CHAPTER 46 - The Waltz
OLIVIA TURNED AROUNDin amazement. No matter how long she lived in his world, she would never get used to the extravagant opulence he seemed to inhabit so comfortably.
“It is magnificent. What a terrible waste that such wonderful spaces should go empty and unused.”
“We are about to make use of it.”
Olivia turned to him, her eyes wide with shock. “You are not thinking of hosting a ball, are you?”
He smiled, and grabbing her right hand, pulled her against his body. His right arm circled her waist, and he raised their joined hands in a waltz position. “Just a very, very private ball. For you and me. Would you do me the honor of granting me this dance?”
“We are still missing the music,” Olivia said in confusion.
“Ah, yes. That is a problem.” He replied with mock seriousness. “Hmm, what shall we do?” Then he shrugged. “I’ll just have to hum something.”
Olivia smiled. She loved this playful, teasing side of him. It was hard to believe this was the same starchy aristocrat she had first met. Wanting to play along, she smiled up at him and said, “I see you are a multi-talented man. In that case, how can I refuse? It will be my pleasure... although, I have to warn you. I have never danced a waltz. I might step on your toes.” She giggled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you. Put your left hand on my shoulder. Yes, like that. Now, I will go forward with my left foot. You step back with your right, one, two, three and forward with your left... Yes! You’ve got it. Keep doing that.”
He started to hum a melody, and she followed him. He was an excellent dancer. Of course he was. He seemed to excel at everything he did, whether it was riding a horse, swimming, playing the piano, running a large estate, or making love. Athletic and sure-footed, he guided her with graceful ease, but she kept looking down and making mistakes. He covered her missteps and made it all appear effortless. But she felt like a klutz, bumbling her way through the steps, tripping over her feet to catch up and trying not to look too terrible.
“Stop looking down, Livvy. Look at me. Your feet know what to do.”
She obeyed and lifted her gaze to his eyes, a little frown forming between her eyebrows as she focused really hard, then her gaze lowered to his mouth, and for a moment she forgot about the steps as she thought about kissing him. He had such wonderful, sexy lips... she lost her rhythm and scrambled to catch up. Dale gave her a naughty half smile as if he knew exactly where her thoughts had wandered.
He brought them to a stop. “This isn’t working. You are too focused on the steps and not feeling the dance. I think we need real music. How I wish we had an orchestra... oh, wait. Don’t you have music on that phone of yours?”
“I do,” she replied, taking the phone out of her pocket. She didn’t know why she still always carried it with her. No one was going to call her, but old habits die hard. “I have my music library in here, but I don’t think I have any waltzes.”
“It doesn’t have to be a waltz. I believe any song with a ¾ time signature would do.”
“A time signature? What is that?” she asked, opening her music app and handing him the phone.
“It is a way of organizing music in time. It tells you the timing of the piece, how many beats in a measure.” He scrolled through her music options, shaking his head. “I know none of these musicians. I’ll have to listen to the pieces to know what will work.”
“Oh, I see. But how are you going to know that? I have never seen the time signature displayed anywhere in the song info.”
“I can probably recognize the time signature if I listen to the song. How do you make it play the music?”
Olivia leaned in and touched the screen over the first line. The music started. It was a catchy song, but Dale shook his head.
“This one won’t do. How do I play the next one?”
“Simply touch the screen over the title of the song.”
He did that and observed in wonder how the music changed to a completely different song. He kept doing that, listening to each song for a few seconds until he found one he thought would work. He listened to it for several more seconds until he was convinced. “This one. This one will do.”
Olivia listened, a half smile curving her lips, while a little frown tugged between her eyebrows. “‘You and me?’ That song is a waltz?”
“It has the same beat. We can dance a waltz to this song.”
“That is amazing. Let’s do it then.” She re-started the song, then placed the phone in his coat pocket near his chest. The phone could never produce enough volume to fill the ballroom, but with the phone between them, the music surrounded them, creating a special bubble of sound just for two.
Dale took her hand again, and they assumed the waltz position. Softly, he counted down, and they started dancing again. This time it was much easier to follow the steps, maybe because she was feeling the music instead of focusing on her feet.
Dale regarded her intensely, and the lyrics of the song gained new meaning as she peered into his eyes. A song about time ceasing to have meaning, about time running out, and a feeling so powerful that it kept two people completely focused on each other. The words seemed to have been written for them. It was exhilarating. The music, the lyrics, their movement across the dance floor. She had no trouble following him now, their movements synchronized, as if they were one soul.
