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‘Err…’
Apparently, at first the major didn’t quite know what to say to that. He gazed at me for a moment, then collected himself again, cleared his throat and went on: ‘Err… very well. Miss Linton, may I be allowed to introduce my friend Lieutenant Ellingham to your notice?’
‘Yes, you may.’ The smile on my face was widened a bit and I nodded graciously. ‘Delighted to make your acquaintance, Lieutenant Ellingham,’ I lied.
‘As am I,’ said the young man, whose arrogant smile had not in the least been reduced in radiance by my rebuff.
‘Well, I’ll leave you to it then,’ the Major said, throwing me another odd glance and then disappearing with an eye roll at his friend. I saw the message ‘It’s your funeral’ clearly in those eyes.
And he was right. It was.
Lieutenant Ellingham seated himself beside me. Taking the bull by the horns, I turned to him. Best to get this over with.
‘Well, what should we talk about, Lieutenant? The weather would be a good subject of discussion, if we were not inside and it was night.’
‘How about the society?’ he asked, gesturing towards the people dancing everywhere in the grand room.
‘That would be unwise. When you make conversation, it is generally considered best to say nice and polite things. And the present society would not furnish me with a lot of opportunities for that.’
He blinked at me, no doubt wondering if he had heard right. In the end, he seemed to decide that he had not. I was a lady, after all. Ladies didn’t say impolite things. It was unheard of.
Instead of trying to find another topic, he cut right to the chase.
‘I must admit, Miss Linton, that I had a particular reason for wishing an introduction with you.’
‘Did you, now?’ I couldn’t entirely keep the sarcasm out of my voice. But the young man’s arrogance apparently made him immune to sarcasm from ladies as well as to impudence. He gave me a smile that he probably thought was charming.
It wasn’t.
‘Yes, I did. I have been admiring you from afar for some time now. You have caught my eye, Miss Linton.’
‘Indeed?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘I can’t remember you throwing it at me, to be honest. I don't have your eye on me, I promise. I never catch eyes. They are rather slippery and slimy things, not at all the kind of objects I would like to carry around in my pocket.’
‘Um…’ he blinked, just as dumbfounded as his friend before, clearly lacking the brains to decipher my reply. For some unknown reason, I took pity on him.
‘Were you going to ask me if I would dance with you?’ I asked him.
‘Yes! That is it, exactly. How did you know?’
‘Let’s just say I am a discerning person. Well, if it is a dance you want, that makes things very simple.’
‘Excellent.’ He got up, his arrogant grin back on his face, and held a hand out to me.
‘No,’ I said, not looking up at him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a look of confusion cross his face.
‘Excuse me?’
‘You want to dance with me - I have just given you my answer. No.’
‘Oh.’
‘Yes. Why don't you try that young lady over there? She looks to be in want of a partner, and unlike me, she actually wants one. Goodbye.’
He stood rooted to the spot for a few more seconds, then let his hand drop and walked off. Picking another piece of chocolate off the plate, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. For some reason, he didn’t appear very disheartened. If I had to choose a word to describe his facial expression, I think I would have chosen ‘intrigued,’ though I didn’t see how the bloody hell that could be.
Through the potted plants, I saw him return to his friends, and they hooted and slapped him on the back while he grinned shame-faced. I was very pleased with myself. Now, finally, there would be an end of the matter. No more invitations to dance tonight.
A few minutes later a cough distracted me, and I looked up only to be confronted with another officer asking me to dance. I turned him down like a bedspread. And the one after that. And the one after the one after that. And the other gentlemen who followed, from captains to colonels, from misters to majors. It was amazing - the more of them I sent packing, the more seemed to pop up everywhere. You’d think that by now they would have gotten the message.
During a break in the assault of dance-addicted gentlemen, I took another peep through the foliage. Ella was again being whisked across the floor in the arms of Sir Philip Wilkins and looked about ready to faint from the attention. I grinned. It would do her good to be out in society. Maybe she would get a little more confidence and experience.
But as I let my eyes wander farther over the assembled guests, I noticed something strange: I couldn’t see my aunt anywhere. That was very curious indeed. Ella, Maria and Anne were busy hunting for prospective husbands. Lisbeth was doing her best, and even Gertrude was dancing with a quiet, elderly gentleman.
My aunt would hardly leave the dance floor at such a moment, unless it would be to…
And then the voice of doom spoke behind me.
‘Lilly - What in the name of the Lord is this I have been hearing, about you refusing to dance?’
Oh blast!
My aunt emerged from behind a potted plant like a vulture from behind a lone desert rock and stalked towards me. I could almost see the sword of just punishment in her right and the scales in her left hand.
‘Err… hello, Aunt,’ I said. ‘This is a nice evening. Wonderful ball, don't you think?’
But apparently, my aunt did not want to change the subject right now. ‘I heard from Colonel Remington that you refused to dance with him.’
‘Um… only from him?’
‘Yes, he… Wait, what do you mean, only from him? Do you mean to say there are others with whom you refused to dance?’
I could have slapped myself for not keeping my big mouth shut. I wasn’t usually timid, but in the face of the huge fire breathing dragon that was my aunt, I cowered on my chair, my eyes downcast.
‘Err… maybe?’
‘Either you did or you didn’t. Well?’
‘Did.’
‘How many? Two? Three?’
‘Err… more something like… thirteen? Maybe fourteen?’
Watching my aunt’s expression, I truly believe that had we been at home, my eardrums would have been in some danger of being shattered by her reaction. However, at this very moment a gentleman stepped up to the refreshment tables and took a piece of chocolate off the plates, reminding my aunt that we were in company and that ladies did not scream like furies when they were in company.