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‘…and then,’ he was saying, ‘the tiger sprang at me, and I grabbed for my rifle.’
‘And did you shoot it?’ Maria demanded, breathless.
‘No. The rifle was jammed.’
‘No!’
‘Yes. Just in time, I managed to turn it around and let it come down with the blunt end on the tiger’s head. I hit it with such force that the beast was knocked clean unconscious.’
Maria clapped her hand in front of her mouth.
Behind her back, I imitated her gesture, and Captain Carter’s lip twitched.
He was by no means the first gentleman I had heard telling fake tales of bravery and adventure. But he was the first one who had let me in on the game. And somehow, because of that, I didn’t mind. I exchanged a smile with him.
‘Ah,’ he said, smiling back and nodding. ‘There you are, Miss Linton.’
‘Were you so desperate for my company?’ I asked, arching an eyebrow.
‘Indeed I was. Did I not tell you before how much I enjoyed our dancing? I fear those three dances you have shared with me so far have only left me starving and craving for more. In fact, I can hardly remember them anymore. May I beg you to favour me with another?’
He extended his arm to me, his eyes sparkling with evil mirth.
The smile drained from my face.
‘If you try very hard,’ I said, ‘I’m sure you’ll remember the three dances we danced together perfectly.’
‘Indeed, no,’ he said, sighing regretfully. ‘It already seems to me, somehow, as if they never happened. Which would be such a pity, wouldn’t it?’
He extended his arm a little further.
‘Well, Miss Linton?’
I took his arm, forcing a smile on my face. On our way to the dance floor, as the first notes floated through the air, I leant towards him and said: ‘I’m going to murder you, Captain.’
He smiled.
‘Will you wait till after the dance?’
*~*~**~*~*
It wasn’t terrible.
I didn’t step on his feet, he didn’t step on mine. He was a considerate dancer, and didn’t try to steer me across the ballroom like most other gentleman. Neither was he like Mr Ambrose, with every movement perfect and sleek. Instead, he was flamboyant, every note of the music expressing itself in the way he moved, he smiled, he held me.
Maybe he held me a little bit closer than other gentleman usually did.
When he let me go, a crowd of his military friends came and started talking about this place called Sinai again.
He bowed to me, an apologetic look on his face.
‘I’m afraid I will have to leave you, Miss Linton. I hope that I will be able to have the pleasure of dancing again with you soon. Four times it has been now, and yet it seems only one.’
I couldn’t suppress a tiny smile. It hadn’t really been that bad…
‘Well, maybe,’ I murmured, ‘If you promise to behave yourself, I’ll dance with you again someday.’
I was rewarded with a cheeky smile. ‘I shall look forward to it.’
