Henry shook his head, amusement filling him as he led Josephine over to the dance floor once more.
“I think you’ve rather forgotten how these things actually go, Henry. You remember it in the wake of having been married.”
Simon’s words echoed in his head as Josephine fitted into the circle of his arms, his hand resting lightly against her lower back. She fit perfectly there, her face lifted up to him with a smile that hit him straight in the chest.
Maybe he had forgotten how these things went. Or maybe it was just that it happened differently with each person. It wasn’t Martha, Josephine wasn’t Martha. And as much as he would have thought that requirement alone not being met would remove all possibility of falling in love …
He wasn’t so sure that it did.
Josephine’s eyes shone brightly, the blue so captivating that he was spellbound as he spun her around the dance floor.The traces of green and grey flecks inside of that blue caught in the light, shimmering and making that periwinkle seem to deepen.
“Have I complimented you yet on how fine a dancer you are?” he asked distractedly, pulling her closer as the tempo of the music allowed.
Josephine’s grin grew, her head tilting slightly as she shrugged. “Is it bad if I tell you that I cannot honestly remember? You’ve given me so many compliments today.”
She didn’t seem displeased by it, the note of teasing in her tone making him snort.
“There have been a great many things to compliment. I could have phrased it less nicely, I suppose, to keep you on your toes.”
“Oh?” Josephine’s brows rose, a hint of challenge in the tilt of her chin, and Henry’s lips twitched at the sight of it.
“Indeed. I could have simply said, ‘I’m surprised at how well you dance given your lack of social experience.’”
Josephine’s teeth flashed into a ready grin, her amusement plain on her features as she laughed in the face of what many would have called an insult.
“And I would have answered that dancing was my favourite part of the evening at those events that I did attend,” she returned gaily, spinning out of his arms on the next step. She grinned over her shoulder as she spun, coming back to him with a grace that was hard to miss.
“I am unsurprised that your dance card was full,” Henry admitted. He imagined it would have been even more so had she been out in actual society and among London’s rakish youth. “I will admit to being surprised that you enjoyed it so. Dancing is not something that I would have guessed to be among your interests.”
Josephine shrugged, seeming to contemplate his words as she did. “Is it terribly ill-mannered of me to admit that it was much more favourable to dance with most men rather than struggle through their banal attempts at conversation?”
Her honesty elicited a short bark of surprised laughter from him, the mental imagery of her dragging some poor bore off onto the dance floor to shut him up, making him snort.
“It’s terribly honest of you,” he corrected, lips still twitching. “I cannot claim not to wish I had some such similar way out of those conversations, though.”
Josephine’s nose wrinkled, her lips pursing as she fought laughter herself. “I do suppose it would look rather odd were youto take some young lord out onto the dance floor and ask that he dance the female part.”
“You’re assuming I would not wish to be the one twirled about so.”
They both only managed to hold their serious expressions for half a second before conjointly dissolving into laughter once more.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Josephine breathed, almost stepping on his toes in her distraction. “Just the image of you being spun about …”
Henry couldn’t even imagine it, though he did try.
“Should I be concerned that you can so easily conjure such an image?” The song ended, but Henry kept her in his arms regardless, sweeping them both into the steps of the next dance without pause.
“I’ve always had a very vivid imagination.” Josephine gave him an apologetic look only slightly marred by the amusement still playing across her features. “It’s from all the reading, I imagine.”
“Knowing your taste in literature, that almost gives me pause,” Henry joked, brushing her hair back from her shoulders as they neared the edge of the dance floor. He could see hermother hovering, and he knew, as captivating as he found her, that if he waited too much longer, he would be too enthralled to think of anyone beyond the two of them.
“Considering you share the same taste, I rather think that says more about yourself than anything else.”
Henry was almost tempted to spin her back around away from the edge of the floor to the centre once more, but they had been spotted, and as selfish of a man as he may be, he knew that he had a whole lifetime to be so.
“Josie!” Lady St Vincent called happily as they moved off the floor and closer to her. She grinned at them both, shooting her daughter an appraising look that Henry didn’t quite understand. “The two of you make such a handsome pair dancing.”
“A handsome pair regardless, I should hope,” Josephine quipped laughingly.
