Page 37 of Ordered Home for the Holidays
He went to do his duty, endured the flirting and the veiled propositions that shocked him slightly, and then went back to Nell for their last dance.
She’d gotten permission to waltz somehow over the course of the night, so he pulled her close and they spun around the floor. “Did you have fun, Nell?”
She nodded after a moment. “It was fun, even though I’m near certain that the men I danced with had sisters that were after you, and they were told to get me out of the way.”
He chuckled. “That feels likely. I’ve had more indecent proposals tonight than I have ever had before.”
“That feels right,” Nell smiled, but her eyes were sad.
“Nell, I want you to hear me.” He spun them again as the song started to draw down. “I’m courting you, Nell, not because I was told to but because I want to.”
She looked up at him, eyes sad and tired. “If you change your mind, I’ll understand.”
“Nell, don’t be daft.” He smiled as the song ended, and he let her go, taking her hand again. “Who is going to bemoan the faff with me if I let you go?”
Chapter Twelve
They went home soon after the last dance was over. The streets were packed out, and it was a struggle even to travel three streets over to where their townhouse was. Nick had taken her back to her mama and papa, who looked tired and happy, and she’d ridden back home with them.
“How was it, darling?” Her mama looked so eager. “Did you enjoy your evening?”
She wasn’t going to tell her mama about the conversation that she and Nick had. “I did, Mama.” She nodded, trying not to blush. “The dancing was quite a bit more fun than I thought. No one even stepped on my toes.”
Though now that she was sitting, her feet did hurt abominably. And she could feel the holes in the thin soles of her slippers because her stockings were wet from the snow on the palace steps.
And she was exhausted, powerfully tired. Which made sense considering the sun was rising, and she’d spent all night dancing and making nice with strange men.
“Nick—” she started and immediately felt herself blush brightly. “I mean, Duke Graves, he’s quite a fine dancer.”
“I’ll speak to the boy tomorrow.” Her papa looked pleased and concerned at the same time. “He’s already on my calendar, as is your conference with the king.”
“I do wonder what that’s about,” her mama said, furrowing her brow. “What could his Majesty want with our Nellie?”
“He said it wasn’t anything bad,” Nell said hurriedly. “It’s probably about Papa and his work with the city.”
But if it was just that, there was no need for her, or for Nick. Unless the king had learned of her involvement in the medication’s delivery somehow.
“Something for tomorrow,” her papa said. “I am going to sleep for a few hours and then we’ll have an audience and then Nellie’s young man wants proper permission to court her.”
Her Mama looked startled. “Nellie?”
She nodded slowly. “He asked me, Mama. I said yes even though he’ll likely get bored with me before too long.”
“I doubt that, darling,” her mama said as the carriage lurched to a stop in front of their door. “Now, for a few hours of rest and then we have to pop back over to the palace.
Nell was divested of her gown, her slippers had large holes and were destined for the trash, and her hair was removed from the pins that had restrained it before she was released to go and find her bed.
Sleep came fast, swallowing her without remorse.
* * *
When she woke, it was to Mary’s apologetic face and the sun directly in her eyes. “Pardon, Miss, it’s time to ready you for your visit to the king.”
Newly out young ladies were not permitted anything darker than a pastel, so Nell was laced into a peach gown and handed a coat in a dark gray before she was allowed to descend the stairs where her parents were waiting with Duke and Duchess Graves in the foyer.
They couldn’t all fit in the same carriage, so they took both conveyances back up to the palace, which was strangely quiet. Or maybe that wasn’t strange given that all the nobility was probably still asleep after last night.
But there was a page at the door, and he led the five of them to the small audience hall where the king was waiting.
