No doubt if Merine were here, she’d go up to the woman, sit down, and strike up a conversation that had her smiling in no time. Reyn didn’t have her best friend’s skill of listening in such a way that people blossomed under her attention. Reyn talked too much to be a good listener.
If she approached the poor woman, no doubt she’d only make things worse. Especially if Arvin and his cronies then came over and tried to entice Reyn away.
But she could distract the men from their teasing.
Reyn walked past the woman and went directly to Arvin’s side. “My lord, what are you doing hiding in the corners here? I was beginning to think you hadn’t even come tonight.”
Arvin gaped at her, not in confusion, but with some sort of wonder in his eyes. Reyn wondered if she had invoked her lure unconsciously, allowing her to snare the lord’s attention so fully. The other men looked similarly distracted from their previous conversation.
Eventually, Arvin closed his mouth and swallowed. “I always attend the parties hosted by Family Sablon.”
Of course he did. No doubt he and Enzi were fast friends. They were too much alike.
“Perfect. This is my first visit, and I haven’t yet figured out where everything is. Could you show me where to find the card room?”
Reyn did not want to leave the ballroom and the chance of more dancing, but she’d rather not endure an entire dance with Arvin. She hoped she could steer him away from the woman he had mocked and then break free herself in short order by going to the card room.
All four men fell over themselves to show Reyn where to find the card games. She glanced back as they led her away. The woman still looked defeated, but Reyn hoped she wasn’t imagining the hint of relief allowing her to sit straighter.
It took little effort to distract the men once they reached the card room. A few comments here, mention of a drink there, and they were all seated at a table ready to play before they realized that a fifth person wouldn’t fit. Reyn implored them not to miss out on the fun on her account and made her way back to the ballroom.
Not two steps into the room, she found herself facing Lord Velario.
“Five hells,” she muttered, too frustrated with everything about the evening to care about her language. “Fate hates me tonight.”
Velario heard her. “Maybe you’ve earned your fate.”
Reyn crossed her arms. “So you admit you are a punishment?”
“If I thought you had the capacity to learn from your mistakes, I might try to be one. But it is a lost cause, I believe.”
A song ended and Reyn looked longingly at the dance floor. No one would interrupt Lord Velario Ferrini to ask her for the next dance. And she wanted to dance.
She stepped to the side, and Velario mirrored her.
“Yes, Lord Velario?” She asked in a saccharine tone sure to set him on edge.
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?” Reyn watched couples line up for the next dance.
“Convince everyone that you are sweet and wonderful.”
If she had to deal withanotherlord she’d rather never speak to, then Reyn was going to at least get to dance. She grabbed Velario’s forearm and tugged him onto the dance floor as the music started. He was too surprised to resist.
They slipped into the steps of a waltz and Reyn felt some of her frustration drift away. “I am sweet and wonderful, Lord Velario. Obviously.”
His eyes narrowed, but he kept them moving across the floor. He was actually a skilled dancer, and Reyn reveled in the ease of moving with him. Her hand rested easily on his shoulder, his fit perfectly at the small of her back. Their words were warring, but their bodies were in harmony.
“It’s baffling.” Velario said. “You’ve convinced people who are normally quite practical that you are polite and witty.”
Reyn was exactly polite enough and witty enough to make friends. And exactly as cutting and pert enough to keep them. It was all a game among courtiers. Reyn was simply very good at playing the part that appealed to whomever she was with.
If she had wanted to charm Lord Velario, she’d have mentioned Selona’s dedication to her work at the bank. She’d have avoided all disparaging comments, even if he offered the first insult. Lord Velario would be more impressed by someone like Merine, who always offered a kind word and saw the best in people.
But Reyn didn’t care about charming Lord Velario. She didn’t need to win him over; she didn’t even want to. Therefore, she didn’t need to play a role with him. That realization was almost as soothing as losing herself in the steps of the waltz.
“I am the model of gentility, and my wit is unmatched. I don’t know why you insist on doubting these self-evident truths, Lord Velario. Perhaps you aren’t as wise as you think.”
