‘What did I tell you about dancing twice with the same man?’ she hissed in Kitty’s ear. Kitty was confused, until she saw Cecily and Montagu locked into what could only be their second dance of the evening. Oh Lord – why tonight? Was Cecily trying to kill her?
Thanking Lady Radcliffe, Kitty pounced upon them as soon as the dance had finished.
‘Lord Montagu, how do you do?’ she said briskly. ‘Your mother is looking for you again, I’m afraid. Can you spot her? Goodness I can’t see for people in this wretched squeeze.’
‘“Grant me, kind Heaven, to find some happier place—”’ Lord Montagu began portentously.
‘Yes, yes,’ Kitty interrupted before it could go any further. ‘Shakespeare, is it? Very clever. I should find Lady Montagu, if I were you.’
He sloped off obediently and Kitty turned on her sister.
‘Cecily, you do remember what I told you about dancing too often with the same man, don’t you?’ she implored.
The vague look upon Cecily’s face told her that this conversation had been quite forgotten.
‘Cecily, you are in danger of seeming very fast. I know you do not mean it, but people will start to say you have set your cap at Lord Montagu – and you do not want to look a fool, do you?’
‘Why shouldn’t I look a fool, when that is clearly what you think of me?’ Cecily fired at her, with an unusual flash of temper. ‘Do you think I don’t know that’s how you see me?’
She stormed off, leaving Kitty staring after her. Well. That was unexpected. But Kitty did not have time to think on it for long, because Aunt Dorothy was at her elbow.
‘They’re here,’ she whispered.
Kitty took a deep breath and walked over to meet her future mother-in-law. Her first thought was that Aunt Dorothy must be mistaken, for she had guided her over to the most heavily bejewelled woman Kitty had ever seen in her life. She looked rather as if she had fallen into a well of gold, for every inch of her was dripping with precious stones, from the tips of her fingers to the heights of her impressively lifted bosoms. And yet there was Mr Pemberton at her side – so it must be she.
‘Miss Talbot!’ Mr Pemberton said brightly. ‘May I introduce you to my mother?’
Kitty found herself the recipient of a gimlet-eyed stare.
‘It is an honour to meet you at last,’ she said, curtseying.
‘Hmm.’ Mrs Pemberton looked her overtly over. ‘Yes, she is pretty enough, Colin. Though a little dour.’
Her son nodded in agreement. Lady Radcliffe, who was standing beside Aunt Dorothy, coughed politely to cover up the awkwardness of the moment.
‘Colin tells me you should like to attend church with me,’ Mrs Pemberton said next, with the same bald unconcern.
‘I should like it above all things,’ Kitty lied.
‘Hmm. Well, good. Piety is the greatest quality a woman can possess. One must love God above all else, you know.’
Kitty nodded, though surely this lady ranked her jeweller even higher.
‘Did you hear that the Duke of Leicester is here, tonight?’ Pemberton said, craning his neck to peer into the crowd.
‘Did you say Leicester?’ Aunt Dorothy asked sharply.
‘Oh, Leicester is here, is he?’ Lady Radcliffe said happily. ‘I have known him for years – oh, yes, there he is. Leicester, over here!’
She waved over a tall, greying gentleman, who bounded over and kissed her hand with smacking enthusiasm.
‘Miss Linwood, how marvellous you look,’ he said jubilantly.
‘Your grace, please, it’s been thirty years – you must start calling me Lady Radcliffe!’ she said in playful remonstration.
‘You’ll always be Miss Linwood to me. Though I did hear that boy of yours is back in London, is it true? Could do with him taking his seat in the Lords, you know.’
‘You mustn’t talk politics tonight, your grace, or everyone will think you a dead bore! Here, I must introduce you to my dear friends, Mrs Kendall and Miss Talbot. And this is Mr and Mrs Pemberton, of course.’
‘How do you do?’
The Pembertons were looking very impressed. Kitty curtseyed in greeting to the Duke of Leicester.
‘Forgive me, have we met before?’ he said curiously.
‘I do not believe so, your grace,’ she said, with a polite smile.
Beside her, Aunt Dorothy was fanning herself rather vigorously, and Kitty wished she would stop. Draught aside, she was holding her fan rather too close to her face, obscuring half of it, and it looked most unusual.