“Stop what?” He bent and kissed her hand formally.
“Looking at me like that. It’s doing terribly bad things to me.”
“Good. Regard it as practice. I will make sure to repeat them in their entirety later.” Reid grinned.
“If you two don’t mind, may I present my half-sister?” Brent’s smile was as wide as the horizon. “She maintains the family tradition of beauty and brains.”
Reid chuckled. “Well, Brent my friend. I have a feeling she started it, since you’re decidedly lacking in the beauty department and when it comes to brains…well…”
“Ahem.” A cough from the next guest reminded Reid of his duty and he nodded as he passed Brent and Prudence on toward his father and mother.
“Save me a dance,” he called after her.
“Of course.” She waved her fan as she departed.
Reid continued his portion of the receiving process, but managed to keep an eye on his love, noting how warmly Pru was received by his mother and father. They were doing the family proud tonight, but always had a moment to be kind and friendly, no matter how formal the occasion.
He and Pru would be like that to their family too. He refused to think otherwise.
“Dear Reid. How lovely it looks here at Chillendale. I’m convinced that I would never be able to produce such a pretty scene at Southwick, even though our ballroom has such magnificent dimensions.”
Thus reminded of how insignificant he was, Reid bowed and smiled at Lady Southwick. “Welcome, my Lady. Lord Southwick.”
Brent reappeared all of a sudden and swept up behind the Southwicks, seizing Emmeline’s arm and linking it through his. “There. That’s where you belong, my sweet.”
Emmeline gave him a look that Reid could only describe as worshipful.
“Hallo Emmeline. Welcome to the Mistletoe Ball. I see your escort is ready to dance you off your feet this evening.” Reid smiled at them both.
“I do hope so,” replied Emmeline. “We haven’t danced together yet. So many wonderful experiences lie ahead.” She smiled at Reid, then looked back at Brent.
“I can’t wait,” he said, looking down at her with much the same expression in his gaze.
“Well then. Perhaps you should find the ballroom, Brent. It’s still where it always was. And a few more people would like to do the same thing, but they’re standing behind you.”
“Ah, yes. Sorry.” Brent smiled over his shoulder. “I just got engaged to this beautiful woman. You’ll have to forgive my behavior.”
A small cheer and a round of applause sounded in response to his words, and Emmeline blushed and curtseyed. It was quite adorable and driving Reid mad, since he wanted nothing more than to find Prudence and get out of the public spotlight.
It was another ten minutes before he could shake free of his duties and head to the ballroom himself.
When he did, it was to find his quarry enjoying a country dance with a local farmer, who looked in awe of his partner, but managed to remember the steps quite well. As it ended, Reid worked his way around the dance floor to meet her. She curtseyed and smiled at her partner, who blushed and bowed—if not gracefully, at least enthusiastically.
Reid made sure he was there when she turned. “Hullo. I hope you’re not booked for the next dance?”
She shook her head. “No, I thought perhaps you might be free for this one so I kept it empty.”
“That’s my girl.” He led her to a quieter spot. “I’ve missed you so much this last week. Have you been well entertained?”
“Indeed yes.” She told him some of her experiences with Brent and Emmeline. “But there was something missing. You.”
“And now you have a name for your father,” said Reid, wanting to touch her so much, but knowing he could not— this was not the moment.
“I do. And a half-brother,” she answered with an odd look on her face. “How strange that sounds. I thought I had a cousin, and now it turns out we’re much more closely related. Isn’t the world strange, Reid? So many odd twists to our lives, ones we could never have anticipated.”
“I wish…”
“Sshh.” She slipped her arm through his. “I wish that too. But for tonight, I will not let the future and its problems intrude on our party.”
