Page 83 of Forget Me Not

He would travel less often, go fewer places, limit himself to those events and places of greatest importance and fulfillment. It was a compromise he could make—wouldmake—for the sake of the future they were building together. She, after all, had made compromises of her own.

“I know balls are not your preferred undertaking,” he said to her as they moved through the ballroom. “Thank you for enduring it.”

“I had always assumed these gatherings would be an utterly overwhelming cacophony.” She looked about, wide-eyed, a little smile on her lips. “But there is something very beautiful about all of this, isn’t there? It is a bouquet in motion.”

“You will meet some exemplary people when you are in Society,” he said. “You will also meet plenty who are ridiculous, but they are entertaining in their own way.”

She smiled up at him, her lovely blue eyes sparkling. “I look forward to it.”

“Do you truly?” She had lodged so many objections to balls and gatherings that he would not have expected her to have any positive anticipation of future undertakings. He had assumed, in fact, that attending social gatherings was a sacrifice she was making.

“I cannot promise to be an expert,” she said, “but you did offer to act as my tutor on any subject I wished to study. Surely this topic can be included in my education.”

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her gloved knuckles. Arm in arm, they approached a nearby gathering. Lucas knew a number of them. He undertook introductions. Julia gave not the slightest hint of her trepidation. She would soon be quite a favorite in Society, he hadn’t the least doubt.

If she warmed enough to this aspect of her changed life, she might in time consider leaving the comfort of home for a bit of travel.

He added that to his list of vows where their future was concerned: making her smile, playing games, holding her whenever she would allow, reading to her as she fell asleep, and, eventually—when she was ready to consider the idea—traveling. His heart swelled at the increasingly lovely picture forming of the life that lay ahead of them.

The musicians struck up the opening strains of an allemande. Julia looked to him in the very moment his gaze settled on her.

“The allemande,” she said quietly, and, if he didn’t miss his mark, hopefully.

That particular dance had already been a favorite, but the fact that she preferred it as well and so clearly associated it with him solidified its position in his mind as the very best of all the dances.

“Will you stand up with me, my lady?” he asked.

With the tiniest hint of color touching her cheeks, she agreed.

They took their place on the dance floor amongst the many other couples, including their very handsome hosts, and he took her hand to begin the dance. He had always believed it an elegant dance but hadn’t realized how intimate it could be. They wove around each other, hands touching, eyes meeting. Clasping hands as they reached across each other placed them very nearly in an embrace.

She smiled up at him. Lucas had heard before the expression that one’s heart “melted,” but had always assumed it an overly sentimental exaggeration. He knew in that moment how very real the sensation was.

His sweet Julia. She was overturning every expectation he’d had for this evening and this marriage.

For the length of a heartbeat when the music stopped, he didn’t move. He stood with her hands in his, unable to take his eyes off her. She really was beautiful. He had noticed as much when he’d first seen her on their rock along the Trent the afternoon of his return from Europe. He’d understood, intellectually, that she was a remarkably fine-looking lady, but the appeal of her, the pull and tug in his heart became deeply personal as he stood there.

“The dance is over, Lucas,” she whispered. “We had best vacate the floor.”

“Forgive me. My thoughts were wandering.” He tucked her arm through his, keeping her close and attempting to prevent his pounding heart and spinning thoughts from being too obvious.

She appeared more at ease than she had in weeks, at times even pleased with their current arrangement. Her smiles came much easier now, as he’d hoped they would. She’d even seemed to enjoy kissing him, which was promising. He’d told himself he could be patient while tenderness grew in this unasked-for marriage of theirs. But the more deeply his heart became involved, the more unsure he was of his own equanimity should his increasingly tender feelings not ever be returned.

“You dance a very graceful allemande.” The duchess’s compliment caught him off guard, because, in his distraction, he’d not realized he had led himself and Julia directly to her.

“Grace is more easily obtained when a gentleman has so elegant a partner.” He offered a dip of his head toward Julia.

She colored but didn’t object to the bit of chivalry.

“I understand you are recently married,” the duchess said.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Julia answered.

“And where did you take your wedding journey?” The duchess looked back and forth from Julia to Lucas.

“Directly to our home in Cumberland,” Lucas said.

“Did you not travel anywhere?” She was clearly surprised.

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