It had been yet another reminder of how the waters of Polite Society were fraught with hidden shoals.
And speaking of stormy seas… Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marco saunter into the room, his handsome face alight with laughter at something that Lord Tappan was telling him.
Her insides clenched, and though she willed herself not to react, a slow spiraling heat rose up to her cheeks. She fumbled with the pot, hoping to cover her dismay in a cloud of steam. Lady Duxbury’s nasty comment couldn’t be further from the truth. She had never consciously encouraged Marco’s attentions.
But her body seemed to have a mind of its own.
Chapter Ten
Thank you, Miss Woodbridge.” Von Seilig accepted a cup, but did not move away. “Would you care to sit down to a game of whist?”
“Actually, I’m not overly fond of playing cards.”
“Neither am I.” He smiled. “I much prefer conversation.”
“As do I.”
“Excellent. Then perhaps you would not mind if the colonel and I continue our discussion of the upcoming peace conference.” Rochambert, the French envoy, came over to join them. “But if politics bore you—”
“Not at all,” she assured him. “From what I have read, the delegates mean to address a fascinating array of issues. I am particularly interested in Mr. Cotta and Mr. Bertuch’s ideas on intellectual property.”
“Indeed,” agreed Von Seilig. “It’s a very important topic. Publishers from a number of countries are quite concerned about the piracy of ideas.”
Rochambert nodded as he added a splash of cream to his cup. In contrast to the blond, heavyset Prussian, the dark-haired Frenchman was slender, with a narrow face and delicate features that bordered on the effeminate. The lace on his cuffs and cravat accentuated the impression, as did his burgundy swallowtail coat, velvet knee breeches, and gold-threaded silk waistcoat.
But Kate sensed that beneath the show of finery, he was not nearly as soft as he appeared.
“It promises to be a very intriguing few months, both for the politics and the parties,” said Rochambert, after a sip of his tea. “Have you been to Vienna, Miss Woodbridge?”
“No, but I have heard it is a lovely city. I should like very much to visit it someday.”
“Now that peace has come to the Continent, travel is no longer dangerous. So perhaps your grandfather would consider taking you for a visit,” suggested Von Seilig. “It is a very historic place, with a picturesque medieval center, many beautiful parks, magnificent churches, and baroque mansions. Legend has it that the city walls surrounding the Old Town were built with the ransom money paid by King Richard the Lionhearted, who was captured while on his way home from the Holy Land.”
“How fascinating.” Kate closed her eyes for a moment, picturing the exotic setting. She missed the excitement of traveling—the sights, the sounds, the smells of a foreign land stimulated the senses.
“Emperor Francis of Austria will host several other monarchs at the Hofburg, his palace in the center of the city,” said Rochambert. “That alone is worth the visit, for it houses many incredible treasures.”
“One of the Emperor’s hobbies is tending to his plants in the palace hothouses. He is also an expert in European geography,” added Von Seilig. “His collection of rare maps and books is extraordinary.”
“It sounds like exactly the sort of place that I would enjoy visiting,” mused Kate.
“I doubt that Francis will have much time for his plants or his library when the conference begins. Metternich and Talleyrand will be playing cat and mouse, while the Russian tsar and the King of Prussia negotiate over the fate of Poland and Saxony…”
Kate listened with great interest as the two gentlemen began to discuss the nuances of European politics. They were both articulate and knowledgeable, and when she ventured a question, they did not brush her off but answered it with careful consideration.
Why, perhaps parties weren’t so awful after all. It was pleasant to be treated as if she possessed a brain, to go along with the rest of her body, she thought to herself.
Ludlowe, the American envoy to London, and Villafranca, a Spanish government official, came over to join them and quickly offered their perspective on the jockeying for power in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat.
Caught up in following the lively arguments, Kate was unaware of how much time had passed until the tall case clock in the corner chimed the hour. Suddenly aware that she had left Charlotte to fend for herself, she slanted a hurried look around the room, hoping that her