Even ensconced in a private box at the theater, Kate saw them pointing to her rudely from other seats.It bothered her, for she was not used to being on display.Grayson, too arrogant to take notice, ignored it all, and she tried to match his aloof attitude, for such tactlessness deserved no respect.
She was becoming more adept at the charade, Kate thought, smiling grimly as she let the maid clasp an expensive ruby and diamond necklace around her throat.Waving the girl away, she rose to stand before the mirror in a last-minute check of her appearance.
The woman who looked back at her little resembled the boyish waif who had lived at Hargate.In truth, she appeared no different from the other females of Grayson’s circle, but the transformation gave Kate no comfort.
It sat uneasily upon her, this notion that she had become nothing more than an elegant ornament for Grayson.She wanted more, and, despite her apparent success in society, the challenge that had brought her here remained unresolved.
True, she no longer harbored fears about fitting in with theton.Grayson was right.She had only to wear the proper clothes and keep her wits about her.But what of the real dare that had kept her at her husband’s side?
Her efforts to win his affections had come to naught.Although Grayson came to her bed every night and did not argue about the sleeping arrangements, he seemed distanced from her in a way she had not thought possible until she saw how other men treated their spouses.
It had not taken her long to discover that wealthy, titled married couples rarely were seen in public together.More often than not, they went their separate ways, sometimes each with a lover.The so-called gentlemen kept mistresses and dallied with other men’s wives, while the women bore children of uncertain parentage.
Unfamiliar with such behavior, Kate was appalled—and terrified.Although Grayson had stayed near her these past few days, did a careless regard for his vows represent her future?She shuddered.
Now, more than ever, she wanted to capture her husband’s heart, but each day they spent in Town seemed to take her farther away from the handsome rogue who had teased her from his sickbed.He was an attentive companion, his conversation interesting, and yet, he never got too close, in word or deed.
And Kate did not know how to reach him.
The sinking feeling that perhaps she never would made her draw in a ragged breath.Grayson was living up to his reputation: arrogant, composed, mayhap ruthless, with a penchant for controlling people, including her.Rumor claimed his one passion was gaming.Perhaps he had no room for another.
With a last look at the mirror that gave her no answer, Kate donned her own mantle of disdain and went down to meet him.Although they had been to various entertainments, tonight she was to have her first official introduction to society, at a small rout held by the Coxburys.
Despite her best efforts, her heart still raced at the sight of him waiting for her, attired in a black coat and pantaloons that clung snugly to his muscled frame.Kate wondered how he could look so cool encased in so much when she felt warm in her thin gown.
“I think you would wilt from the heat in those clothes,” she said, taking his arm as she surveyed him.
He glanced at her sharply and then let out a low, startled laugh.“They are rather confining, and my shoulder itches,” he confided.
His wound.Kate’s smile faded at the reminder.“We do not have to go.We can stay here and be comfortable,” she said, her face flushing at the thought of removing some of his excess garments.“I could bathe your… shoulder,” she added a bit breathlessly.
Beneath her hand, she could feel his arm tense, but he turned his head away.“Quite a temptation, I must admit,” he said evenly.“But I have promised the Coxburys to show you off, and I shall.Really, Kate, you are not intimidated by these people, are you?”
She stiffened.It was a rebuff—a smooth one, but a reproof nonetheless—and she was surprised by how much it hurt.Didn’t he want her?Had he ever truly wanted her?
All her old doubts resurged, along with new ones fostered by the style of life she had observed in London.She faltered, using the misstep to pull her arm from his.He did not reclaim it as they made their way to the carriage, and Kate tugged her shawl closer, suddenly cold, despite the heat.
Her chill lasted until they reached their destination, an elegant home filled with so many people that Kate found it stifling.The hostess.Lady Coxbury, swept her away for a flurry of introductions, and she had only a brief glimpse of Grayson before he disappeared into the crowd.Suffering under the avid stares and sharp eyes of several matrons and their daughters while Lady Coxbury prattled on beside her, Kate felt abandoned.
Where was her husband?Had he left her apurpose?Her worries about his behavior grew.Was he ogling someone else’s wife?Even as she nodded to the ladies, Kate looked for him, but there were too many people, too many rooms, and too many servants weaving in and out.
“Lady Wroth!”The male voice made her turn, and Kate recognized Grayson’s friend Raleigh, who had come to call not long after their arrival.Despite his dandyish ways, Kate liked the viscount and she smiled in greeting.
“Excuse us, won’t you, ladies?”he asked.And without waiting for an answer, he drew her away from the women.
“Splendid to find you here!”Raleigh said with a sincerity that reached his eyes.“You don’t mind me dragging you away from that lot, do you?”he asked, grinning shamelessly.
Kate shook her head.
“Just as I thought.Wretched creatures, most of them.Shall we take in some air?”
With a nod, Kate took his arm and let him lead her outside.The night breeze was a welcome relief after the crush inside, and she left Raleigh’s side to rest her arms upon the decorative railing.
“I have been told repeatedly that no one who is anyone is in London during the summer months,” Kate said, breathing deeply.“If so, then who,” she said, tilting her head toward the doors whence they had come, “are they?”
Raleigh laughed.“You are delightful, though I suspected as much.But they are all no ones, a houseful of nobodies, stuffed with their own consequence.”He leaned back against the brick of the house and lifted his quizzing glass to study her further.
“That is quite an annoying habit you know,” Kate said softly, over her shoulder.
