"I am very well, Your Grace," he answered with an easy smile.
Just then, Victor stepped up behind her and exchanged greetings with the Earl and Cathy. Soon, the Earl drew him into conversation about a bill that was about to be passed in the House of Lords.
Alice took that opportunity to draw Catherine away to catch up on her life and all she had missed in the last two years.
"You look well dear Cathy. You have an incandescent glow around you. It seems your husband is taking very good care of you."
"Yes, he is," she said with a wide smile. "Since he got the news that I was with child, he has insisted that I do nothing. He drives me to distraction sometimes, but I do realize he is doing this to protect me," she said with a sigh.
"Congratulations, Cathy," Alice said in an excited whisper. "I didn't know about it. Father and Mother had decided to keep me in the dark about everything and everyone. I would have been ecstatic to hear such great news. I will be an aunt soon." she squealed, rocking lightly on her heels in a small celebratory dance.
"I think I now understand the source of your other worldly beauty this evening. You have always been beautiful, perfect in a way that I could never hope to attain."
"Perfect?" Cathy said in surprise. "I am anything but perfect. I am riddled with flaws. In fact, I envied you and wished I could be like you."
"Envy me? Why? What quality could I possibly possess that you think is so attractive?"
"Your ability to retain the authenticity of your person. To stand for what you want and believe in. Growing up, I felt I needed to dress, eat, and talk a certain way. I practiced everything down to the way I smiled in order to attract their validation. They chose my hobbies, friends, and, ultimately, my husband. I felt like a doll with no thought of my own, forever controlled by the strings in their hands. Until last year, I did not know who I was or what I liked or did not like. What I was passionate aboutand what irritated me. I was lucky enough to be married to the most considerate man in the universe, who was willing to take my hand and be patient with me throughout this journey of self-discovery. While I will never be happy about how they trained us, I would not change a thing that happened. It happened so that I could meet my wonderful husband. He is the best thing that ever happened to me," she said, looking over to her husband with Victor, a look of adoration in her eyes.
"You might not be Mama and Papa's favorite," she said, turning back to lock eyes with Alice, "but you were always aware of who you are and your place in the universe, and that is so rare it is beautiful. You are bold and beautiful, and I am sure that was the woman the Duke fell in love with," she added with a knowing smile.
"How are you so sure that he is in love with me?" Alice asked, feeling her cheeks heat up in a blush. "My marriage was not a love match, you know that."
"It might not have started as one, but it had developed into a beautiful love affair. How could no one guess it, when the man looks at you like the sun rises and sets in your face? He looked fit to devour you right there in the middle of the ballroom. He might have even gone ahead had I not interrupted when I did."
"Surely he would not do that," Alice said, chuckling.
"What do you think?" Catherine asked with a raised eyebrow.
Alice couldn't answer because her husband, while he was conservative in a way, was unpredictable at times. She could never know what he might do next, and that quality—she must confess—kept things interesting.
"That was what I thought," Catherine said with satisfaction, following Alice's continuous silence. "My husband and I were planning to relocate to one of his smaller estates in Scotland. I am to take my confinement there. We would have been on our way there now were it not because of your husband's letter."
"What letter?" Alice interrupted, her curiosity getting the better part of her.
"Your husband wrote a letter to my husband explaining that you were lonely and wanted to see me. He even sent a ducal carriage along to carry us to ensure that we did not use a lack of good transportation as an excuse."
"I mentioned it to him in passing one time, just one time. I never knew that he would go through all this trouble." Alice felt tears gathering in her eyes.
Her gruff and grumbling husband was very tender-hearted, and she felt humbled that she belonged to such a man.
"You are lucky to have him. I would advise you to hold on tightly to him. I intend to hold on to mine," she said, accepting a hug from her husband when he returned to where they stood at the fringes of the ballroom.
"Might I interest you in a dance, my love?" the Earl asked, his dark head bent over his wife's face.
"I believe a certain person had prohibited me from engaging in activities that he deemed as stressful. Am I to infer that you do not think a dance fits into the category of stressful activities?" Cathy asked, sarcasm coloring her tone.
"I hear it is a waltz, Cathy. I will be holding you and guiding the dance, you do not have to do much," he said in a cajoling tone, drawing her up to stand. He bowed to Alice before whisking her away towards the dance floor.
Alice stared at their retreating backs, a permanent smile on her face. Cathy turned at the last minute to wink at her and she couldn't control the laughter that escaped her at the gesture.
The Cathy she knew growing up was guarded. She always seemed to be on edge, with perfectionism ingrained in her at an early age. But the Cathy who walked into the ballroom today seemed happier, more carefree, and more optimistic, and because of that, she held a deep respect for her brother-in-law.
"Dare I ask what is so funny?" Victor's voice came behind her, causing her to look up at his face. He bent at the waist to press a kiss on her forehead.
"It's Cathy, she has the Earl wrapped around her little finger and he does not seem to care."
"Just so you know, I would be happy if I get to wrap my body around yours in any way," he said in that infernal whisper that did terrible things to her equilibrium.
