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“It does not matter, Mr Knight. Let us just enjoy the dance.” She let him return to his staring, and she watched him, beginning to understand that there was more to Mr Knight than she had first realised.
***
“Where are you going?” Noah asked from beside Luke as he downed what was left in his claret glass and stepped away.
“Nowhere,” Luke said, trying to look innocent. Noah caught his arm before he could take another step away.
“Then tell me why your eyes have not left young Miss Storey the entire time she has danced with Mr Knight?” Noah asked with raised eyebrows, glancing on either side of them, clearly checking that no one had the chance to listen in on their conversation. Luke looked about them too, but he only saw other guests that were interested in their own business, or so busy gossiping, that they did not have time to notice anything new that they could talk about.
“Well, he is hardly a good dancer, is he?” Luke said in jest, stepping away again.
“Luke, your promised Jemima!” Noah said in a hasty whisper.
“One dance, that’s all it will be,” Luke said innocently and stepped back. He could see a smile tweaking Noah’s lips, as if he wasn’t that irked after all, as Luke hurried away and headed across the room.
It’s not jealousy, it’s….
Luke couldn’t offer up any other word for it, despite his wish to. There had been something awful about watching Miss Storey dance with Mr Knight, something so bad that it had made the contents of his stomach curdle.
He crossed the assembly rooms as quickly as he could, making his way through groups and past ladies that attempted to draw him into conversation, for he had one lady in particular in mind that he wished to speak to.
When he, at last, reached Miss Storey’s side, Mr Knight had just said goodbye to her and released her hand. He had moved away with his gaze so fixed on the other side of the room all together that he had not noticed Luke’s approach at all, but Miss Storey had. Her chin jerked upwards as he appeared beside her.
“You gave me a fright,” she said, placing a hand to her chest as if checking her own heartbeat.
“Then allow me to make you smile.” He offered his hand to her. “Dance with me?” Luke tried not to think of the way he held his breath as he waited for her answer, nor did he think of how other people were glancing their way.
It must have been on Miss Storey’s mind, though, for she looked around at the room, planting a false smile on her face.
“I do not think it is for the best,” she said in a whisper, looking back to him.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because there are enough whispers about us as it is, do you not think so?”
“I don’t care what people say.”
“What do you care about?”
“Enjoying myself and seeing that you do too.” Once again, he lifted his hand to her, wishing her to take it. Her green eyes flicked down toward it, clearly tempted, though she didn’t say yes. Not yet. She bit her lip in such a way that had Luke’s eyes turning down toward those lips, wondering what a kiss would be like.
Would she be nervous in a kiss? Or would she be bolder than that? She certainly had enough spirit beneath her need of propriety to be bold.
“Please,” Luke whispered the word, startling himself with it. The word seemed to break a barrier between them, for she placed her hand in his. Luke smiled at once and drew her toward the dance floor.
“You look impossibly happy at this outcome. It makes me second guess my decision already.”
“Consider it part of my continued effort to see you laugh, Miss Storey.” He drew her toward the floor as the couples changed over, allowing them to move to the middle and take their places, releasing one another. When her hand left his, he was more conscious of it this time, and she seemed to be aware of it too, her gaze lingering on his, before she turned it down to the floor with the opening of the music, curtsying as he bowed to her.
With relief, he discovered it was a waltz. He wouldn’t have to part ways from her, or have to talk around other couples, he could hold her in his arms. As he offered his hand to her, she took it gently with her fingers, then his other hand came up to her waist, and she bit her lip another time before placing her other palm on his shoulder.
He was beginning to notice this habit of hers, of biting her lip. It was either one of nerves or the need to hold something back that she truly wished to say.
“Why did you ask me to dance?” she said after a few seconds of silence, when they had begun dancing together. “And do not give me this nonsense about trying to see me laugh.”
“Very well, perhaps I will say I wished to see you dance with a better dance partner,” Luke offered up an alternative explanation. “Mr Knight is a pleasant enough fellow, but his dancing lacks skills, and….”
“And what?”
