He squinted past her again.
Hollis followed his gaze and spotted the king.
It was so very peculiar. Hollis’s interest in this man notched upward. He’d shown her kindness at the gates of St. James Palace. And he really was quite handsome. Not in a classical sense, certainly, but in a virile sense, and Hollis was utterly attracted to all that manliness. And she was dying to know why he kept such a close eye on King Maksim. She could forgive the inadequacies in his social manners in light of it.
She decided to try another tack and touched his arm to gain his attention. His arm felt like stone beneath her touch, not an ounce of give. “Did you see Queen Victoria and Prince Albert? They made quite the entrance, no? The young heralds dressed as angels were particularly effective. And the trumpets!” She teasingly covered both ears and glanced heavenward. The trumpets had beenveryloud.
Mr. Brendan looked as if he was trying to recall it. “Did you not hear the fanfare, Mr. Brendan?”
“I...no. It’s quite loud in here.”
“Yes, but thetrumpets,” she reiterated, because she couldn’t imagine he hadn’t heardthat.“Really, Mr. Brendan, this is a royal ball! The queen’s entrance was the most anticipated event of the evening.”
“Was it?” He looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t realize. I beg your pardon, Mrs. Honeycutt. I am not accustomed to being at events such as this.”
“Interesting,” she said. “Did you sneak in?”
“What? No!” he said, clearly appalled.
“I was teasing you.”
He eyed her dubiously. “I don’t think you were.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, because she was a very honest person. “I truly wondered.”
Mr. Brendan looked completely flummoxed. “I am here by invitation, Mrs. Honeycutt.”
“Yes, of course you are.” She smiled sweetly. “You seem so pleased to have accepted the invitation to this ball.”
There it was again, that hint of a smile. “I am not pleased about it at all,” he said. “But there are times when one’s pleasure must be ignored.”
Oh.She found the remark to be ridiculously titillating. Perhaps because she was imagining the different circumstances in which pleasure might need to be ignored. “I don’t suppose you’re the first to find yourself in extraordinary surroundings and not know what to do with yourself.”
“What? That’s not—”
“It hasn’t been so long ago that I found myself in a similar situation,” she blurted. “Do you know, I think I can help you, Mr. Brendan.”
He looked entirely baffled. “Help mewhat?”
“The trick, as it were, is not to allow yourself to feel inferior. You must move about as if you are the king yourself. Oh, I know! We should dance!”
“No.”He had the audacity to look appalled.
She sighed and pressed her fingertips to her brow a moment. “Mr. Brendan. You seem quite easily alarmed, and furthermore, I am well aware that some gentlemen like to be the driver in these things, and my very good friend tells me I am too forward by half. I truly don’t mean to be, but candidly—and you will find me to be always candid—I really don’t think much about the rules anymore. I’m a widow, and it hardly seems to matter who asks who to stand up, does it? Why should gentlemen have all the privileges of invitation? But never mind that,” she said, noting that he seemed a bit stunned. “My intent was only to help you feel more comfortable here.”
“That is not... I don’t understand your—”
“My point is that if one attends a ball, even if one is not in costume,” she said, her gaze flicking over his clothing, “one should expect to dance!” She suddenly leaned forward, catching her hat before it jabbed him in the eye. “If you are worried about the figures, Mr. Brendan, you are in luck. I happen to be a very good dancer and will help you along.”
He stared at her as if she’d just slapped him across the cheek. “Madam... I know the figures,” he said. “The figuresare not the cause of my hesitation.”
His eyes were so unusual in color that it was a little difficult not to be diverted by them in the middle of this conversation. “Then what is your objection, sir?”
He stared back at her.
Hollis gasped. And then she laughed with surprise. “Me?Your objection is to me? I am all astonishment! And here I thought we were well on our way to being friends. I will have you know that there are any number of gentlemen who would very much like to dance with me.”
He glanced around them as if he expected hordes of them to present themselves.
