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“What are you doing?” asked Nancy, panicking.

“Hello there,” said Lottie cheerfully to the man while Amelia gave Nancy a little shove in his direction. “Would you like to dance with my friend Nancy?”

Izzie leaned in to ask Alexandra, “Do you think we should save her?”

“Lottie, I really don’t think—” But Nancy broke off when she looked up at the soldier who had caught her around the waist to stop her from falling. “Oh. Hello.”

“Hello there. Would you care to dance?” he asked.

“Yes, please,” Nancy said, her voice breathless above the band.

“I think she’s fine,” said Alexandra with a laugh.

“Lucky her,” said Molly.

“Good work,” said Alexandra as Lottie rejoined them looking more than a little smug. “Or quick work. I can’t decide which.”

“Necessary work. I like Nancy, I really do, but she needs to loosen up a little,” said Lottie.

“It looks as though she’s loosening up just fine,” said Izzie, watching Nancy and her soldier press a little closer than was entirely necessary to dance the quickstep.

“Right,” said Amelia. “It’s decided then.”

“What is?” asked Grace.

“Tonight, everyone finds a soldier or a sailor or a flier to fall a little bit in love with,” said Amelia.

When all of them began to protest except for Lottie, Amelia said, “I didn’t say you had to marry the man, but tonight we’re all dancing and having a good time.”

Alexandra glanced at Izzie. “What do you think?”

Izzie looked around her at the exuberant outpouring of joy captured within those four walls. This was about more than just blowing off a little steam. Next month, some of the men and women dancing and laughing here would be gone, and no one could be certain who that would be.

Tonight was about tonight. Nothing more.

“All right,” she said. “Where do we start?”

“I’d be willing to hazard a guess that the usual rules of society balls don’t apply,” said Alexandra. “Lottie, I think this is your area of expertise.”

“All right, debutante.” Lottie straightened her shoulders and tossed her platinum curls back as she cast a determined eye over the dance floor. “Find a man you like the look of across the room and catch his eye. Then look away and look back again with a little smile.”

There was a beat, and then Amelia asked, “That’s it?”

Lottie shrugged. “It always works for me. Sometimes, if I really like the look of him, I’ll give him a little wave so I don’t leave him guessing.”

“It cannot be that easy,” Alexandra whispered to Izzie.

Izzie and the other balloon girls watched as Lottie scanned the crowd. After a moment she stopped and locked eyes with a flier leaning against a column, cigarette in hand. She looked away, looked back, smiled, looked away again, and then glanced back to give the man a little wiggle of her fingers. The man straightened, put his cigarette out, and made his way over.

They all watched in amazement as he stopped in front of Lottie.

“Hello,” he said, offering her his hand. “Would you care for a dance?”

“I would, thank you,” Lottie said, resting her hand in his. As the man led her to the dance floor, Lottie looked over her shoulder at all of them and grinned in triumph.

“She’s incredible,” said Grace in wonder.

“It’s like watching Fred Astaire do the waltz,” said Alexandra.