One Enchanted Evening (Marriage by Fairytale Book 2)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She was? What did she have to be nervous about? Stephen hadn’t mentioned anything about Lewis looking for a wife when he sent out the invitations. Stephen had been discreet about the matter. All the ladies thought this was just a fun evening. They didn’t know one was going to be selected to be his wife.

  “Do you know the steps to this one?” she asked as the music started up.

  He blinked in surprise. Why would she ask this after she led him to the dance floor? “Yes, I know the steps to every dance.”

  “Good. Then I won’t have to lead.”

  Surely, she was joking. None of the ladies ever took the lead. But she didn’t laugh, and that made him wonder if she would have really done it. Maybe he should have been appalled by it, but he actually found it intriguing. Gentlemen were always expected to lead, whether it was dancing, courtships, or other matters. A lady who defied the set rules in London was different. And different could be good.

  As the dance started, he led her in the first step. From across the room, he saw that Stephen and Patricia had stopped talking to a couple of people in order to watch him. Thankfully, he was wearing a mask. Otherwise, the lady he was dancing with would see him blush. So his friends were watching him.

  “What do you do for enjoyment?” the lady asked, drawing his attention back to her.

  “Um, well…” He mentally slapped himself. The question was an easy one. He’d even written down his interests to help remember them. So why did his mind go blank?

  “I take it that you don’t enjoy dancing all that much,” she said.

  The caring tone in her voice put him at ease. Any other lady might have been dissuaded from a gentleman who didn’t love dancing. So many ladies seemed to love the activity.

  “I don’t,” he admitted, figuring it best to be honest. If he was going to marry one of the ladies he met tonight, he might as well let her know exactly what she’d be getting herself into if she decided to spend the rest of her life with him. “I’m only doing this because I’m at a ball. As you figured out, my real talent is standing to the side of the room when I’m at a ball.”

  She laughed at his joke, and suddenly, he didn’t feel quite so awkward. “I don’t think everyone here likes to dance. They might seem like they do, but I bet some people wish they weren’t here.”

  He scanned the room. If that was the case, they were doing a good job of hiding it.

  “Is there anything else you don’t like to do?” the lady asked him.

  Amused she should word the question that way, he chuckled. He supposed he should have expected it since he had told her what he didn’t like when she asked him what he enjoyed doing. “I’m not good with people. I don’t mean that I don’t like people. I do. But I have a hard time knowing what to say around people I don’t know.”

  “Once you get to know them, what happens?”

  “Believe it or not, once I’m comfortable, I tend to talk too much.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded. “It’s ironic, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe not as much as you think. It’s easier to be who we are when we’re comfortable.”

  He supposed that made sense. Realizing they’d only talked about him up to this point, he asked, “What about you? Is there anything you like or don’t like?”

  “I happen to like dancing,” she said. “Are you disappointed?”

  “No, of course not. It explains why you’d drag a stranger out to the middle of a dance floor.”

  “Did it bother you that I did that?”

  “No. Actually, I’m relieved.” He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you came up to me. I probably would have spent the entire evening on the side of the room if you hadn’t come up to me.”

  “I’m sure you would have approached a lady sooner or later.”

  “I was trying to gather the courage, but I don’t know if I would have been able to do it. I would probably have ended up going to my friend and asking him to introduce me to someone. Sometimes I admire him. He’s never been shy. He can go up to a stranger and talk to him. It’s a gift.” He paused then added, “You seem to have it, too. Do you like going up to strangers and talking to them?”

  She laughed again, and this time, something in the laughter reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t think of who it was. “I don’t make it a habit of doing this. You’re the first gentleman I’ve ever gone up to at a ball.”

  “I’m honored you picked me.”

  She shrugged. “It seemed right that if I should pick anyone, he should be you.”

  Considering the fact that all of the other gentlemen were either dancing or talking to someone, he figured she selected him because he was all by himself. And suddenly, he didn’t mind. He liked her. She was lively and fun. She didn’t mind the fact that he wasn’t the most socially exciting person in the room. That was good. It might mean she would be content to live a quiet life in London.

  “I should let you know that I don’t often attend balls,” he told her. “I attend some, as you can see. But I’m much more comfortable in more private settings. I’m not the kind of gentleman who can impress a room full of people. I do better with a couple of good friends.”

  “I gathered as much. I don’t mind quiet evenings with a couple of good friends. It may seem like everyone here is enjoying themselves, but there are some people here who are miserable.”

  Could that be true? Earlier, he had been sure that everyone was having a good time.

  “It’s easy to pretend everything is fine when it’s not,” she added. “We’re wearing masks to hide our identities, but when the masks aren’t there, people often hide behind smiles.”

  “That’s hard to believe.”

  “It is if you only go by what you see. Smiles and laughter can hide a lot of pain.”

  He was sure she believed it. She was telling him the truth as she perceived it. But there was no way she could know that some people in the room were only pretending to be happy. They had everything they could ever want. Stephen and Patricia had made sure every guest was wealthy. If people had more money than they could spend in a lifetime, then how could they possibly be miserable? It wasn’t like they had to worry over how they were going to afford a place to live or food to eat. He wasn’t there, either…yet. But he didn’t want to ever be in a situation so desperate that he couldn’t have the necessities.

  The music came to an end, announcing that the dance was over. She offered him a curtsy. “Thank you for a wonderful dance.”

  Frowning, he followed her off of the dancing area. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”

  She turned around, seeming as if she hadn’t expected him to follow her. “Well, I thought you’d want to dance with someone else.”

  “Why would you think that?” She seemed as if she was struggling to find an answer, so he continued, “I was enjoying our conversation. Were you enjoying it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then would you like to keep talking?” He gestured to a couple of chairs along the wall. “It’s private enough over there so others won’t overhear us.”

  She glanced over at the chairs, and it took him a moment to realize she was afraid she’d hinder him from being able to meet other ladies.

  Hoping to put her mind at ease, for he had no desire to talk to another lady since he’d come across her, he cupped her elbow with his hand and led her over to the chairs. It was ironic that he was the one now taking the lead since she’d been the one who had to encourage him to dance, but there was something about her that drew him to her.

  She seemed like someone who’d make a good companion. Yes, she had a pleasant figure. He guessed she was pretty under the mask. But his main concern was picking a lady he could get along with for the rest of his life. He’d never forgive himself if he didn’t spend more time with her this evening to find out more about her. Who knew? Maybe this was the lady he’d been hoping to find. Maybe she would give him the kind of marriage Patricia had given Stephen. At any rate, he had to find
out, and there would be no other time to find out than this evening.

  Chapter Six

  Marcy hadn’t intended to spend an hour with Lewis, but after the dance had ended and he’d led her over to the chairs, they’d continued talking and before she knew it, an hour had gone by. She needed to let him dance with other ladies. She should probably let him know he was spending all of his time with a maid, not a rich heiress. After all, the whole point of this ball was for him to find a wealthy lady to marry.

  “I haven’t gone fox hunting in over a year,” Lewis was telling her. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy the game. I do. I’ve enjoyed it ever since I was thirteen. It’s just that I have no one to go with me. I know I can probably join a few gentlemen I don’t know very well. There are always gentlemen who like to hunt foxes. But none of them are good friends. My friend, Mr. Bachman, never wants to go. He wasn’t into the sport even before he started wearing his mask. I used to go with two cousins. They ended up moving to Italy. I rarely see them anymore.”

  Marcy forgot how they’d ended up on the topic of fox hunting. To be honest, she wasn’t paying that close attention to what he was saying. She should. This was important to him, and if it was important to him, then it was important to her. Except, she had no chance of marrying him, so all of this was for nothing. All it was doing was making her love him more. Her unrequited love was going to end up in heartbreak.

  And yet, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to suggest he talk to other ladies. She was enjoying the gentle tone in his voice. She was enjoying the way he was looking at her as if she was the only lady in the entire room. She was enjoying the way he smiled at her. She was enjoying everything, and she was enjoying it way too much. For a moment, in this time and in this place, all of her fantasies of having his complete and undivided attention were coming true. She caught a glimpse of what life with him would be like. And she liked it. She liked it so much that she wanted more of it.

  Yes, he had a tendency to ramble when he was comfortable with someone, but he was a considerate person. He’d gotten up twice to get her something to eat and drink. Then he’d asked her questions about herself, but she’d managed to dodge them by turning the conversation to things he was interested in instead. So he ended up talking about himself, and the more she learned about him, the more she wanted to be with him.

  “Even if I could convince Mr. Bachman to go fox hunting with me,” Lewis continued, “I don’t know if I’d still be good at it.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “There are little tricks to the game. The dog does most of the work, but a good hunter will pick up the tracks. And once you do find a fox, there’s a method for getting it out of the hole. To be honest, my cousins always did that part. I stood back and watched. I’m not sure how they did it. Maybe if I had recently gone with them, I would remember their strategy.” He shook his head. “The game is fun, but now that I think about it, it was fun because I was with my cousins. That’s probably why I don’t bother going with gentlemen I hardly know. I’ll play cards with gentlemen I hardly know, but I won’t go fox hunting. Maybe that’s because I like playing cards more.”

  She smiled. “I understand. The best things happen with those you like spending time with.”

  “Yes, that’s it. Fox hunting was really an excuse to be with my cousins.” He returned her smile. “I don’t often feel at ease with ladies, but I feel that way with you.” He paused for a moment. “I realize there are lots of gentlemen in this room who are at ease with the ladies here. I’ve been watching the people, and it seems like I’m the only one who feels like I don’t belong here. So many people make the social scene look easy, but I struggle with it. I’m sure that’s not a surprise since you were the one who approached me.”

  “You’re just shy. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I know there’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s hard to be at a ball when you feel like you’re all alone in a room full of people.”

  Her heart went out to him. She had no idea he was shy. She’d known he was nervous about this evening, but being shy didn’t help matters. She had an urge to wrap her arms around him and tell him that not every lady wanted a gentleman who was the life of the party. Some could be very happy with one who preferred to stay in the shadows.

  She cleared her throat and said, “I happen to enjoy your company immensely.”

  “You do?”

  She nodded. “You’re a lot of fun. You might not be talking to everyone in the room, but you are delightful to listen to. I’m flattered you’d spend so much time with me.”

  “I’m flattered you’d spend so much time with me, too. Someone like you could probably have her pick of anyone in this room, and yet, you chose to be with me.”

  She should let him find a lady who had money. That was the whole reason he was here tonight. She wasn’t doing him any favors by staying by his side.

  “I’m allowed to have two dances with you tonight,” he spoke up. “Would you like to go to the dance floor again?”

  She did, though she knew she shouldn’t.

  Before she could force out the words she knew she should say, he was helping her to her feet, and there was something about his touch that rendered her helpless. Heaven help her, but she would follow him anywhere.

  This dance was better than the first one, and she knew it was because she’d had the pleasure of being in his company for far longer than she’d ever had up to this point since meeting him. This evening was such a magical one. If only it could go on forever. Then she could spend the rest of her life with him, and everything would be complete. The past had no place in this moment. It couldn’t haunt her here. Right now, all that mattered was that she was the center of Lewis’ attention.

  Unlike the last dance, Lewis had no trouble talking this time. He was smiling, too, and he wasn’t so stiff as he moved to the music. When he wasn’t caught up in his insecurities, he was a completely different person.

  Though he probably wouldn’t like the analogy, it reminded her of watching flowers bloom. She often brought flowers into the house and put them in vases. Then she’d set them in different rooms in front of the windows so they could get plenty of sunlight. There, they would bloom. Watching them open up was her one source of joy on most days, so she often went to check on them.

  Watching Lewis lower his inhibitions was just like that. It was marvelous to experience. She felt like she got to know him better this evening than at any other time.

  When the dance ended, Lewis took her by the arm and, instead of taking her back to the chairs, he started leading her over to Stephen and Patricia.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked, the sudden burst of panic causing her to ask the question.

  “I want to introduce you to my friends,” he said, not hiding the excitement in his voice. “I asked them to stay away from me this evening. I was too nervous to have them nearby. I know that sounds silly. It’s just that everyone knows they are hosting the ball because their friend is looking for a wife. I was afraid if you, or the other ladies, knew that I’m Lord Pruett, it would make things awkward.”

  Well, he had one thing right. This suddenly had become awkward. Patricia would recognize her mask. Patricia would know at once who she was, and she’d tell Lewis.

  Marcy stopped walking with him and shook her head. “I can’t.”

  He turned to her. “You can’t marry me? Are you already married?”

  “No.”

  “Are you betrothed?”

  “No, it’s not that, either. I…I…”

  She needed to tell him she was Marcy. It was the only way he’d understand. But at this point, she’d let the charade go on for so long that she didn’t know if she could ever face him again if he found out the truth. He was Stephen’s friend. He’d still come by this manor. And she couldn’t bear the look of disappointment in his eyes every time he saw her. He would feel betrayed. She’d lied to him this entire time. And all because she had selfi
shly wanted him all to herself this evening.

  “I’m sorry, Lord Pruett,” she said. “I can’t… I…” She cleared her throat. “I should leave.”

  He stepped in front of her before she could make her escape. “Why? Is it because of who I am?”

  “No.”

  “Aren’t you interested in me?”

  Why was he making this so difficult?

  “I thought we were having a good time,” he continued. “I enjoyed being with you. I thought you enjoyed being with me.”

  Noting the hurt tone in his voice, she said, “I do enjoy being with you.” She couldn’t explain it. There was no way he would understand why she didn’t tell him she was Marcy as soon as she came up to him. “I just can’t be with you. I’m sorry.”

  When she realized Patricia was heading their way, she gasped and dodged around him. Then, without looking back, she ran out of the room.

  ***

  “You could find another lady,” Stephen said. “There’s still time to find one tonight.”

  Lewis settled back in the chair in the den. Stephen and Patricia were both standing in front of him, and while he and Patricia had their masks off, Stephen still had his on.

  “I don’t want another lady,” Lewis replied. “I want the mystery one.”

  “The one who ran out of the ballroom when I was looking for you?” Patricia asked.

  Lewis nodded. “She was perfect. None of the other ladies will compare to her.”

  “Given that you didn’t talk to more than that one lady, how can you know that?” Stephen asked.

  “Because something magical happened between us tonight,” Lewis said.

  Stephen snorted, but Patricia sat next to Lewis and told Stephen, “It was magical to him.”

  “He only thinks it was magical because she came up to him and got him to talk,” Stephen argued. “If any other lady had done that, he would think she was the only one for him, too.”

  “You’re wrong,” Lewis said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it was like she and I belonged together. There was something special that passed between us.” He paused. “There was even something familiar about her.”