Henry chuckled. "You flatter me, my dear. Unfortunately, I'm not your Grace, at least not yet," he winked, "but that might change if a certain Duchess..." He looked around.
"You'll never win the Duchess of Bedford, old boy," Thomas smirked.
"Ah, we shall see. She seems very fond of my adventures."
Still a little rattled from my faux pas—The Most Honorable, I finally remembered, too late, how a marquess should be addressed—but the banter between the two men was enough to ease my embarrassment. Enough to pick up on his words, "Adventures?"
"Oh dear, please don't encourage him," Thomas groaned good naturedly.
"I will be delighted to fill you in, Mistress." Henry held out his elbow, and after I sent a questioning glance at Thomas and received an answering nod, I put my hand on it and allowed Henry to lead me to a table while informing me that he had been at Waterloo when Napoleon was defeated.
"Quite the champ, that man," Henry stated.
I had been fascinated with Napoleon ever since I heard about his visit to Egypt; having something in common with a man like him felt special.
"Not really a champ, he got defeated," Thomas grumbled, disgruntled. I understood his position. Because of Napoleon's defeat, he had lost all his holdings in France. If Napoleon had been victorious, then Thomas wouldn't be forced to marry a country bumpkin like me. Life was very mysterious sometimes.
The dancing began, and true to his word, Thomas danced every single one with me. He was a very good dancer too, and I was glad Helen had insisted on dance lessons for me since I was little. The Quadrille was sometimes still a little challenging for me, but with Thomas at my side, I had no problems keeping up.
Suddenly, the music changed to a new kind of dance, and my face heated when the orchestra started the first tunes of a waltz. Unaffected, several couples began to sway arm in arm to the music. Thomas held out his hand, tilting his head in question. Secretly I had talked my dance master into teaching me the scandalous dance, but I had never thought I would perform it in public. Thomas' smile was so nice that I forgot my misgivings and held out my hand. He took it and pulled me close. Closer than I had ever been to a man. I arched my back like Meister Karl had taught me, very aware of Thomas' hand around my waist. Heat radiated from it, spreading through my entire body. Thomas swirled me around and around the room, making me feel lighter on my feet than I ever had before. Soon my smile was so wide, it hurt my jaw, but I couldn't stop. This was the most amazing dance of my life, and I hoped it would go on forever.
But like everything else, it did come to an end, and Thomas led me back to our table, where Henry was in deep conversation with a lady he then led to the dance floor.
"Would you like some refreshments?" Thomas inquired as he pulled the chair out for me, and I already bemoaned the loss of his hand on the small of my back. It had felt so good.
"Yes, please," I nodded.
My tight corset made it impossible to take any deep breaths, and it took forever until my rapidly beating heart slowed down.
"Outrageous," I heard a woman's tittering voice as two of them walked by. Using their fans, they hid most of their faces behind them, but their eyes bored into me, making it clear who they were talking about.
I recognized the Duchess of Southerland as one of them, and hurt pierced my heart.
"And that dress," Harriet giggled.
What's wrong with my dress? The dress I had been so proud of. Compared to the others and Harriet's, it wasn't as special as I had thought it, but it still fit perfectly fine with the rest of them.
"Poor Thomas," the other lady twittered, then they were gone and I didn't hear what else they had to say. But now I was becoming aware of other ladies staring at me over the rim of their hand fans. Disapproving eyes were on me, reigniting the burning in my eyes from earlier.
Would this be how I would live the rest of my life? I wondered. An outcast? Someone who didn't fit in?
I wanted to melt into my misery like a piece of ice and become a puddle on the ground that could dissolve. But then something changed inside of me. Something fundamental. What right did these women have to judge me? So what if I wasn't born a countess or duchess, or even a lady? Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had been thrust here, and I would be damned if I allowed them to ruin the rest of my life because of it. I lifted my chin, stretched my neck, and began meeting eyes straight on with an unspoken challenge in them.
Soon, most of them looked away, and one lady with graying hair lowered her fan and winked at me. Winked. A wide smile on her lips, she even gave me a slight nod.
"There you are," Thomas put a small plate filled with delicatessen and a glass of champagne before me.
"Thank you." My words were heartfelt; I just wasn't sure what I was more thankful for, his presence or the refreshments.
"My pleasure," he pulled out the chair next to me, but before he could sit, another gentleman appeared and pulled him into a conversation. I nibbled on the hors d'oeuvres Thomas had put in front of me and kept up my vigil of challenging anybody who looked at me sideways.
Another waltz began, and with a wide grin, Thomas pulled me up to dance again. Afterward, I excused myself to go in search of a privy, which I was sure a sophisticated house like Carlton House would offer.
After finding one and doing my business, I returned to our table, where Thomas and Henry were in the middle of a deep discussion. They hadn't noticed me returning yet, and I tried to keep my distance since it looked like they were in a serious conversation.
I pretended to be fussing with my satchel to buy them some time, but when I heard my name, my ears perked up. I wasn't one to eavesdrop, but my curiosity won out, and soon my blood ran ice cold.
Henry leaned forward, "Please tell me you're not seriously going to put this enchanting creature into an asylum?"
