Page 36 of Leap of Faith
The music began, and she ceased speaking immediately.
Dominic performed the steps without thinking about them, so long ago had it become second nature to him, while he waited for her to finish her sentence.
“Why should I prefer one of your sisters?” he prompted.
She hushed him.
That was something he could not say a lady had ever done to him before. “As you wish.”
“I must listen to the music or I will make a hash of my steps,” she said during a brief pause.
“Naturally,” he agreed, finding her little nose wrinkled, her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed as she concentrated.
He looked around at the sisters, who all wore similar expressions of concentration, and then to his friends, leading them about the room with looks of adoration. How the mighty were falling! He chuckled out loud.
“What is it?” Faith asked, almost stumbling as she did so. He redirected her back on the right path.
“The whole scene is amusing. Never would I have thought to spend an afternoon at dancing lessons once I reached my majority, but also to witness my friends…”
“I am glad we are fulfilling your hopes for amusement, my lord,” she said primly.
When her cheeks were flushed and her eyes flashed, was when her beauty arrested him. However, she was also distracted and not missing her steps. She had not noticed that fact.
Rotham had charmed Hope into smiling. Patience was talking in animated fashion with Montford, who looked smitten. Dominic already dreaded the horrible poetry he was likely to write. Grace, it seemed, was trying not to look above Carew’s neckcloth, while Freddy and Joy were distracted in their steps by something. He did not know what had their attentions.
Unfortunately, they bumped into Dominic and Faith.
All sense of decorum was lost, much to Monsieur Dubois’ dismay. Joy giggled. Freddy Tiger, who had apparently been a stowaway in a pocket, leapt to the floor and towards the dancing master, who shrieked and pranced about screaming ‘rodent,’ which caused all of them to go into whoops of laughter.
Instead of catching their wayward pet, Freddy and Joy were doubled over in their hysterics, tears streaming down their faces, which Monsieur Dubois took exception to.
Faith went over and captured the little beast while Dominic led the sensitive Frenchman to a bench, and Lady Westwood hurried to waft her smelling salts beneath his nose.
“It is only a kitten,” his mother tried to explain, but Dubois’ nerves would not be soothed.
“I cannot perform in such conditions!”
“We will make certain the kitten is put away before our next lesson,” she soothed.
He shook his head in the Gallic fashion. “Non, non, non, there will not be ze next time!”
No controlling or bribing would convince him. His nerves! His delicate sensibilities! Everything was offended! He was the most sought after dancing master in all of England!
By that point, Dominic was ready to throw him out by his powdered wig.
Once he was gone, the girls seemed to feel the weight of what had happened.
“What a horrible little man!” Joy exclaimed as she stroked Freddy Tiger.
“We are very sorry, my lord. We were not laughing at him, precisely,” Grace said.
“Come now, it was deliciously amusing!” However, Dominic knew it consigned him—and his friends—to finish their dancing lessons. They were nowhere near ready to perform in front of Society.
CHAPTER9
Faith and her sisters quickly discovered that they werede tropwhen it came to preparations for the ball, and learned to stay out of the way. Lord and Lady Westwood’s secretaries had everything in hand, so that the only thing the girls could do was learn the dances and try to prepare for the idiosyncrasies of theton.
Lord Westwood and his friends had literally danced attendance on them every afternoon to make certain no one could fault their abilities in a ballroom. All had promised the opening set to them as well, so they could be comfortable with their first partners and have no fears of being wallflowers—not that Faith thought her sisters were in danger of that fate.
