Page 22 of A Lady's Beastly Duke
“I am well-versed in dancing, and also in etiquette. It seems you do not know much of that.”
“I have never been spoken to like this!” he raged.
“Nor have I.”
It seemed that he finally realized he had taken matters too far, but he shot her a hate-filled blue glance and walked to the door. Anastasia waited, watching him exit. Lily gasped.
“You threw him out!” She was ecstatic, her small, soft face transformed into a picture of relief and joy. “You really did! I really won’t have to have him insult me anymore?” Lily asked, gazing up at her sister longingly.
“You most certainly will not.”
“Thank you!” Lily clapped her hands and then ran to Anastasia. “Thank you, Anny! I’m so happy. And you will teach me! That’s grand. I can’t wait to start.”
Anastasia hugged her and smiled. “We could start now,” she suggested, looking down towards the ballroom. “I have no plans this afternoon except playing the pianoforte.” She grinned at her sister. She was tired, if she was honest—probably too tired todance. The ball had wearied her since they had returned home just after midnight. But she could not resist Lily’s smile.
They went inside the ballroom.
“All right. Now, let us begin with a waltz,” Anastasia suggested. It was easy in terms of steps to remember, but difficult in that the beauty of the dance came from how one performed it, rather than the sequence of steps itself.
“I don’t think I can do it,” Lily stammered. Her hazel eyes were filled with doubt, and she looked almost scared as Anastasia held out her hands.
“Of course you can. If I can, you can,” Anastasia assured her. “Now, allow me to place my hand upon your shoulder, and take your other hand, in this manner. Let us merely step forward. It matters not whether it is executed perfectly; we shall simply embrace the experience of it.”
“I can’t...” Lily said, sounding frightened. Anastasia started counting.
“One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three...” She sang the notes to the tune of her favorite waltz as they stepped. Lily giggled as they stepped into a turn, her fear starting to dissipate.
“Whoops!” she called out, missing a step and narrowly avoiding Anastasia’s toe. Anastasia just chuckled.
“There! You’re doing it. Now, let’s go down the length of the ballroom. One, two, three! One, two, three!”
Lily was clearly frightened, her steps stiff and uncertain. After two or three whirls, though, she was laughing, her steps wider and more relaxed.
“There! I did it!” she shouted, triumphant and amazed, as they whirled the length of the ballroom and came back again.
“See?” Anastasia said with a smile. “It’s not so bad, is it?”
“No! It was quite diverting! I like dancing.”
“As you should,” Anastasia assured her. “You’ll have a grand time with it, I am sure. You’re good at it.” She felt sure that, with support and the right sort of teaching, her sister’s natural gift would blossom.
“Oh! Anastasia! I’m so happy. I can’t wait to try it in a proper ballgown.” She looked down at the pink muslin day-dress she was wearing.
“You’ll be doing that very soon,” Anastasia said with a grin.
“I can’t wait!”
Anastasia smiled and watched as Lily ran to the door. She let her go. It had been a long afternoon for her—first she’d had the instructions from Mr. Halloway, and then after all that turmoil, more instructions. She needed to rest. She walked to the door herself and tensed as she almost bumped into Papa. Mama was behind him and her gaze was wide and seemed troubled.
“Hubert don’t...” she began.
“I need to address this!” her father said self-importantly. He lifted a newspaper in his right hand and glared at Anastasia. She had been about to ask him what the matter was, but the anger in his gaze made her fall silent. “You, daughter, must not be the subject of scandal again.” He shook the newspaper and glared at her; his chest puffed out. Anastasia felt her brow crease, a deep frown there.
“I did nothing,” she began confusedly.
“You danced with that odious, miserable creature!”
“I beg your pardon?” Anastasia said with a frown. She glanced at Mama, who shook her head as if to advise Anastasia to remain quiet.
