She answered, glad her voice did not waver. “That’s all right, George. I’m happy to be nice.” She raised her head. “We can’t all be Alice.” She nodded at her friend across the room who was laughing and throwing her head back, surrounded by four young lords.
“Thank God you’re not Alice.” His voice was a growl.
The musicians took their seats again. The Master of Ceremonies announced the next dance. Alice gave her glass to one of the lords and took the arm of another one and proudly went out into the middle of the floor for the dance.
George did not move. Neither did she. But George might move away at any moment and she would be alone, without him.
“Shall we play?” she asked.
“Play?”
“Chess. Without pieces. Blindfold chess with no blindfolds.”
An almost-smile came to his lips and he stepped a bit closer to her. “It’s your turn to be White, Phee.”
“Yes. I’ll take my King’s Pawn out two squares.”
“I’ll do the same.”
“King’s Knight to Bishop, third square out.”
“Queen’s Pawn one square.”
It was just like their usual Monday nights in town except they were in a ballroom instead of his study. And she was in silk instead of muslin. She had to remind him of the location of the pieces several times, but he won the game after forty-four moves.
“Congratulations, George.”
Another dance was announced.
“Where’s your partner for this dance, Phee? Who is he?”
“He’s Sir Figment.” George looked at her blankly. She went on with a giggle, “Of my imagination.”
“Well, I can’t have that. You must dance. Here.” He took her glass of ratafia and turned away from her, putting it down somewhere. He offered his arm. “It would be my honor.”
She nodded and took his arm and let him lead her to the center of the ballroom.
It was a waltz. She had danced with him before, of course. Just this last Christmas, for example, when the Danforths had come for Christmas dinner at the Abingdon estate. It had just been the two families, so she and Alice had been allowed to dance, despite not yet being out.
But she had never been in his arms.
But, see here. She had waltzed with her younger brother Daniel dozens of times. This was no different. George’s hand on her waist was just like Daniel’s. Perhaps a trifle warmer, a trifle tighter of a grip. But really no different.
She smiled up at George. She laughed when they nearly collided with another couple. She thanked him with her whole heart at the end of the dance.
And he was very good about playing blindfold chess with her when she had no partners the rest of the Season. And very conscientious about dancing one dance with her at every ball. Of course, he asked her to dance. He knew her. He was her neighbor. Her oldest friend. Her friend’s brother. Of course, he danced with her. He complimented her gowns, her waltzing. Normally so serious, he teased her when her locks tumbled down during a reel. He even bought her a little tin of hairpins as a joke, for her to carry in her reticule. “Against future hair catastrophes,” he said. The original pins long since lost on the floors of ballrooms across London, she still kept the empty tin on her dressing table where she could see it every day. As evidence George had a sense of humor.
And then her first Season was over with no offers of marriage made to her, and both families went back to the country. The low-cut silk ball gowns were packed away. The high-necked woolen dresses came out. The chess games in the study of his town house on Monday nights moved to his study in the Danforth country house on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Naturally, he offered to come to her father’s manor instead.
“Nonsense, you’re so much busier than I am, George. You shouldn’t waste your time in riding over. And I like the walk.”
“You could ride, Phee.”
“I suppose I’ll take the carriage when the weather is foul, but I don’t really ride anymore. I can’t seem to manage sidesaddle.”
She had reminded him she was not a little girl anymore and could not wear an old pair of his breeches and ride astride. But she did not like to remind him of his promise to her. It was too much like asking him herself. She knew he didn’t want that.
“Yes,” he said. “Thank you for being so considerate of my time. I hope you’ll keep that in mind and not be late for chess.”
