Miss Fellingham's Rebellion by Lynn Messina - Miss Fellingham's Rebellion

one is giving away either.”
    Catherine nodded. “Good, why don’t we look them over this afternoon after our shopping expedition?” And then, as soon as she said it, she realized she already had an appointment for the afternoon. “Or perhaps tomorrow morning. I am engaged to go riding in the park.”
    “With Deverill?” her mother asked, eyes bright with pleasure.
    “No, Gerard Pearson. He’s a friend of Freddy’s.”
    “Pearson. Pearson,” she repeated under her breath. “Isn’t he the scoundrel who went running to Freddy with tales about his mama?”
    “He was only trying to help us, I assure you,” Catherine said.
    “Very well. But just see to it that Deverill doesn’t think you’ve lost interest. Although,” said her mama in her most scheming tone, “now that I consider it, it wouldn’t hurt for Deverill to imagine he has competition. A nonesuch like he has probably had everything handed to him on a silver platter. You would do well…”
    Lady Fellingham prattled happily on, advising Catherine on all manner of stealth in courtship, as her daughter stared longingly at the newspaper on the sideboard.
    Catherine returned flush from the excitement of shopping and ran upstairs to change into her carriage dress for her appointment with Pearson. The expedition had been a success in all ways save one: At the modiste, she had caught a glimpse of a stunning redheaded Cyprian who was rumored to be a recent cast-off of Deverill’s. Catherine hadn’t expected to see her nor had she anticipated being so unsettled by the sight of the beautiful woman. It was a very good thing, Catherine decided, that she knew Deverill’s real intentions and wasn’t affected by his interest, for she would have been devastated to know that was the level of perfection he sought in a mate.
    Climbing the stairs, she was relieved that she didn’t see Evelyn. She wasn’t ready to be in the same room with her yet because she was still feeling the sting of her barbs. He probably lost a bet and was forced to dance with you. Or it was a dare from one of his friends. You know what fashionable gentlemen are like. They have their jokes . It was too close to the truth for her to think about forgiving her sister.
    She did see Melissa, however.
    “Cathy,” her sister called, coming into her room and throwing herself on the bed. “I’ve been waiting for hours for you to return. You must tell me all about it. Freddy said you waltzed.” Melissa closed her eyes and tried to picture it. “Was it wonderful? Will you teach me to waltz?” she asked, jumping off the bed. “Right now. Can we waltz?”
    Catherine rang for Betsy’s help, laughing at her sister. “You know what Mother thinks of the waltz.”
    “It’s unbred,” they said in unison.
    “But she let you do it,” Melissa persisted.
    “Because I am mature and as long as I have a beau, she doesn’t care what I do.”
    “I know. I heard all about it from Freddy. How you stole one of Evelyn’s partis and how she’s being awfully mean about it. I don’t care,” Melissa insisted, “if her heart is in tatters as long as you are happy. Are you happy, Cathy?”
    “Right now, puss, I am very happy. But you must be nicer about Evelyn,” she advised. “She’s younger than I and not so mature.”
    “As am I, and I am nice to you,” Melissa pointed out pertly.
    Catherine gave her sister a hug. “I know you are, dear.”
    After a moment, Melissa danced away. “I have to return to my lessons now or Biddy will come looking for me. I got to sneak out for only a moment.” She walked to the door and stopped just short before turning around. “Do say we can go back to the museum soon? We were not there for nearly enough time and having seen a little of the marbles, I want to see more.”
    “I’ll do what I can. Now back to your lessons.”
    She waved and left the room just as Betsy arrived.
    Catherine was pleasantly surprised to discover that Gerard Pearson was a tolerable