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Cunning, beautiful creature.
She renewed her efforts, turning just subtly enough to not draw censure of her dancing or bump into anyone. Ten dancing masters, indeed.
The music stopped too soon and he had to flex his hands to release her. She swept into a flawless curtsy, and he bowed.
“A pleasure to dance with you, Miss Bains.”
He thought he heard a huff with concealed laughter. But he was quite sincere. He hadn’t met a female who’d intrigued him so much in years. The only problem was, she clearly was intent on putting off all and any suitors. And she was his best friend’s little sister.
CHAPTER3
Emmett oughtto have been paying attention to his various dancing partners, as the evening progressed. But his gaze was drawn all the time to Miss Bains and her victims—sorry—dance partners. It gave him a savage satisfaction that no other man had noticed her tricks. They unfailingly went into dancing with Miss Bains with one of two expressions. Either they looked self-satisfied, in which case he assumed they had not danced with her before and were thinking of her dowry. Or they had an expression of mild dread, and he imagined they’d had the pleasure of Miss Bains and her “clumsy” feet before.
His inattention had almost caused him to misstep in dances himself. In a country dance, he managed to arrange it so she was in the couple next to him. And he could have sworn he saw irritation flare from her, as well as a warning:Do not reveal my secret.
He smiled back at her:It’soursecret.
When they swapped partners in a spin she tried to step on his toes. He dodged and held her when the lack of expected impact on his foot put her off balance. No more than half a second. But his chest thudded at the contact.
She was a puzzle he intended to solve. The next dance was a waltz, and he excused himself and didn’t examine why he’d rather sip lemonade from the side of the room when he couldn’t ingratiate his way into the dance and temporarily steal Miss Bains away from her partner.
Duke was nowhere to be seen and Emmett was pounced on by a mother and daughter he’d been introduced to but whose name he didn’t recall.
Miss Bains was up to her customary trick, but the plump young blond man in a navy waistcoat was getting increasingly fractious. His scowl was deepening, and his face becoming increasingly puce, but Miss Bains didn’t seem to have noticed.
“...Don’t you think, Mr. Stanton?”
Emmett started.
“I. Er.” He was about to confess he had no idea, when a yelp saved him from having to reply.
“You stupid, clumsy girl!” The blond man Miss Bains had been dancing with was clutching his foot, and literally hopping mad. “You’ve broken my foot!”
Miss Bains’ mouth dropped open in horror, then she let out a cry, covered her face with her hands and fled from the ballroom into the garden.
“My daughter!” Mrs. Bains exclaimed from across the room, but didn’t move.
Emmett muttered an apology to his companions and strode over to Mrs. Bains, arriving just as Duke appeared.
“Mother, it’ll be fine. I’ll go to her.” Duke glanced over his shoulder at Lady Sophie with something like regret, then made to go after Gina.
Emmett put out a hand and stopped him before he’d thought it through. “Duke, return to your dance partner. I’ll go.”
Duke turned with a quizzical expression.
“She danced with me earlier and didn’t put a step wrong.” True in its own way. “I’ll go and comfort her.”
Duke looked conflicted, his gaze flickering to Lady Sophie. “Only the terrace, no further, you understand?”
“Of course.”
But Miss Bains was not on the terrace, where a handful of couples were taking the evening air and chatting. She’d fled to the garden.
He’d have run after her by instinct, but this was a ton party, not the continent. So he reigned in his impatience and followed at a walk, guided by the slight sound of her sobs.
Which were… odd. Given he was fairly sure she’d stepped on the lordling’s foot deliberately. Why was she so upset?
The sun had set and twilight had begun, casting the garden into soft gray-blue shadows.
