“You don’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“You didn’t know me before.”
“Before what?”
She clamped her lips shut and inhaled sharply through her nostrils but refused to respond as she felt her pulse begin to hasten unsteadily.
“I think you are simply being paranoid. There is no reason for anyone to stare other than because you look remarkably beautiful this evening.”
She blinked, jolted by his words, and felt the tension in her body begin to ease. “Er, thank you, but that’s not the reason.”
“Then tell me what is so exceptional about you to cause an entire room of people to stop what they are doing to stare at you?”
“You are being derogatory.”
“And you are being silly.”
“Excuse me?”
But he ignored her and made his way to the hall. Evelina was right on his heel.
“I do not appreciate being spoken to in a demeaning manner, Mr. Colby.” She spat out angrily but to which her only response was an indifferent glance over his shoulder. “My feelings have merit and should not be treated as trivial. I am not some inconsequential creature lacking depth or emotion.”
“Perhaps you assert too much emotion.” He turned to her and silently picked her up before ascending the small flight of steps into the hall.
Automatically, she gathered her skirts close to prevent him from tripping over them before placing an arm around his neck. “So now you accuse me of being overly emotional?”
“I do not accuse you of anything.”
“But you think of me as flighty and unbalanced?”
“I think you suffer from schizophrenia.”
“I see. Now you accuse me of having a personality disorder.”
He glanced down at her face and slowed his pace. With an exasperated sigh, he lowered her to the ground.
“We’re here.”
She blinked and glanced around her surroundings. Sure enough, they stood just inside the entrance. There were several ladies in fancy dress making their way around the room while small groups of men stood together in corners deep in conversation. Even though Ryan was a tall and impressive looking man, no one seemed to notice them standing in the entrance.
Bewildered, she turned to stare at him and asked, “How did you do that?”
She wasn’t even aware they had made their way into the party hall.
He offered her a grin. “Believe it or not, Evelina, you’re very predictable. You allow your emotions to rule your good sense. Or in your case, any sense. Your emotions dictate your behavior whether in fear, anger or—” He paused and shot her a knowing look.
Evelina blushed crimson red, remembering the kiss in the park intended to divert her hysteria away. “So you insulted and degraded me to distract me?”
She felt fury boiling inside.
He chuckled. “Would you rather I kissed you again?”
The mere thought sent a swift wave of pleasure throughout her body. Quickly she subdued the treacherous emotion and adamantly said, “Absolutely not.”
“I think you tell a fib.” He teased her, laughing down at her with those beautiful eyes of his. “I do believe, Miss Hepworth that you rather enjoy lovemaking.”
She inhaled sharply. “I beg your pardon!”
“What a little hussy you are.” He continued. “I shall have to guard you extra closely tonight.”
Her cheeks filled with heat.
“I better not find you flirting with other men this evening as I shall remind you that you are here with me tonight.”
Hot with embarrassment, she snarled at him, “I do not find your sense of humor funny this evening, Mr. Colby.”
Again he laughed. “I’m sorry to hear that. I must admit I rather enjoy getting you heated up. It’s one of the few times you let down your guard and reveal the real Evelina.”
She found herself speechless which he takes the opportunity to turn from her and remove two cards from a box sitting near the entrance.
“Let’s secure our dance numbers, shall we?”
Her gaze dropped to the two dance cards he held in his hands. She recognized them as her sisters had spent one afternoon preparing them for the engagement party. One of the reasons Evelina had asked Ryan to escort her to the event was to avoid having to dance or socialize with others. She concluded that if she had an escort she wouldn’t be expected to dance with other men that evening. As for Ryan, she would offer her apologies and fabricate some pretext to excuse herself from dancing altogether, which she was sure he would receive with relief.
“I do not wish to dance tonight.”
“Oh come, you are not that angry with me, are you?”
“You have nothing to do with it. I simply do not wish to dance.”
“Then why did you come?”
“I already explained it was expected of me.”
“I think it’s because you do not know how to dance Evelina.”
“Of course I do!”
But he apparently did not believe her as he continued, “Come to think of it, that would make perfect sense as dancing requires fluidity and you, my dear lady, could not keep up with a herd of turtles.”
She gasped.
“You are by far the slowest female I have ever met.”
“I’m sorry if you find such fault in my person, Mr. Colby.”
“Not at all.” He laughed. “It is simply a part of your character.”
“And now you wish to insult me!”
“No, not insult. Actually, I’m rather fond of your character.” He smiled admiringly at her. “I'm merely making fun of it, two entirely different things.”
“I do not see the difference.”
“When making fun, one must learn to laugh at oneself, Evelina.”
She made an angry face. “Nonetheless, I have no plans to dance tonight.”
“So it is your intention to sit out every dance? All evening?”
“That is correct.”
“Proper society will think poorly of you being a single woman sitting out all the dances.”
“I don't care what proper society thinks of me.”
“Of course you do. Why else do you have a downright panic attack at the mere mention of a crowd?”
At that, Evelina finds herself speechless for he was absolutely right and he knew it.
“Now, I’ve penciled us in for dances 1, 4, 7, 10, and 12.” He handed her one of the cards and took the other. “I shall go fill out the rest of my card. You do the same.”
He was gone before she could put forth any further protest. Glancing down at her card, she bit her bottom lip and wondered what she should do next. Ryan wasn’t easily thwarted. He refused to accept she did not wish to dance.
She noticed next to each of the numbered dances he mentioned, he had simply marked them with an X. This surprised her. She would have thought he would have jotted his name into the slot. With any luck, maybe he would forget which dances he had selected.
This gave Evelina a thought.
If she marked the remaining dances also with an X then it would make her card appear full and hence not able to accept any other invitations to dance.
Pleased with herself, she quickly marked an X into all the remaining dance numbers.
“May I pencil myself into your dance card, Evelina?”
She glanced up to find George Hastings, a young redheaded man from down the street standing before her. She knew him by name only, having never socialized with him ever since her family moved into the neighborhood some twelve years ago. It surprised her that he even knew her by name, and that he had the audacity to refer to her by it.
“I’m afraid my card is full, Mr. Hastings.” She put emphasis on the mister part of his name, silently reproaching him for his informal use of her first name without consent.
He glanced at the card she held out for his observation with all the numbered dances marked with an X. He frowned heavily before glancing back at her
face then giving a slight nod he turned away. Well, that was easier than she realized. If she had known that all she had to do was fill her dance card with X’s, she wouldn’t have bothered to ask Ryan to escort her at all.
She looked up and noticed George join a group of young men not too far away from where she stood obscured in her corner. He lowered his head and said something to which they all glanced in Evelina’s direction. She shifted uncomfortably, suddenly revisiting a memory of the past when a group of schoolboys had done almost the exact same thing. The memory of their sneers and crude laughter as they pointed hurtful fingers her way, made the back of her eyes abruptly sting. It had been the reason her family up and moved from their little house inland and into the small blue house along the river.
She immediately looked away while a rush of uneasiness crept into her bones. Her eyes darted around the crowded hall in search of Ryan. Where the dickens was he? He said he’d be right back. He knew crowds made her uneasy and she didn’t like being alone in them.
She spotted her parents in the far back of the hall and contemplated heading their way but bit her bottom lip when she acknowledged how many people she had to weave through to get there. Her pulse picked up and her chest heaved in shallow breaths.
“Filled your card yet?”
She gave a start, having not seen Ryan appear from out of anywhere, and nearly collapsed in relief. “Er, um, yes.”
“Is that right?” He actually sounded incredulous.
She decided to ignore him not caring if he believed her or not, she didn’t have the energy to fight him at that very moment.
“Let me see.”
She hesitated a few seconds, then after having fooled George Hastings, she confidently handed him her card for scrutiny.
Taking it from her, he opened it and read it silently before slowly closing it and handing it back.
“Have you never been to a dance before, Evelina?”
She nearly choked but quickly made it sound like a harrumph. “Of course I have. Several.”
“Is that right? Well then, you leave me in quite the conundrum.”
“What do you mean?”
“An X on a dance card is reserved for a lady’s escort.”
“What?”
“If that indeed was your intentions then I am flattered and would be happy to oblige you, however, proper society dictates that we mix and mingle and dance with other partners.”
“Surely you jest.”
“I’m afraid not. Social etiquette seems so disagreeable at times.”
“That’s not what I meant. I was referring to the X being reserved for a lady’s escort.”
“Oh yes, that part is true. I thought you would have already known, seeing as you have been to several dances before.” He drew his brows together and rubbed his chin. “I’m not sure how to handle a situation like this. I’ve never found myself in such a predicament before. I suppose I could go and implore the gentlemen to ask you yet again to pencil them in for a waltz. Or perhaps I should reject the ladies I have already went to the trouble of requesting dances for and spend the entire evening with you instead.”
The flirting glance he slid her way made all her insides turn to jelly until he suddenly grimaced with outright exaggeration. “However, that would be in exceedingly poor taste, Evelina, and selfish of you to even ask such a thing.” This last piece said with heavy sarcasm.
“I did not!” She exclaimed while at the same time denying the inner voice that dared to object. The notion that she very much preferred the idea of him choosing the latter left her feeling uneasy. In frustrated, she needed to remind herself that she had no desire to dance with him or anyone else for that matter.
“You are putting words into my mouth! I did not ask such an outlandish request. That certainly was not my intention.”
“Then what was your intention?”
“To skip all the dances. I’ve explained I do not wish to dance tonight.”
“Or you do not know how to?”
She exhaled heavily then shot a glance around the hall quickly before leaning in close to whisper, “No, not exactly.”
“There it is.” He smiled down at her. “Finally, the truth. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
She simply made a face instead of replying.
“Would you like to learn?”
She paused and glanced back at him. “No.”
But she mustn’t have sounded very convincing for his expression brightened slightly. “I promise I won’t go fast.”
She hesitated, toying with her hands horribly. A part of her actually wanted him to take her into his arms and slide them onto the dance floor but it hardly would end up being the graceful image she envisioned. Rather, she would look like a bumbling fool.
“I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”
“Then don’t think,” he said. “Trust.”
He held out his hand and waited for her to take it. She stared down at it for a considerable length of time waging an inner battle within. Then with a resigned sigh, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her out onto the polished floor.
It felt as if all sets of eyes in the hall were staring at her. She set her gaze on the front lapel of his jacket and refused to look away. It wasn’t until he bowed that she remembered she was supposed to curtsy. Placing one leg behind her, she bent low then teetered slightly on unsteady legs as she tried to straighten.
Ryan grasped her hand while an arm slid around her waist to help her regain her balance.
“It will be fine, Evelina.” He whispered as he drew her near.
Their eyes met and she saw so much strength and warmth within him that she was overcome with a sense of security in his arms.
“Now, pretend you are standing in a box and step from corner to corner.”
“I–I actually know the dance moves.”
“You do?”
“Yes, aside from needlepoint and crocheting, my sisters also learned how to dance in the drawing-room. They would practice each Sunday.”
“And did you not join them?”
“No.”
“Hmm, how curious.”
“What is?”
“Why would you go to the bother of learning the dance steps but not apply them? Even in the privacy of your own home?”
She didn’t respond but dropped her gaze to the floor as the waltz started up. As promised, Ryan went considerably slower than the rest of the dancers, which Evelina was grateful for. Needless though, she still watched her feet carefully and meticulously counted each step.
“You’re doing wonderful.”
She glanced up and instinctively smiled. “Thank you. You also are a very good dancer.”
He didn’t say anything immediately causing her to turn her attention back to him. “Did you know that you have an extraordinarily beautiful smile?”
She blushed instantly. “You mustn’t say things like that?”
“Why? Does it embarrass you?”
“Yes.” She admitted.
He chuckled. “Most girls love being bestowed with compliments.”
“I’m not like most girls.”
“Oh, I realize that.”
She wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not. “Well, they make me uncomfortable. Particularly if they are in jest.”
“I was not jesting. I was being sincere. There are times when you smile and it literally takes my breath away.”
She blinked and miscounted a step causing herself to trip over her own feet. Ryan caught her tight and steadied her. “It’s alright. I’ve got you.”
“Please don’t talk that way.”
“I rather enjoy showering you with compliments. It causes your cheeks to blush so delightfully.”
Certain they had grown another shade darker, she stated bristly, “Yours would too if I purposely tried to embarrass you.”
“On the contrary,” he laughed. “I would love to hear what accolades you would offer me.”
Payin
g him no attention, she focused on her feet instead.
“Come now. You cannot think of any?”
“I’m trying to concentrate,” she said, purposely ignoring him.
“It requires your concentration? This should be good.”
She raised her chin and made a face at him. “I meant in the waltz. I don’t want to make another misstep.”
“Tsk.” He feigned hurt, and then cocked his head to look down at her. “Not a single one?”
“Please be quiet.”
He threw back his head and burst into laughter. Mortified, Evelina quickly scanned the dance floor and caught a few inquisitive looks coming their way.
“People are staring.”
“Let them.”
Her gaze shifted back to his face and caught him beaming down at her. It gave her pause as she silently acknowledged how truly handsome he was.
Swiftly looking away, she said in a hushed voice, “Your smile.”
“Pardon?”
“You have a nice smile.”
He slowly offered her one. “Just nice, eh?”
She nodded and focused on counting again.
“How nice?”
She missed a step.
With an annoyed sigh, she ardently wished the waltz would just finish already.
“Simply nice. What else is there to say?”
“You need to work on your words of flattery, Miss Hepworth.”
“And you should work on your ego.”
Again, he threw back his head and let out a loud laugh. Self-consciously, she swiftly looked to the other dancers before hissing, “Must you do that?”
“What? You don’t like the sound of my laughter?”
This made her pause. Actually, she rather liked it. A lot. Just not in a crowded room where it drew so much attention.
“Your laughter is fine it is the loudness to which I have an aversion to.”
“Really?” He glanced around. “I rather like letting people know I am enjoying myself.”
She frowned, confused by the unexpected bout of envy she felt at those words. Why would she be jealous of his ability to be openly happy?
“Have we danced long enough?”
“The song has not ended.”
“My legs hurt.”
“What a pretty little liar you are, my lady.”
“Well, you refuse to accept my truth.”
Lady and the Gamble: A Sweet Victorian Romance (The Colby Brothers Book 2) Page 13