Heavens, her heart was beating out of her chest. Apologies did not come easily to Katherine, and an apology to such a menacing man, even if he did deserve it, was on the bottom of her list.
Banbury paused, allowing a couple to walk by in front of them, and when he did, his other hand reached out and lightly touched her arm as a warning to stop. It should not have meant anything; in fact, he was probably just worried she would somehow cause him to trip and hit his head for the fourth time. Instead, a shiver ran up and down the length of her body, and her heart seemed to take flight as if she were ready to faint.
Truly, the man was so fearsome even her heart was growing weary. They continued toward the back of the room where less people crowded around, and finally she opened her mouth to speak.
"I have something that needs to be said."
"Then say it." His voice was smooth and held no anger, merely impatience.
"I must apologize for any bodily or mental harm I may have caused you in the past. Please accept my sincerest regrets that I have been the cause of so much pain."
Banbury's lips moved into what could possibly be a smile and he brought his hand up to the back of his head. Did he have a headache?
"Do you have any further plans to cause me physical harm, my lady?"
"Not that I am aware of, no."
"Well, just in case, I'll be sure to give you a wide berth when we dance. Now, shall we?" He held out his gloved hand and winked.
Warmth pooled in her belly as she took his hand and joined him in a dance. Truthfully that could not have gone any better! Well, other than the fact that there was a resounding gasp when she allowed him to take her onto the dance floor.
But she paid the onlookers no heed. Now all she needed to do was inquire about his cousin. He turned her around and faced her again.
"Do you often travel to your cousin's estate in Scotland?" she asked.
Banbury narrowed his eyes. "I cannot say that I do. I much prefer my estate near Bath. Though I'm sure my cousin wouldn't be against a familial visit come this spring."
Lost in thought, she merely nodded. Heavens, she hadn't remembered him being so boring or dry. Thankfully she wasn't going to have to be leg-shackled to the man for the rest of her life. Suddenly, she felt quite sorry for the poor miserable woman who would have to share his bed every night. Granted, he was a beautiful male specimen to gaze upon, but looks could only take one so far if he had no sense of humor to speak of and didn't know how to smile if his life depended on it.
As the song ended, her foot caught and twisted in the bottom of her skirt, sending her reeling into the duke's arms, but she was in so much pain and so mortified, she could only whimper as he helped her off the dance floor and out into the cool night air of the balcony.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked gently, kneeling down at her foot.
Unfortunately she lost her balance and kicked her injured foot into the air trying to regain it, landing a very hard blow to the duke's head.
He let out a curse and fell backward onto the ground with a thud.
"Oh my! Heavens, are you all right?" Momentarily forgetting about her injury, Katherine tried to walk toward the duke on her bad ankle but lost her footing, landing on top of him with her skirts up past her knees. The only reason she knew this was because cold air bit at her calves.
"Get off!" Banbury bellowed.
"I'm trying!" she argued, pushing away from him, but it was nearly impossible to skitter away when his arms were flailing about.
And then all pandemonium broke loose. A gasp was heard from the doorway followed by a cry, and then applause.
The Dowager Duchess of Durbin was sniffing and holding a handkerchief to her eye as if she was shedding tears over their obviously compromising situation. And the three men she had seen earlier drinking with Banbury were now grinning ear to ear, all of them clapping their hands as if they had just witnessed a comedy of errors.
"This isn't what it looks like!" she wailed, peeling herself from the duke's body and accidently kneeing him in the shin as she made her way back to her feet.
The duke didn't speak, nor did he yell. Instead, he closed his eyes and began mumbling things under his breath.
"Is he praying?" the dowager asked.
A blond-headed fellow piped up. "Most likely to be struck by lightning."
"Sounds familiar," a man she now recognized as Lord Rawlings with dark features and crystal blue eyes said, looking quite amused. She hadn't seen him in years, but he still held that rakish air.
She hadn't a clue as to the identity of the other men, mainly because she had been in the country for so long. Assuming they were friends, she felt even more embarrassed that they had all just witnessed such a catastrophic event.
"So," a tall gentleman who hadn't spoken yet said, "When is the wedding to take place?"