“I think we should dance.” The words fell from his lips, catching him by surprise.
Harriet turned to face him, a slight crease on her brow. She looked at the dancefloor and then back at him. “Really?”
“All evening you have helped me with introductions and social connections. I think we can afford a little enjoyment, do you not?”
“I am rather rusty. It has been a very long time since I have danced.” Harriet chewed on her bottom lip.
“Then it would seem we are well suited.” He held out a hand to her, and bowed. “Shall we shake off the cobwebs together, Duchess?”
Harriet’s eyes darkened momentarily, her lips parting. Wordlessly, she took his hand. Even through her gloves, the feel of her hand in his was like being struck by lightning.
Every part of him felt alive, and as he led her to the dancefloor, he swore he had grown half a foot. He held her, his mind going through the appropriate steps and form.
The music started, and they began to dance. They moved as one. It had been years since Theodore had danced, but as soon as they began, it felt as though they were made to dance together.
The missed steps seemed unimportant, each movement was just an extension of one another’s body. Where he led, she followed, flowing with him like a river. He spun her. “For someone who claims to be out of practice, you dance rather well.”
“I could say the same of you.” She was a little breathless as he caught her. “I cannot remember the last time I was asked to dance. I have forgotten how nice it can be.”
He saw her face fall slightly, and the sight tugged at his heart.I should have asked you sooner.“Dancing? Or being asked?”
“Both, I suppose.” She faltered, biting her lip but Theodore held her steady, guiding her around the dance floor. “It is easy to get used to fading into the background when you are surrounded by so many extraordinary people.”
“I do not know how anyone could not notice you.” Theodore nodded his head at the eyes that he could feel on them.
Harriet glanced around, and shook her head. “You did not see me before. I… I was terrified of being seen, of drawing too much attention and ruining everything. The invisibility became like a safety net, and I wore it so long, I forgot how to take it off.”
Theodore tried to picture Harriet, surrounded by a sea of people, disappearing into that sea. He squeezed her hand gently, without thinking. “I would have seen you.”
“Not everyone is as observant as you.” She gave him a small, sad smile.
“Anyone who has eyes should have been able to see what was right in front of them.” His words came out more fiercely than he intended, and for the briefest of seconds, he thought she would recoil from him.
He waited for her body to tense, but it did not. If anything, she seemed to soften into his touch, shifting ever so slightly. The movement sent a wave of warmth through him.
“And yet they did not.” Harriet sighed. “In truth, before you and I met, I had rather resigned myself to the life of a spinster. I thought I would find myself a nice cottage in the country and live out the rest of my days there.”
He frowned. “That seems lonely.”
“It seemed like the best I could hope for. At the very least it would be peaceful. Besides, I would not need to worry about what anyone else thought, and it saved me trying to contort myself into the right shape to find a husband.” She shrugged.
“Let others think what they want of you, their opinions do not matter.” His voice was a soft growl. “There is only one that does.”
Harriet gave a wry chuckle, smiling at him through her eyelashes. “Let me guess, my husband’s?”
“No.” He could tell she was teasing him, but he did not care, he let all the earnestness he felt seep into his voice. He shifted as they danced, the movement bringing her even closer to him.
He heard her intake of breath, felt her muscles tense, but she did not pull away from him. Her eyes flitted across his face. He waited for them to stop, to meet his. They were like summer fields, open and inviting.
Her breath caressed the skin of his face. His voice was low, serious. “It is you. This is your life Harriet; your opinion is the one that is most important.”
The music stopped, and so did their dance. She slipped from his grasp, and he curled his fingers against his palms, the warmth of her etched onto his skin. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were parted, her eyes bright and shiny in the light.
He could feel the eyes of thetonon them. Sense the men watching Harriet like a pack of hungry wolves as she moved towards the edge of the dancefloor. Something primal woke in his belly, prowling and snarling.
He reached for her hand, clasping her gloved fingers in his own. Her eyes widened as he swept low, brushing his lips across her knuckles. He heard her breath hitch as his stomach roared its approval. He kept a hold of her hand as he looked up at her. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me once more?”
“Is that not a little improper?” Harriet’s voice was breathless, the flush of her cheeks a deep scarlet. “One is expected to share one’s time amongst everyone.”
