As they walked to the ladies room, Reese wondered why he had thought it necessary to practice a role on her two years ago.
***
Later, at the ball, Jem still couldn’t get over how hot Reese looked in that gown. Too bad it didn’t show off her tiny waist.
Never in all the years they’d been friends had she put up such a wall between them, almost like she was afraid of him. He wanted to think it had something to do with the boyfriend she’d broken up with a few months ago, but Jem’s gut told him thathewas the problem. If she didn’t let him in, how was he ever to make it right between them?
He took a deep breath and went in search of another dance partner. His sister’s roommate Cora had danced every dance so far. He looked for Kaitlyn, but she already had a partner too. Jem decided to ask a stranger, an attractive woman who looked to be about thirty.
“Do you perhaps have an opening on your dance card for this dance?” he asked with a bow.
“Why, yes, I do,” She curtsied and held out the paper for him to sign. “Jem Taylor? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Catherine Ryan.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Jem guided her to the dance floor, and they took their positions for the set.
“I notice from your accent that you are American,” she said.
“Let me fix that.” Jem gave a soft cough to clear his throat and shifted to an English accent. “Yes. I’m here with my sister and some friends.” The music started, and they began the country dance. He recognized it from one of thePride and Prejudicemovies. Kaitlyn must be thrilled.
“Very nice,” Catherine said. “Have you been practicing the accent long?”
“Well, I’m an actor by profession, so in a sense, yes. But—” Jem broke off to pay attention to his steps which he had almost done wrong. “That was close. Sorry.”
“Excellent recovery, though.” She gave a soft laugh. “Did you know that your name is a British version of James?”
“Yes, though my name is actually Jamison,” he said. “Are you one of the immersion guests?”
“Oh, no. I’m a neighbor, but I love Aunt Nellie’s monthly balls. They’re almost magical.” Catherine smiled, her expression hinting that she knew something he didn’t and it amused her.
He was about to ask her about it, but the music ended, and he bowed. “Thank you, Miss . . . Mrs. Ryan?”
“I am Miss again, I suppose. Thank you, Mr. Taylor.” Catherine curtsied. “Perhaps we will see each other again tonight.”
Jem escorted her back to where he had introduced himself. He scanned the room for Reese. She stood alone on the opposite wall. He made his way over to her and greeted her with a bow. She curtsied back.
“You’re getting the hang of that.” He shifted to his English accent. “My lady, do you not have a partner for the set?”
“It’s already started,” she said with a pleading expression. “I have a hard enough time keeping in step at the beginning. I don’t want to make a total fool of myself.”
“Then perhaps you would like to take a walk. It’s a lovely evening.” Jem held out his arm, and she hesitated again. When had Reese Hamilton, champion of the underdog, defender of the defenseless, turned into such a scared rabbit? He arched his brow in challenge.
She made a face but let out a sigh and accepted his arm. He guided her out to a balcony that overlooked the garden. Just like the ballroom, it was decked out for the party, the pathways glittering with sparkling lights. Hardly Regency-appropriate since they were electrical lights, but there were electric lights in the ballroom as well.
“I’m guessing this is your least favorite part of the trip.” He started to lean against the balcony but decided against it rather than risk getting his jacket dirty.
“Figured that out, did you?”
“Why do you dislike it so much?” he asked.
“Because I always feel like a giant around the other ladies. It makes me self-conscious, and when I’m self-conscious, I’m not very coordinated.” She didn’t look at him.
“You’re a lot like Ron Weasley, you know,” he said.
She pinned him with a stare, brows raised, lips pinched. He knew he had managed to hurt her feelings.
“That’s not an insult,” he said quickly. “We devoured those books together, so you should understand my analogy. Remember when he didn’t have the confidence to be the Keeper and kept making mistakes?”
“And he did fine once he had confidence in himself. Yeah. Yeah.” Her shoulders relaxed a little, and he knew she understood his point.
