“Well…”
“Oh dear.” Lady Emily winced and turned back to Aaron. “Run now, my Lord, before my sister-in-law ensnares you in her trap.”
He laughed around the punch he was sipping, almost choking on the liquid.
“I see what she is doing,” he assured her with a nod. “Have no fear, for I have not ran away yet.”
“You really may want to. You may end up being the one dancing with me when I fall.” Lady Emily widened her eyes, emphasizing the horror.
“Then it will be easier for me to be the one to pick you up again.” He held her gaze for a minute.
What is this feeling?
It took him a moment to recognize what it was. It held a spark, a kind of wit and excitement.
“I am pleased to hear it,” Lady Bolton said, retrieving the dance card from Lady Emily’s wrist. “You will see my sister-in-law’s dance card is quite empty.”
“Julia.” Lady Emily tried to snatch it back. She failed at first as Lady Bolton took it out of her reach, but on her second attempt she managed to retrieve it and hid it behind her back.
“As you can see,” Lady Bolton said with humor. “She is not an eager dancer. No wonder gentlemen cannot write down their names when she hides the card so.”
“So I see.” He chuckled and turned his eyes back on Lady Emily. She really was incredibly beautiful, but now he could see a blush taking over her cheeks, quite delightful in color. Despite the quiet confidence and the humor that she held; it was clear the nerves were real. She was embarrassed by her sister-in-law trying to secure a dance for her.
Aaron felt eager to abate that blush. Lady Emily was clearly very pleasant company, and this was her debut. Without a doubt did she deserve a dance this evening.
Nearby, Aaron could hear laughter, a sound he recognized all too easily. The dulcet tones and melodic giggle were something that used to happen when he made jests. He turned his head to the side to see Jane was laughing at something Hugh had said to her. It made something in Aaron’s gut tense, as if his insides were being squashed by some unseen force.
Then Hugh looked his way. That was too much to bear.
I will not let him see what he has done to me. This angst has gone on long enough between us.
Aaron snatched his gaze away and looked to Lady Emily as Lady Bolton tried to take hold of her dance card again. What better way to show Hugh and Jane that he was no longer hurt by their betrothal than to dance this evening? If he could be happy, joyous, carefree, they would think he was unharmed, and Hugh would not send those victorious glances his way.
“Lady Emily.” Aaron placed down his punch glass on the nearest table and turned his hand toward her, gesturing for her dance card. “Hide the card all you like, but it will not change my question. Would you care to dance with me?”
Chapter Two
Emily blinked a few times; certain she had heard the Marquess wrong. Had she not just encouraged him that dancing with her would have been a dreadful idea? Yet it seemed to have made no difference. He was staring at her with a smile that lit up those angular features, offering his hand toward her.
A firm nudge in Emily’s side from Julia startled her into action. She proffered her dance card toward Lord Tattershall, finding her mouth suddenly dry. His smile grew wider as he took it and signed his name for the next dance. Emily was about to part her lips to assure him that he did not need to feel compelled into dancing with her, simply because they had approached him, but there was no time.
The flute music changed, signifying the next dance was beginning.
“What good timing,” he said with humor, returning her dance card to her. She threaded it round her wrist once more on a small silver chain, before she took the hand that he offered toward her.
She was irked that there was her silk glove between them, for through that grasp she could feel how warm his touch was.
“Lady Bolton.” He bowed his head to Julia in parting and led Emily toward the floor. It gave Emily just enough time to glare back at Julia, letting her know what she thought of her interference. Julia did not seem to mind; she was busy trying to hide her laugh behind her gloved hand as Arthur approached her.
“I am sorry, my Lord,” Emily said the closer they moved to the dancefloor. He looked down at her, his brow angling into a frown.
“Whatever for?”
“I feel like my sister-in-law cornered you into dancing with me. It reminds me of a fox hunt. Perhaps Julia and I are the hounds?” Her words made him laugh. She discovered a warm feeling attached to whenever he laughed at something she said. She suspected she could go out of her way to make this man laugh.
“Believe me, there was no cornering required, no hounds yapping at my feet. I asked you because I wanted to dance with you,” he assured her as he led her onto the dancefloor.
“You did?” she asked, baffled by the idea as she lined up with the other ladies, facing the Marquess. They had taken their places, ready to begin a cotillion. She had been so certain that no one would want to dance with her that she could barely understand the idea. Who would dance with her when they could dance with beautiful Grace?
