“If they have made it into the gardens with their port and cigars, I shall have no hope whatsoever,” she grumbled to herself as she steadfastly searched the rooms of the first floor, listening out for the sounds of merry men.
She had just paused outside the door to Dominic’s study, realizing she could not just open the door and poke her head into that particular room, when the door suddenly opened with a jarring squeal of hinges.
Jumping backward, her hand flew to her chest as the very man she was looking for came to an abrupt halt on the threshold. His beautiful eyes narrowed at the sight of her, his body defensively blocking her view of his study, as if her very presence was a threat to the private domain beyond.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his gaze darting down the hallway. “Should you not be with my daughter?”
Frances took a breath. “It is because of her that I am here. Well, rather, that I was looking for you.” She gestured in the vague direction of the music room. “We have been dancing, Your Grace, and I thought, perhaps, that you might join us?”
“You have allowed Harriet to dance with my guests?” Dominic’s mouth set into a grim line.
“What? No. Certainly not!” Frances swallowed uncomfortably. “Wehave been dancing. Me and Harriet. It seems to be a vulnerability of hers, a skill in which she is not at all confident, but she is not nearly as bad as she thinks. That being said, I think you could be of tremendous help.”
“Me?” The hard glint in his eyes yielded to a softer gleam of confusion.
Frances nodded. “Without your tailcoat, I cannot play the part of a gentleman.”
She chanced a grin, vainly hoping to recapture some of the good humor she had seen from him in the rose gardens. It was in there somewhere; she just had to coax it out as she had done before.
“I do not dance,” he muttered. “If you will excuse me, I must find Hugo and the others before they cause any trouble.”
She did not mean to, not consciously, but Frances found herself stepping out in front of Dominic as he tried to proceed. He frowned in surprise, though no one could have been more surprised than Frances.
What are you doing? You will be booted out for this, surely!
“You are a duke, presumably from a lengthy line of dukes,” she said, hoping she sounded bolder than she felt. “Of course, you know how to dance. It would be quite absurd if you did not.”
He made no attempt to widen the gap between them, though her risky move had brought them very close indeed. Closer than any pair of dancers at a ball would ever have any need to be.
“I said I do not dance, not Icannotdance,” he replied.
“She needs you, Your Grace,” Frances urged, her heart racing, her throat feeling as if she were wearing a too-tight collar. “It willimprove that wavering confidence if you were to help teach her, and I know she would like to have her father involved.”
Dominic’s brow furrowed. “Youare the tutor, not me.”
“Yes, but I cannot pretend to be a man in a dance and be certain that she will not panic at her first ball, when her partner is not a woman and everything is different,” Frances insisted, her neck beginning to ache as she stared up at him. “Please, Your Grace. Just a dance or two, and then you can hunt down your cousin and the others.”
He looked over the top of her head to the hallway behind her, a sigh straining the buttons of his tailcoat. “She will not have her first dance at her first ball with her father, either.”
Frustration prickled up the back of her neck, for she could not understand his reluctance. Surely, a father wanted what was best for his daughter? Surely, a father wanted his daughter to succeed? Then again, he had made it clear he did not think much of society in general.
“Do not tell me that the aversion is inherited?” she puffed out.
“Aversion?”
“To dancing. I have had to coax Harriet into it like a scared puppy when, really, she should already have a repertoire of dances.” Frances’ tone hardened into a voice she used when her sisters were being particularly stubborn. “Young ladies begin tolearn at twelve. Yes, she is not a complete novice, but she should know more than she does.”
Dominic squared his shoulders, his expression almost indifferent. “It was not important. She favors her music, so that is what she dedicated her time to.”
“Well, now, her desire is to debut well,” Frances reminded him. “Be there for her. Show her that itisimportant to you, even if you do not feel it. Even if you despise theton, just pretend you do not until she has made her grand entrance.”
For an anxious few minutes, they stood there in silence, neither of them budging. The longer it went on, the more aware Frances became of their closeness, of the fresh, woody scent of him, of how he ought to have a tailor alter his tailcoat. It would not be long before the buttons down the front surrendered to the broad muscle of his chest and popped.
He must not wear this one often.The burgundy color became him well, with a collar of black velvet.Why would he, when he is always here, and does not go anywhere or host anything?
She could not imagine such a solitary existence, though shewasbecoming more accustomed to the peace and quiet of Alderwick at night. Enjoying it, even.
“Please, Your Grace,” she said quietly. “For her.”
