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But she wrinkled her nose. That was her mother’s influence talking. She’d rather just become a spinster than enter into an arrangement like that.
Her gaze lifted to search the crowd again, but she didn’t see any sign of Alex. Had he taken the other woman on a walk in the woods? Was he showing her his telescope?
And when had she begun to care so much about with whom Alex spent his time?
She ought to worry about herself rather than him.
* * *
Alex hadn’t seenTillie all day. As the ball that had been planned for the evening approached, he’d done something he’d never done before, he sent Fitz out to the field ahead of him to position the telescope.
He’d make his way to the field eventually, but first…
He needed to see Tillie. He didn’t have a particular reason other than he missed her. And, if he were being honest, her day spent with Bancroft had him decidedly out of sorts. The man was all wrong for Tillie. Couldn’t she see that?
Stiff and formal, the Viscount would never accept Tillie for who she was and celebrate her differences rather than try to stamp them out.
His fist clenched as he searched through the crowd. He wanted to request Tillie’s dinner dance. He knew what he risked. The occultation wasn’t likely to be tonight, but his calculations could have been off. He might miss the event, but he’d not miss Tillie. Not today.
Something deep inside worried that Tillie was in danger of losing herself. She needed him and he’d see her through her mother’s marriage schemes.
He finally spotted her in the corner, her hands folded over her stomach, as she stood near the doors, partially obscured behind the fronds of a fern.
He smiled to see her, her gaze trained out the open doors and into the dark and starry night.
He slowed his pace, just admiring the beauty of her profile as she took a deep breath and let it out again, moving closer to the doors. “Tell me you’re not climbing off the balcony again.”
She turned to him, a smile immediately tugging at her lips. “I just might, knowing that you’ll rescue me.”
He would. Always.
Reaching out his hand, he pointed at her wrist where her dance card was tied. “May I request your dinner dance?”
Her eyes widened for a moment before she looked back out the doors. “Are you certain there isn’t someone you’d rather ask?”
He heard the edge that laced her voice and his started in surprise before a smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. Was she jealous? How encouraging. “I’m certain,” he said, then he stepped closer. “But tell me, has Bancroft already taken the spot?”
Her brows lifted. “I can’t actually picture him dancing. Can you?”
“No.” He laughed. “I can’t.”
“To be fair, I’m not the best dancer either. Another might make a better partner for you.” Her chin dropped a bit with each word.
He gently took her hand, lifting it until he could reach her card. “If you dance with half the heart you live the rest of your life with, you’ll be wonderful.” And then he wrote his name on her card.
“Oh, Alex,” she said in a whisper. “How do you always know the words to make me feel better?”
Did he?
Another point of encouragement. “I’ll tell you what…” Still holding her hand, he began pulling her toward the balcony. “Let’s get a bit of air.”
“We should have set up your telescope right here. Or on the roof of the house. I bet from there you could see the entire sky and then you wouldn’t have to traipse back and forth to the south field.”
He linked their arms, stepping into the cool night air as he looked up to where Jupiter was visible in the night sky. “Your workspace has potential too. So many windows.”
“Oh,” she gushed, pressing into his side. Was she cold? He wrapped an arm about her, moving closer to the corner of the balcony where they were less likely be seen. “Tell me you’ve built yourself a special room just for viewing.”
“Not yet. The beauty of living on the Bristol Channel is that I have quite the view any time the night is clear enough to see it.”
