He gathered all his willpower, so as not to sound disappointed, as he replied in a grateful tone, “I would like more than anything else to have the honor of still being your friend. I know I don’t deserve even that much. So, thank you.”
Her eyes met his again as the orchestra’s final chord faded away, signaling the end of the dance. “Well, thank you … for the dance…” she said as she stepped back and away from him.
He did not follow her, contenting himself to simply stand and watch, as she walked over towards her aunt and began talking to her again. Whether they had resumed their former topic or were now talking about him, he had no way of knowing.
As he turned to go to another part of the room, he caught a glimpse of Rowley staring at him from across the room. Something about the way the man was glaring at him made Walter feel uneasy…
Rowley had, no doubt, seen the two of them dancing and felt Georgiana must have been pressured into dancing with him, or something like it. Walter was aware of how close the two friends were, so it was only natural he should be protective of her.
But still, something about the expression on Rowley’s face deepened Walter’s feeling of uneasiness…
***
Georgiana felt proud of herself, as she managed to endure the remainder of the evening without crying, losing her composure, or otherwise making it obvious something important had occurred.
Adelaide was obviously worried about her when she returned from her dance with Walter but didn’t ask any questions. Georgiana had simply resumed their former conversation where they had left off.
“So, as I was saying, Jane told me Rose might try to slip in at some point to see the ball. Have you seen her by any chance?” she asked her aunt.
After a brief pause, Adelaide replied, “No, I haven’t. I know it would be best if I don’t, but part of me can’t help but hope I do catch a glimpse of her, so I can see how much she has grown.”
“I had that same—” she stopped at the abrupt appearance of Ambrose, who was slightly out of breath. One glance gave her the impression he must have seen her dancing with Walter and had hurried over as quickly as he could.
As she did not want to talk about it just then, she decided to ask him a question before he could speak. “Aunt and I were just talking about the likelihood of seeing Rose this evening. You haven’t caught a glimpse of her by any chance, have you?”
“I… um,” Ambrose visibly took a few moments to change his train of thought. “Rose, as in Lady Jane’s youngest sister? No, I have not.”
“Well, anyway, as I was saying,” she replied as she turned back towards Adelaide. “I agree with you. She was, what, six when we last saw her? And now she is ten.”
“Yes. I was talking to my cousin earlier, and she tells me Rose is very much like Jane. Mary may take more after her in looks but after her father in temperament.”
“You know … I was able to talk with Jane for a little while, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to the marchioness. Do you think we could go over there for a while?” she asked both her aunt and Ambrose.
The pair glanced at each other before seeming to agree her idea was a good one. Her aunt replied, “I am sure she would love to catch up on your news and see how much you have grown. After all, they missed your coming out ball, as they were in Europe at the time.”
Though they had to wait for a while, they eventually got a chance to talk to the marchioness. Before long, Georgiana was shocked to see a few of the guests already starting to leave.
Glancing at the time, she realized they were not leaving early, but that it was getting quite late. With this knowledge also came the realization she was feeling fatigued, and there was still the journey home to endure before she could go to bed.
“Aunt Adelaide.”
“Yes, dear?”
“I think it might be time for us to depart, too,” she said, as she motioned over to where others were leaving.
“Oh, my. Is it that time already? Well, you and Ambrose can go ahead to the carriage. I will join you with your uncle in a few minutes,” Adelaide replied, walking away to find her husband.
“Are you alright?” Ambrose asked as he escorted her to the carriage.
“Yes, I am fine. I am simply tired after such a long day,” she assured him. “I think I might try to rest in the carriage on the way home.” The roads were a rather bumpy, and she had never been able to rest very well on a journey, but she thought she would try.
Ambrose nodded as he helped her into the carriage, and then got in himself. Taking off his coat, he folded it into a bundle for her to use as a pillow.
She smiled at him in thanks as she accepted the coat. Just as she had gotten comfortable, her aunt and uncle entered the carriage. Upon seeing her trying to rest, they both instantly hushed their conversation, and the long ride home began in silence.
Georgiana tried to rest, but she could not seem to get comfortable. Her mind decided it was the perfect time to go over the dance she had shared with Walter. She hadn’t let her mind dwell on it until now, but the silence of the carriage seemed to, somehow, make it impossible to think about anything else.
What bothered her about remembering was, of all the things that stood out to her, the one she recalled most clearly was how good it had felt to be dancing with Walter again, and to feel his arms around her.
It was foolish and completely ridiculous to even think about such a thing, even for a moment. The same was true for the memory of how her heart had wanted to flutter when she gazed back at him and those entrancing gray eyes of his…
Before she knew it, they had arrived back at Irvington Manor, and the carriage was slowing to a stop. Blinking her eyes as though trying to wake up, she forced her thoughts away from Walter.
Adelaide and Jonas left the carriage first, with Ambrose waiting for her to stretch a little before he helped her out, as well. As they walked towards the manor, he asked her in a quiet voice, “I meant to ask you earlier, but I have to know … how … what happened earlier … during your dance with Lord Bartlett? He didn’t pressure you into dancing with him, did he?”
She hesitated, knowing he wouldn’t approve. “He wanted a chance to apologize … so, I gave it to him.”
“And?”
“And … I told him I forgave him.”
“What?” Ambrose exclaimed, then seemed to realize how loud his voice was, before he continued in a softer tone, “What about all the pain he has caused you? And then, there are the many rumors which started because of his actions. You can’t seriously have forgotten any of that.”
“I know, and I haven’t forgotten anything, so don’t worry about that. I have no intentions of rushing into anything. I gave him the chance to be a friend, but he is going to have to work very hard to regain my confidence. I certainly shall not go out of my way to speak to him and will probably not trust him for a long while either.”