This would be the one that she told her father she would like to be betrothedto.
How different things could havebeen.
“It is a shame that you are not in the grand hall wearing a fancy dress,” Ewan jumped in, clearly thinking along the same path asher.
Iris desperately wished that she could respond in kind, but she could not blow her cover right now. “Oh well, I hardly know the dance steps,” she reiterated Daisy’s words to her. “I practiced them some when Miss Iris was learning, but not enough to be seen inpublic.”
Again she laughed, only this time the sound didn’t quite come out as planned. She sounded as if she was strangling her emotions in her throat, which to be fair was very close to thetruth.
“If you were a lady...” Ewan stepped closer to her, causing Iris to breathe so deeply she could literally feel her chest rising and falling. “You would already know the steps, but then again I might not want to dance with youthen.”
“What... what do youmean?”
Reactions were firing off throughout Iris’s entire body, she could barely even remember where she was. The small butterflies that were flapping in her stomach had transformed into giant birds, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand it before she tookoff.
“I mean, I do not like to dance in such a rigid fashion,” Ewan continued smoothly. “I do not like to play by the rules.” Ewan touched Iris’s side and she jumped. “I like to move to the music in my ownway.”
Ewan’s breath tickled her neck, leaving Iris a puddle on the ground. There were too many sensations, her body had never been lit up on every single cylinder before, she did not know how to reel herself backin.
“Likethis.”
And then he moved, with both hands on Iris’s waist causing her to go with him. This was all wrong, their positioning was incorrect, they could barely hear the music coming from the hall which left their steps out of time and in no patternwhatsoever.
It was all wrong, but it felt soright.
At first, Iris could feel herself being awkward. She could not seem to get the steps right, and she was very aware of every limb of her body. But then Ewan grabbed her hands and he rested them upon his shoulders, all while giving her the most reassuring smile she’d ever seen. There was something about the way that his lips curled upwards which caused all the tension in her shoulders to dissipate. She actually relaxed around a stranger, it was an uttermiracle!
As Ewan’s feet moved from side to side and around in a circle, Iris willingly went with him. The ease of the movements, plus the simplicity of them appealed greatly to her. Plus, she could not deny that there was something deliciously exciting about the taboo nature of what they weredoing.
He was high born, she was supposedly lower class, he was a Lord, her simply a maid. They were alone, moving out of time and out of step, and his hands were fixed firmly on her waist causing a heat to pool in herstomach.
This was the most alive that she had ever felt. He whole body was alight and excitable. She felt utterlyincredible.
“See?” Ewan grinned, feeling pleased with himself. “It is much better to dance as we please.” He felt that way about everything, he did not like the rules any more than Irisdid.
“Yes,” she whispered as a reply. “Itis.”
She leant up to look at him as they moved, wanting to make the most of this wonderfully crazy moment. Everything else was out of her control, so she wanted to grab onto this one short time and to never let itgo.
She committed every part of his face to her memory, she looked at every part of him and soaked it all in. She carefully considered the sensation of his hands as he touched her, and the feelings he had spiralling and tearing through her veins. She needed to recall it all because the memory of this moment would get her through all the times there were tocome.
This was the most perfect minute of her life, and it would always stay thatway.
As Ewan twirled her around, Iris felt like a true lady, more than she ever had done before which was ironic considering the maid’s uniform that she had on. She had never looked less special, yet she had never felt more that way. This was so much better than any princess dream could everbe.
If only there could be more toit.
She couldn't resist imagining what it would be like to kiss him. She would not, of course, that would be one step too far, but she liked to think about it all the same. She pictured herself pushing herself up onto her tiptoes and bravely pressing her lips up against his. He would be stunned for a moment, he would not know how to react, but eventually, he would find himself unable to hold back any longer. He would wrap his hands around her neck and knot them up into her hair. He would lose himself in the passion, and so wouldshe...
The whole idea left her utterlybreathless.
Ewan smiled so serenely at her, it was as if he could see into her mind and he liked the idea just as much for himself. He squeezed her hip, just for a second, and Iris imagined there was a promise in thatgesture.
A promise that could never come true unless she revealed her true self... and maybe not eventhen.
“Shhh.” Ewan’s expression suddenly turned to one of panic. Iris could almost feel the magic bubble that they’d been dancing in pop and burst around her. “Footsteps.”
Yes, Iris could hear them too. Theclip, clip, clipof someone moving towards them at the speed of light. She wanted to grip onto Ewan, to refuse to move and give up the perfect moment because she knew the second they let go, it would be gone forever, but it did not matter. Ewan had already released her, and he had dived to the other side of the hallway as if he had beenelectrocuted.
