She looked back at the Sablon heir and smiled, but she kept Velario in the corner of her eye. “Lord Enzi, you must show me the balcony. I have heard that your Family’s home has a magnificent view.”
“It would be my pleasure, Lady Reyn.” Enzi held out his arm.
Reyn had a moment to regret her impulsiveness before she had to accept his arm. She wasn’t sure Lord Velario had paid attention to her for longer than it had taken to glare. He certainly wasn’t paying attention now; he had turned and walked out of the main ballroom.
She let Enzi lead her out to the balcony, but she invited two other gentlemen to join them on the way. The cold air was refreshing after the stuffy ballroom, but the Sablons had also lit several braziers spaced along the balcony at regular intervals. Reyn used the excuse of seeking the warmth of one of the braziers to step away from Enzi’s side. With all three men there, it was a simple matter to flirt and give them each the impression that she favored him. They rushed to sabotage each other so quickly that Reyn rarely had to intercede to ensure that none could press too close or make too bold of an invitation.
Eventually, she worked her way free and reentered the ballroom. Reyn planned to dance until her feet could take no more.
She accepted the first invitation that came her way, much to the gentleman’s obvious delight. After that dance, her mood had improved enough that she didn’t mind Selona pulling her away.
“Get Giorden to ask you for the next dance,” Selona said, steering Reyn towards a small cluster of men and women.
“Where’s Lady Jianna?” Reyn whispered. She wasn’t near Giorden.
“The far side of the room. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she notices. You just have to get Giorden on the dance floor and smiling.”
Reyn wanted to ask what Selona hoped to accomplish. Giorden often spent the evening dancing and smiling. What would be different this time? They were too close to the others to voice such questions aloud, though. So she settled for giving Selona a look, which her friend blithely ignored.
Reyn smiled at Giorden and tried to apply a little of what Khiran had attempted to teach her when she spoke with him. She didn’t know if she actually used her lure, but when the time came to find partners for the next dance, Giorden bowed over her hand and begged her to let him be the lucky man who got to hold her in his arms.
She’d have worried more, for his reaction was exactly the kind of fixation she did not want to encourage, but he said such things to every woman he met. And there was still Selona’s plan to consider.
They made their way to the dance floor, and Reyn spotted Lord Enzi leading Lady Jianna out not too far from them. How had Selona arranged that?
When the next song started, Reyn lost herself in dancing. She was barely aware of her partner; it was the music that Reyn felt, guiding her around the room. Still, she kept herself aware enough of her surroundings to guide Giorden toward Enzi and Jianna. The gentleman might have thought he had the lead, but Reyn had learned early on how to influence the course of a dance. Perhaps this was where her skill at flirting had come from. It was all about subtlety: careful poses that drew the attention, minor shifts that encouraged the correct responses.
When the dance ended though, Reyn abandoned subtlety. Flirting didn’t always have to be delicate.
She giggled, and everyone who heard her laugh turned to face her and Giorden.
Enzi forgot he even had another woman on his arm in his haste to come closer. Reyn made a mental note to practice laughing with Khiran at their next lesson. If fake laughter had such an effect in a ballroom, surely she could recreate the lure in an artificial setting. She mentally sighed—so much for forgetting about her lure for a few days.
Once Enzi and Jianna stood opposite her and Giorden, Reyn stopped giggling. She smiled at the other couple. “Lady Jianna, I love your dress. Who is your modiste?”
“Madame Penfleur.”
Mention of shopping did the trick to clear the dazed expressions on both men’s faces. Now Reyn simply had to let Enzi sweep her away, leaving Giorden behind to console the abandoned Lady Jianna. Not that Jianna would need consolation. She was a smart enough woman to rejoice in losing Enzi’s attentions. Selona really was a genius. No matter what Jianna thought of Giorden normally, he’d look quite appealing in comparison.
Of course, Selona was going to owe Reyn a huge favor after this. She had already made her escape from Enzi once that evening. She didn’t want to be stuck with him again. Nevertheless, she allowed him to coax her into the next dance. Even the worst partner in the world was tolerable with dancing as a distraction.
