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beat her.”
    It took a moment for Dimitri’s bland look to change, but suddenly he burst into laughter. “What has the girl been telling you about me?”
    Lenore had the grace to blush. “Obviously nonsense,” she said disagreeably.
    He continued to chuckle. “She’s too old for a spanking, not that I didn’t relish the idea for a while. No, I will simply take her home and find her a husband. She needs someone who can keep a closer watch over her than I can.”
    “She’ll balk at that, my boy. She’s told me more than once that marriage isn’t for her and that her views on the subject come entirely from you.”
    “Well, perhaps she will change her mind when she learns that I intend to be married before the year is out myself.”
    “Are you serious, Dimitri?” Lenore asked in surprise.
    “Completely,” he replied. “It was my courtship that was interrupted by this trip.”

Chapter Three
    K atherine placed another cool compress on her forehead and leaned her head back on the chaise. She had retired to her room after her morning meeting with the servants to assign their tasks. And this dreadful headache just wasn’t letting up. But she supposed she had drunk too much champagne at her ball last night. That wasn’t like her at all. She rarely drank spirits at parties, and never when she was the hostess.
    Her maid, Lucy, moved about in the bedroom, putting it to rights. The morning tray she had brought remained untouched. She couldn’t stomach even the thought of food just yet.
    Katherine sighed long and loudly. Fortunately, the ball last night had been a success, despite her slight intoxication. Even Warren had managed to make an appearance. The evening itself had nothing to do with her present headache. It had been caused by Elisabeth and the message her maid had delivered just as the first guests began to arrive: that because William hadn’t been invited to the ball, she would not attend either.
    It was incredible. Not a word out of Beth all week since their talk, not a sigh, not a tear. Katherine had truly thought Beth had accepted the situation, and she had been so proud of her, of how well she was handling this broken-heart business. And then, out of the blue, this about-face, this message that proved only too well thatBeth hadn’t forgotten about William at all—which made her wonder now why there hadn’t been any more tears if that was the case.
    What the devil was she to think? Oh, she couldn’t think at all right now, not with this throbbing head.
    A loud knock at the door made her grimace. Elisabeth came in, dressed in a lovely watered-silk gown of moss green, a going-out dress. She held a silk bonnet in her hand by the ties, and a lacy parasol was tucked under her arm.
    “Martha said you weren’t feeling well, Kit.”
    No mention of her absence last night, not even a guilty look. And after all the trouble Katherine had gone to for the ball, selecting only the most eligible bachelors in the hope that one might catch Beth’s interest. Well, the ball hadn’t really been any bother. Entertaining two hundred people was a trifling thing when you knew how to make things run smoothly.
    “I’m afraid I imbibed a little too freely last night, love,” Katherine said truthfully. “Nothing that won’t right itself by the afternoon.”
    “That’s nice.”
    Beth was distracted. Why? Katherine wondered. And where was she going?
    She wasn’t prepared to mention Lord Seymour again just yet, but she had to know Beth’s destination. An uncomfortable premonition raised its head.
    “You’re going out?”
    “Yes.”
    “You’ll have to ask John to drive you then. Henry took sick yesterday.”
    “That—that won’t be necessary, Kit. I’m just going for a—a walk.”
    “A walk?” Katherine said stupidly.
    “Yes. If you’ve noticed, it’s an absolutely lovely day, just perfect for a walk.”
    “I hadn’t noticed. You know I rarely take note of the weather.” Good Lord, a walk? Beth never