Chapter Six
Caroline stiffened a bit. “Oh. Yes, I suppose when there’s music there might also be dancing.” A silly thing to say, but the suggestion had caught her off guard.
“An astute observation.” Lord Rockford narrowed his eyes in challenge. “Or do you not dance, Miss Devereux? If you feel intimidated, we’d best not.”
Perhaps he’d wanted to provoke her. If so, he’d bloody well succeeded.
“I may not be a flawless dancer, but I certainly know the steps.” Caroline got to her feet at once. The earl grinned in a way that suggested he was pleased. She pretended not to like that thought.
“Er, Caro, do be careful.” Dear Edmund looked concerned, and she could understand why. Caroline was not the most adept dancer, and people were watching.
“If your brother thinks you incapable, Miss Devereux, perhaps we should sit.”
And when those words left Rockford’s lips, Caroline’s brief moment of concern vanished.
“Escort me, my lord.” She gazed up in defiance and demanded his arm.
Gabriel led her out of the tent and into the midst of the dancers as the musicians completed a waltz. Caroline’s face fell when the next dance was called: an allemande .
“Oh. Er. How nice,” she said, some of her righteous fury dissipating at once. “Too bad it wasn’t another waltz, though.”
Lord Rockford frowned. “Would you rather step out for this one? There’s no shame in being unsure.”
He sounded as though he meant it. As though he truly found her incapable of such a feat. That only stiffened her resolve.
“No.” Caroline lifted her head. “I can do this one quite easily, thank you.”
Rockford groaned, taking his place upon the floor with her. “You really are the most headstrong woman I’ve ever met,” he said as the music began. The partners bowed and curtsied to one another.
“Smile when you say that, my lord.” Caroline plastered a giant, false grin on her face. “After all, we must keep up appearances.”
Unfortunately, Caroline’s dancing shouldn’t have made an appearance at all. At least, not for the allemande . She’d always preferred the waltz: that at least didn’t involve quite so much spinning and so many elaborate hand and arm gestures. When it came to physical grace and a sense of balance, Caroline was sorely lacking.
The first time the earl tried to turn her, she accidentally went the wrong way and bashed into another young lady. No one fell, thank God, but glares and whispers followed Caroline as she continued the dance. The only reason she was able to keep her feet at all was Lord Rockford. The man seemed to know precisely which way to shift her, how best to guide her and at what moment.
“I don’t understand,” Caroline whispered as she bungled another turn and he righted it. “You were traveling the world for over ten years, yes? And you never come to balls or parties. Why on earth are you such an accomplished dancer?”
“The physical’s always been easy for me,” the earl replied. “Besides, even when I was abroad, I didn’t live in caves or aboard pirate ships. Being the second son of the Earl of Rockford opens doors into all manner of society.”
“It must have been a strange life,” she said.
“Indeed. One minute I’d be getting into a tavern brawl in Majorca over some dancing girl, the next I’d be cleaning up and presenting myself at a nobleman’s soiree.”
Caroline couldn’t help her envy. A life of constant uncertainty would not have appealed to most people, but she found she hungered for it. She could scarce imagine a life lived solely in the moment itself, with little thought to the past and none to the future.
As she studied the man before her, Caroline found she was even more curious than before. So curious that she quite forgot her place in the dance and winced when she accidentally kicked Lord Rockford in the shin during a turn. He withheld a whispered curse, which she appreciated. Caroline felt the space between her shoulders itch, which usually meant only one thing.
“People are staring, aren’t they?” Caroline whispered.
“Don’t look at them or think about them.” The earl swallowed another sharp cry when she trod on his foot. She hadn’t done it on purpose! “Only think about me.”
“That’s a dangerous prospect.” She smiled.
“Do you consider me so very dangerous, then?” He spun her about, and her back was to him for a moment. Caroline’s heart beat faster.
“You pose no threat to me, sir.” She was haughty as she spun back around, ready to look up at his face in triumph.
Unfortunately, Caroline hadn’t considered the natural threat that gravity proved to her. When she turned herself about too quickly, she went in the wrong direction and knocked into another young couple. This time, however, disaster ensued.
Rockford managed to snatch Caroline before she tumbled to the ground, but the other two weren’t so lucky.
The young girl screamed as she waved her arms in frantic circles through the air before bashing into another dancer. Like a row of brightly dressed dominoes, young lady after young lady was knocked to the ground, petticoats flying, slippers slipping.
“Oh, bollocks,” Caroline groaned as she demolished a good third of the dancers in one tragic go. The music had to stop abruptly as young men helped their partners to their feet, as young women brushed grass from their skirts or ringlets. Caroline’s cheeks burned as she felt the group’s withering stare of contempt and irritation narrow in upon her.
She glanced at Lord Rockford. Perhaps this was exactly what he’d wished to have happen: for Caroline to hopelessly humiliate herself before the ton .
“Well. I imagine you’re satisfied, my lord.” Caroline couldn’t be angry at the punitive stares or even at the earl; she merely shook her head. “No one here will believe you’ve any interest in me after that performance. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
Rockford said nothing in reply. He remained silent as they overheard a few snatches of giggling whispers off to the side.
“That Devereux girl thinks she can snag the Earl of Rockford!”
“Gone and ruined that chance now, hasn’t she?”
“The poor earl, my daughter would be happy to show him what it’s like to dance with an elegant partner.”
Caroline shut her eyes. Fool that she was, she’d blundered on her first night in society with an earl. Everyone’s whispers only confirmed the damage.
“How can you stand it?” Rockford murmured, so low only she could hear.
“What?” Caroline frowned. “The failure, you mean?”
“No.” His jaw tensed. “ Them . The way they’re so…pleased with themselves.”
Was Caroline going mad, or did he sound almost indignant on her behalf?
Then, to her great astonishment, the Earl of Rockford took it upon himself to rescue her from mockery.
“That was marvelously done, Miss Devereux.” He spoke loud, so that the crowd’s tittering stopped. He kissed Caroline’s hand while she gaped at him. Rockford shook his head slightly, urging her not to ruin his little performance. She had no intention of stopping this.
“Th-thank you, my lord,” she said.
“That young couple nearly bowled you over, yet you kept to your feet. Remarkable, isn’t it?” Rockford smiled and looked right into one of those gossiping matrons’ eyes. “To find a young lady with such physical grace.”
The older woman swallowed loudly. Everyone knew what they’d actually seen, but now the Earl of Rockford was telling them to un-see it. Caroline couldn’t believe this.
“I didn’t knock her down! She knocked me over!” The first unfortunate young lady practically squawked her anger, while her dance partner hushed her with urgency.
He was right to hush her. Right now, Lord Rockford was the most powerful piece on the board. If he said Caroline was graceful as a swan, then that’s how she’d be remembered. Caroline watched him work all this on her behalf, almost pale with disbelief. Edmund ran onto the scene, looking nervous but hopeful. She caught his eye and nodded; all was well. Incredibly.
“Remarkable. Isn’t it?” Rockford asked again, looking the matron in the eyes.
“Yes, Your Lordship. I do believe it was…not…Miss Devereux’s fault.” The woman offered a weak smile.
“I’m glad we all can see so clearly.” Rockford lightly bowed his head and extended his hand for Caroline’s. She gave it without argument. “Come, Miss Devereux. I want to show you the hanging lanterns; they’re quite beautiful at this time of night.”
Caroline allowed herself to be led away from the disrupted dance area.
She clung to the earl, her unexpected savior, with her brow furrowed in concentration. Dear Eddie didn’t attempt to shove into the conversation. He remained watchful from behind.
“Thank you,” Caroline said to the earl at last. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye. “You could have used that opportunity against me. I suppose I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he replied.
“After everything?” She chuckled softly. “Then you’re a far better man than I imagined.”
“I want you to know something,” the earl murmured. “I have no plans to revenge myself on you, and no desire to do so.”
Caroline hardly knew what to say. That was generosity itself compared to what she’d expected from him. “I believe that.” She narrowed her eyes. “But…you would if you had to?”
“I have no plans to do anything of the sort,” he grumbled. “But you should remember one thing: I’m no good sort of man. Pray don’t forget it.”
He sounded sincere, but after the unexpected rescue in the Turkish pavilion, Caroline wondered if she should believe that he was such a fiend.
“Well. This was a most educational evening, my lord.” Caroline smirked. “Tomorrow, it will be my turn to choose the venue.”
All Rockford’s quiet brooding seemed to evaporate in the presence of her smile.
“Very well, Miss Devereux. I look forward to our next skirmish.”