Page 25 of Making of a Scandal
“Thank you, Mr. Burke.”
“I do hope you will honor me with a dance. Though I must warn you, it has been some time since I led a lady on the dance floor. I hope you will forgive me if I am a less than graceful partner.”
Calliope fought not to squirm under the intensity of his stare, finding it as unsettling as she had before. She did not usually have such a difficult time remaining composed, but told herself it must be the nature of their scheme. She was anxious for it to work, and to keep anyone else from knowing what they were up to.
“I’ve promised the next dance to Mr. Lewes, but I will save the one after that for you.”
Nick inclined his head in a gracious gesture. “I will await with bated breath.”
The current dance ended at that moment, and Mr. Lewes offered Calliope his arm.
“Shall we?”
Hastings took her empty cup, leaving her free to join her partner on the dance floor. The next dance was a quadrille, which put her in Mr. Lewes’s company for a quarter of an hour. He was as charming and affable as always, engaging her in light conversation whenever the dance brought them close. Tonight, she could swear there was a marked difference in the weight of his perusal. She must be imagining it, when their conversation remained as innocuous as ever. However, as the dance ended and he took her hand to lead her back toward Hastings and Mr. Burke—who stood awaiting his turn with her—he lowered his head and stoked hope in her with nothing more than a handful of words.
“Mr. Burke is right, you know. The color yellow was never so alluring as it is just now.”
Calliope had only been able to stare up at him and murmur a breathless ‘thank you’, before he was bowing to her with that belly-quivering smile. Then, her hand was in Mr. Burke’s, and he led her away from the one thing she wanted most in the world.
Her new partner offered her one hand, then slid the other around her back in the posture for a waltz. She blinked, perturbed to find herself so close she could feel the heat radiating from him. When promising him the next dance, she hadn’t realized it would be one which put them in such intimate proximity.
“Alone, at last. Let’s see if I can remember how to do this without trampling your toes.”
Before Calliope could utter a response, the music began, and Mr. Burke guided her through the first steps of the waltz with a dizzying turn. She gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the ungainly motions of a rusty partner. What she got, instead, was a man who danced as easily as he walked.
“I thought you said you were out of practice,” she said, surprised at the crisp grace with which he led her.
“I suppose there are some things that become like second nature once learned. Dancing … riding a horse … making love.”
“Mr. Burke—”
“Must this formality between us continue, goddess? I thought I asked you to call me Dominick.”
Calliope clenched her jaw, nostrils flaring as she did her best to keep irritation from showing on her face. It wouldn’t do for anyone to see how much this man annoyed her.
“And I thought I told you that our arrangement doesn’t require such familiarity. You should keep your opinions on … the marriage bed and horses to yourself. They are hardly necessary to our objective.”
“Of course they are. If I mentionthe marriage bedwhile we dance, you’ll blush, or gasp, or look properly scandalized, which will lead others to wonder just what we’re talking about. I never pay marked attention to any lady, so the fact that I’ve chosen you as my first dance partner tonight is sure to earn us the proper amount of attention.”
“There is only one person whose attention I care about.”
“Good, because he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since I took you into my arms.”
Mr. Burke chuckled when she sucked in a sharp breath, craning her neck to try to catch sight of Mr. Lewes. Sure enough, she spotted him as they whirled by, his crystalline eyes following their progress in the throng of dancers. He hadn’t moved from where she’d left him with Hastings.
A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and she relaxed in Mr. Burke’s hold.
“I watched you during your dance,” Mr. Burke added. “It is clear the man is interested in you.”
Calliope dared a glance at him, and found not a trace of humor on his face. “Do you really think so?”
“Definitely. Our objective should not be difficult to achieve. You have his attention; we simply need to figure out why he has yet to declare himself.”
She frowned. “I thought we had already determined that he simply needs the illusion of competition.”
“That is mostly true, but I’ve been thinking … you ought to be wed by now, goddess. That you are not leads me to believe there must be something we haven’t taken into account.”
Calliope stiffened in his hold. “We?”
