Page 80 of The Wise Daughter
This earned a great cheer, and Nora was nowhere to hear it.
“I would also like to share with you one more reason we have to celebrate. Last night, four men were apprehended who were among the thieves who have been stealing from the castle.”
This was met with a roll of murmurs.
“This castle is my home. I intend to see that it is a safe and desirable place for everyone who comes here. And so tonight, let us recognize that we are among friends. While we continue to mourn the loss of my father, we celebrate a new beginning and find joy in each other.”
Another round of applause spread. The musicians took this as their signal and struck up a beckoning tune. Couples heeded the call and lined up on the dance floor, their eyes still eagerly trained on Aaron, their feet restless to begin. What was he to do? Opening the ball with anyone other than Nora felt wrong. He tugged at his cravat, which now seemed too tight. His face grew hot, and his fingertips began to tingle.
A new wave of chatter spread from the other end of the ballroom, and there he saw her.
Finally.
The space between couples opened to form a path for her that led to him. In the soft candlelight, in a simple white gown with her pale hair spun in a crown of curls, she glowed with a timeless beauty that emanated from deep within.
Her eyes briefly flitted to his as she made her way to him. Servants waved and bowed and smiled as she passed, vying for the honor of her attention in return. Before he realized he had moved at all, he had met her halfway. Her face bloomed with light, and her eyes glittered with a depth of intelligence he could only admire.
To think this woman had once thought she could live the life of a maid! Even if he had hired her to work among his staff, he was certain such an arrangement would never have lasted. She was made to be a duchess. He would have discovered her, noticed her, and been helpless to do anything but adore her.
She took the arm he offered, and he led her to their place at the head of the set. Her touch was light, hesitant even, and though she wore a smile, she hardly met his eyes. Together, they led out on the first dance, the couples following their footsteps like baby ducklings.
They danced the first moments without speaking, letting the music fill the space, but he didn’t mind. He needed the time to adjust to the way his movements rubbed at the bandages wrapped beneath his sleeve and the awkward way his head swelled with each spin, butas he grew accustomed to the pain and gained confidence in his ability to hide his grimaces, he wondered at Nora’s reserve.
The next time the dance brought them close, he remarked, “You are a vision tonight, Nora. What kept you so long?”
“I’m so sorry, Aaron. It isn’t like me. I’ve been lost in my thoughts all day. Janie actually had to find me to tell me it was time to start the ball.”
He waited for more, but when she said nothing else, he asked, “Any thoughts you care to unburden to me?”
There was the slightest hesitation as she reached for his hand. “Not really. Though I did want you to know… I came to your room last night. I heard noises and wanted to see that you were all right.” She added this part quickly, then spun away again a second too early. He almost missed the deep flush spreading across her face.
“Is that what’s bothering you, Nora? I know you are concerned about propriety, but–”
“Yes, certainly,” she interrupted, looking around, “but I was wondering…” She pressed her lips together. “I was wondering whether you remembered me or anything I might have said.”
Her flush blossomed down her neck, standing out more vividly against the white of her gown, and a new thought occurred to him. His dream of Nora telling him about her wish by the bridge and about how much she needed him and loved him… Was it possible it hadn’t been a dream?
He missed a step.
With a giddy rush of courage, he seized both her hands. “Nora, come with me.”
Her expression was impossible to read, but she needed no coaxing. With his heartbeat gaining momentum, he led her away from the dancing, through the large double doors, and out onto the terrace where torches softly quivered like the blood in his veins. The night was cold but after the growing heat of the ballroom, the coolness was awelcome relief, clearing his aching head and heightening his determination.
Nora looked around. “Aaron, why are we out here?”
He met her questioning eyes, and his rush of courage fled as quickly as it had come, replaced by questions that nibbled at him. His tongue stalled. She now looked so uncertain. He needed this moment to be perfect, so he altered his intentions. Declarations of love would be that much sweeter if he first made apologies.
“I brought you here because there is much to say.”
She nodded. “I already know you caught Gaines and Vander and two other men who were with them. I’m so pleased, though I wish it had not come at the cost of your arm. Doesn’t it hurt? We don’t have to dance any more now that the ball has begun.”
“Please don’t worry about my arm. I’m well enough.” He imagined forgetting the ball and pulling her close. Her words, and perhaps the lingering effects of the opium, were muddling his thoughts while his tongue rebelled. Every syllable had to come together like the strokes of a painting. “Before we say anything else, Nora, I have to say that, yesterday while we were riding, well, I’m sorry for getting angry. You were only trying to help, and your actions did lead to the capture of four of our thieves, which I cannot argue with.”
She stood perfectly still, listening. Though his stitched arm alternated between cold and burning, the rest of him swelled with the return of his confidence.
“You are so lovely and good, Nora, so clever and kind. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before, but I need you to know–”
“Derricott!”
