Page 17 of A Stormy Season

But he wondered what Jane would think of having to dance the first two dances with him. As headstrong as she seemed to be, she might even decide she could only suffer to dance with him once. If she did, he might have to hide out in the room where the older men would be smoking and playing at cards for the second dance.

Perhaps that sounded cowardly, but he wasn’t in the mood to deal with the way Miss Trotworthy always found an opportunity to touch him unnecessarily.

Would he forever be averse to another woman’s touch? But it was too soon to come to that conclusion. Anne had been gone only three months.

He actually felt a little nervous at the thought of claiming the first dance with Miss Jane Gilchrist. He wasn’t sure why that should be, other than the fact that she was very pretty, he always felt so drawn to her, and when he was with her he always ended up warning himself that she was not the type of woman he intended to marry.

~ ~ ~

Jane seemed to have a small bird in her stomach, fluttering its wings, when she thought of how she had committed to dancing the first two dances with Mr. Luke Watley—how she had committed him to two when he had asked her for only one dance.

How had it happened?

He’d asked her to dance the first dance with him, but she suspected he was just trying to escape that silly Milicent Trotworthy, who was the most flirtatious woman Jane had ever encountered, and that was saying a lot. And then, in desperation, Jane had told that overeager Mr. Showalter, when he boldly asked to dance the first two dances with her, that she was engaged to dance those dances with Mr. Watley. Which wasn’t strictly true.

What did Mr. Watley think of her? And what would everyone at the ball think when she danced the first two dances with him?

She knew what they would think. They would whisper about her, especially Sarah, that she was afraid of ending up a spinster and was setting her sights on poor Mr. Watley.

Why was she so mortified at that thought? She’d never thought of herself as someone who cared what other people thought of her. But obviously, she did care. She was so afraid of what they would say about her that she was contemplating how to get out of dancing the second dance.

But in reality, she very much wanted to dance with him. And that, perhaps, surprised her more than anything.

“Are you all right, my dear?” Penelope whispered next to her as they stood receiving the guests.

“Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”

“You seem a bit agitated. But you look very pretty, the prettiest woman in the room.”

“You are so kind, Penelope.” She almost laughed at her sweet sister-in-law. Though she was so kind, she was never insincere; she truly meant all the things she said, which was quite remarkable to Jane.

How fortunate Henry was in his choice of wife, and Penelope was fortunate to have Henry. Jane sometimes wondered if she would ever find anyone as good as her brother; she feared she did not deserve someone that good, since she herself could be snide and critical, especially in her thoughts, and she was quite stubborn and liked her independence, more than was proper.

But she couldn’t think about those things now, as she and Penelope welcomed the next guest.

Soon it was time for the first dance. Luke Watley was walking toward her, causing the fluttering wings to return. Jane did her best to dispel them and took Mr. Watley’s hand, letting him lead her to the dance floor.

She gazed into his eyes. She’d never noticed how blue they were. What was he thinking as he gazed back at her? She wished she could read his thoughts, as his expression was gentle and reminded her of the way he had looked at Jeffrey when he picked the child up and held him.

What a strange thought! She could not allow herself to be as beguiled as all the other young ladies. But she had to admit, there was something incredibly romantic about him, a heartbroken widower with a small child.

Oh my! I’m as bad as the rest of them.

The music started and they began to dance.

Mr. Watley’s eyes stayed focused on her, and she in turn couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had this feeling before, as if she were perfectly in tune with him, and an unfamiliar emotion filled her chest.

She paid no attention to the other dancers, and indeed, did not even know who else was on the dance floor. The music itself seemed to carry her through the steps without her having to think about where to place a foot. And she saw only his face, imagining what he was thinking and feeling.

What had his first marriage been like? Was his heart open to loving again? After all, it was so soon. How soon was too soon? If she married him, would he open up to her about his feelings? Would theirs be an affectionate marriage, like Penelope and Henry’s?

Was this how other young ladies felt when they danced with Luke Watley?

It’s only a dance, it’s only a dance.

She should remember that they were both using each other to avoid dancing with someone else.

Perhaps that was all it was to him. But the look in his blue eyes told her otherwise.