Page 46 of A Governess' Forbidden Flame
An awkward tension settled over the dining room. Vivienne, clearly displeased by the lack of resonance to her initial comment, shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Frederick, trying to diffuse the awkwardness, engaged Amelia in conversation about her background and experiences as a governess.
“So, what is it that led you to the noble profession of guiding young minds?” Frederick inquired, obviously attempting to steer the discussion away from the uncomfortable moment, although all Amelia wanted right now was to be left alone.
However, she was accustomed to navigating through social intricacies and responded with a poised smile and a calm mind. “The pursuit of knowledge and a genuine passion for nurturingyoung minds drew me to this vocation,” she explained, hoping to redirect the conversation to more neutral ground and away from herself.
Vivienne, however, was not so easily deterred. “How noble of you to dedicate yourself to such an endeavor. Perhaps I ought to try for myself! I could spend the morning with sweet little Anna here, and you can rest. I doubt you get much rest with a young charge.”
“Oh, I—” Amelia started, and right at that moment, Sebastian interfered, much to her relief.
***
“I’m afraid that Miss Wycliffe and Anna are following a strict schedule which cannot be changed, unless Anna feels unwell,” Sebastian spoke, saving the day. Amelia had saved him. Now, it was his turn. “That was also why I asked you to wait until their lessons had finished for us all to have tea.”
This had to be one of the most unpleasant and awkward dinners he ever had the misfortune of attending. While Frederick seemed to be appreciative of the hospitality, Vivienne did not refrain from making comments that were downright rude. Sebastian had always been taught to treat ladies with respect, but Vivienne was truly testing his patience. He hoped that the dinner would end soon, leading everyone to retire to their respective chambers and the end of this rather unpleasant visit.
“Oh, we would never wish forthat,” Vivienne spoke, accentuating the last word, smiling at Anna, who had already started eating, paying little attention to the conversation that was unfolding around her.
Fortunately, at this point, everyone started eating slowly, and the conversation died down, with Frederick only occasionally breaking through the veil of silence to ask about the renovations that were being done in the garden. Sebastian was not in the mood to share much, so he explained in two sentences how Nicholas and he had been working on it to return it to its past glory.
Once everyone had finished with dinner, Sebastian was on the verge of bidding everyone goodnight, resorting to the excuse that it had been a long day for everyone, but he didn’t manage to put his plan into action. The evening suddenly took an unexpected turn as Vivienne turned to him.
“A marvelous old house such as this one must have a beautiful piano room!” she exclaimed, much to Sebastian’s horror, because he knew what that meant.
“It does, but…it has been a long day, especially for you two,” Sebastian hoped he could steer them back to his plan of retiring immediately after dinner.
“Oh, nonsense.” Vivienne waved her hand at him dismissively, getting up and walking over to him.
The gentleman in his immediately stood up, a result of good upbringing, as she seized his arm with a glint of mischief in her eyes.
“Just one dance,” she pleaded. “I think I have never been in a house that has more…spirit than this one, and I would hate to leave it without dancing in it.”
Sebastian exchanged a weak glance with Amelia, both of them feeling helpless to deter his guests from dancing. He felt as if politeness was a rope that had been tied not only around his wrists but also around his neck like a noose.
“All right,” he finally acquiesced, leading Vivienne to the piano room, leaving Frederick to extend a formal invitation to Amelia.
They found themselves in the piano room shortly, with Anna running after them and taking a seat in one of the armchairs, right next to the harp she had been practicing on.
“I could play you some music to dance to,” she said with a smile.
“Splendid!” Vivienne clapped her hands in delight, immediately afterward resting them on Sebastian’s shoulders. “We are ready!”
As Anna’s fingers gently strummed the strings, the strains of gentle, angelic music filled with air. The dance commenced with Sebastian and Amelia each dancing with one of the guests, and a palpable tension lingered between both couples.
Sebastian, watching Vivienne twirl with energy, couldn’t shake off the stiffness in his movements. His mind was preoccupied with his mysterious guests, while Amelia seemed to follow Frederick’s lead with the same unwillingness of body, which only concerned Sebastian even more. Still, he navigated his dance with a measured politeness that thinly veiled an unspoken tension.
As the music swirled around them, the silent dialogue between Sebastian and Amelia hinted at a complexity that transcended the dance floor. Each step, each movement, betrayed the unspoken truths lingering beneath the surface, leaving the room steeped in an atmosphere of intrigue and restrained emotion. He knew exactly how she was feeling at that moment, and he was certain that the feeling was mutual.
Unexpectedly, Anna stopped playing. All eyes were on her, but her fingers lingered inches away from the instrument.
“A change of partners,” she said playfully.
Vivienne did not seem to like it very much. Sebastian could recognize that expression, and he welcomed Anna’s suggestion, releasing Vivienne from his hands immediately upon those words and, instead, walking over to Amelia. His body was drawn to her, like a moth to a flame, even in this tense, unpleasant situation. As soon as their hands interlaced, he felt both soothed and thrilled by her presence, by the sheer notion of having her in his arms.
Anna immediately played a soft melody once again, which seemed to play over and over again with the same notes, but nobody seemed to mind. Sebastian, least of all. The previous stiffness gave way to an unspoken understanding, and as their hands met, a current of energy passed between them.
The dance became a silent conversation, a shared language only they could comprehend, their bodies moving in unison with each other.
The fiery passion that had been restrained during the earlier dance with different partners now ignited. Sebastian’s confident leading and Amelia’s graceful responsiveness created a dance that transcended the confines of social etiquette. In the intimate embrace of the soft melody, they moved as one, the chemistry between them casting a magnetic spell.
