"I told you. You don't love someone because of their looks or their clothes or their car. You love them because they sing a song only your heart can understand." L.J. Smith
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Katy could not believe that he had found her, but then, she supposed her masterful hiding spot was not so discreet. Oh, she should have gone home!
She could not have people seeing her hiding underneath a table. What would they say? And if the Baneses found out then there would certainly be questions.
Katy scrambled out from under the table, and Eliza quickly followed her. Once she was standing upright, she could see how clearly happy the earl was to see her. That confused her. Why would he be happy to see her when he had deceived her? Surely, he had not ever meant to see her again, no matter what he said, when he had given her a false name.
But the way he looked at her was completely sincere, as though he had nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to hide. It stirred those horrid fluttering butterflies in her stomach, and Katy needed to stop this at once.
So Katy glared at him coldly. He looked taken aback at her ire.
"Lord Wilshire, this is my friend, Miss Katy Fairchild. Katy, this is Lord Wilshire," Eliza introduced weakly, in an effort to calm the tension.
"We are acquainted," replied the earl.
He had openly admitted to knowing her. Why on earth would he do such a thing when she could publicly out him for deceiving her? Or perhaps he knew she cared far too deeply for the Baneses to ever embarrass them in such a way.
"Oh, fancy that!" cried Eliza, though she was obviously in the know.
He frowned, before saying, "Forgive me, but are you angry with me, Miss Fairchild?"
Could she laugh? It would only draw further attention to herself. And people had already started to notice this conversation. Eyes followed the earl wherever he went. She only prayed that people thought he was talking to Eliza.
Katy looked side to side, before hissing, "You told me your name was Harry!"
Again, he frowned. "Yes?" he responded slowly.
Katy huffed. Was he really going to make her accuse him? She looked to Eliza for assistance, but her tragic romantic friend was enjoying what she was seeing all too much. Katy wanted to scold her. But she was too busy scolding a man so far above her, she ought to have been committed.
"Are you teasing me?" she asked, lowering her voice.
"No," he replied, lowering his own voice as well, "though I should be quite angry with you, too."
Katy stepped back in shock. "Why would you be angry with me?" she demanded to know, her voice raising accidentally. Oh, she would be caught with him, she knew it. Where was Mrs Banes? She could not see Katy with him.
"You disappeared," he said accusingly, his brown eyes narrowing. "You left m ... without allowing me to escort you home. You were hurt."
Katy had not thought what it would be like for her rescuer to wake up and find her gone. She had been thinking too much about trying not to wake him that she had not even considered that he would even worry about her.
"We cannot speak of this," Katy stressed, "not here." She went to take Eliza's hand and to drag her away from prying eyes, but she felt his hand on her arm, holding her back. Katy's head snapped back, and she stared at him. "What are you doing?" she hissed. She shook his hand off of her, and as she did so, her heart stopped, as her eyes met with Mrs Banes' in the doorway of the refreshment room.
Matters became even graver when Mrs Spencer followed Mrs Banes into their meeting. Mrs Banes looked utterly perplexed at the scene before her. Mrs Spencer looked absolutely livid.
Katy knew how inappropriate this was. She knew she had no business speaking to an earl, no matter their previous meeting. There was such a thing as rank for a reason, and Katy would never willingly cause problems for the people she loved.
"Ah, Your Lordship," Mrs Spencer remarked, putting on a false smile, and a sweetness to her voice. "I see you have met my dear friend's orphan." Her eyes flicked to Katy's as she spoke the last words. It was almost like receiving a smack. "How charitable of you to make it around the ball thus, and to give your time to even the lowliest of Wilshire residents."
Eliza's hand tightened in Katy's, and she felt her friend tense as Katy's shoulders fell.
"Actually, Mrs Spencer, I was just about to ask Miss Fairchild to dance," said Harry through clenched teeth. He turned back to her, and he extended his hand. "Would you do me the honour, Miss Fairchild?" His eyes were imploring her to accept.
Katy was still confused by him, but she could not deny that his impression of his own innocence did have her torn. There was more to the tale, she was certain of it, and she knew now that she was partly at fault as well.
But under no circumstances could she ever dance with him. "Forgive me, but I must decline," Katy said politely, and as indifferently as she could. She knew it was very rude to decline an offer, and she had to do so with a genuine excuse. "I had a fall a fortnight ago. I am afraid I cannot dance."
She did not wait to hear his response. She quickly curtseyed and pulled Eliza away from the party. There was nowhere to escape but outside, which was where she dragged Eliza. When they were finally out of the hot ballroom and out into the cold February air, Katy let out the breath she had been holding.
Eliza, too, let out a laugh. "Oh, Katy!" she cried excitedly. "Was that not wonderful? And you broke his heart, too." She clutched her chest. "So tragic!"
"I did not break his heart," Katy snapped. "Be serious, Eliza," she scolded. "Do you not see how impossible this is? Did you not hear Mrs Spencer? What will your mother think?"
"You certainly did break his heart," Eliza countered. "I saw his face when you refused him. Poor Lord Wilshire has eyes for you, you mark my words," she said confidently.
Katy huffed.
"And never mind Mrs Spencer. I certainly don't," she continued.
Katy stared at her. "Of course, you can afford to not mind her. I, on the other hand, offend her by existing. Can you imagine what this will do?"
Eliza's face softened, and she cupped Katy's face with her gloved hands. "Katy," she said firmly, "you have nothing to worry about. Mrs Spencer will never consider you as a rival to Emilie. And neither will Mama," she said confidently. "She had blinders on when it comes to marrying me off."
Katy could not be as confident as Eliza. While she appreciated her friend's assurance, Katy was almost certain that Harry, or whatever his name was, had just created a very big problem for her.
"What are you girls doing out here?"
Mrs Banes had joined them, warming her arms from the cold. She still looked as shaken as she had been only minutes ago, and she was watching both girls curiously.
"Just getting some air, Mama," replied Eliza effortlessly.
Mrs Banes nodded. "Well, go inside before you catch a chill," she instructed.
Both Eliza and Katy started back towards the door, but Mrs Banes caught Katy's arm.
"Go on, Eliza," was all she said.
Behind her mother's head, Eliza offered Katy a sad, apologetic look. Katy nodded, letting her know it was alright to leave her. Eliza regretfully obeyed her mother and went back inside the assembly rooms.
Katy felt physically ill. This was it. She had ruined everything. Ten years spent earning the trust and love of the Baneses was gone in an instant. How could Mrs Banes ever forgive her, let alone love her?
Just as Katy was about to fall to her knees and beg for Mrs Banes' forgiveness, she spoke.
"I need your help, Katy," she said softly.
"My help?" Katy's voice was so shaky, it was a miracle her words were coherent.
"Eliza listens to you in a way she does not listen to me," she continued. There was wariness in Mrs Banes' green eyes, and she was speaking in a tone that Katy had never heard from her.
"I think you dreadfully overestimate my influence, Mrs Banes," whispered Katy.
Mrs Banes smiled, albeit slightly. There was a hardness to her suddenly, and it was heartbreaking to see her look upon Katy with anything but affection.
"What an interesting choice of words," she murmured, before shaking her head. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on Katy's cheek, just as her daughter had done. But Katy did not feel comfort. She felt shame. "I know you love us, Katy," she said confidently, "and I know you would never do a thing to hurt us, am I correct?"
Katy nodded immediately. "Never," she promised.
"Good," Mrs Banes replied. "Because I am relying on you to help me with Eliza. She needs to be prepared for marriage to Lord Wilshire. I cannot accept anything less for this family."
Once again, Katy felt like she had been smacked with words, and she had never felt that from one of the Banes' before. She knew she had done utterly wrong. "I will do whatever you ask," she vowed.
She received a warmer smile from Mrs Banes then. "Good," she said again. "I knew I could trust you, my dear. This is what is best for everyone. You included," she assured her. "Come now. I am determined to have Eliza dance with the earl at least one more time this evening."
Katy followed Mrs Banes feeling completely dejected. How could she have jeopardised everything in one conversation? Was her silly heart really so transparent? Could Mrs Banes really see how confused Katy had been about Harry? John! She still could not get his name right.
She should not even be thinking of him. That was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. She could never think of him again. Seeing him again was out of the question. She would certainly never speak –
Katy's arm was suddenly grabbed for the umpteenth time this evening and she was pulled into the cloak room, just as she saw Mrs Banes being claimed by an acquaintance for a conversation.
The door to the cloak room was quickly shut behind her. The room was dark, save for a solitary oil lamp, and filled to the brim with cloaks, coats, shawls, and the like.
"Forgive me," he said.
Katy's eyes focused on Harry. He was standing in front of the door, blocking her exit. She wanted to cry out in frustration, but then she knew she would draw attention to herself.
"You need to leave me alone!" she said pleadingly.
"My name is John Harold Everett," he said clearly.
"What?"
"It occurred to me that part of your anger with me is because you believe I gave you an alias."
Katy could not care about that when the relationship she had with the closest person that she had to a mother was dangling by a thread.
"I shared the name with my father, and so I was always called Harry to distinguish myself from him. My name is Harry. I was telling you the truth. I have never been called John, not once in my life."
Katy could not bring herself to feel any relief for knowing that Harry had not deceived her in this respect. She had no right to feel anything towards him.
"And I didn't tell you about my title because I had not even arrived in Wilshire when I met you. I could barely comprehend the idea myself, let alone relay it to an injured lady." Her gestured to her skirts, referring to her wounded leg. "My priority was to help you, not to give you my family tree."
Katy's traitorous heart believed him and forgave him, but that was where it needed to end. "Thank you for explaining this to me, Your Lordship," she murmured indifferently.
Harry frowned. "Your Lordship?" he repeated. "Surely we know each other better than that. I made my intention to see you again clear, did I not?"
Katy could not believe that Harry could be so naïve. "This will be the last time that we speak, Your Lordship. Please do not try to see me." She walked over to him, in an effort to get to the door. It was the first time that she had stood properly beside him. Katy was not of great stature, but she felt dwarfed next to Harry. She stood equal to his sternum and had to crane her neck to meet his eye.
As soon as she met his intense stare, Katy felt the fluttering once again, only this time it was more like a rampage. For the first time in her life, she truly understood that the head and the heart were two very different things. The heart was foolish.
"Let me pass," she asked him quietly.
Harry did not try to stop her, and he moved aside accordingly. Katy slipped out of the cloakroom and was grateful that nobody seemed to notice her doing so.
As she went to go and find Eliza in and amongst the hundreds of dancers, Harry walked past her uttering two words only for her.
"It begins."