Cathy had been faint for days, but no illness could keep her away from the Regatta Angel Ball. After all, at this time of year, there was high society from all over the country in Whitby and it significantly increased her chances of finding a suitable man. Oh, it wasn't London - her parents had suggested taking her there, but the London season would have been far too embarrassing for her, given that she had old school friends down there who had been presented at court! - but it was the best opportunity she had encountered since she had returned from school.

She was dressed in a soft pink silk dress with the extremely puffy sleeves that some of her ladies magazines informed her where fashionable in all the right cities. They accentuated her disturbingly narrow waste and she liked that effect. She had been working on her hair since last night, and now it was glossy and pulled back in a half bun from which perfect golden ringlets flowed down to her neck. Her jewelry was elegant but simple, so as not to draw attention away from her feminine form, her angelic hair and her face.

Her face... Oh she did look pale, and not the kind of pale she wanted. But she had been able to powder the worst over. The dark circles under her eyes were barely visible now, and she had managed to created a sweet pink blush on her cheeks.

She stood by the wall of the central room, watching couples dance and waiting to be asked. She watched her brother Maxim and a pretty young lady dance. Who was that?