For now, however, he had to collect his mother from Huntley House, a task he rather looked forward to since seeing Lady Amelia and Lady Juliette would undoubtedly offer a welcome distraction from his other affairs.
It wasn’t until he arrived at Huntley House and followed Pierson into the ballroom that he realized just how much of a distraction they would actually prove to be. Because there they were, moving about as if trying to dance a minuet while his mother clapped a beat that echoed through the silence. She looked his way the moment he entered, and the clapping immediately ceased.
“Oh good,” she said, coming toward him. “You are finally here.”
His arm was suddenly linked with hers as she drew him toward Huntley’s sisters. Both looked apprehensive. To one side, he registered a hint of amusement about Lady Everly’s face while she watched whatever this was that was happening.
“Perhaps you can help?” his mother added. “It appears the dance instructor Lady Amelia and Lady Juliette have been using has focused most of his energy on teaching their brother. There are steps that must be mastered before the ball on Friday. If you can lead, it will be easier for the young ladies to learn.”
Thomas noted Lady Juliette’s shy appreciation but not without spotting the dread that widened Lady Amelia’s eyes. For a fleeting second, she looked terrified, which was slightly odd since he wouldn’t have thought her to be so self-conscious that letting him witness any possible missteps would cause her concern. They were friends after all and had danced together before without incident. But perhaps she was still embarrassed about her faux pas in the garden and worried about him witnessing another. Sympathizing, he held his hand toward Lady Juliette, allowing Lady Amelia a little more time to adjust to the idea of dancing together.
“I would be delighted,” he said with a smile.
“Excellent.” His mother turned toward Lady Amelia. “Perhaps you would like to rest your feet for a while?”
Lady Amelia dipped her head. “Of course.”
Thomas watched her join Lady Everly in a corner of the room, his eyes lingering on the back of her exposed neck for a second before focusing his attention on his dance partner. “Shall we?”
Lady Juliette proved to be surprisingly light on her feet, only faltering twice during the course of five dances.
“You see,” his mother said as she applauded Lady Juliette’s efforts. “I knew you would do better with a partner.” She turned toward Lady Amelia and gestured with her hand. “Come, my dear. It is your turn now.”
Thomas didn’t miss the sharp look in Lady Amelia’s eyes as she rose from the chair on which she’d been sitting. There was a definite alertness to her that set her apart from anyone else he’d ever known, and when she made her approach, she did not move with the fluidity inherent to Society ladies, but with a crispness uniquely her own. Perhaps it came from her fifteen years in St. Giles amid cutthroats and thieves, her instinct to stay on guard so innate she could not shed it, not even for a dance.
Not that he minded.
On the contrary, he found her to be extremely refreshing—a view that reflected his opinion of Huntley and Lady Juliette, as well.
But with Lady Amelia, there was something else. If he thought about it, he supposed it boiled down to a massive amount of respect. Because knowing her past, the struggle she’d been through and how she’d embraced the role fate had forced her way at the young age of seven, was something he had to admire. According to Huntley, she’d scavenged for food, kept their home neat and clean, cooked to the best of her ability and nursed her siblings through various ailments. She’d stepped into a role their mother had abandoned, an endeavor that must have taken tremendous resourcefulness and courage. Which was probably why it bothered him to see the uncertainty with which she now stood before him, no doubt worrying over her dance moves.
Because if everything Huntley had told him about her was true, Thomas imagined Lady Amelia to have not only nerves of steel, but a spine built on years of defiance, even if he had yet to catch a glimpse of either.
“My lady,” he said, offering her his hand. She glanced down, took a deep breath as if in need of fortification before placing her palm in his. “You need not be nervous. Nobody here is going to judge you. We are your friends, and as such, it is our duty to help you succeed. I hope you realize that.”
Her face turned more fully toward him, allowing him to see the firm set of her jaw. She pressed her lips together, but her eyes betrayed whatever determinedness she was trying so hard to convey. The varying shades of green and brown swirled together in a hazel mixture of distress so acute he felt his heart squeeze with compassion.
But rather than dwell on her riotous emotions, she jerked her chin with a definitive nod. “Thank you.”
Confounded by her staunch ability to overcome whatever obstacle lay in her path for the sake of doing what had to be done, Thomas led her in a cotillion while his mother clapped the beat once again. The reel followed, then a country dance and the minuet, which had to be repeated three times since Lady Amelia continued to falter. But rather than show any sign of defeat, her posture grew increasingly rigid until making further mistakes became almost inevitable.
“You must try to relax,” he told her gently while he guided her forward.
She was silent for a moment as they made a few complicated steps, before quietly saying, “It is difficult to do so when I have to concentrate on my every move.” As if to accentuate the point, she made a mistake, prompting her to mutter something Thomas chose to pretend he hadn’t heard.
“What you need is—”
“Shh!”
He blinked. “Did you just shush me?”
“I need to focus,” she said without any effort to hide her irritation.
Choosing to accommodate her wishes, Thomas kept quiet for the remainder of the dance, which he had to concede was concluded without further issue.
“And now for the waltz,” his mother said from her position next to the dance floor.
Attempting it with Lady Juliette had been a delight since she’d practically floated across the floor with effortless grace. Studying Lady Amelia, who appeared to have grown increasingly stiff during the last five minutes, he wondered how they would even manage to make a full turn without him looking as though he was dragging her across the floor. Somehow, she would have to loosen her posture a little.
