Reckoning by Kate Cary Page A

determined not to falter now. Lifting my chin, I put on a friendly smile as Jane led me into the crush of people gathered around the foot of the staircase.
    A handsome, fresh-faced young man intercepted me as I tried to follow Jane through the crush. “And who might this charming young lady be? Do introduce her, Janie,” he demanded as he seized my hand and kissed it.
    His forwardness caught me off guard and I snatched my fingers away, staring wordlessly at him.
    “Bertie!” Jane reprimanded. “This is Miss Mary Seward. Now do try and be more polite to our guests!” She smiled at me apologetically. “This is my youngest brother, Robert Gough,” she said. “Don’t let him alarm you. He’s perfectly harmless.”
    Robert feigned a hurt expression and then grinned. “Call me Bertie,” he invited. “Everyone does.”
    His cheery, open demeanour made me smile back, but I felt myself blushing and realised how unaccustomed I had become to socialising. “Pleased to meet you,” I murmured.
    Someone had caught Jane’s eye. She was craning her neck and peering into the parlour. “That’s Lord Xavier Bathory, standing by the window there,” she told me, giving a little wave. “Andrew’s new client. He’s all by himself. I do hope he’s not feeling out of place.”
    Through the open doorway, I spotted a slightly built, fair-haired man standing by the window, looking rather lost. There was something scholarly and old-fashioned about him, I thought; whether it was the tiny, wire-rimmed spectacles he wore or the rather drab suit he had chosen for the occasion, I wasn’t quite sure.
    “Lord Bathory approached Andrew on a friend’s recommendation; he offered Andrew all of his family legal work, which has turned out to be quite substantial,” Jane went on, her face shining with wifely pride. “Andrew can hardly believe his good fortune, being just a provincial lawyer. And Bathory’s turned out to be a perfect darling. He’s become quite a friend to us. It feels as though we’ve known him forever. . . .”
    “Jane!” Andrew called across the room. He was pointing urgently toward the kitchen.
    “Looks like an emergency for the hostess,” Jane said with a sigh. She squeezed my hand reassuringly. “There’s musicand dancing in the drawing room. Bertie will look after you,” she told me. “You will enjoy yourself, won’t you, Mary?”
    I forced a smile. “Of course I will,” I promised.
    Bertie looked pleased as Jane rushed off. “Miss Seward, do please dance with me,” he urged. “You are quite the prettiest woman here, and it would do my reputation a world of good.”
    I smiled at his youthful flattery. “I might tread on your toes,” I warned, not having danced in public for nearly two years.
    “I don’t think I’d notice if you did,” Bertie answered, leading me into the large space in the middle of the drawing room, where the rug had been rolled back and the furniture pushed aside for the dancers.
    As he energetically whisked me around the floor, Bertie told me he’d just gone up to Cambridge, and I realised he must be at least at least two years younger than my own nineteen. His being so young and Jane’s brother helped me to relax a little, and I actually found myself quite enjoying the dance.
    But then suddenly Bertie gasped and brought us to a sudden halt. I searched his ruddy face. His attention was drawn by someone or something among the spectators gathered around the dance floor.
    “What is it?” I asked.
    “Just act naturally,” he said through an exaggerated smile.“My Antonia’s just arrived, and she’s the jealous type. If she finds out I gave you the first dance—” He drew a finger across his throat, and I laughed at the exaggerated gesture. “Do you mind if I leave you for a moment?” he pleaded.
    I followed his gaze and saw a pretty dark-haired girl standing at the edge of the dance floor. She was looking nervously around the room and could have been no more than