Page 50 of The Girl Out of Time
“Yes, let’s do that figure,” a woman said to her dance partner.
Emmeline winked at Theo; he made a step back, and she whirled toward him.
The other couples followed, repeating the motion.
“Looks like you’re setting a new trend.” Emmeline was close enough that she only needed to whisper. Her breath tickled his neck and sent pleasant shivers down his spine.
“Again?”
Her wide smile was reflected in her eyes. “Again.”
And they danced.
“That was amazing.” Emmeline leaned on the table for support once they made their way out of the crowd. “You dance very well.”
“I had a great partner.”
She giggled and grabbed a plate of desserts. “Oh, this is good. Here.” She was about to hand him an éclair but stopped halfway. Her eyes grew wide as she stared over his shoulder.
“Lady Scarlet,” she whispered.
“Huh?” He didn’t even have time to turn. The plate of desserts forgotten, Emmeline took his hand and led them to the other side of the dance floor; not an easy feat when they had the crowd and the women’s hooped skirts to fight against.
“What are we doing?” he asked.
“She’s real,” Emmeline mumbled to herself.
Theo glanced over the crowd. Emmeline wasn’t interested in the dancers, so it had to be someone else. Several people milled about at the far wall: a group of gentlemen in a lively discussion and two couples. One pair wore coordinated sapphire blue and gold clothes; another was a man in deep purple, talking to a brunette in a striking ruby-red gown, her perfectly curled, unpowdered hair glistening with red highlights.
She laughed while she twirled a glass between her fingers. As her glance stopped on them, she paused, then hurriedly walked away.
“No!” Emmeline pressed through the crowd. They got out, but the lady in red was nowhere to be seen.
“She had to have gone up there.” Emmeline pointed to a hallway and a staircase leading up, shaded in darkness.
“Who is she?”
“She’s—she—I can’t believe it.” She turned toward him, walking backward once they ascended the stairs. “The castle, the masquerade ball, Lady Scarlet—they were all real!”
“What do you mean?”
“They were in a book.” Emmeline opened a nearby door, glanced inside, and closed it again, heading further down the hallway. Up here, the corridors were decorated in a typical castle manner, with tapestries and ceremonial weapons displayed on the walls. “But if that’s real, it means …” She opened another door—a delicate feminine yelp came from inside.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry.” Emmeline rapidly closed it, coloring up to the tips of her ears.
“And why are we chasing her?”
“Because she knows how to help me.”
She was all riddles today—or tonight—wasn’t she?
“She can probably even helpusget back.”
“I thought you knew how to do that!”
“Well, I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it any minute—” As they rounded the corner, Emmeline stopped dead in her tracks.
A man blocked their way, dressed in all black, a matching, simple silk mask disguising the upper half of his face. He brandished a polished walking cane with a silver head, pointing it at them. “Where is she?”
