But Ezra chuckled. "I thought, after the number of times I stood on your toes, I should probably put in a little practice. Just remind myself of the steps before being faced with a room of beautiful women and the music swelling in my ears."
He’s calling you beautiful, a voice said in her head, but at the same time another pointed out, he’s calling all the women beautiful, not just you.
"Did you enjoy the ball?" he asked.
"Yes, very much, until—" She stopped herself.
"Until what?"
"Until I fell ill," she finished hurriedly. "But yes, before that, I was having a wonderful time." Had she ever said that before? About a ball? Certainly not in London. She only went to balls because she was told to, because it was what was expected.And yet now she had found herself going because she wanted to. It was certainly a rather strange sensation.
"Well then, it is a shame you had to miss the end of it. But there will be others, I am sure."
Constance nodded. "Yes, I am sure there will be."
???
Ezra didn’t know the truth, but he felt as though she were lying about being ill. But if that were the case, he did not understand why she had left. She said herself she’d been having a good time. And she had promised him another dance. Still, at least it did not seem like he had offended her, for she was perfectly amiable today. What luck to run into her on one of his long walks around the coastline. It almost felt like fate…if he believed in such a thing.
"You should come to tea," he found himself blurting out, keen to find a way to see her again, without the pressure of waiting for another ball or social gathering that they might both happen to be attending. "Would you come to tea," he said, slightly more composed, "on Friday? My mother would love to get to know you better, I’m sure." He was not sure of anything of the sort, but it seemed more appropriate for his mother to be there. And if he had offended her in some way, he wanted to make it clear he could stick to the rules of propriety.
"Oh," Constance said, looking a little surprised. Well, he supposed he had rather startled her out of the blue. "If you’re sure it won’t be an inconvenience…"
He shook his head. "Not at all. We’d be delighted to have you. And you can see the castle again," he said with a grin.
She smiled at him, thankfully seeming to find his little joke funny. "Well then. In that case, it would be lovely, thank you." She glanced up at the sky where the sun was beginningto drop lower, and then back at him. "If I’m to be home before nightfall, I think I should leave soon, I’m afraid."
He nodded, because although he was disappointed she had to leave, he wanted her to be safe. And darkness did fall quickly, even at this point in the spring, once the sun began to set.
"Of course. And I should be on my way – it takes me a while to get home on foot."
"Do you need a ride?" Constance asked, glancing at her horse.
As tempting as that proposition was, Ezra thought it best to leave things as they were. He did not want to offend or upset her, especially given that he did not know what had gone wrong the last time they had seen one another.
"Thank you, but no. I’m happy to walk. But I’ll see you Friday, yes?"
She gave him a brilliant smile that made his heart feel as though it might burst. "Definitely," she said, and he walked away a far happier man than he had been when he had first approached Dunburgh Castle.
Chapter Fifteen
"The Earl of Gracewood has invited me to tea," Constance told her grandmother that evening. "On Friday – with his mother."
She knew the reaction this would elicit, but she could hardly keep her outing a secret. And she didn’t want to. No matter the niggling worries in the back of her mind that the Earl had no interest in her because she was too plain, she still wanted to spend time with him. And he obviously did with her too, for he had been the one to invite her to tea, after all. If he hadn’t wanted to see her, he need never have asked.
"Well, well, well. He wants to introduce you to his mother, does he?" her grandmother said, raising her eyebrows.
"Well, I have already met his mother," Constance reminded her. And she didn’t seem to like me very much, she added to herself.
"Yes, yes, but this is intentional. This means something, Constance. You cannot ignore it."
Constance sighed. "There is absolutely no reason he would choose me when there are so many other beautiful women he could court, Grandmamma. We get along well, I’ll admit, but that’s it. You mustn’t get your hopes up."
"I think it is your hopes that have been raised, my dear," Grandmamma said, setting her teacup down on the table before her. "And with good reason. But what do you mean about allthese other beautiful women? You are a beautiful woman – and intelligent, and well-bred, and accomplished. There is no reason an earl would not wish to choose you as his wife."
Hearing the words from her grandmother’s sensible lips almost made her believe it. Almost – but then she remembered the words of the ladies at the ball, who knew about such things, and his reaction to her when she had been dressed plainly. She told herself to control her emotions.
"I just don’t want you to be disappointed, Grandmamma," she said. Any more disappointed than I already am myself, she added silently.
