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Chapter Ten
Seth was in so much trouble.
“Let us try the allemande,” Charlotte said, pulling him to his feet and over to an empty spot in the room.
“I’m rubbish at it,” Seth said. “I promise you it’s no use.” More than that, dancing with Charlotte could not be a good idea. If he ever allowed the connection he felt for Charlotte to grow, it would only lead to heartache. Mostly for her, as any connection beyond friendship with him would leave her unable to do all she loved. It was as though being near her caused a mighty battle to rise up inside himself.
A great war cry echoed inside his head to keep his distance.
An equally great force, as powerful as any army, swelled in him, urging him to draw in closer.
“First, you bow, I curtsy,” she instructed.
Seth did as he was told.
“Now, take my hand, and imagine we have three other couples with us.”
Us.It was far too tempting a word.
“Together, we turn about a circle.” She led him forward, around in a wide, arching curve.
Seth tromped after her. Unfortunately, in the process, he noticed the enticing way the little bit of candlelight in the room flitted across her cheek and down her neck.
Oh, he was in so much trouble.
“Not like that,” Charlotte said with a light laugh. “You have to step, skip, step, skip.”
Blast it all—he’d go back to pretending he only felt friendship for her tomorrow.
He wanted just one evening where he could say what he wanted and act however he pleased.
“You mean like this?” he asked, feigning seriousness. Seth moved a bit away from her, took a large step, and then performed the biggest, most awkward skip he had ever done in his life.
Charlotte laughed out loud and Seth bowed. “Thank you. Please do not bother applauding.”
“No, you goose. Like this.” She took his hand once more, took a reasonable sized step, and then the tiniest of skips. It was more her feet touched one another and then she took a small hop.
“Oh, is that all?” Seth said. “Why didn’t you say so?”
Together, they moved about the circle, stepping and skipping, when suddenly Charlotte turned around.
“Now the other way.”
Only Seth didn’t turn around immediately, and Charlotte skipped directly into him.
Seth’s arms wrapped around her of their own accord. Only to prevent her from falling, of course.
He’d wondered several times before how it would feel to hold Charlotte close. Now he knew it felt absolutely perfect.
Seth kept his tone light, however. “I know it’s rude for a student to question his teacher, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the allemande danced this way.”
She slapped his chest. “You were supposed to turn around and start circling back the way we came.”
“That’s a relief. I thought London was about to be thoroughly scandalized.”
“Go on, now.” She pushed him away, and he let her go.
Hand in hand once more, they traipsed about in the opposite direction as before.
