Chapter 10
TEN
The ballroom is buzzing with people when I arrive, and I look around in the vain hope that I'm going to find Linc here. I know that's not possible when this dance class is for newly turned vampires from the last Golden Moon, but I'm just looking for any reason to see him again.
Though it's probably better he isn't here, or I'd be thinking of the way it felt to kiss him. I'm such a fool for letting it happen again. I know I shouldn't, and that I should put all thoughts of him out of my mind, but I can't help it.
Bella's right, I'm going to end up with my heart broken, and it's going to be all my fault when it happens.
I head over to where Emilia is hiding at the back of the group of young women. At least talking with my friend should be a good distraction from the thoughts I'm having.
She gives me a weak smile and straightens out her honey-yellow gown lined with black.
A broach with a bee on it sits at her lapel.
Which makes sense to me now Linc has shown me House Hexamble's crest of yellow hexagons with three bees.
I'm not sure why they picked that as their sigil, but then again, I don't know why House Rothorne has a rose on black and red quarters, and yet here I am in a dress reflecting that.
"Are you all right?" I ask my friend.
She sighs. "I hate dancing. I always stand on my partner's toes."
"I'm sure that's not true," I respond.
"Oh, it is. I'm terrible at it."
"So am I," I say in an attempt to make her feel better, though I don't think I've stood on anyone's toes.
She snorts. "I've seen you dancing, you're a natural at it."
"Only because I've had practice. Lord Fallmartin has tutors who have come three times in the past week to make sure Bastian and I know what we're doing.
I think he's scared we're going to embarrass the House if we're not capable of doing all of the dances right.
" He's probably thinking about the ball after Eliza's wedding where we're probably all going to be on display.
She gives me a weak smile. "All right, I feel a little better. Lord Hexamble hasn't done anything like that for me."
"Hopefully, he will soon," I respond.
"I doubt it." She sighs. "He mostly just tells me I should call him father and ignores me the rest of the time."
"Do you? Call him father?"
"Only when I have to."
"Same. Well, with Lord Fallmartin. I suppose sometimes I do think about him as my father now, but Bastian looks so like him that it's hard for me to ignore it."
"It must be nice having someone with you who came at the Golden Moon," Emilia says.
"Mmm." I don't want to lie, but considering everything I've seen of Bastian since we arrived here, I'm not as glad as I perhaps should be that he's around and that we came together. If anything, seeing my brother here has broken my heart.
As if summoned by my thoughts, Bastian strides into the room and heads straight over to a man who I think is the son of Lord Drewforth based on the crest on his suit.
I should make sure to thank Linc for his lessons on the various heraldry because I'm definitely getting better at recognising them.
However, that does raise the question of why they don't teach anything like that in our etiquette lessons.
It strikes me as useful to know who we're talking to and what their status within the court is, especially when it's becoming clear that we're already playing the game of politics if there are betrothals occurring.
Someone clears their throat, and I turn to see Lady Violetta Vermatchi approach. She's meticulously put together with her wavy blonde hair and the deep green dress trimmed with gold. "That's your brother, isn't it?" she asks, looking over at Bastian.
"Yes," I respond, not entirely sure how to take her interest. She always seems so stiff, as if she's forcing herself to have any conversation she's in.
"Introduce me?"
"I'm sorry?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "I meant, please would you introduce me."
"Erm...sure."
"I wouldn't bother," Lady Harriet says, appearing on the other side of Violetta. The other woman shrinks back from the redhead, and I don't blame her, Harriet's tongue is sharper than it should be, and not in the way Bella's is. "Lord Bastian is betrothed now."
Violetta squeaks and disappears from sight. I'm surprised Emilia hasn't done the same, she seems to want to stay away from Harriet as much as possible. I don't blame her. I don't have much patience for the woman.
"Isn't that right, Lady Beatrice?" Harriet asks.
"Exactly who are you performing this for?" I ask her bluntly,
"Everyone should know which of the gentlemen are worth pursuing or not," Harriet says. "Do you know if the position of Lord Bastian's mistress is open?"
"No, I don't know anything about my brother's love life," I say tartly.
"Who said anything about love? I was talking about sleeping with him in order to better my own position." She flicks her hair over her shoulder.
"I'll make sure to tell him that."
Her face grows pale, which is quite an achievement considering she hasn't seen the sun for three weeks and her skin already looks that way. "That's not what I meant."
"Then you should be careful about what you say," I respond. "We should get into position for our lesson," I say to Emilia, leaving the other woman to stutter and try to pretend she isn't worried about whether I'm actually going to tell my brother what she said.
Luckily for her, I have no intention of doing so. I don't plan on ruining anyone over a single off-hand comment, but maybe she'll learn to mind what she says now.
The dancing master enters the room and calls for us all to get in line, making me glad that we already thought of doing that so we're not caught at the end of the dance.
I stand opposite one of the young men, the same one Bastian has been talking to. My brother stands next to him, partnering with Emilia.
The music starts, loud enough for us all to hear, but not enough to drown out the instructions called by the dancing master.
I dip into a curtsy and start moving through the steps of the dance, while Lord Drewforth's heir does the same opposite me.
I should learn his name, but I haven't had a chance to ask him, even if he does seem to be friends with Bastian.
He brings me into hold, and I can't help noticing the differences between how it feels to dance with a stranger and what it was like in Linc's arms. When we were dancing, I barely thought about the fact I was new to the steps, he made me feel as if I knew them just as well as he did.
I spin under my dance partner's arm, landing back in hold in an almost perfect manner. I know there are going to be a lot more dances for me to learn, but I feel like I might have finally managed to get this one right.
A glance over at Bastian and Emilia has my stomach in knots. She stumbles, and he says something which makes her face crumble.
Anger rises up within me. Why can't he just be kind?
"Change partners!" the dancing master calls out.
I let go of my partner's hand and glide forward until I'm face-to-face with my brother. "What did you say to Emilia?" I demand as he takes my hand and starts guiding us through the steps.
"Who?"
"The person you were just dancing with, she looked close to tears."
"She looked like that when we started dancing," he responds, spinning me under his arm.
I scowl. "I don't believe you."
"You seem to think I have it out for everyone, Bea, I promise you I don't."
"You're doing a good job of pretending you do," I mutter.
He squeezes my hand a little too hard, but I don't think it's purposeful.
"Let go of me," I say.
His eyes widen and his hold loosens, but he doesn't say anything.
I resist the urge to ask him more about what happened with Emilia, but it's mostly because I don't think he's going to tell me.
"Change!" the dance master calls.
I almost sigh with relief as I move on to the next vampire in the circle of dancers. The class goes by in a blur of going from one person to the next, but it's hard to focus on any of it when I'm worrying about Emilia, frustrated about Bastian, and above all, not able to take my mind off Linc.