Chapter Thirty-Eight
Judith and Jacqueline were enjoying an exhilarating ride that morning, ending with a race back to the house. Judith won, but their groom hadn’t been able to keep up, which was why Jacqueline was laughing as they dismounted in front of the house.
“I’m so looking forward to seeing Quintin again tonight,” Jacqueline confided as they handed their reins to the tardy groom.
“First name already?” Judith replied. Jack had met the young man at Amy’s soiree last night.
Jack grinned. “Yes. He’s delightful, charming and funny—and I hope he’ll try to kiss me tonight.”
“On your second meeting?!”
“I’ll wager he does.” Jack grinned widely. “Yanks aren’t as concerned with propriety as Englishmen, and besides, he knows I’m not going to be here for long, so an accelerated courtship is quite in order. You keep that in mind and start enjoying yourself. This is our third day here and I’ve barely seen a smile out of you!”
“I’ve just been distracted.”
“Is that what you want to call it? You need to forget about that bounder who’s going to be in jail soon and get into the spirit of the festivities. Honestly, Judy, you should be excited about meeting Raymond Denison at the ball tonight instead of worrying about a man you’ll probably never see again. Amy confided in me that she’s sure you’ll adore Denison.”
“If she bet on it, I might have to ring her neck.”
Jack rolled her eyes. “She wouldn’t do that.”
Catherine suddenly called out to them, and they turned to see her walking toward them on the road from town. “If you wanted some fresh air, you could have joined us for our ride,” Jack said as Catherine reached them.
“Thank you, but I’m not very good with horses. And I needed to visit the shops in town for some trimmings to spruce up my dress for tonight. I didn’t actually pack a ball gown for this trip, but it doesn’t take much to turn a dress into one.”
It didn’t? Judith thought. Well, maybe not for someone as skilled with a needle as Catherine was. Catherine and Andrássy were still at odds, too. He might have relented on staying a few more days before they continued their journey, but he obviously wasn’t pleased about it. They’d even been seen arguing in whispers.
The girls followed Catherine inside. Servants were rushing around, getting the house ready for the ball, with Amy in the hall calling out orders. She looked frazzled, but she wanted everything to be perfect for her first ball.
Catherine excused herself to go upstairs. Amy joined the girls and with a nod toward Catherine said, “I have a funny feeling about that woman.”
Jack laughed. “Many people do. Judy is the only one who really likes her.”
“That’s not true,” Judith said in Catherine’s defense. “Your mother does, too.”
Jack snorted. “My mother is too gracious to show what she really thinks.”
“I saw her talking with a young man in town yesterday,” Amy mentioned. “A bit too familiarly for a first meeting. Does she have friends in Bridgeport?”
“That isn’t likely,” Judith replied. “She hasn’t been in America since she was a child.”
Jack snickered, guessing, “Maybe she found herself a beau our first day here while the rest of us were settling in. You know she could be more worldly and experienced with men than we thought.”
? ? ?
Upstairs, Andrássy slipped quietly into Catherine’s room. He didn’t expect to find her packing. “Going somewhere, Sister, without telling me? I thought you weren’t ready to leave Bridgeport yet.”
She swung around in surprise. “We’re both leaving tomorrow as agreed. There’s no reason to wait until the last minute to pack.”
His eyes narrowed in anger. “You’re lying. You’re planning to sneak off without me.”
He grabbed her and tried to kiss her, but she shoved him back. “Stop it! I warned you there’d be no more of that when you began the role I hired you for. And you’ve played that role superbly, but it ends tomorrow when we go our separate ways. Nothing has changed from the original plan, Andy.”
“You already changed that plan by sticking around when we were supposed to leave as soon as we docked. So you could sneak off without giving me my cut?”
She tsked and tossed him a small bag. “Satisfied now?”
He opened the bag, saw the jewelry on top, and stuck it in his pocket. But it still made no sense that she was risking everything by delaying their departure.
Then his eyes widened. “You’re not going to carry out your friend’s lunatic plan, are you? It failed once and you can’t risk it again, not here with so much family around. Your father will be happy enough with the fortune in jewels you stole for him. You assured me he would be.”
“I know my father. He won’t be happy unless he gets everything!”
“I won’t let you do it!”
“If you say or do anything to stop me, I’ll tell the Malorys who you really are and that it was your idea to steal the jewels, that you forced me to help you!”
“They’ll never believe you. They love me, consider me one of their own. I’ve played my role well.”
“Oh, they’ll believe me all right. I got the jewels off the ship by sewing them into the hems of my dresses, but I also sewed a few into your clothes, and I won’t tell you which items in your extensive wardrobe are currently serving as jewel cases. But I will tell the Malorys if you insist on ruining this evening for me.” Then Catherine added more sweetly, “I’ve so been looking forward to my first American ball.”