yet again to call upon those rapidly depleting reserves of resolve, she somehow managed a semblance of a smile as Daniel began to swirl her about the dance-floor with remarkable grace for a man of his size.
‘You never cease to amaze me, my big cousin,’ she announced, maintaining quite beautifully the false accent. ‘Where on earth did you learn to dance so well? On the battlefields out in the Peninsula, I suppose?’
Clearly he noticed nothing false in the teasing manner, for he did not hesitate to respond in kind. ‘Naturally. One needs to be nimble of foot to dodge bullets.’
Although the foolish response was spoken lightly enough, she could not fail to detect the underlying tension in him. ‘Have you received further instructions from Sir Giles?’
‘Yes, damn his eyes! I’ve been told to keep away from you as much as possible.’
‘Then perhaps we ought not to be dancing now.’
‘Yes, we should,’ he countered, his tone becoming increasingly clipped. ‘And I’ve told the old rogue that I’ve every intention of escorting you in to supper.’
Knowing him as she did, Katherine didn’t suppose for a moment that he had been unduly polite when he had made his intentions perfectly plain. ‘Sir Giles knows what he’s about, Daniel. You cannot deny that he’s shrewd. He did not say as much, but I gained the distinct impression that the man he’s after is indeed among the guests this evening.’
‘Oh, yes, he’s here right enough, my angel,’ Daniel confirmed, after neatly avoiding a collision with the dashing young officer who had escorted Katherine outside a short time before, and who was now twirling his partner about the room with far more zest than grace. ‘And, unless I much mistake the matter, that devil Os-borne now knows precisely who he is too. He’s certainly not been idle during these past weeks.’
‘Admit it, Daniel!’ she prompted. ‘You’ve a grudging respect for the man.’
‘Ha!’ he scoffed. ‘I’d sooner trust a snake!’ He saw the hint of scepticism in the turquoise eyes gazing up at him, and relented. ‘He knows his business—I’ll give him that. And he’s taken every precaution to ensure your safety. If I wasn’t firmly convinced of it, you wouldn’t be here now.’
Daniel cast a brief glance over at one corner of the room, where their host stood conversing with several of his guests. ‘Cranford, as we both know, is in the old demon’s confidence. It wouldn’t surprise me to discover that he’s being groomed to step into Osborne’s shoes when the time comes for Sir Giles to retire. And Cranford, I noticed, has engaged extra staff for this occasion.’
Until that moment Katherine had not paid too much attention to the three footmen moving about the room, bearing trays of champagne. ‘Then I’ve truly nothing to worry about. But I’d dearly love to know who the traitor is.’
‘I’m afraid I cannot help you there,’ Daniel admitted. ‘Cranford may know, but I doubt too many others are in Sir Giles’s confidence. I’m certainly not. But you can bet your sweet life our traitor is among the pot-bellied peerage here tonight, high up on the social ladder. That, I suspect, is why Osborne is so keen to catch him here, in this quiet backwater, where there will be few witnesses to the event. It goes without saying that if Os-borne is successful, the whole business will be hushed up. That is how these people work. The traitor’s identity will never become generally known.’
Katherine considered that, for someone who belonged to the landed gentry, Daniel betrayed precious little respect for his own class. ‘If what you surmise is true, then perhaps it behoves me to attempt to encourage those middle-aged roues present to partner me in a dance.’
‘Don’t be so naïve, girl!’ he scolded, clearly annoyed that she would even contemplate doing such a thing. ‘It will avail you nothing if you tried,’ he went on in a milder tone. ‘You don’t suppose for a moment the villain would risk exposure by attempting anything himself, do you? No, he’ll have others here who will do his dirty work for him if he suspects you do indeed pose a threat, and that you might well prove to be none other than Justine Baron’s sister.’
As no attempt had been made to abduct her thus far Katherine could not help thinking that the traitor had not been duped, and didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed to think that all Sir Giles’s planning and that eventful flight from the French capital had been in vain. All the same, she could never feel sorry she had been involved in the venture, even though she very much feared that to her dying day she would be tortured by bittersweet memories of the man who was now swirling her so expertly round the room.
As the dance drew to an end Katherine, desperately striving not to dwell on what undoubtedly would be her barren future, allowed Daniel to lead her across the hall into the dining-room, where a large number of guests had already gathered to enjoy the delicious supper.
She might have wished that he had not chosen to join his uncle’s party, whom she had noticed were the last guests to arrive, for although she did take an instant liking to Sir Joshua, she was under sufficient strain already to maintain the pretence of light-heartedness, without having to cope with his probing questions into the exact relationship between his nephew and herself. Like Daniel, she found Mrs Melrose’s polite utterances rather insipid. Worse still was Julia’s faintly cool reception. Having experienced the noxious emotion herself, Katherine could now recognise jealousy without difficulty when she saw it. Evidently Daniel’s former love now viewed her as a rival. How little the woman knew!
Fortunately Katherine was not forced to endure the ordeal for too long, for no sooner had several couples begun to drift back to the large salon than the gentleman who had first claimed her for his partner appeared at her side again, with a stuttered reminder that she had promised him a second dance.
She couldn’t recall doing any such thing; nor could she even remember the young gentleman’s name. Nevertheless she did not think twice about returning with him to the salon, where couples were already taking up positions for a set of country dances.
‘You must forgive me, monsieur, but I have been introduced to so many people this evening that I am having a little difficulty in recalling your name.’
‘G-Gifford, ma’am … George G-Gifford. I-I’m here with the gentleman who is to s-sponsor me during the f-forthcoming Season.’
Katherine couldn’t imagine that the event would turn out to be an overwhelming success, given the young man’s evident shyness and painful stutter. It wasn’t that he was ill-looking. In fact, some women might consider him quite handsome, and yet she couldn’t help thinking that the hard, dark eyes seemed oddly at variance with the boyish good looks and diffident manner.
Just as the musicians struck up a chord, Katherine noticed Daniel enter the room, with Julia clinging possessively to his arm. She noticed him staring fixedly in her direction, with an almost frozen look on his face, as though he had just received a severe shock. She did her utmost to thrust his odd expression from her mind and concentrate on her own partner, managing with a reasonable amount of success to converse with him whenever they came together in the set. At least Mr Gifford proved to be a graceful dancer, so it came as something of a surprise when he managed to step on the hem of her gown, just as the dance was drawing to a close.
‘Oh, I am so s-sorry, mademoiselle. I have torn y-your gown. W-will you permit me to escort you to the ladies’ withdrawing-room? S-so clumsy of me.’
Katherine assured him that there was no need to put himself to the trouble, and that she could find her own way without assistance
