Page 24 of Her Heartless Duke
Isaac merely shrugged his broad shoulders. “I do not see why we shouldn’t. You have a particular dislike for the loft and I would be damned before I drag you out dancing in the streets of London again.”
Olivia let out a reluctant smile at that. The aftereffects of imbibing a significant amount of ale had confined her to her bed for the better part of the day and she had wisely chosen to spend that time dreaming of Isaac as he kissed her over and over and over…
“We have arrived.”
She shook herself free of the imaginary scenes that swirled in her head, feeling her cheeks suffused with warmth when she realized that she might have been caught daydreaming about the said object of her fantasies.
Get a hold of yourself, Olivia!
She shyly slipped her hand into his as she descended from the carriage. She had barely planted both feet on the ground when the front doors opened and a man with graying hair and an impeccably trimmed mustache walked out in ill-concealed delight.
“Your Grace!” he exclaimed happily. “We are so delighted to have you back after so long! Will you be spending the night?” He turned to Olivia with a large smile. “Should we prepare the rooms for your guest?”
“There is no need,” Isaac told him quietly. “We will need to use the ballroom, however. And send some refreshments there as well.”
“As you wish, Your Grace!”
Isaac briefly leaned into her. “You have to forgive Horace. He is a rather excitable fellow for someone in his position, but he does fulfill his duties exceedingly well,” he told her in a low voice.
She shook her head. “No offense taken. I happen to think it is rather adorable how he seems to be in such high spirits.”
Olivia watched as the butler cheerfully scampered off to lead them both to the ballroom, filling him in on all that had transpired in his absence.
“And, oh—there is a letter from a Colonel Pierre—”
At the mention of that name, Isaac shot his garrulous butler a sharp look and the man immediately stopped in his tracks, adroitly changing to the topic of food and whether they were wanting to have dinner served that night.
“The ballroom has not been used in years, but we have maintained it all this time.” He pushed the heavy doors open with some effort and gestured towards the grand ballroom, where all the previous Duchesses of Langley, including Isaac’s own mother, had held the most prestigious balls of their time.
The marble staircase was furnished with a gilded balustrade that was fashioned like vines trailing down towards the polished wooden floors that gleamed as if they were still as new as ever. A grand crystal chandelier hung from the center of the vaulted ceiling, sparkling as light glinted off its numerous tiny facets. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the chatter of ladies gossiping, of musicians playing by the dance floor…
“Will this suffice for your purpose, Your Grace?” Horace looked hopefully towards Isaac, who only grinned at Olivia.
“Oh, I am not too sure if the fair Lady Olivia would find it suited to her tastes,” he remarked with a teasing grin. “She does hold a great disdain for dusty spaces.”
Horace looked horrified. “Oh no, no, no! No dust in here, I assure you!”
Olivia glared at Isaac for a moment, but it seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
“It is spotless,” she reassured the poor butler. “And it is more than enough for practicing.”
Horace beamed at her as if she had just completed his day with her praise of the ballroom’s cleanliness.
“Very well, I shall see to the refreshments, Your Grace, my Lady.” He bowed to the both of them and Olivia was mildly surprised that he did it perfectly with nary a trace of the exuberance he displayed since their arrival.
Alone with Isaac once more, Olivia found it hard to look up to him and meet his eyes.
“So,” she murmured. “What do we do now?”
“We dance, of course.”
Of course, what else was there to do? Was this not what she had asked of him from the very beginning?
“I know you already have a firm grasp of the basics and our… foray into creativity should already have given you an idea of what it means to dance with your heart.”
Olivia nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“Then, all that is left is to tackle the more complicated steps,” he finished. “Once you master them, you can incorporate them into your own dances. That should be enough to catch the attention of whoever is judging the competition.”