“No, I am quite capable of fetching a glass of water on my own,” she smiled, leaving both men to wonder whether she truly left out of thirst or if there was another reason.
“Why, she is even more beautiful up close,” Percival gawked in the direction where she just left, when his friend patted him playfully on the shoulder. “Where have you been hiding this gem, Haddington?”
All Alexander could do was smile awkwardly, wondering the same thing himself. After a short prolongation of their conversation which Alexander managed to steer in the direction other than Marjorie, he excused himself and went away, in hopes of finding Marjorie. As luck would have it, he found her seated at a table alone, indulging only a glass of clear liquid, which could only be water.
“You know, they have other drinks as well,” he suggested. “Perhaps some parsnip wine.”
“I am quite satisfied with plain water, thank you,” she replied with no sentiment.
Not hearing any refusal in her voice, he decided to take a seat at the same table. He glanced at the dancing couples, but the only person he wanted to gaze at was right in front of him.
“Why are you not dancing?” she inquired politely. Whether or not she truly wished to hear the reason, he still appreciated the question, even if it were said out of sheer courtesy.
“You are the second person to ask me that since we’ve arrived,” he grinned.
“You either do not fancy the music or the partner,” she said. “Which one is it?”
“Quadrille is not my favorite music to dance to,” he admitted. “But perhaps I would endure it for the right partner.”
“Well, fortunately, the room certainly is not bereft of potential partners,” she chuckled. “I bet that any lady here would consider herself fortunate to be asked by you.”
He swallowed heavily, wondering if she would be as well. His fingers started to drum against the polished surface of the table that separated them. He had no idea what he was doing. His ears began to ring, and the sound of the music came from far away, sounding hollow. He blinked heavily, and immediately. Concern was etched on her beautiful face.
“Are you all right?” she inquired, instinctively leaning over to him.
“Yes, fine,” he nodded. “I think I might have overworked myself today. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t be able to handle.”
“Would you like us to return?”
“No, no,” he assured her. “We have just arrived. The night is still young. There are still many dances to be had. Perhaps, you would like to– ”
“There you are!” Someone’s loud voice interrupted his question. He did not even need to look in the direction where the voice was coming from to know that was Percival. “I was beginning to fear you wished to avoid the dance you promised me.”
“Certainly not,” she said. “I am merely taking a break, as you can see.”
“Perhaps I can tempt you to reconsider that break?”
Percival offered her his hand. It lingered in the air only for a moment, giving Alexander false hope that she might come up with an excuse to sit this dance out. But she accepted it instead. His chest burned with the birth of something he believed he would never feel before. The green-eyed monster had awakened inside of him again, and this time, it was for a woman. Before, while he was a child, it was jealousy for his father’s affection and attention which he was bestowing on the orphan he had brought home. Now, that same orphan was the object of his jealousy.It was madness, pure madness, to feel this way.Yet, as he watched Marjorie being taken away by Percival, all he could think about was the fact that it could have been him. I should have been him.
It was merely confusion. Nothing else. Perhaps infatuation. Those things tended to have short-term longevity. What he should be focusing on was sorting out the issue of the estate. As he had already considered, Percival’s interest in Marjorie might come in very handy. In fact, it could prove to be exactly what they all need right now.
He lifted his gaze and noticed Lady Susannah Thornton shyly glancing in his direction. That was enough of an invitation. And she would be enough of a distraction as well.
Chapter 7
Marjorie had no idea who the lady dancing with Alexander was. She had never seen her before, so she was not inclined to feel one way or another about her. That would be under usual circumstances. Only now, the circumstances were anything but usual. And the woman in Alexander’s arms seemed to be melting there. Strangely, Marjorie disliked her. She was aggravated at the way she looked at Alexander, at the way she giggled when he would appear to tell her something. But most of all, Marjorie was aggravated with herself for feeling so strongly about the woman she had never seen before.
It took all her conscious effort to focus her attention to the man she herself was dancing with. Percival Allen was a handsome man by any account. His blonde hair was slightly longer than the customs of the time dictated. His eyes were of a strikingly blue shade which, she was certain, made many a lady blush. Now, he was trying out that charming smile on her as well, but all she seemed to do was avert her gaze nervously.
“Is there something else that is stealing your attention away from me, Marjorie?” he asked, sounding more amused than displeased. “I apologize, is it all right for me to call you Marjorie?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“After all, we have known each other for a long time.” He swirled her, then she returned to face him once again.
“We have met several times, but I would not say that we have been close for a long time,” she corrected him, unwilling to allow familiarity which was not due yet.
“Then, perhaps you shall allow me to rectify that omission,” he asked, sounding hopeful.
