Page 70 of A Spinster to Heal the Duke
"How long until the Duke arrives?" asked several.
"Thank you, and I'm not sure," Anne heard herself echo from one conversation to the next.
She couldn't enjoy any of the compliments, and by not being at the house to see what was going on there, she could not answer any questions about the Duke's arrival. She was both relieved and distressed when the arrival of the Duke, his sister, and her family was announced.
She was fraught with emotion but did all she could to maintain a calm demeanor. The Duke was quickly flocked by people wanting to see him and speak with him, so Anne was spared from interacting with him until it was time to be seated.
Anne called Lady Diana Campbell, Sister of the Duke of Grandon, to the table first. Then, she called the other ladies to the meal by order of seating, since they were not of rank. She entered when the last of the ladies had gone before her. Then, the Baron did the same for the men.
Once they were seated, Noah whispered, "I have been waiting all day to see you dressed for the evening, and I feel I have been waiting all night to get a moment to be near enough to tell you how beautiful you look."
His smile was charming and the look in his eyes seemed sincere, but Anne did her best to control her response.
"Thank you," she said, almost stoic.
Noah tilted his head and looked surprised.
"Are you still anxious about the party like this morning?" he asked. "I assure you everything is perfect. All of your efforts were not for naught. Everything looks beautiful, and people cannot stop telling me that this is the best event that has been thrown in Reedley in some time. I would even say it is among the most beautiful I have attended, and I know the food will surpass them all."
"You are too kind, Your Grace," said Anne, looking away.
Noah frowned a little and looked even more confused.
"Are you addressing me this way because we are among others? I assure you, Anne, no matter where we are or who we are with, I still wish you to call me by my Christian name," he said. "If your concern today has been how our behavior should be here, I hope we can be as we have been, Anne and Noah. Nothing else matters."
"Some things do," Anne replied.
Noah looked like he would have asked what she meant, but at that moment, the wife of an officer she had seated to his right decided to engage him in conversation as well.
"I am so excited to be seated next to you, Your Grace," the woman said. "My husband is a major in the king's army with a distinction of Commission by the Royal Artillery."
"I am sure King George and all of England appreciate his diligence," replied the Duke.
"Thank you, Your Grace. He is looking forward to an opportunity to speak with you this evening. He said he saw you as he travelled once, and you seemed very serious. I would say from this evening, you can be quite relaxed in the right environment."
"I should hope so, otherwise word would spread that I was the dullest member of society, and I wouldn't be invited to anything else," Noah said.
He and the woman laughed together, and Noah looked at Anne for a moment before giving the major's wife his attention again. She couldn't help a small smile. He was polite, engaging, witty, and handsome.
She tried to be considerate of the guest seated to her left and be a more sociable version of herself as well.
As the first course was cleared from the table, Anne felt she was managing well until she rested her wrist at the edge of the table.Just briefly, and so discretely, Noah's hand grazed against hers before he withdrew it. When she looked at him in shock, he only smiled at her adoringly.
"Wine please," she requested, holding her glass.
Steady, girl. You're shaking,she thought, looking at her hand.
With a few sips and deep breaths, Anne composed herself once more and managed to get through the meal.
"Second remove done," she whispered to herself when the table changed again.
"Finally, through with dessert," she murmured when the last remove was gone.
When everyone retreated for dancing, Anne saw Noah making his way toward her as promised for the first dance.
When he reached her, before he could offer his arm, she introduced him to another young lady.
"Your Grace, this is the wife of our rector," she said. "Excuse me while I tend to a matter in the kitchen."
