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Gideon smiled. “Mine eye my heart thy picture’s sight would bar, my heart mine eye the freedom of that right. Or something like that.”
“No, exactly like that,” I said, slamming the book shut.
“You don’t know it by heart yet,” said Gideon.
“I’d have forgotten it again by tomorrow anyway. I’d better learn it first thing in the morning just before school. Then I have a fair chance of remembering it in Mr. Whitman’s English class.”
“Good, now we can practice the minuet.” Gideon stood up. “There’s plenty of room for us here, anyway.”
“Oh, no! Please let’s not!”
But Gideon was already bowing to me. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Shepherd?”
“There’s nothing I’d like better, sir,” I assured him, fanning myself with the book of Shakespeare sonnets, “but I am sorry to say that I’ve sprained my ankle. Perhaps you’d like to ask my cousin there. The lady in green.” I pointed to the sofa. “She’d be happy to show you how well she can dance.”
“But I want to dance with you—I found out how your cousin dances long ago.”
“I meant my cousin Sofa, not my cousin Charlotte,” I said. “I can assure you, you’ll have more fun with Sofa than with Charlotte. Sofa may not be quite as pretty, but she’s softer, she has much more charm, and she has a kinder disposition.”
Gideon laughed. “As I said, I’m exclusively interested in dancing with you. Do let me have the honor!”
“Surely a gentleman like you will show consideration for my sprained ankle?”
“No, sorry.” Gideon took the iPod out of his jeans pocket. “Wait a moment, the music’s still too far away from you.” He put the earphones in my ears and pulled me to my feet.
“Oh, good, Linkin Park,” I said, while my pulse shot right up because Gideon was suddenly so close to me.
“What? Sorry, just a moment, and I’ll have the right track.” His fingers moved over the display. “Right, Mozart—that will do.” He handed me the iPod. “No, put it in your skirt pocket. You need both hands free.”
“But you can’t hear the music at all,” I said as violins scraped away in my ears.
“I can hear enough, you don’t have to shout like that. Okay, let’s imagine this is for a set of eight dancers. There’s another gentleman beside me on the left, two more on my right. Opposite us the same lineup, but with ladies. Curtsey, please.”
I made him a curtsey and hesitantly put my hand in his. “But I’m stopping the moment you say stupid girl to me.”
“Which I would never do,” said Gideon, leading me straight past the sofa. “And we make polite conversation while dancing, that’s important. May I ask how you developed your dislike of dancing? Most young ladies love it.”
“Shh, I must concentrate.” So far it was going really well. I was surprised at myself. The tour de main worked perfectly, once to the left, once to the right. “Can we do that bit again?”
“Raise your chin, that’s it. And look at me. You must never take your eyes off me, never mind how good-looking my neighbor may be.”
I had to grin. What was all this—fishing for compliments? Well, I wasn’t going to play ball. Although I had to admit that Gideon danced really well. It wasn’t a bit like dancing with Puffylips. The steps seemed to go smoothly all by themselves. I might actually end up getting some fun out of this minuet business.
Gideon noticed, too. “There, you see, you can do it after all! Right hand, right shoulder, left hand, left shoulder—very good.”
He was right. I could do it! It really was child’s play. I triumphantly twirled around with one of the invisible gentlemen, and then put my hand back in Gideon’s. “There! So now who says I’m as graceful as a windmill?”
“Never mind what Giordano says, that would be an outrageous comparison,” agreed Gideon. “You outclass any windmill as a dancer.”
I chuckled. Then I jumped. “Oops—we’re back to Linkin Park.”
“Never mind.” While “Papercut” pounded in my ears, Gideon led me unerringly through the last figure and finally bowed. I was almost sorry it was over.
I made a deep curtsey and took the earphones off. “Here. It was very nice of you to teach me how to do it.”
“Pure self-interest,” said Gideon. “After all, otherwise I’m the one who’d look foolish dancing with you. Forgotten that?”
“No.” My good mood instantly passed off. Before I could prevent myself, I let my eyes wander to the wall with the chairs in front of it.
