Page 1 of Kathryn

Chapter One

London

1822

“I refuse to do this!” Miss Letitia Grayson snapped. “It is immoral. It is wrong. And—and it is disgraceful.”

Lady Kathryn Bellamy stifled a yawn. “Then don’t do it, Letty. Nobody is forcing you.”

Letty’s smooth brow furrowed. “But if I do not play then will you—”

“If you do not participate, then do not expect an invitation to the Duchess of Chatham’s house party,” Katie lied. In truth, she had no say whatsoever in who her sister Hyacinth invited to her annual summer house party. Katie doubted that Hy—who delegated everything pertaining to entertainment to one of the duke’s secretaries—even knew who was coming. Hy despised house parties and usually hid in Chatham Park’s dower house, which the duke had renovated for his wife’s private use. But the young women surrounding Katie did not know any of that, and they all desperately yearned for one of the most coveted invitations of the year.

Katie knew she should be ashamed of lying and manipulating them, but—as was so often the case—she could not bring herself to care.

“Katie, I—” Letty stopped, chewing her lower lip so roughly it turned a dark red. “I do not know if I can do this.”

Miss Julia Tremont and Miss Caroline Shelby snickered at Letty’s unease.

The sound of their tittering grated on Katie’s nerves, making it difficult to recall why she associated with the two ninnies.

Because nobody else wants to spend any time around you.

Katie knew that was true. It should have hurt, but it didn’t. Nothing really hurt or mattered to her, and that was the way she liked it.

Letty leaned close to Katie and whispered. “Please, don’t make me do this.”

“I am not making you do anything,” Katie said, not bothering to lower her voice.

Letty glared at Katie; her anger mixed with something that looked like desperation. Although this was Letty’s third Season, Katie had not spent much time with her until this year. Aside from huge, lovely hazel eyes with lush brown eyelashes and thick chestnut hair, Letty was a rather plain girl. She was almost as tall as Katie’s five-feet-nine inches, but—unlike Katie—she did not possess much of a figure.

Letty was also poor and had worn the same two ballgowns all year. Until Katie brought her into her circle of intimates, Letty’s less than spectacular appearance and tiny dowry had made her an outlier at ton functions. Although she was reserved, she was also funny and sharp-witted when she relaxed. Katie liked her a great deal more than anyone else she had met in several years and hoped the girl would stick to her principles and refuse to play her stupid kissing game.

For a moment, as Letty glared twin holes into Katie’s head, it seemed as if principle might win over peer pressure.

But then Letty’s shoulders sagged. “Fine. I will do it.”

Katie’s throat became unpleasantly thick at the other girl’s words, and she had to swallow several times to clear it. What a disappointment people were. All of them.

She turned her back on Letty’s flaming face and eyed Lady Michelle Beaumont and Miss Elinor Fisher. “What about you two?”

“We are both in,” Elinor said, speaking for both of them as she usually did. In fact, Katie wasn’t sure that she’d ever heard Michelle speak.

“I want to play,” Caroline said.

“Me, too,” Julia hastily added.

Katie reached into her reticule to bring out a folded piece of paper. “Here is the list.”

Elinor snatched the paper, and Michelle leaned close as she unfolded it, Julia and Caroline craning their necks to see. Only Letty did not try to get a look.

“Read it out loud, Elinor,” Julia ordered.

“For one point there is Lord Chambers, Mr. Andrew Morecombe—”

“But Mr. Morecombe is married!” Letty hissed.

Katie rolled her eyes. “It is only a kiss, Letty. I am not asking you to give birth to the man’s child.”