next two young women were similar. One played Mozart and the other Beethoven.
Both unique composers and each of the pianists played them well, but again with little emotion.
He sucked in a breath as the marquess reintroduced Lady Cathryn.
She made herself comfortable before launching into her music.
Her fingers flew over the keyboard, leaving everyone in the room speechless.
If they’d been whispering before, Lady Cathryn had them eating out of her hand as she magnificently played.
By the time she ended, she had applause from the audience that lasted well over two minutes.
The marquess invited everyone to stay for refreshments and to meet the young ladies. From the looks of the room, it appeared that’s what most were doing.
“Why don’t we congratulate Lady Cathryn? She was by far the best performer,” Daphne said to both him and Arthur.
“That’s an excellent idea,” Arthur said. “What do you think, Charles?”
“I concur.”
The trio neared Lady Cathryn. She looked away from the couple she was talking with to smile and nod to Charles. He smiled at her, noting an older couple nearby. He took them to be her parents as they never let her out of their sight.
Arthur and Daphne spoke to all three, then introduced Charles to her parents. He didn’t panic but began to carry out a short conversation with Lady Daphne.
“You said you played, but I was surprised at how well you play.”
“Thank you, Lord Charles. As I mentioned, it’s a passion of mine.”
He nodded. “It’s obvious in your playing.” He was about to say something more when the marquess interrupted.
“Lady Cathryn, let me find you somewhere comfortable to sit.” He stared at Charles as though he expected Charles to make his leave, but Charles stood his ground.
Remembering not to make a scene, he relented—sort of. “I look forward to continuing our conversation, Lady Cathryn.” He watched as the marquess took her arm and began leading her away. She glanced back at him and smiled at him.
Charles turned back to Lady Cathryn’s parents and Arthur and Daphne. They were talking among themselves, but Charles had a distinct feeling they’d all been observing what had just played out and it made him uneasy. Another couple approached and Charles backed away a few feet.
Everyone said their acknowledgments and then Arthur took the lead, seeing Charles’s uncomfortable look. “This has been a most enjoyable evening. I’m afraid we need to take our leave.”
Charles walked behind Arthur and Daphne all the way to the carriage.
The evening was pleasant, cool, with a quarter moon lighting the sky.
He climbed into the carriage last and sat across from the pair.
He wasn’t good at small talk and hesitated to even try.
But the only way he would get comfortable in society would be to try it.
“Thank you for including me. It was quite enjoyable, though I didn’t care much for the marquess.”
Arthur gave him a lopsided smile. “He’s one of those people who takes some time to get to know. He’s an odd duck.”
“He’s more than that. From the gossip I heard this evening, he’s looking for a wife and what he wants he will get,” Charles said solemnly.
“A young lady who has a sizeable dowry,” Daphne added.
“Why would a man do that unless he’s broke?”
Arthur smiled again. “You answered your own question.”
“I see.”
“Does Lady Cathryn interest you, Charles?”
“I don’t know. I do know she is smart, well-educated, and played better than any of the other young ladies.”
“I’m sure something else can be arranged if you’d like to see her again.”
“I don’t think her parents would approve of me courting their daughter.”
Arthur cleared his throat. “You don’t have to start out courting, even if that’s what you want. There’s no reason you couldn’t be friends.”
“I plan on marrying her,” he replied.
Daphne and Arthur smiled at each other. “Is that so?” Arthur teased.
“Yes.”
“I understand she and her family are leaving for the country in a day or two,” Daphne said.
“Where in the country?”
“Their estate is in Kent so she wouldn’t be too far,” Daphne replied.
“I see. Perhaps I can call on her at some time. I need to work on my book first and don’t need to be distracted.”
“When you feel the time is right, just let us know,” Arthur said.
Charles nodded. “I shall. Tell me how it is you think I have an interest other than friendship with Lady Cathryn?”
He first needed to figure out what these feelings were that he was having. It was odd, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. His life had always been predictable and structured. He wasn’t sure he wanted to change that.
“We don’t,” Arthur replied.
“You seem to like to talk with her,” Daphne added.
“Yes. She is quite intelligent and easy to talk with.”
He shut his eyes to the outside world. They weren’t far from the house and, when they did arrive, his first move would be to go to his suite.
His head was beginning to throb because of all the new stimuli he’d experienced today alone.
He would be glad to get out of town and to the country.
He wanted to see the cottage Arthur mentioned.
It might be perfect, though Daphne explained he would have his own wing in the manor house.
That would give him the privacy he preferred.
A lot of decisions to be made, and on a scale he’d never had to deal with.
The carriage was approaching its destination. It slowed and a moment later came to a stop. He cracked an eye to see what was going on around him.
“We’re home, Charles,” Arthur said.