“Nothing about you is silly.”
Ripples of warmth ghosted over her skin.
“You like oranges. I like grapes,” he said. “What else?”
Agatha was unequivocally flustered by the intent yet tender way he regarded her.
“I also enjoy spending time with my family.”
His steady gaze held hers, unblinking, as though he were absorbing every word. It made her self-conscious, and she laughed nervously.
“I … would like to visit the Royal Opera House, Vauxhall Gardens, or the Royal Museum. Bea and Ellen said that these are wonderful places to explore. I do enjoy long walks …” Agatha paused, another soft laugh escaping her lips. “And I’ve recently discovered that I quite like bathing in rose-scented water.”
“If you could pick one thing to do tomorrow,” he asked, “what would it be?”
She blinked, startled by the question. No one had ever asked her such a thing. Agatha scowled. “You will be responsible for the expectations rising inside me, my lord. You must ensure they are met.”
Thomas chuckled. With a sense of bemusement, she realizedthat she liked hearing him laugh.
“Pick going to a ball,” Ronald said suddenly, his voice cutting through the conversation.
Agatha spun around to face him, surprised by the suggestion. He was still fixated on the spyglass as if the night sky held answers to the world’s greatest mysteries. “A society ball?”
“Yes,” Ronald answered, lowering the glass just enough to flash her a wide, enthusiastic grin. “My brother can do anything.”
Her heart stuttered at the certainty in his voice. Such unshakeable faith in another person … she could not imagine it. Agatha shook her head, turning back to Thomas.
“That was never in the realm of my expectations. Atonball would be too grand for me.”
“Pick a ball,” Ronald urged before returning to his telescope. “Brother does not like attending balls because mama always asks him to marry a lady from there, but I know he will take you without hesitation.”
Agatha was astonished. “Hewould?”
“Yes,” Ronald said, “you are his friend.”
Her gaze collided with Thomas’s, and there was a most perplexing hope in her heart that she was afraid to examine.
“Would you like to attend a ball?” Thomas asked, his voice softer now, as though genuinely curious.
The very idea of it made her heart race with a strange sense of excitement. The grandeur, the elegance—she could barely imagine it. A sobering thought struck her. “What would be the point? I do not know how to danceandwould not know anyone there. Would I not be an oddity? How would I even procure an invite?”
“I thought Ronald explained I can do anything.”
She glared at Thomas, and he smiled.
“I will be your partner in … boredom for the night. There is no need to worry about knowing anyone there.”
“Boredom?”
“Balls are excessively dull; however … in three days, you will receive an invitation, and I will teach you to waltz within three days.”
Her breath hitched. The idea of dancing with the earl—of being in his arms in such a setting—made her pulse flutter and her belly tightened in a way she couldn’t explain. Agatha nodded, overcome by an emotion she couldn’t quite name. Agatha’s lips parted, but before she could speak, Ronald’s excited voice cut through the moment.
“Thomas! Look at this!”
He turned to his brother, who was holding the telescope toward him. “What is it, Ronald?”
“I can see the entire moon, and it’shuge!”
