“What is wrong with them?” he said, frowning. “There should be twenty dancers out there, not eight. If my wife were here, she would dance until dawn.”
“That is exactly what I said,” Dustin said. “Will you see what you can discover?”
Sean stood up. “Come along, Cai,” he said, nudging Caius. “Let’s find out what is wrong with this crowd.”
Caius stood up, following Sean as they left the dais and headed toward the throng of guests. As they moved with the stealth of panthers, blending in with the crowd, a young woman rose from her seat and headed for the dancers near the hearth. It took both Christopher and Dustin a moment to realize it was Larue, and when they became aware that she was moving toward Curtis, they passed glances between them. Larue, in close proximity to Curtis, was never a good thing, especially with Curtis’ rather volatile wife nearby. But they didn’t comment on it. They didn’t have to.
They knew what the stakes were.
What they didn’t know was that, thanks to Larue, the evening was about to break loose.
*
It had beena lively tune, and Elle was very nearly worn out. She’d been dancing for a couple of hours and was very much enjoying herself, but she was winded. So winded. Curtis had spun her around too many times, and her tender tummy didn’t appreciate it. As the music wound down, she came to a halt with her hand on her heaving chest.
“God’s Bones,” she said, breathing heavily. “Is this what happens at every great feast? People dance themselves into exhaustion?”
Curtis was sweating from exertion, but grinning. “Indeed,” he said. “You wanted to dance, so here we are.”
“I wanted to dance, not cavort in a frenzy and collapse in a heap.”
Curtis laughed, and was going in to embrace her when Myles grasped her by the hand and pulled her away.
“It is my turn to be your partner,” Myles said. “Let Curt dance with Christin. She is stepping on my feet too much.”
Christin, nearly bent over in exhaustion from the lively dancing, suddenly straightened up, her eyes widening dramatically at the insult. “Consider yourself fortunate that I am your partner,” she said imperiously. “I can just as easily force my husband to dance. He doesn’t complain.”
Myles shot her a long look. “He would rather die a thousand painful deaths than dance, and you know it,” he said. “Dance with Curt for a while. I want to dance with Lady Leominster.”
Even as Myles pulled her along, Elle was trying to beg off. “Please, I must rest,” she said. “Let me sit for a few minutes and then I will dance with you, I promise.”
“What?” Curtis gasped in mock outrage. “You are promising him a dance? Then it is over between us, Lady Leominster. I do not care if you are the most beautiful, brilliant, and witty woman in the world. I’m through with you, you ungrateful wench.”
He was a little drunk and far too dramatic. Elle bit her lip to keep from laughing. “As you wish,” she said. “I’m certain I can find others who would be interested, so I do not need you, either.”
“How dare you!” Curtis declared. “Show me these men and I will slay them where they stand.”
“Then itistrue. Shecanfind others.”
Suddenly, there was a woman in their midst whom Elle didn’t recognize. She wasn’t unattractive, with jewels around her neck and on her ears, and her hair in a careful coif that was slightly disheveled. She interjected herself into the conversation, interrupting, and she was looking at Curtis with a decidedly inebriated expression. In fact, if Elle didn’t know better, the expression seemed to border on seductive. But even if Elle didn’t recognize her, Curtis did.
All of the humor left his face.
“Lady Munstone,” he greeted her. “I apologize, I did not quite hear what you said.”
The woman shook her head sadly. “Poor Curtis,” she said. “I heard what happened. Everyone has heard. You have our sympathy.”
Curtis had no idea what she was talking about, and neither did anyone else. Irritated that Larue had interrupted his conversation with his wife, Curtis gestured to Elle.
“I do not believe you have met Lady Leominster,” he said. “This is my wife. Elle, this is Larue, Lady Munstone. Her husband is an ally.”
Larue turned to look at Elle, weaving unsteadily as she did so. She was appearing more drunk by the moment. She looked Elle over, from head to toe, and returned her focus to Curtis.
“Dance with me,” she said. “I have come all the way to Brython, and I want you to dance with me.”
Curtis wasn’t pleased that she had been rude to Elle. “Greet my wife, Lady Munstone,” he said, his voice low. “It would be the polite thing to do.”
Larue rubbed one eye, nearly throwing herself off balance as she did so, before looking to Elle. “LadyLeominster,” she said in a catty display before returning her attention to Curtis. “We’ve all heard how this marriage came about, and you have our sympathy. Mayhap your wife should know that our loyalty is to you, Curt. What your father did to you was not fair.”
