“Nay,” he said in sudden panic, stepping in the way to halt her from leaving. He couldn’t bear the thought of her walking out of that door now. He just wouldn’t be able to accept it. “I’ll listen to yer lesson. I promise it.”
“Good, then hear is the first lesson.” She stepped toward him, so near that he angled his head down toward her.
What are we doing?
He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears at her sudden close proximity.
“When you ask for a lady’s dance card, you ask, you do not take, like this, as you did last night.” She pointedly grabbed at his wrist, showing what he had done. She released him all too quickly for comfort. “You ask politely, and you wait for the lady to hand it to you.” She mimed giving him the dance card. “You also should never scratch out another man’s name to take his place.”
“Did ye mind nae dancin’ with him?”
“That is irrelevant to this lesson.”
“Is it?” he asked suspiciously.
She didn’t answer but turned away, increasing the distance between them again.
“If you are reserving a dance with a lady for further into the evening, then you can depart from her side and come back when the time is right to collect her for the dance.”
“Ah, so I am nae supposed to spend time with her at all? What if I wish to?”
“Then be sure first that she wishes to spend time with you, too.” She sat down in an armchair nearby. “She’ll make it plain if she does not.”
“Ah, I see what ye mean. Like the way ye ran away from me company last night.” He sat in the armchair opposite her. He didn’t match her formal posture though and sat forward, leaning out of the chair with his elbows on his knees.
“I did not run away from you.”
“Ye did.”
She narrowed her eyes, clearly not wanting to be drawn into another argument, but Gerard’s stomach was clenching tight now. He wondered how different life could be if Charlotte was not here to teach him another lesson, but here tosee him.
“When you return to Scotland, they have their owntonand their own ways of being,” she said hurriedly, suddenly avoiding looking him in the eye. “From what I have read, you are more likely to find ceilidh dancing, even at the more formal events –”
“Charlotte?”
“It’s the done thing there,” she continued on. “Though I’d caution you against demanding a dance from any lady there as you did with me last night.”
“Lass?” This time he succeeded in capturing her attention. She looked at him, stiffening in her armchair. She looked petite and small in that chair, compared to the way he took up the breadth of his own seat.
The term he used for her, lass, was affectionate, he knew that, but even this time it was the softest he had ever said it. He leaned a little more of his chair, wondering if she too had noticed the difference in their sizes in the two chairs. “I am nae goin’ just yet.”
“You aren’t?” she whispered, not looking away from his eye.
“Nay. Soon, but nae today. Nor tomorrow either.” He said it to hopefully bring her comfort, to soften whatever it was about this news which had made her sad.
She looked down into her lap and fidgeted restlessly.
“I will pay ye again before I leave. If that is what worries ye, ye daenae need to –”
“There’s something else we need to discuss in this lesson.” She was suddenly on her feet, startling him so much that he leaned back. She stood in the middle of the room and held her arms up. “When you dance, you make a couple of mistakes you need to work on.”
She had taken the frame that the gentleman would take. “When you take your first step in the waltz after bowing to your partner, take a smaller step.”
She mimicked what she wanted him to do. “You are so tall, you may risk flattening your partner if you do not.”
She is determined to speak of the lesson only.
Slowly, he stood and moved to face her. He copied exactly what she had done, and she nodded with satisfaction.
