“As you wish,” he said, leading her along the edge of the ballroom. Though the crowd was thick, their movement allowed a degree of privacy.
“Is—” began Miss Leigh at the same time Malcolm said, “Why—”
He sent her an apologetic smile and nodded for her to continue.
“Is Molly still planning on attending?” asked Miss Leigh, her gaze darting between the path ahead and Malcolm. “She assured me she was, but I haven’t spied her yet.”
“I expect them to arrive any moment with excuses about how long it took to ready themselves,” said Malcolm.
Miss Leigh gave a half-quirked smile. “I hadn’t thought Molly was the sort to spend hours at her vanity.”
“It is her husband who is the culprit. He’s a notorious peacock and cannot leave the house unless his cravat is perfect. She claims a hand in the tardiness to spare his pride although the blame lies solely on his shoulders.”
A quiet chuckle was all the response he received, and as they walked along, Malcolm longed to offer his arm to her. Such a thing was gentlemanly, after all. But the ground was not uneven, and navigating the ballroom hardly required assistance. They weren’t courting or engaged or anything of the like that would warrant the closeness. Perhaps it wouldn’t be remarked upon, but with so many rumors swirling about them, it was best not to create fodder.
“And what were you going to say, Mr. Tate?”
He raised his brows, and it took a moment for him to recall the interrupted thought. “Oh, I had wanted to ask you why you seemed so surprised that I asked for a dance. I didn’t wish to question you about it in front of an audience, but I was quite confused. I believe I made my intentions clear to you the last time we spoke.”
Miss Leigh slanted a glance in his direction. “Yes, but that was a fortnight ago. I haven’t heard a word from you since. I thought you might’ve reconsidered your feelings.”
Malcolm raised his brows and waggled them. “And did absence make the heart grow fonder?”
The lady huffed and scowled, though there was too much amusement in the quirk of her lips for her irritation to be believed.
“But the truth is I had some business to settle before I felt…” Malcolm searched for the proper word. Worthy kept coming to mind, but that seemed too grand a thing to admit. But as it was appropriate, he decided not to question it. “I needed to sort out some things in my life before I felt worthy to approach you again. You gave me much to think about after our last conversation.”
“When I scolded you?”
Though her tone was teasing, Malcolm nodded. “And rightfully so.”
Miss Leigh stopped in place, her brows pulling low as she turned to stare at him. “Pardon?”
“I’ve done much thinking since we last spoke, and I know now that I have much to atone for.” He drew in a deep breath, sorting through the words, but they slipped from his grasp, making it difficult to form that which he ought to say. “I’ve been considering my behavior, and though I didn’t intend harm or wickedness in it, I cannot claim my actions were what they ought to have been.”
His heart picked up a pace, beating rapidly against his ribs as he considered once more what he was going to say. He needed a drink; his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth, and when he swallowed, his throat tightened. But this needed to happen, and he would not abandon his course now.
“I wish to apologize, Miss Leigh.”
*
The world halted in place, freezing everything precisely where it was. Of all the things Rosanna had anticipated to hear cross his lips, that was not it. She wasn’t even certain she had heard Mr. Tate correctly. It was so incongruous with the gentleman she’d come to know that for the briefest of moments, she assumed she had heard him wrong.
Then the earth continued its journey through the cosmos, snapping time back into place.
Mr. Tate urged her to move once more, and Rosanna followed the prompting without realizing she was doing so. The gentleman tucked his hands behind him as they walked side by side through the crowds as though it were just any regular conversation and not a significant shift in the world.
“I realize I ought to have spoken to you in a less public setting, but it’s more private here than during a morning call with your mother hovering at your elbow. And I wasn’t certain you would accept an invitation for a drive,” said Mr. Tate, his words coming in a rapid flow. “And as I just said, I have been busy putting things right in my life in many other ways.”
“Pardon?” Rosanna couldn’t think of what else to say.
But Mr. Tate didn’t seem to hear her anyway as his words spilled forth. “I’ve been such a fool, and if not for you and my dear friends, I would still be blind to my behavior. I’ve been pompous, and I am sorry for that. I am disappointed in myself for not having seen it sooner.”
“You are sorry?” The question was silly, for he had just said the very words, but Rosanna couldn’t help but ask it all the same. Her thoughts struggled to grasp his meaning, for surely, this was simply a misunderstanding or miscommunication.
“I’ve been a stubborn fool, and my pride has caused so many problems,” he said with a frown. Then, slanting a glance at her, he winced. “I cannot say I am entirely sorry for the deceit, for I treasure that time we had together away from the prying eyes.”
To punctuate that, Mr. Tate nodded at the passing crowd, and though Rosanna didn’t need to glance at them to know they were the focus of much attention, she did so anyway and found most of the nearby gazes were turned towards them.
