Page 22 of The Pursuit of Elena Bradford

22

The band played two more songs before Andrew managed to be first in line to request a dance with Elena.

“Andrew, I hoped you would ask me to dance.” She took his hand. “I looked for you earlier but didn’t see you.”

“You were too busy dancing.”

“And what were you doing? Surely, it didn’t take Dr. Graham to coerce you into dancing with me.” She smiled. “Don’t answer that. I would be humiliated if it were true, and as you said this morning, friends can’t lie to one another.”

“Did I say that?”

“I think so. I do know you said we should rejoice in the day the Lord had made.”

He shook his head. “You probably thought that odd.”

“Not at all. I liked it. But the Lord makes the nights too. Do you think he minds if we are dancing?”

“Who, the Lord?” When she nodded, he went on. “I think King David and some others did some dancing in the Bible.”

“Different kinds of dances, I’m sure.”

“True, but as Dr. Graham is fond of saying, dancing is fine exercise, which he will be the first to tell you is every bit as necessary to good health as his spring water.”

“I see. That’s a relief.” Elena lowered her voice. “Please don’t tell him, but I have only taken one sip of his spring water.”

Andrew laughed. “It will remain our secret. Friends can have secrets, can they not?”

“From others, I suppose, but not from each other.”

“Everyone has secrets, even from those dearest to them.” He looked down at her. She did have lovely eyes. “I’m sure you have secrets you haven’t shared with even your little sister.”

“Should I have any secrets, I’d be afraid to tell them to Ivy. If I did, they wouldn’t be secret long. She struggles to not tell all she knows.”

He nodded toward the girl dancing by them. “It’s no secret she loves to dance. And the new lady seems to as well.”

“Vanessa did say that is true.” Elena peered over his shoulder. “There she is. You should have seen some of the men’s faces when she gave her first dance to General Dawson.”

“The old gentleman has a way with the ladies. I saw you dancing with him earlier.”

“We both promised him a dance earlier today. He taught Vanessa and me how to lawn bowl, although we weren’t very good at getting the balls to roll where we wanted them to. Have you ever played?”

“I have, but I wouldn’t want to play against General Dawson. He has a way of always winning.” He felt an odd pang at the words and frowned. They were only talking about a yard game. It hardly mattered who won at lawn bowling.

“I don’t think he had to try very hard to outdo us, but we had the most laughs.”

“Is Vanessa a relation or friend of yours? You seem to already know her while everyone else is buzzing with curiosity.”

“A very new friend. She’s in the room next to ours. Ivy was in the hallway when Vanessa arrived this morning. And as Ivy does, she made friends with her immediately.”

“Did anyone come with her?” Andrew asked.

“Ivy didn’t see anyone.”

“So, she is a mystery woman.”

“Why do you say that?”

“No family with her. No one here seems to know her. A regular Cinderella to the ball.” Andrew smiled. “Should we look outside to see if she has a coach pulled by mice?”

“They wouldn’t be mice again until midnight.” Elena laughed. “Besides, who is the prince who will fall madly in love with her?”

“I don’t think there are any princes here. But I wouldn’t doubt several infatuated men might be ready to chase after her.”

“Will you be one of them?” She gave him a teasing smile.

“Hardly.” He kept his voice casual.

“You should dance with her. She’s a perfectly delightful girl. Still, it’s interesting that you mention Cinderella. I have the feeling this is all new to Vanessa. She seems as tentative about being here as I imagine Cinderella might have been when she entered the prince’s ball.”

“You don’t think she is accustomed to dancing and being admired as she is this evening?”

“I don’t know.” Elena hesitated before going on. “She surely is, but she did act so excited about everything today as though she had been given a dozen surprises to open on Christmas morning. Each thing was like a never-seen-before gift.”

“It does seem strange that she is here alone.”

“My mother thinks so, but Vanessa says her father, a judge in Louisville, couldn’t get away yesterday to come with her. Legal duties, I suppose.”

“A judge? Did she mention his name?”

“Her last name is Hasting. I assume her father would be Judge Hasting.”

“Judge Hasting,” Andrew repeated with a frown. “I know Judge Hasting. He owns one of the horses stabled at our farm.”

“Then you do need to get in line for a dance with her. She will be thrilled that you know her family.”

“I think I will ask her for a dance.”

Among the dancers, he caught sight of the mystery woman again. He definitely would. The Judge Hasting he knew had no daughters. There must be a mistake in the name. He pushed the thought aside as the song came to an end. He looked down into Elena’s eyes and wanted to delay their parting. “Are you going to be out among the roses again tomorrow morning?”

“I hope so. At least somewhere in the gardens. There are so many beautiful places to explore here.” When she smiled, her eyes became even lovelier. “How about you? An early morning for you again?”

“Perhaps. If I could have the hope of finding an artist at work amongst the flowers.”

A blush he was almost sure had nothing to do with the warmth in the room colored her cheeks. She lowered her gaze a moment, then seemed amused when she looked back up at him. “Hide-and-seek in the gardens. I hadn’t heard about that game here at the Springs.”

“Sounds like one I might like to play.” He laughed. “As long as someone didn’t hide so well I never found her.”

“I guess that remains to be seen.” She twisted her lips to the side to hide her smile and raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, in the morning.”

The music stopped, but they stayed where they were as though waiting for a new song to begin as the other dancers moved past them off the floor. Finally, Elena said, “Thank you for the dance.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” Then as she began to turn away from him, he reached out to catch her arm. “If I don’t have that pleasure again this evening, I better tell you now.”

“Tell me?” She cocked her head to the side and looked up at him. “What is that?”

“When daylight comes again, ready or not, here I come.”

Elena had to laugh. She’d heard that yelled many times when the neighborhood children were playing in their yard, but never had it felt as if it was meant only for finding her.

She moved toward the tables where her mother sat with General Dawson. Andrew didn’t follow her. That was all right. Tomorrow morning they could talk as the sun came up. If he could find her.

“You are looking very pleased, lovely Elena.” Kirby Frazier stepped in front of her. “Is it because you saw me heading your way to beg a dance from you?”

“That could be.” As Elena took his hand, she looked behind her, but she couldn’t see Andrew. No doubt he had already found a new partner for the next dance.

“Looking for someone? Perhaps General Dawson?”

“No one in particular.” Elena turned her attention back to Kirby. “But I do owe the general another dance. But he says it can’t be a quadrille.”

“Seems the band is playing more waltzes and two-step numbers this evening.” Kirby put an arm loosely around her waist as the music started up. “We seem to be in luck with another waltz.”

They moved out with the other dancers all turning and whirling the same way. They must look like a spinning wheel of pastel dresses and dark suits. She wondered if that was something she might paint. She wouldn’t have to draw faces that distinctly. Just the dancing figures and swirling skirts.

“I think the quadrilles are fun,” Elena said.

“They are, but they make conversation difficult as one goes back and forth between partners as the moves are called.”

“That may be why General Dawson doesn’t like them. He prefers a captive audience for his stories.”

She looked up at Kirby. He and Andrew were so different. If she didn’t know better, she would pick Andrew as the artist and Kirby as the horseman. But then, Andrew had said he cultivated roses too, and hadn’t Kirby handled the stagecoach horses? It wasn’t good to judge a person on looks alone. Or on the money in their pockets.

“Those stories do appear to attract the beautiful ladies.” Kirby smiled. “Your friend Vanessa gave him her first dance.”

“Have you danced with her?” Was that why Kirby was glad for the waltz to give them a chance to talk? Did he want to know more about Vanessa?

“I did.”

“She appears to have no lack of willing partners.” Elena smiled as she spotted Vanessa moving past them. “Your portrait of her was wonderful.”

“I could paint your portrait.” He tightened his arm a bit against her back to pull her closer to him. “Although I’m not sure I could ever properly capture your eyes in paint.”

She resisted enough to keep an appropriate distance between them, but she wondered how it would be to surrender to an embrace in his strong arms. She pushed away the thought as his words played back through her mind. “My eyes? There’s nothing that special about my eyes.”

“Have you never looked in a mirror?” He sounded surprised.

“All the time.” He probably had some such compliment for all his dance partners. It meant nothing. “Ivy is the beauty in our family.”

“She is very pretty. She posed for me today.”

“She did? I don’t think Mother would approve of that.”

“It wasn’t a portrait but a sketch of a girl with ducks.” He laughed. “Did she tell you about the ducks and Miss Southworth? I rather think I shan’t get Miss Southworth to agree to a dance this evening.” He didn’t look as though that disappointed him.

“That’s too bad. Ivy did mention chasing ducks away from the lady, but she didn’t tell us about posing with ducks.” Elena raised her eyebrows. “I’m surprised she was capable of keeping that secret.”

“And can you keep secrets, Miss Elena?”

“I don’t think I have any to keep.”

“That I don’t believe.” He peered down at her with a searching look. “I see secrets hidden in the depths of your remarkable eyes.”

A tingle went up her back. The man did have a way with words. She was glad when the tempo of the song picked up and left little breath for talking as they moved faster to stay in step. She supposed she did have secrets, as they pretended to be here at the Springs only to take the waters instead of attempting to take a husband. A wealthy husband to keep their future secure.

She thought of the other dancers as they circled the dance floor in unison. How many others here had secrets they couldn’t share? This man she was dancing with had some of his own. She was sure of that the same as she’d been sure Andrew had things he did not want to speak aloud. Even General Dawson, who seemed ready to tell every story in his past, no doubt had things he would never share.

Then there was Vanessa with her dramatic entrance this evening. Why would a judge’s daughter, who surely had been to many balls, look so uncertain? She had to know she was beautiful. Mirrors would reveal that to her.

Mirrors? Hadn’t Kirby just said the same about mirrors to her? But those were simply flattering words. Her eyes were, well, her eyes. The color shifting from blue to green could sometimes look a little different, but that wasn’t remarkable. Merely odd. She shouldn’t start believing a silver-tongued artist.

But then hadn’t Andrew said something the same? She gave herself a mental shake. She needed to concentrate on moving her feet and making sure not to step on the hem of her dress when she dipped down a bit.

She caught sight of herself in one of the long mirrors that were spaced here and there along the walls. And then there was Vanessa, smiling and laughing. Andrew was right about her being the Cinderella of the ball, but where was Prince Charming?

Who was her Prince Charming? Once, a long time ago, she’d read that love matches were made in the stars. She simply had to wait until she found him or he found her. Everything else about the book was long forgotten, but that romantic idea had taken root in her mind. She had never been ready to settle for any but the very right one. The one written in the stars. Then when she never met anyone glittering with stardust, she had stopped entertaining such foolishness.

The band began playing even faster and Elena missed a step and nearly tripped. Kirby gripped her waist and lifted her with ease to keep pace with the music and in step with him. For a moment she felt as though she were dancing on air.

Laughter along with a few sighs of relief rippled through the dancers when the music stopped. With the sound of her heart pounding in her ears, Elena tried to catch her breath. Whether she was breathless from the dance or from Kirby being slow to release her, she dared not try to determine.

Kirby looked over her head toward the band. “The fiddler tried to set his bow on fire with that one. If he’d played any faster, we’d have been flying, but there is no one I’d rather be flying with.” He captured her hand and, before she knew what he meant to do, lifted it to kiss her fingers. “Don’t forget to come see me at the lake. I’m already thinking of the paints I must mix to capture those eyes of yours.”

“I’m not sure that can happen.” She pulled her hand away from his.

“But it must. Some things are meant to be. Us in the same stagecoach. Dancing together to that particular song.”

She nodded at him with a noncommittal smile as the band called out a new number. A quadrille. “The dance goes on, and it’s time to change partners.”

“So it is, but we will have many opportunities to dance again.”

An older lady grabbed his arm, and he was gone without a backward glance.

That was good. Better for her not to see stardust on him, for that would be a trail she couldn’t follow.

General Dawson stepped up beside her. “I think this dance is mine, Miss Elena.”

“It’s a quadrille, General,” Elena said.

“With you helping me remember the steps, I will be fine.”

She smiled and the two of them lined up with three other couples to begin the dance. Certainly no stardust clung to General Dawson, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy a dance with the old gentleman. Besides, she needed to brush away the idea of stardust and forget Prince Charming fairy tales.