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‘I remember,’ I said in a dull voice, shuddering at the memory of the mountains of sunflowers, roses and carnations under which Sir Philip Wilkins had attempted to bury my little sister. He was a nice enough fellow, really, and quite harmless, but not the kind of person you wanted to fall in love with you or your little sister.
‘I swear,’ Captain Carter proclaimed, placing one hand on his poet’s heart again, ‘that Flip is not with me here tonight. And besides, he is currently madly in love with a Miss Eugenia Ficklestone from western Derbyshire. He is probably bombarding her with bouquets as we speak. So you see, your sister is perfectly safe.’
‘Thank the Lord!’ I hugged the curtain to me in relief. ‘Not that I’ve got anything against your friend, mind, but…’
‘You can’t think of marriage and him in the same sentence without wanting to puke. I quite understand. I wouldn’t like to marry him either.’
My elbow found his ribs and dug in. ‘You! Why do you have to make a joke of everything?’
‘Because life’s much more fun that way,’ he gasped, clutching his midriff. ‘You have admirably sharp elbows, Miss Linton! Have you ever thought of a life as a professional tavern brawler?’
I harrumphed. ‘You find the most curious things about women worthy of admiration!’
He shrugged. ‘Any woman can have a pretty face. But with sharp elbows, you have to know how to use them. That takes talent. You are a dangerous young lady.’
‘Lillian!’ I suddenly heard a sharp voice from beyond the curtain. ‘Lillian, where are you?’
‘Speaking of dangerous women,’ I whispered, ‘here’s one coming. Be warned! Hold on to your bachelordom with both hands!’
‘What?’ He blinked at me in surprise, but before I could elaborate, the curtain was ripped aside and there stood my aunt, thunder and death written all over her face.
‘Lillian Linton! Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you! There are several young men who want to ask you to dance, and-’
It was only then that she spotted Captain Carter. Captain Carter, who, I now realized, had been standing in a secluded spot behind the curtains, rather close to my sweet little self. My aunt took in all six feet of his manliness, resplendent in his deep red dress uniform. The scowl was shoved off her face, and a smile sprang in its place.
‘Captain Carter! How nice to see you! I didn’t know Mrs Fields was going to invite you to this little festivity of ours!’
‘It is my pleasure to see you again, Madam.’ James Carter bowed, deeply. He could be perfectly well mannered when he wanted to. He just didn’t want to very often. ‘I was just having a nice chat with your lovely niece.’ He winked. ‘You understand?’
My elbow found his ribs again, but this time, the captain didn’t even wince. He continued to smile brightly at my aunt, who returned the radiant expression, golden coins twinkling in her eyes.
‘Of course I do! So you two know each other quite well, do you?’
‘Sometimes,’ he sighed, ‘it feels as if I have known her all my life!’
My elbow lashed out again. ‘We met for the first time no more than two weeks ago!’ I growled under my breath.
‘Really? It seems like an eternity to me.’
I was just about to shoot something back when suddenly, I heard the music of the dance around us change. Where before the stately tones of a quadrille had drilled their way into my ears, now, a frisky tune swept over the guests. It became faster and faster, and louder, too. All people over thirty hurriedly left the dance floor. The rest looked at each other with excited grins.
‘Good gracious!’ my aunt exclaimed. ‘What is that they are playing?’
‘A galop,’ Captain Carter informed her. ‘I hear it’s all the rage in Europe.’
‘Well, we are not Europe! Isn’t that what the Channel is for?’
Ignoring her, the captain turned towards me and extended an arm. ‘Would you do me the honour of dancing with me, Miss Linton?’
I hesitated. Dancing with Captain Carter was considerably less horrific than dancing with other people. Still, my feet hadn’t yet stopped aching, and maybe I should refuse as a matter of principle. I didn’t approve of the idea of having a man steer me across the dance floor.
‘Well, I…’
‘What?’ my aunt interrupted. ‘Dance to this frantic hick-hack? Surely, you are not serious, Captain Carter? My niece jumping about in an unseemly fashion? I forbid it! Do you hear me, Lillian? I forbid it!’
I heard her loud and clear. My hand shot forward and grabbed the surprised Captain Carter by the arm. My eyes flashed.
‘Come along, Captain! You want to dance a galop? Let us dance a galop!’
