Page 40 of A Foreign Crown
Then he began. They moved in smaller patterns of three counts in the area closely around them at first while he became accustomed to her and she to him. He led her in gradually broadening circles, in wider steps, in faster motion until they were gliding across the floor, until he felt as though they might fly. The room disappeared as they weaved through couples and viewed them only as a vaguely distant obstacle to make the dance more interesting. He held her closer. Her hand on his shoulder felt like a caress, the area between them growing smaller, his every thought turning more to her and the feel of her so close.
“I’m moved by our dance; somehow, you were made to be here,” he said softly.
“Do you feel the same, then?”
They spun in a delicious circle, her skirts twirling around his legs as they danced.
“Would you walk with me in the gardens?”
She nodded, and then her face drained of some color. “How could we?”
And suddenly, with her question, the reality of their situation returned. They were no longer alone. The blessed solitude was replaced by a room full of eyes, royal eyes particularly, aware of their moves, their dance, their interactions.
How could he leave the building with Lady Aribella on his arm? He could never do such a thing, not when the Queen came to this ball with hopes that he would dance with her daughters. Was he not hoping for help from the King? Her Majesty would not think fondly on a perceived alliance with a lady-in-waiting; he suspected she’d be more pleased if he were to escort one of her daughters to the gardens.
The slight wrinkle across Lady Aribella’s forehead, the puckering of her lips, expressed her same understanding.
“Perhaps not,” he said at last.
She nodded. “I think we would be wise to forbear.”
He slowed the energy of their dance, their steps now closer together, their movement more confined. His murmur for her ears only was all he could express about the sadness that had started to fill him. “A pity.”
Prince George approached. He had Princess Mary as his partner. “Your Highness. Might I finish the dance with your lovely partner? I’m on the Queen’s errand to deliver my sister to you.”
Layton tensed, and Lady Aribella’s hand pressed into his shoulder, but he nodded. “What a jolly idea. I would love to have an opportunity to dance again with the princess.”
He was loathe to hand someone of Lady Aribella’s character over to Prince George. As she left Layton’s arms, the air chilled, unimproved when Princess Mary took her place.
As Prince George swept Lady Aribella away, his loud laugh grated through Layton’s blood in the most annoying manner possible. He danced several bars before the princess cleared her throat.
“Oh, I do apologize. I’m woolgathering, but no longer. Tell me, how did you become so proficient with a shuttlecock?”
She giggled in a tittering fashion that aggravated his every sense. “You will find, if you are here long enough, that we don’t have much else to do. Our social interactions are limited, and once our lessons are completed, we resort to shuttlecock and other diversions to entertain.” She stepped nearer. “We’ve been so happy that Father and Mother have allowed our interactions with you.”
A soft alarm spread through him. The Queen watched with a calculating smile. Princess Elizabeth looked away with a small frown. Lady Aribella danced on the other side of the ballroom now, with Prince George making her laugh.
He had never been more aware of everything being amiss than in that moment. And he still had not spoken with one man of influence at the ball.
“You seem concerned,” Princess Mary said.
He considered his dance partner. “I am greatly concerned about my country. And sometimes it fills my heart with a heaviness that even waltzing with a princess cannot alleviate.”
“Was Father a help to you?”
“He was. But, forgive my impatient heart, I have heard nothing further. I have not been contacted by a naval officer. I have no plans, and the situation is rather urgent, I will admit.” He held his breath. Had he said too much? Did he sound ungrateful? What could the princess possibly know about any of his concerns?
“Would it help you most of all were you to be introduced to the men of influence here? I believe they might be in the room of cards, where you were originally heading.”
Heavy in the pause was the implication that he should not have let Lady Aribella distract him.
“Just so.”
“We will make our way to George after this set, and you and he shall go in together with the strict charge that he is to aid in your efforts.”
“And you shall be the heroine of the day. Thank you.” The great swell of gratitude he felt made him smile.
“Though, if it brings you more swiftly from us, I shall rue the day I aided your cause.” She lifted her lashes. “Unless, perhaps, you could be persuaded to linger even after the ships leave.”
