Maria clapped her hand in front of her mouth.
Behind her back, I imitated her gesture, and Captain Carter’s lip twitched.
He was by no means the first gentleman I had heard telling fake tales of bravery and adventure. But he was the first one who had let me in on the game. And somehow, because of that, I didn’t mind. I exchanged a smile with him.
‘Ah,’ he said, smiling back and nodding. ‘There you are, Miss Linton.’
‘Were you so desperate for my company?’ I asked, arching an eyebrow.
‘Indeed I was. Did I not tell you before how much I enjoyed our dancing? I fear those three dances you have shared with me so far have only left me starving and craving for more. In fact, I can hardly remember them anymore. May I beg you to favour me with another?’
He extended his arm to me, his eyes sparkling with evil mirth.
The smile drained from my face.
‘If you try very hard,’ I said, ‘I’m sure you’ll remember the three dances we danced together perfectly.’
‘Indeed, no,’ he said, sighing regretfully. ‘It already seems to me, somehow, as if they never happened. Which would be such a pity, wouldn’t it?’
He extended his arm a little further.
‘Well, Miss Linton?’
I took his arm, forcing a smile on my face. On our way to the dance floor, as the first notes floated through the air, I leant towards him and said: ‘I’m going to murder you, Captain.’
He smiled.
‘Will you wait till after the dance?’
*~*~**~*~*
It wasn’t terrible.
I didn’t step on his feet, he didn’t step on mine. He was a considerate dancer, and didn’t try to steer me across the ballroom like most other gentleman. Neither was he like Mr Ambrose, with every movement perfect and sleek. Instead, he was flamboyant, every note of the music expressing itself in the way he moved, he smiled, he held me.
Maybe he held me a little bit closer than other gentleman usually did.
When he let me go, a crowd of his military friends came and started talking about this place called Sinai again.
He bowed to me, an apologetic look on his face.
‘I’m afraid I will have to leave you, Miss Linton. I hope that I will be able to have the pleasure of dancing again with you soon. Four times it has been now, and yet it seems only one.’
I couldn’t suppress a tiny smile. It hadn’t really been that bad…
‘Well, maybe,’ I murmured, ‘If you promise to behave yourself, I’ll dance with you again someday.’
I was rewarded with a cheeky smile. ‘I shall look forward to it.’
‘I said maybe!’ I called after him as he strode off with his friends. But he didn’t turn around again. He just walked away, a spring in his step.
Shaking my head, I turned away. How likely was it that we would ever meet or dance again? After all, now that his friend had dropped Ella like an Irish peasant would a hot potato, Sir Philip would likely cut off all acquaintance with us. It would simply be too awkward to spend time in his company. Surely, most of his friends would follow his example and shun us. I wasn’t likely to see Captain Carter again. Well, good riddance. The less men there were in my life, the better.
Even if they do happen to be quite nice, in a crazy way.
I turned once more to watch Ella. It was clear that she didn’t feel the same as I. She lay in Edmund’s arms as though there was no place on earth she would rather be. The smile on her face could only be described as radiant. It was shining brighter than any of the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and illuminated the ballroom.
Sighing contentedly, I retreated to a quiet corner of the ballroom, from where I could watch them quietly. It was joy to see Ella’s joy, a balm for my soul that had been tortured for her sake over the last few weeks. How wonderful and simple the world suddenly seemed. All right, my working life still left a lot to be desired, an unlocked office door for instance, but as regards affairs at home, things were looking up, and I was feeling pretty chuffed as a result.
Everything had worked out to perfection. Ella was happy, I was happy, and even Edmund was, though this wasn’t exactly on my list of priorities. Wonders had been worked within a few hours. All the perceived dangers and difficulties I had foreseen for the near future had dissolved into nothing tonight. I was sure that tonight, nothing could go wrong anymore. Absolutely nothing.
And then I heard his voice behind me.
A voice that sounded very familiar, although I had heard it only twice before… A cultured, voice. A voice of knowledge, power, and maybe… darker things.
‘Ah, Miss Linton. I was wondering if you would be of the party when I saw Sir Phillip’s name on the guest list. How marvellous…’