stumbled into,” he grumbled. “A fellow like Costain—all he has on his mind is adultery. He never batted an eye at that woman’s carrying on. You don’t want to have too much to do with the likes of him, Cathy. Very wise, the way you arranged for me to meet him here tomorrow afternoon.”
Cathy sighed and gazed into the grate. “You are right, Gordon. He doesn’t care for me in the least.”
“Damme, don’t wheeze and mope like that. We will nab you a husband when I go to Italy. If Igo to Italy,” he added. “I have been thinking, this sort of work suits me down to the heels. After I’ve gotten Mrs. Leonard and her friends behind bars, I may speak to Cosgrave about a regular position.”
“And then how shall I find a husband?” she asked. “I wish—oh, I wish we went out more. It was so pleasant at Lady Martin’s assembly last night. It reminded me of the old days, when Papa was alive.”
Gordon was feeling derelict at canceling the Italian plan. It was demmed hard on Cathy, sitting home with Mama and Rodney and their old cronies, when she was not quite over the hill yet. He really ought to make a bit of a push to land her a fellow, or she’d end up battening herself on him and Miss Stanfield when they got married.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I shan’t go to the club tonight after all. You and I shall go out on the town.”
“Are you invited to any dos?” she asked hopefully, for Gordon had a more active social life than she.
“There are no dos worth going to in the dead of winter, but the theaters are open. I shall take you to a play. We can look about for our intruder there as well as at my club. We’ll take the opera glasses and examine every eye and thumb in the place.”
“Lovely! Let us see what is playing at the theaters.”
As it was so close to dinnertime, Gordon changed into evening clothes, and Cathy went to her room to choose her gown. With that chill wind howling, she chose a long-sleeved gown of sarsenet, and a stylish but warm shawl of mohair. A pleasant flutter of excitement beat in her breast. It was sweet of Gordon to oblige her like this. She had no real fears that his enthusiasm for the Horse Guards would hold sway for long. He would soon tire of standing about in the cold, and come to appreciate Italy’s more beneficent clime.
The greater disappointment was Costain’s very obvious eagerness not to become entangled with her. Oh, he was polite about it, but he did not really care for her. If she occasionally caught a light of interest in his eyes, or if he said things that sounded flatteringly personal, it was just his way. As Gordon pointed out, he was accustomed to the somewhat loose morals of his class. Ladies, unless they were ancient, were for flirting with. He knew no other way to deal with them, but he was careful not to let his flirting get out of hand.
If her social life had not been cut short by Papa’s death, she would be able to handle his sort. She would smile and return his sallies with a careless insouciance, but such skills were not learned in a day. She would go on in her own stolid manner. She knew no other way to deal with him.
“I daresay Lord Costain has some urgent business at work,” Lady Lyman decided when she learned of his defection. “I have set on the twentieth of December for our little rout, Cathy. We shall write up the cards this evening.”
“Gordon has asked me to go to the theater with him tonight, Mama,” Cathy said.
“What is playing, Gordon? Shakespeare?”
“Shakespeare?” Gordon scoffed. “Nothing of the sort. Who wants to listen to that antique chatter? It is all prithees and by-your-leaves. I had sufficient enough of that in the schoolroom, thankee.”
“Sufficient is sufficient,” Rodney informed him.
“Eh?”
“Sufficient is enough; you need not add enough.” Gordon just shook his head. The old fellow had gone off the deep end at last. “What does sufficient mean?” Rodney asked.
“It means
Cathy sighed and gazed into the grate. “You are right, Gordon. He doesn’t care for me in the least.”
“Damme, don’t wheeze and mope like that. We will nab you a husband when I go to Italy. If Igo to Italy,” he added. “I have been thinking, this sort of work suits me down to the heels. After I’ve gotten Mrs. Leonard and her friends behind bars, I may speak to Cosgrave about a regular position.”
“And then how shall I find a husband?” she asked. “I wish—oh, I wish we went out more. It was so pleasant at Lady Martin’s assembly last night. It reminded me of the old days, when Papa was alive.”
Gordon was feeling derelict at canceling the Italian plan. It was demmed hard on Cathy, sitting home with Mama and Rodney and their old cronies, when she was not quite over the hill yet. He really ought to make a bit of a push to land her a fellow, or she’d end up battening herself on him and Miss Stanfield when they got married.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I shan’t go to the club tonight after all. You and I shall go out on the town.”
“Are you invited to any dos?” she asked hopefully, for Gordon had a more active social life than she.
“There are no dos worth going to in the dead of winter, but the theaters are open. I shall take you to a play. We can look about for our intruder there as well as at my club. We’ll take the opera glasses and examine every eye and thumb in the place.”
“Lovely! Let us see what is playing at the theaters.”
As it was so close to dinnertime, Gordon changed into evening clothes, and Cathy went to her room to choose her gown. With that chill wind howling, she chose a long-sleeved gown of sarsenet, and a stylish but warm shawl of mohair. A pleasant flutter of excitement beat in her breast. It was sweet of Gordon to oblige her like this. She had no real fears that his enthusiasm for the Horse Guards would hold sway for long. He would soon tire of standing about in the cold, and come to appreciate Italy’s more beneficent clime.
The greater disappointment was Costain’s very obvious eagerness not to become entangled with her. Oh, he was polite about it, but he did not really care for her. If she occasionally caught a light of interest in his eyes, or if he said things that sounded flatteringly personal, it was just his way. As Gordon pointed out, he was accustomed to the somewhat loose morals of his class. Ladies, unless they were ancient, were for flirting with. He knew no other way to deal with them, but he was careful not to let his flirting get out of hand.
If her social life had not been cut short by Papa’s death, she would be able to handle his sort. She would smile and return his sallies with a careless insouciance, but such skills were not learned in a day. She would go on in her own stolid manner. She knew no other way to deal with him.
“I daresay Lord Costain has some urgent business at work,” Lady Lyman decided when she learned of his defection. “I have set on the twentieth of December for our little rout, Cathy. We shall write up the cards this evening.”
“Gordon has asked me to go to the theater with him tonight, Mama,” Cathy said.
“What is playing, Gordon? Shakespeare?”
“Shakespeare?” Gordon scoffed. “Nothing of the sort. Who wants to listen to that antique chatter? It is all prithees and by-your-leaves. I had sufficient enough of that in the schoolroom, thankee.”
“Sufficient is sufficient,” Rodney informed him.
“Eh?”
“Sufficient is enough; you need not add enough.” Gordon just shook his head. The old fellow had gone off the deep end at last. “What does sufficient mean?” Rodney asked.
“It means
Similar Books
