“I do truly believe that the two of you will have much more fun on the dancefloor and besides, who better to lead Miss Skeffington in her first dance than my husband’s closest friend?” Lady Kendall insisted, her eyes beaming with anticipation and hope.
Miss Skeffington turned an expectant expression upon him though he could not quite work out whether she expected him to accept or decline Nancy’s proposal. Trying to figure it out was almost impossible and so Thomas decided it was likely best to go with his gut.
Sucking in a deep breath, he twisted around to face Miss Skeffington and held out his hand. “Miss Skeffington, would you do me the honour of accepting a dance?”
A spark of surprise flashed through Miss Skeffington’s warm hazel eyes and she glanced sideways at Lady Kendall, a frustrated expression passing between the two of them before Miss Skeffington turned back to him and finally placed her gloved hand in his.
Her gown swished audibly over the music of the pianoforte as Thomas led her out onto the dancefloor and he could not help but take a moment to notice the way that the silken material clung to every curve of her body, fitting her so perfectly that it appeared as though it were a second skin.
Her gloves were much the same and Thomas could almost imagine that her hands were bare. Feeling the warmth of her flesh through them, he gritted his teeth against the urge to instantly pull her closer. It had been a long time since he’d led a woman out onto the dancefloor, let alone one with whom he would have liked to share company.
Determined to keep his self-control and remembering that he had disliked Lady Kendall’s motives for the whole week’s events, he kept his expression firmly neutral, maintaining a careful distance from Miss Skeffington even as he took her into his arms and began to dance.
“I hope that you did not allow Lady Kendall to pressure you into this for my benefit,” Miss Skeffington stated as they moved about the dancefloor. Thomas was quite surprised at the fluidity of their movements and the ease with which they fell into the routine.
Though it was the first time they had ever encountered each other on the dancefloor, it felt as though it might have been the hundredth. Only Thomas’ suddenly racing heart reminded him that this was the first time he had found himself so close with the beautiful woman. “I would have been quite content to have been left alone if Lord Kendall decided that he wished to dance.”
The way she spoke suggested that she knew as well as Thomas did that Owen had little interest in dancing. The amusement that danced in the depths of her hazel eyes suggested that she was well acquainted with the pressures her friend liked to put on people, always using whichever excuse she could come up with to manipulate the situation that she desired.
“To be quite honest with you, I was beginning to get stiff-legged from all the standing and I can think of worse partners to dance with,” Thomas admitted with a shrug, finding that the smile upon his lips was not as forced as he would have had Miss Skeffington believe.
“Then I am merely an excuse for you to stretch your legs, Lord Warrington,” Miss Skeffington said firmly, her expression giving nothing away though Thomas thought that perhaps he saw amusement glint in her gaze once more.
Thomas could not bring himself to meet her eyes directly for too long, feeling that when he did, he struggled to look away. The hazel depths of her irises were quite intriguing, drawing his attention with the small flecks of green and gold and darker brown that danced there like fallen leaves upon a disturbed pond.
Clearing his throat and blinking in an attempt to remove himself from the trap of her steady stare, Thomas stated, “Yes, that is exactly what you are, Miss Skeffington, my excuse to avoid Lady Kendall.”
Miss Skeffington half-scoffed before seeming to correct herself, clearing her throat as though she was almost choking on laughter and Thomas got the distinct impression that she was no longer upset with him though she quickly appeared to place a careful mask back on her face whenever he looked directly at her.
I am almost certain you are playing games with me, Miss Skeffington,Thomas thought, biting the inside of his lip in order to stop himself from saying the words aloud.
“In truth, I was beginning to feel as though I might need an excuse to get away from her also,” Miss Skeffington admitted, and a weight seemed to suddenly make her shoulders droop a little. A quiet discomfort fell upon her as though she was thinking of something quite upsetting but it was gone a moment later when she seemed to see that he had noticed.
A tremble ran through her hands, the one on his shoulder allowed her fingers to dance upon him for a moment while she strengthened her grip on his hand with her other. “I do believe you were jesting with us previously, Lord Warrington. You are an adequate dancer.”
Seeing that she wished to change the subject entirely, Thomas was all too happy to allow her the chance. He did not wish to talk about Lady Kendall any more than she did. “Only adequate?” he asked, feigning offence with an audible sucking in of breath, allowing his lips to part in a shocked expression for only a moment before he began to smile wickedly.
“I would go as far as to say that you are a fine dancer though no further than that,” Miss Skeffington responded, and Thomas became quite certain that she was attempting to goad him.
“I believe I would go as far as to say that your skills on the dancefloor are adequate also, Miss Skeffington, though I do believe that you just stood on my foot,” Thomas said jokingly.
Miss Skeffington’s face instantly blanched and she pulled away from him, her expression dropping even as her hands moved away from him. Having stopped in the middle of the dancefloor and with several of the other guests watching them, Thomas knew that it would be a bad idea to cause a scene and so he reached for her, pulling her back into his arms in order to prevent anyone from believing that he had said anything quite inappropriate.
Miss Skeffington had turned her gaze down to his feet, obviously looking for any mark or evidence that she had indeed stood on his foot and Thomas found himself cradling his fingers beneath her chin to guide her face back up to look at him before he hooked his hand at the small of her back and urged her hands back into place.
“Miss Skeffington, that was a jest,” he purred with laughter, the words almost blurted in place of what he suddenly felt the urge to do. Having placed his fingers beneath her chin, Thomas had felt quite the odd urge to kiss her. It seemed like an instinctual thing to do when one found himself so close to a beautiful woman and yet he would not allow himself the thought, he would not allow Miss Skeffington to see even a hint of anything more than politeness.
“Lord Warrington, you are quite insufferable!” Miss Skeffington scolded him, though there was a hint of affection in her tone that made his eyebrow raise, showing her that he had noticed. The way her cheeks began to blush told him she knew exactly what he was thinking.
All too soon, the song that had been played was over, ending abruptly. Thomas was glad that Miss Skeffington jumped in his arms, showing that he had not been the only one surprised by the other dancers all around them who had stopped and begun to applaud the respectable playing of the gentleman upon the pianoforte.
Fairly reluctantly, Thomas released Miss Skeffington and began to clap along with the others. She did the same though Thomas noticed how she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.Does she wish to dance again?
Thomas thought. Glancing to the edge of the dancefloor where Lady Kendall was watching them, he realised that there were worse things than dancing with Miss Skeffington. If he were to return to the edge of the dancefloor now, he was certain that the lady of the manor would begin to question him on how he liked to dance with her friend, and whether he found Miss Skeffington’s skills remarkable as she had said they were.
He was just beginning to think that he might ask Miss Skeffington to dance again when he heard somebody clearing their throat behind him. The hair on the back of Thomas’ neck instantly began to rise.
He had been in this situation a hundred times before. It was quite normal for another gentleman to approach at the end of a dance to request the hand of the lady and yet as Thomas turned to find Mr Tulk patiently awaiting him, he could not help but feel that he wanted to reject the suggestion even before it had been asked.