The flower sellers had been absolutely abuzz with activity that morning, a veritable hornet’s nest of gentlemen rushing from stall to stall, to the point where Kate almost reconsidered her plans for the day. Almost. It seemed like the fact that the Season was already past halfway through had finally occurred to the men of London, and they were all desperate to prove their affections to their intendeds. Frankly, it was a miracle Kate was able to navigate the crowds and emerge with her own bouquet, a miracle she credited mostly to the fact that she was small enough to slip in between people, rather than worrying about shouldering her way through. Still, it took enough time that she was very nearly late to her visit, and by the time she arrived on the Hastings’ doorstep, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright with exertion, and her hat wasn’t sitting quite as tidily upon her head as it had that morning. Her mother, who had agreed (rather too quickly, Kate thought) to be her chaperone for the day, was trying to pin the damn thing back into place as Kate attempted to swat her away, hissing that she was fine as she reached up to knock on the door. Reluctantly, and with one last careful pat, Mary Ann stepped slightly back, letting Kate take a breath. Immediately, she wished she had not pushed her mother away; the lack of attention on her hair left her with little to think about other than her own nerves, and she cast an anxious look down at the flowers in her hands, wondering what the Lady Hastings would say.
Windflowers, violets, lavender, agrimony, bluebells, and lemon blossoms were nearly overflowing in her hands –– symbols of devotion, of fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty, humility, constancy. For a moment, she began to worry she’d overdone it, but there was nothing to do for it now. She shot a quick glance back at her mother, looking for –– reassurance, she thought, but didn’t have enough time. The door opened to the sound of a happy set of barks, a valet on the other side of the threshold and the sound of Orion’s nails skittering across the hallways somewhere within, undoubtedly racing towards the sounds and smells of new people. “Miss Lockhart?” The valet asked, and she nodded, heading inside quickly, her eyes moving quickly in anticipation of either Will, Orion, or both. Unfortunately, the valet was incredibly efficient, and before she knew it, they’d been shown to the sitting room, where Mary Ann took a seat and Kate began to pace.
She made only one rotation before her mother’s hand shot out and yanked her down onto the settee next to her, and she smiled sheepishly at her, biting down on her lip as she did. “Sorry,” she murmured, twisting her wrist out of her mother’s grip and clutching at her hand for a quick moment, squeezing once before releasing her. “I just want her to like me,” she whispered half a second later, her voice small and vulnerable, her body abuzz with nervous energy. So much nervous energy, in fact, that she jumped into a standing position when the door opened, only to visibly relax upon seeing William walk in. Just as they had in her own home, they met in the middle, her free hand already reaching out for his before she even realized she was moving. “Hi,” she gasped, feeling, suddenly, like she hadn’t been able to take a full breath since crossing the threshold until this very moment. “It’s good to see you.” / @baronwillliam