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Baldwin crossed his arms over his chest. “This isn’t like you. I have never known you to make such a rash decision before,” he commented.
“I know, but it just felt right to offer for her.” He winced. “I can’t explain it.”
“Did you have too much to drink?”
Oliver huffed. “I never drink enough to get inebriated. That is a good way to get me killed.”
“I assumed as much, but I had to ask.”
Music drifted out of the ballroom. “Another set is about to start,” Oliver said. “You should go dance with your wife.”
“Do you mind?”
Oliver shook his head. “I will retire to the card room for the rest of the evening. I don’t feel like seeing Emmeline again.”
“Would you care to depart?” Baldwin asked, his tone hopeful. “I would be more than happy to accompany you.”
Chuckling, Oliver remarked, “I daresay that Madalene won’t let you leave so easily.”
“I generally hate dancing, but I must admit I do enjoy dancing with my wife.”
“That is good to hear,” Oliver said as they started to walk back into the ballroom.
As they approached Madalene, her eyes lit up as they landed on Baldwin. “Is everything all right?” she asked.
Baldwin nodded. “Everything is perfectly well.”
“Do we need to leave?” she asked in a hushed voice.
Baldwin kissed her on the cheek. “Oliver just needed my advice, desperately.”
Glancing over at him, Madalene asked, “Is that so?”
Oliver smiled at his sister-in-law. “Your husband is quite full of himself.”
Madalene laughed. “I am well aware of that, but I still find him charming.”
“If you will excuse me, I will be in the card room for the rest of the evening,” Oliver informed them before he stepped away.
He started making his way to the card room when he saw Emmeline out of the corner of his eye. She was speaking to her companion, but she stopped when their eyes met from across the room. At that moment, it seemed that time stood still, and nothing else seemed to matter in the world.
Oliver was so distracted that he failed to notice that he had bumped into someone.
“Excuse me,” the man remarked gruffly.
Reluctantly, he broke his gaze with Emmeline and turned towards the man. “My apologies. I’m afraid I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“No harm done,” the man replied, tugging down on his black jacket, “but you might want to be more mindful of where you are walking next time.”
“You are right, of course,” Oliver agreed.
He brushed past the man and headed towards the card room. When he stepped inside, his eyes scanned the room as he looked for a place to sit at one of the many round tables.
His eyes landed on a table where his friends were playing cards, and there was an empty seat next to them. He walked over and claimed the chair next to Booth.
“Radcliff!” Booth exclaimed, shifting in his chair to face him. “We were wondering when you would join us.”
“What took you so long?” Follett asked.
