Line by Line

by Jennifer Delamere

  “She seems like a level-headed young lady. Perhaps if you swear her to secrecy, she’ll not tell anyone else in the office—especially not in the event you fail!” Hal indulged in a guffaw at Douglas’s expense. “But she seems pretty sure of herself, so I’m betting you might get somewhere. Come on, the dance is already underway. I can hear the music from here.”

  Hal strode back to the others before Douglas could launch any further objections.

  Whether Alice succeeded or failed in teaching him to dance, Douglas was filled with a terrible sense of foreboding.

  “I don’t think this is a wise idea,” Lucy whispered to Alice as they walked toward the dance.

  Alice was beginning to have doubts, too, but now that they were committed, she wasn’t going to admit to it. “We don’t have to stay long. It should only take a few dances to show Mr. Shaw what I’m talking about. Then he can practice with other ladies.”

  Judging from the way Mamie’s appreciative gaze kept straying to Douglas, Alice was certain she would be more than happy to take a turn in his arms. If Mamie and Lucy—and herself, unfortunately—were any indication, every woman practically fainted at the sight of him. He certainly looked handsome now, even though his forehead was pinched and perspiration dotted his brow. He even tugged on his collar. Poor man, he really was terrified of dancing.

  Alice rather enjoyed knowing that. Until now, she’d thought there was nothing this man didn’t excel at.

  Although it was still early, the electric Chinese lanterns were already lit, sending a warm glow along the path through the garden. Up ahead they could see a pavilion, on which was seated the band providing the music. The area all around the pavilion was open for dancing. Tables and chairs were set up farther out, along the edges of the clearing. Plenty of people were already dancing to the lively tune, although the place was not filled to capacity.

  “I see an open table over there,” Douglas said and steered them all toward it. “Why don’t we take time to enjoy the music first?”

  Hal snickered, seeing his friend’s ploy for a few minutes’ delay. But no one objected.

  They sat down, and as they listened to the music, Alice found her toe tapping to the rhythm.

  “Mamie, let’s you and I get this started,” Hal said as a new tune began.

  Mamie jumped up eagerly, and the two of them went off to find a space on the dance floor.

  Alice realized that in order to dance with Douglas, she’d have to leave Lucy seated alone at the table. Because she didn’t want to do this, she didn’t press him to dance. She would have to wait until Hal and Mamie returned.

  They watched the dancers for the next few songs. “Hal and Mamie dance well together,” Alice observed. “They must do this a lot.”

  “They’ve been sweet on each other for some time.”

  “Why don’t they get married?” Lucy asked.

  “Hal can’t afford to keep a wife yet. But he thinks by next year he might be able to manage it.”

  Alice found herself growing fidgety. “We can still begin the lesson while sitting here,” she told Douglas. “Are you ready?”

  He gave her a crooked smile. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”

  “Just relax!” She reached out to reassure him, placing a hand on his arm. It was warm, and as he moved under her touch, she felt a little jolt, a sensation not unlike touching a live wire. She quickly withdrew her hand, although it took another moment to gather her wits. “Think about how you tap out Morse code. A dash is longer than a dot. There is a short pause between letters, and a longer pause between words. Now, this song is a waltz. Just listen to it.”

  “One, two, three. One, two, three,” Douglas intoned, clearly drawing up a memory from some previous dance class.

  “Right. But the one is longer than the two and the three. Think of a dash followed by two dots. Dash, dot, dot. Do you hear it? Dash, dot, dot.”

  “Dash, dot, dot,” he repeated obligingly. “Is that to be taken altogether, which is Morse code for the letter D?”

  “Let’s say one dash for the letter T, followed by two dots for the letter I,” Alice answered. “That way the space between the two dots aligns more closely with the music.”

  “T, I,” Douglas repeated. “Dash, dot-dot.” He frowned. “Dash, dot-dot.”

  Alice could see he was still finding it difficult to make the connection between the code and the music. “Try closing your eyes to block out distractions,” she suggested. “Listen carefully to the music.”

  He followed her instructions. “Dash, dot-dot.”

  With his eyes closed, he looked vulnerable, in an appealing sort of way. Alice found herself admiring the fine curve of his dark eyebrows and the sweep of his lashes along the lower lids. She watched the way his lips moved as he said the words. Even the little beads of sweat on his forehead were charming.

  Lucy gave a little cough. Alice turned to her friend and got the impression that Lucy’s cough had been intentional, as though she saw and disapproved of the way Alice had been studying Douglas. Alice grew uncomfortable under Lucy’s critical gaze. She had to be careful not to give Lucy the wrong idea about her regard for Douglas. She could admit to a growing friendship between them, but there was nothing more.

  The music came to an end. Douglas opened his eyes and looked at Alice. “How was that?”

  “Very good,” Alice said, trying to sound like a disinterested instructor. “Did you feel it?”

  “I . . . think so.” The uncertainty in his voice contradicted his words.

  The band launched into the next song. Alice listened for several bars until she had identified the tune. “This one is trickier. It’s a schottische.” She thought about the best way to translate this one to Morse code and decided on the single dash for T and a dot for E, and then worked with Douglas on it. “T, T, T, E; T, T, T, E; T-E-T-E-T-E-T-E. You’ll notice the second half of that string has a quicker pace than the first half. That’s because the Es in that set represent hops.”

  “Right,” he said, one ear cocked toward her as he listened carefully. He repeated the phrase after her. After several more repetitions while watching the dancers, his mouth broadened in a smile. “I think I hear it!”

  Hal and Mamie returned to the table. “Did you watch us to see how easy it is?” Mamie exclaimed, giving Douglas a light poke in the arm. “Now it’s your turn!”

  Alice sent Douglas a challenging look. “Ready?”

  A sudden wild look in his eyes provided the clear answer. Alice half-expected him to back out. He was made of sterner stuff, though. Taking a deep breath, he resolutely stood and offered her a hand.

  As he helped her up, Alice found herself experiencing a few jitters of her own. That was absurd, of course—why should she be nervous? It was only a dance, and one she knew well. Perhaps she was merely tense on his account, knowing how apprehensive he was to try this experiment in public. Yes, that must be the reason.

  It accounted for everything except the odd sensations generated by his warm hand holding hers.

  The park had been steadily filling with people, and the dance area was now very crowded. Douglas led Alice to an area on the opposite side of the pavilion from where they’d been seated. She assumed he didn’t want to practice under Hal’s amused gaze, because there weren’t any fewer people over here.

  Douglas frowned as he looked around. “How can people dance if they can’t even move?”

  “Let’s go over there,” Alice said, pointing to an area at the fringe of the dancing.

  Once they’d reached the spot, they turned to face one another. Douglas lifted his hands and paused, clearly wondering if or how he was supposed to hold her.

  “Let’s not worry about that just yet,” Alice told him. “Let’s stand here and listen to the music, just as we were doing at the table.”

  Throughout the song, they continued repeating the letters together. Eventually, she began to see his body make small, tentative movements to the music. It really was irr
esistible, she knew, once you connected with the rhythm. It told her Douglas was ready.

  “All right, let’s try it,” she said just as the band began to play a waltz.

  He must have felt the time was right as well, for the fire of confidence lit his eyes. Seeing the return of his usual fearless bearing caused her normally reliable heartbeat to stumble out of its usual timing. He took her right hand in his left. When his right arm came around her waist, it felt warm and electric. The attractions of this man were hard to resist. Their pull on her was stronger even than the music. Alice swallowed a nervous gulp.

  “I see you remember that much from your previous lessons,” she managed. “Now, let’s try moving. Don’t worry so much about what your feet are doing. I’ll do my best to follow.”

  Douglas was amazed to find himself filled with the sensation of actually wanting to move to the music. More astounding than that, however, was the discovery of how good it felt to hold Alice in his arms. She looked thin and angular, but as he set his hand on the small of her back, he found that holding her was comfortable. No, it was more than that: it was delightful.

  This woman who had proved herself adept at so many things was now stealing into his heart as well. He swiftly warned himself that that was the last thing he should be thinking about right now. He had to keep his mind on the dance.

  They began to move. Still trying to find his way into the music, Douglas made several missteps. His confidence began to flag. Seemingly undaunted by his repeated mistakes, Alice kept bringing him back to the right movements. He doggedly continued on, repeating the letters aloud.

  Then, unbelievably, came a breakthrough. He knew Morse code so well that its rhythms were practically a part of his soul. As he concentrated on the ebb and flow of the dots and dashes, somehow the connection was finally forged between his brain and his legs. The steps his dancing master had tried to drill into him finally made sense!

  He must have begun doing it correctly because now Alice was following his movements. His confidence surged. He didn’t try to dwell on his feet so much as the rhythm of the dash, dot-dot. He could do this. He was doing this.

  She met his gaze, beaming with pleasure. It was a look he’d never expected to see on a dance partner. Nor did he ever think he’d find himself wanting the music to continue for as long as possible, rather than being desperate for it to end. He even managed to breathe a little, although not to speak, as he was too busy repeating dash, dot-dot to himself, picturing an endless row of Ts and Is flowing along the wires into infinity. He focused on her lips murmuring dash, dot-dot to help him, and he swept her along the wires he’d conjured in his imagination.

  When at last the song did end, Douglas came back to reality still buoyed by elation.

  He had done it!

  The woman who had just eased him over a seemingly insurmountable obstacle was still smiling up at him. She said breathlessly, “That was . . . very good!”

  “Alice, you are a miracle worker. If you weren’t such a cracking good telegrapher, I’d suggest you open a dance school! Thank you. Oh, thank you!”

  Impulsively, he took hold of her upper arms and drew her close, intending to plant a thankful kiss on her cheek. But just at that moment, the band started up again—a rollicking new song that started with a loud clash of cymbals. Her head turned toward the sound. Instead of meeting her cheek, Douglas’s lips connected squarely with hers.

  He ought to have pulled away—and really, she ought to have done the same. He relaxed his grip to signal that she could easily break free if she chose. But her shoulders softened, and she tilted ever-so-slightly toward him, encouraging his embrace. The mistaken kiss became incredibly and wonderfully real.

  Her lips were soft and warm, more appealing than he would have guessed—if he’d ever allowed himself to consider it. He realized now that this was what he’d wanted for ages. Her lips had been tantalizing him all along; the keen intelligence lighting her eyes had been drawing him in. Holding her in his arms felt exactly right. It was like arriving at a destination that was new and yet long beloved. She kissed him back with equal fervor, a surprise that made the wonder of it even greater.

  The drums and cymbals and some kind of horn seemed to be playing what was going on in his heart. It was a joyous melody with a touch of dissonance, and it perfectly reflected his exhilaration. All around them, people were dancing energetically. Yet they seemed distant, like the background of a painting. His senses were wholly taken up with the joy of kissing Alice McNeil.

  The impression that there was distance between them and the dancers was broken when one of the couples bumped into them, forcing them to break apart.

  Alice stumbled back, but her gaze remained on Douglas. She appeared dazed and breathless. Her lips were parted, and her face was flushed deep red. In short, she looked absolutely stunning.

  “Beggin’ your pardon,” the gentleman said. He gave Douglas a wink. “That rousing polka can get people movin’ in all sorts of ways, can’t it?”

  His partner giggled at his joke, and the two of them moved away.

  Once more, Douglas took hold of Alice—this time to gently pull her out of the fray.

  “What . . . just happened?” she asked, her words unsteady.

  The happiness that had been lighting her face was gone. Worry had replaced it. Douglas could see she was already regretting what she’d done.

  It was a shock to be taken down from his euphoria so quickly. Worse than plunging into cold water. But he had to face the fact that his actions had been foolish, and they might well have hurt her. He swallowed, his mouth dry. “Alice, I apologize. I should not have presumed—that is, I never intended—”

  “I understand.” She placed a trembling hand to her chest and breathed deeply, as though she were still trying to find air. “It was a mistake.”

  Her gaze darted around nervously, and he knew what she was thinking: Did anyone in their party see them? Douglas did the same. They were standing by the bushes at the edge of the shadows. The dancers in their proximity were too busy enjoying themselves to pay any attention to them, and there was no one among them that he knew. He could only thank heaven they were not within eyesight of Hal and the others.

  “Perhaps we should go sit down,” Douglas offered.

  “No, give me a moment, please.” She added with a nervous laugh, “I need to compose myself.”

  Had he upset her that much? “Alice, I want you to know that I have only the utmost respect for you. I would never presume to force my attentions on you. You are a respected colleague and, I hope, a friend, too.”

  His words did not have the effect he’d hoped. Her chin drooped, and her eyes squeezed shut. He realized he had addressed her by her given name. A sign of familiarity at odds with his words.

  She took another deep breath and straightened, squaring her shoulders and meeting his gaze. “There’s no need to apologize, Mr. Shaw. That was a silly thing to have happened. I’m sure we can put it out of our minds. I’m so glad I was able to help you with the dancing.”

  She said this with a smile that seemed to wobble, drawing his eyes to the lips that had been pressed so fervently against his just moments ago. Heaven help him, he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to throw all common sense to the wind. Of all the things he planned to accomplish in this life, falling in love with a determined spinster was most definitely not among them.

  Nor did love appear to be in her plans, either. She turned her head, her gaze once more scanning the crowd. She raised a hand to check her hair, although everything was still firmly in place. “We should be getting back. They’ll be wondering what happened to us. I don’t want to leave my friend alone, which might happen if Hal and Mamie get up to dance.”

  She turned and began to walk off, but Douglas reached out to stop her. She looked at him questioningly as he took hold of her hand.

  He couldn’t let her go without impressing on her how grateful he was. “You did me a great favor tonight.”

 
She reacted with a little intake of breath, searching his eyes. Douglas thought he saw a glimpse of the woman who had so ardently returned his kiss. It was quickly gone. “You’re welcome.” She removed her hand from his. “I’m sure you agree that we ought not to speak of this at work. Of any of this, I mean. If anyone there should overhear us—”

  “Understood.” She was right to be thinking of her reputation. His, too, he supposed.

  He could agree not to talk about what had just happened—the dance and that impetuous kiss—but not thinking of it was an entirely different matter. It had been the stuff of dreams. And now, like a dream, it had vanished into the night. As they made their way through the crowd, Alice walked a full arm’s distance away, not looking at him, pressing firmly ahead. She seemed determined to put the kiss behind them. He had too much respect and esteem for her not to honor her wishes.

  The disappointment he felt must surely be nothing but a stray bit of manly pride. He was no womanizer, but he wasn’t used to being turned away, either. He ought to be glad of it, for she was obviously the only one of them who was thinking clearly.

  Buck up, lad, he thought, and put on the smile. It was time to don a carefree countenance in order to prevent the others from guessing what a terrible misstep he’d made tonight.

  CHAPTER

  Eighteen

  Not for her, this silly idea of romance. Alice cringed inwardly as she recalled how superior she’d felt about the naïveté of others. Who had truly been the naïve one? She was astonished at her response, body and soul, when Douglas had kissed her. Why had she not believed a person could feel something as powerful as that?

  And yet, from the first moment she’d seen him, standing in the middle of the office looking impossibly handsome, she had known.

  She had known.

  Granted, it had been far back in the unconscious portion of her mind, but somehow she’d known that one kiss from a man like this would be so shattering, it would obliterate everything she knew about the subject. That was why she had spent every day since meeting him doing her utmost to ignore the unreasonable feelings he ignited in her. Telling herself they were mere fantasies, the kind instilled into little girls by way of fairy stories.