“And I hope to be able to dance with you as often as I like,” Ella said, her eyes twinkling.
Dietrich’s heart broke a little more. She couldn’t know that she was to marry another young lord—not if she was saying these things. But how could he tell her and break her heart? She deserved for her heart to be whole as long as possible, and he didn’t have it in him to be the one to break it—at least not yet.
He was saved from having to answer by someone tapping on his shoulder, and he turned to see the young lord.
“May I cut in?” the young lord asked, and Ella’s smile faltered as she turned to him. She looked back at Dietrich, her eyes wide, begging him to say no, but he could not.
He took a step back, nodding to the young lord and bowing to Ella, with his heart in his throat. He turned and nearly ran off the dance floor, bursting through the servant’s door and tearing the mask from his face.
She was not his. She never had been, and he was a fool if he allowed himself to think that he could be hers. Duchesses did not marry stable boys.
Chapter twenty-six
Ella
There was a pit in Ella’s stomach as she accepted Percival’s hand and allowed him to spin her into the remainder of the waltz.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
He lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “It seemed as if he was overly familiar with you,” he said, “and I thought that perhaps you didn’t want that. I know you have not had long to adjust to being a lady, and I thought perhaps you didn’t know how to tell him to back away. I apologize if I misread the situation.”
Ella sighed. “I’m afraid you did,” she said quietly. “I am very sorry, Percival, but I think I must break our betrothal, for my heart belongs to another.”
His eyes widened, and he let go of her for a moment, covering his mistake by twirling her around and pulling her back into his arms.
“I hope this will not upset you,” she said quietly. “I had hoped to tell you before the ball, but my father insisted that this was best.”
“I am glad to hear that you have found someone who makes you happy,” Percival said. “And I shall continue my quest to find a lady whose heart can be mine and not someone who is already taken.” The words were stiff, but he offered her a smile.
It was difficult to tell if he was upset or not…but she wasn’t inclined to probe.
The dance came to an end, and Ella sank into a deep curtsy to show her respect for him. He bowed just as low, and she smiled up at him as he offered his arm to escort her off the dance floor to her father.
“May we speak for a moment?” Percival said, and her father quickly ushered them from the room.
As they stood in the hallway, Percival looked down at her with a brief smile. “My lord, your daughter and I have agreed to break our betrothal,” he said. “I hope this is agreeable to you, as we have not known each other the way it was intended. I’m hopeful that we will continue to enjoy a friendship with you and your family despite the lack of a marriage. I wish you both every happiness,” Percival said, before releasing Ella’s arm and returning to the ball.
Ella looked up at her father, who had a slight smile on his lips.
“Did you know this would happen?” Ella asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
“I’m not surprised,” he admitted as he offered his arm and she took it, clinging to him for a moment of stability. After all the questioning of the past few days, was dissolving her betrothal going to be so simple as this? It seemed unlikely, but she was grateful for the fact that it had not been more difficult.
“And now I suppose you’ll want to go find someone in the ballroom?” her father asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
She widened her eyes at him, and he laughed. “If you think I haven’t noticed that your heart is taken by someone else, then I’m not sure how you think I’ve managed to be a good duke for this long,” he said. “You have my blessing to be with the one you love. If there is anyone who knows what it is like to lose someone you love, it is me, and I am so very thankful that you will have the opportunity to be with the one your heart desires. Shall we go find him?”
Ella smiled widely as they reentered the ballroom, her heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.
This was everything she had hoped for.
But as she entered the ballroom, her gaze scanning the crowd for a dark green coat, she couldn’t find it anywhere.
There were plenty of blues and different shades of green, but none that matched the one she wished for.
Where had he gone?
But she didn’t have to think long.
