Page 100 of Arrows and Gems
They were already in a strange kind of dance, both making little moves that might communicate interest but neither admitting it. She thought Cap cared for her as more than a friend. What else could all those brief touches mean from someone who rarely initiated contact, even with his closest friends?
But he never said anything. And after her misadventure with Michael, Helena didn’t plan to confess first. What if Cap was affectionate with his family, and she was simply filling the place of his sister? In that case, admitting to deeper feelings would be embarrassing and, worse, ruin their relationship.
But whether she admitted it or not, what she felt for him went far beyond friendship. Her childhood infatuation with Michael was a shallow puddle in comparison.
Cap was everything she’d never known she needed.
“How about a little life for our party?” Adrien called out, lifting his violin and drawing the bow across the lowest two strings. He adjusted a tuning peg while Tucker bounced up and began collecting empty bowls. “What shall we do first?”
“The Shoeburn!” someone suggested.
“Rag-in-a-dish!”
“Skippin’ Sweet!”
Adrien smiled and finished tuning his instrument as the suggestions poured in. Instead of announcing the tune, he simply began to play.
Tucker let out a whoop and hopped over the logs to the open space in the middle of the clearing. Most of the others followed, quickly forming squares of two on a side.
“Shall we join them?” Cap asked after a few minutes. “I think I’ve watched it enough times to follow the steps.”
Helena looked at him in surprise. “You’ve never danced it?”
“No,” he said simply. Holding out a hand, he continued, “But I’m willing to try.”
She slipped her hand into his, enjoying his strong fingers as he pulled her to her feet. Tucking her hand into his elbow, she said, “I’m game. But you’ll need to escort me; I’m only a helpless lady, after all.”
He snorted. “Only when you want to be.”
His hand settled over hers, and it warmed her more than her gloves or the fire that they left behind.
Adrien drew his bow through the final bars as they reached the makeshift dance floor. One of the groups made room for them, and then their fiddler launched into the next song.
“Should I warn you that this is my first time, too?” Helena muttered, eyeing the boys across from her and trying to mimic their movements. She skipped forward two steps and back again, then twisted her head to keep watching as she spun in a circle.
“You didn’t dance the Shoeburn at Himmelsburg Castle?” Cap asked in amusement.
Stumbling, she stared at him for a moment. How had he—Oh. Noblewomen attended balls at the castle. Of course that’s what he meant.
Cap’s hand steadied her. “Careful, Margit. Let’s not break your ankle again.”
Because if he knew she was a princess, he wouldn’t treat her so casually. Even if hehadguarded the royal family in another life.
“Maybe we should sit this out.” Wrapping a gentle hand around her arm, he tugged her away from the others. “We need more practice first.”
She followed, relishing the feel of his hand as it slid down her arm and caught her fingers. He led her to the edge of the dancing firelight, then bowed over her hand. “May I have this dance, my lady?”
His hazel eyes were hard to read in the dim light. But would he have brought her here out of simple kindness? Or was this a sign of something more?
“I only know court ones,” she sighed. Looking over her shoulder, she said wistfully, “But if I knew the Shoeburn, I would gladly join you.”
“May I tell you a secret?” he whispered, taking a step closer. “I am more familiar with the court ones as well.”
“As a guard?”
The orange light flickered across the curve of his lip. “The list of my former duties might surprise you.”
“My sister-in-law’s cousin did some spying as part of his,” she replied with a smile. “It included working as a stagehand in a theater production. But I don’t think he ever learned to dance.”
