Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
She hadn’t known if he would be here.
Ada was aware the team had been invited, and all week, his potential presence had been on her mind.
She understood Rhys was encouraging them all to come, and yet, she had a feeling that this type of event wouldn’t be one Jonny would ever choose to attend.
Truth be told, it wasn’t one she was particularly thrilled about, either. Usually, she made it through these events because her friends were in attendance, and they could sit together while they watched the rest of the party.
That was, until the three of them had married. Now, Lily, Emmaline, and Minnie rarely attended. If they did, they spent at least half their evenings with their husbands.
Not that Ada blamed them. In fact, she envied them for what they had. When it was time to take the dance floor, they actually had partners they were excited about.
She was always expected to dance with David, of course, given their alleged impending engagement.
He was always there to do his duty, but he might as well have been elsewhere.
He would never speak to her as they moved, despite her repeated attempts at conversation.
Instead, he would stare over her left shoulder, and she always had the sense that he was seeking out other potential partners.
When they finished their dance, he would thank her with a quick nod before moving on.
The next time she would see him on the floor, he would be laughing, deep in conversation.
It had made her feel that perhaps he wasn’t the boring one. Perhaps she was the one who brought out that side of him – a side she didn’t particularly like.
At the first sight of Jonny, however, she forgot all about David Carter. She couldn’t even have said if David was in attendance tonight, although her mother had spoken of it during the entirety of their carriage ride here.
Those hazel eyes held her, wide, intent, as though he had been waiting for her.
His lips parted slightly, his eyes dancing up and down her body, and a blush crept up her cheeks as she wondered whether he was appreciating her dress.
The seamstress had done an incredible job.
Even Ada could admit that. She was also well aware that this was far from her daily attire and effort into how she looked.
She usually only cared for as much comfort as was possible and didn’t enjoy taking the time to make sure her hair was perfect or her face made up.
But tonight, she had been purposeful in her efforts.
And she could finally admit to herself that it was because of the potential that Jonny might be here.
It annoyed her that she cared so much about what he thought, this man who seemed out to get under her skin — in every way possible, from how he underestimated her to the way he caused her to want him in ways she most definitely shouldn’t.
“Ada?” her mother cut in, breaking the connection, “I believe the Carters are in the next room.”
“I’d like to greet Emmaline first.”
“Ada.”
“Mother.”
They held one another’s stares in a silent battle for a moment before her mother sighed.
“Fine. Make your greetings. But you know how important it is that we be seen with the Carters this evening.”
Her parents had eventually heard the rumors about her, of course, and her mother had been irate, although, fortunately, her anger was not directed toward Ada but to society in general for creating such a salacious rumor.
However, it was partially true given Ada’s father’s involvement in the underworld, not that he would ever take any blame, from himself or his wife.
“I doubt David wants to spend the entire evening with me,” she muttered, uncertain if her mother even heard her before she crossed the room to speak with Emmaline, who was standing with Rhys and was just now being joined by Lily and Colin.
“Ada!” Lily gasped. “You look exquisite.”
“Turn around,” Emmaline ordered, and Ada rolled her eyes, but made a slow circle.
“Oh, that gown,” Lily said, admiring the off-the-shoulder sleeves which provided the smallest glimpse of Ada’s arms, softening their shape while still maintaining an air of sophistication.
Ada usually didn’t care much for fashion, but she had to admit that she loved this dress and how it made her feel. Like a lady who was worthy of admiration, especially with this full, flowing skirt that moved with her as she walked.
She lifted a hand to play with the delicate necklace around her neck, almost surprised once more at the feel of the lace gloves that covered her hands.
She glanced over at Jonny now and then, but he seemed to purposefully avert his gaze every time it came close to meeting hers.
“We’re not the only ones who are enjoying how you look,” Emmaline murmured, her eyes dancing around the room.
“What do you mean?”
“There are more than a few heads turned your way.”
Ada shook her head. “Likely due to the rumors that have been circulating.”
“I don’t think so,” Emmaline said in a singsong voice. “Oh, don’t look now, but you have one of those admirers approaching.”
Ada’s heart leapt as she realized she was hoping that it would be Jonny, coming to collect her as the musicians announced they would be playing their first set in a few moments’ time.
As she turned, she had to fight to keep the smile on her face.
For it was not Jonny approaching, but David.
His smile was somewhat strained, as though he had been ordered this way by his own parents. He came to a stop in front of her.
“Miss Jones,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips. “You look lovely tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said through tight lips.
“Mr. Carter, have you met Mr. Davies or Mr. Thatcher?” David knew Lily and Emmaline through the social circles their parents had always run in, but he had never met the men, as far as she knew.
While he nodded politely, he didn’t seem overly interested in learning anything more, which grated on Ada.
These were people who meant a great deal in her life, and he was basically brushing them off.
“A dance?” he said, holding his hand out.
Ada sighed inwardly. She didn’t mind dancing, but dancing with David was nearly intolerable.
She was in no position, however, to decline.
The drawing room wall had been removed to combine it with the room beyond, creating a large enough room for dancing.
Ada took David’s hand, finding the middle of the floor along with a few other couples.
She fit one hand on his shoulder, the other in his hand.
For as many times as they had danced before, it should feel comfortable, but she had always felt that they were physically mismatched.
He just wasn’t quite the right height, and even when they danced, it was as though he was always pulling her along in practiced steps instead of flowing with the music.
She put on the expected smile, however, and allowed him to lead her — silently, of course — while she gazed over his shoulder.
She felt eyes on her, which was to be expected when dancing in the middle of the floor, especially after such rumors had circulated about her, but she didn’t care about most of the people who watched her.
The only eyes she cared about were his.
When David turned her, her gaze settled on Jonny, who was watching her from beneath hooded lids, those eyes blazing as he stared at her. Colin and Rhys stood next to him, chatting, but she could tell he wasn’t listening to them. No – he was watching her.
A frown creased his forehead, his lips pressed flat, jaw gripped together tightly.
He was jealous.
The realization washed over her at once, causing her to gasp loud enough that even David noticed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, although he did not sound overly concerned.
“Nothing,” she said. “I must have stepped on something that hurt my foot.”
“Are you not wearing boots?”
“No, tonight my shoes are much more delicate.”
He just made a “hmm” sound as though he didn’t overly care, which wasn’t exactly a revelation.
As they turned, she glimpsed her mother standing with Mrs. Carter, watching approvingly and nodding slightly when their eyes met.
Her father was in another room entirely, likely a card room where he didn’t have to listen to her mother or be part of any gossip that could, potentially, include him.
The weight of it all descended on Ada, the injustice that she was the one who had to bear this burden of her father’s mistakes, that this wooden dance she was currently stuck in was only a preview of the rest of her life if it included a marriage with David.
She had to get out of this — there had to be another way.
For such a lifetime would only drain away all the soul within her.
She was no longer willing to accept it.
The dance mercifully came to an end, and David bowed over her hand before backing away.
He hadn’t even left the dance floor before he was asking another to partner, a beautiful young girl who looked a lot like Minnie.
While Ada wanted nothing to do with him, it was still a hit to know that the only man she had been given as an option was only boring because he had decided he wanted nothing to do with her.
“Ada.”
She turned from watching David to find Jonny standing there, looking completely uncomfortable and yet… such a refuge.
“Yes?”
“Would you dance with me?”
“Yes,” she said, and he nodded before stepping forward, taking her in his arms.
Where David had felt stiff and wrong, stepping into Jonny’s arms was like sliding the right puzzle pieces together. Despite the breadth of his shoulders, he was the perfect height for her to feel comfortable. And somehow, despite how long she had known David, Jonny felt familiar. Like coming home.
She heard his sharp intake of breath, but she didn’t question him on it, knowing it was not likely something he would be interested in discussing. She had learned that Jonny would only provide information when he was ready to provide it, and certainly not when pushed.
She wondered if he had any idea what he was doing on the dance floor, but her question was answered within the first few bars of music, as he led her nearly effortlessly across the polished wood.
“Where did you learn how to dance like this?” she asked, her eyes flying to his, losing her breath at how close his eyes were, how that gold ring around his pupil gazed at her so forcefully. Jonny did everything with such intent, and it seemed that dancing was no different.
“My mother taught me,” he said. “She loved to dance, even though she was not from any upbringing that required it.”
“How did she learn?”
“Her mother worked as a lady’s maid for a countess,” he said, surprising Ada by sharing information so readily.
It wasn’t like him. “When she was a girl, she was friends with the countess’s daughter and learned to dance by watching her lessons and practicing with her afterward.
She never forgot it, spent most of her life dancing around the kitchen, in the house.
The lessons she gave us were unstructured.
Just years of dancing with her as she sang our favorite songs. ”
Ada was surprised when she felt tears prick her eyes. The memory was just so pure, the look in his eyes so far away, and— was that a smile on his lips?
“Jonny, that’s lovely,” she said, nearly breathlessly, and he blinked, his gaze hardening once more.
“It was,” he said grimly. “Then my father got in with Blackwood, and, well, life wasn’t quite as carefree as it had been before.”
They went silent after that, moving to the music. Ada shifted closer to him, while Jonny’s arms wrapped more tightly around her.
She had a strange longing to close her eyes and press her cheek against his chest, losing herself in him and the music.
But that, of course, was ridiculous.
His breath brushed against her hair, and while Ada knew they were closer than was proper, especially for a dance in the middle of a viscount’s ballroom with her mother and her intended’s mother looking on, she found that she didn’t overly care.
If everyone wanted to talk about her, why not give them something to say? Something that was true rather than rumors built upon lies and her father’s connections.
The song finally slowed, and Jonny stepped away slightly, but he didn’t let go of her hands as he held onto them, staring deeply into her eyes.
“Thank you,” he said, though he didn’t bow.
Ada didn’t care. “Thank you,” she said, not wanting to walk away. “Do you want to—”
“Ada!”
She closed her eyes and sighed, knowing her mother would be standing on the side of the dance floor, summoning her.
“Do I want to…” Jonny prodded, uncaring about what her mother might want, and for some reason, that caused her to smile.
“Meet me in the parlor in an hour or so?”
Her eyes met his, challenging him.
He smiled wickedly in response. “I would love to.”