Page 79 of Seduced by an Irresistible Lady
Dr Frederick took the hand she offered and walked with her to the dance floor. They joined at the tail of the dance, but Dr Frederick was familiar with the dance steps and soon matched the steps of the other dancers. He noticed a lack of speed in Miss Justina’s movement. She wasn’t familiar with the dance and had been absent at the beginning when, Dr Frederick assumed, Miss Morgana would have shown the desired steps. She did do well enough to follow his lead and mask her deficiency. The violinist played a high pitched melody, signalling a quickening of steps.
Dr Frederick pulled Miss Justina closer. Her hand rested in the small of his back. She was a smaller woman than Miss Helena, and his hand wrapped around her all the way to her other side. He felt no impression upon his chest by her bust despite the proximity.
If I held Miss Helena at this distance, her bust would press into my chest. It would be a struggle to keep my concentration.
There was no scent from Miss Justina; nothing sweet or sickly. Dr Frederick felt easy around her. He was glad at the absence of small things that threatened to make him lose control when he was with Miss Helena. He could think clearly, despite the nearness of Miss Justina’s skin to his. And when the violinist dropped back to the normal tune, Miss Justina drew back, setting her face directly opposite his.
Despite her low station, she wasn’t in the least intimidated. She met his gaze and stared back into his eyes. Dr Frederick observed her face closely. She was beautiful, in a different way from her mistress. Her face held angles that were totally absent in Miss Helena’s. Her skin, though a stark contrast in complexion to her mistress’, was just as glossy. And her lips were small, smaller than Miss Helena. Her lower lip had a puckered middle, forming a small sharp peak.
She is beautiful but holds no allure like Miss Helena.
His thoughts made him forgetful of the pattern of dance, and he had to apologise profusely as he was caught unprepared when every couple turned in a swift movement. Dr Frederick managed to do so, belatedly but just by a little, such that only Miss Justina noticed.
“What could capture your thoughts so, Dr Frederick? Is it a worry that could be shared?” Miss Justina asked.
“No, nothing serious,” Dr Frederick replied.
“Do not mind my careless footing,” he added.
Miss Justina laughed again, but her mouth was not open wide enough to show her teeth. Dr Frederick shook his head.
“My footing has been rather poor all night. You have guided me through without much fuss,” Miss Justina said.
Dr Frederick laughed.
That was true.
He looked past her shoulder and saw Lord Jeffrey dancing with Miss Helena. As if by signal, Miss Helena raised her eyes at the same time and met his gaze. Dr Frederick tried smiling, but he wasn’t happy at her. The smile didn’t come off. He stopped trying after a few seconds of feeling awkward. She drew closer to Lord Jeffrey and pushed her head above his shoulders. Dr Frederick saw her mouth move but couldn’t grasp the words she spoke. He wondered about the propriety of what she was doing.
How would Lord Jeffrey react if he saw her do this?
Her lips moved again, but Dr Frederick couldn’t read them properly. Miss Helena noticed and dropped her eyes. She drew her neck back from Lord Jeffrey’s shoulder.
“You seem very distracted. Is there something of interest behind me?” Miss Justina asked, causing him to look back at her.
Dr Frederick shook his head. He had shown very bad manners in this dance. He didn’t want to apologise just to fall short once again. Dr Frederick looked back to Miss Justina’s face. He managed to keep his focus on Miss Justina and finish the dance without garnering any tacit rebuke or recall from Miss Justina.
The danced ended as Dr Frederick curtseyed and led Miss Justina away from the dance floor.
“Thank you for a lovely dance,” Dr Frederick told her.
Dr Frederick kissed her gloved hand after a short bow.
“I would advise that you find a way to clear your mind. You were mighty absent during the dance,” Miss Justina said.
“I am sorry for the way my mind drifted away,” Dr Frederick replied.
“Dr Frederick, I see you found yourself a partner.”
Dr Frederick smiled.
“I hope you are enjoying yourself, missus,” Mister Frank said with a tip of his hat.
“I am. Dr Frederick is a master dancer,” Miss Justina replied.
“Yes, he is. You’d be surprised at the number of dances, he knows,” Mister Frank replied.
Dr Frederick looked into the dispersing crowd. He scanned the faces for Miss Helena, or Lord Jeffrey, knowing he would find her once he saw him. He didn’t see her anywhere.
