“Again,” Lavinia said, hiding her smile. “This time, imagine you are floating across the floor, rather than marching to the gallows. Light and effortless, if you please.”
Sophia took a breath, squared her shoulders, and repeated the steps. This time, she reached the pivot, and instead of stopping dead, she swayed, lost her balance, and pitched gently into Lavinia’s waiting arms.
“I am hopeless,” Sophia moaned with her hands flapping. “No one has ever been as hopeless as I am.”
“On the contrary, Lady Sophia, there is a surfeit of hopelessness in the world, and you are a mere novice at it. Now, let us try the waltz again, only this time, try to avoid giving yourself a headache.” Lavinia set her gently upright, smoothed her hair, and arranged their hands again, one on Sophia’s slender shoulder, the other grasped loosely in her own.
“You may laugh,” Sophia muttered, eyes still glued to her feet. “But no one else in the world could possibly care if I learn this or not.”
“That is where you are incorrect,” Lavinia replied, guiding Sophia through the turn again. “Because in a fortnight, you are to attend the Rowsons’ assembly, and unless you wish to spend the evening lurking in the conservatory with a plate of biscuits, you must at least master the fundamentals of movement.”
Sophia stopped so abruptly that Lavinia nearly tripped over her. “The Rowsons’ assembly?”
“Indeed. It is to be a most splendid affair. I am told they have hired not one but two musicians. You must be prepared for anything. The children, Clara and Henry, will perform along with other children. Then, girls your age shall dance as well.”
Sophia gaped. “Will Father be there?”
“Not unless he is taken with a sudden passion for music and bonbons,” Lavinia said. “But I suspect he will wish to know that you have conducted yourself with grace and competence.”
Lavinia had received the invitation from Nancy on Sophia’s behalf, but she had yet to tell Tristan. Sophia pressed her lips together, painting the picture of determined suffering. “If he finds out I made a spectacle?—”
“He will be delighted,” Lavinia said. “Spectacle is the natural order of such events. But if you wish to avoid scandal, then we had best continue.”
They moved through the steps again and again. With each repetition, Sophia loosened. Her footwork, once as ungainly as a plow horse, found a rhythm. The edges of her mouth, once carved with dread, began to soften.
“There now,” Lavinia said as they finished a turn, “did you die?”
Sophia blinked, startled. Then, from somewhere deep and seldom visited, a laugh erupted. It was thin at first, then full-bodied, the sound of a girl suddenly remembering what it was to be happy.
Lavinia laughed too, and they wobbled together, clutching each other in delight.
It was at this moment that Lavinia sensed, rather than saw, the presence in the doorway. She looked up to find the Dukestanding there, one hand braced against the jamb, his eyes narrowed in a way that suggested he had been watching for some time.
Sophia’s laughter died at once. She straightened, her hands flying to smooth her hair, her eyes wide.
“Father,” she said.
“Sophia,” he replied, advancing into the room. “I see you are attempting to injure Lady Lavinia.”
“No,” Sophia protested. “She is teaching me to dance. For the Rowsons’ assembly.”
“I should hope so,” he said, “for if that was a duel, you are woefully outmatched.”
Lavinia released Sophia’s hand and curtsied. “Your Grace. We were practicing the waltz. I fear I may have misjudged the degree of peril involved.”
His mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “Is it your custom to train your pupils through trial by combat?”
“Only when the situation calls for drastic measures,” Lavinia replied, matching his dryness. “Some young ladies are particularly resistant to the idea of enjoyment.”
“What is this about the Rowson assembly?” he asked Lavinia.
“Her Grace, the Duchess of Scarfield, is hosting an assembly for children and youth, and she invited Lady Sophia.”
“May I attend, Father?” Sophia nearly bounced on the balls of her feet. “Please?”
“If you learn to dance properly. Perhaps you would benefit from a change in partner,” Tristan said, moving forward.
Sophia froze. “You?”
