Page 40 of When She Loved Me
Cheerily, Nicole nodded, thankful for Timsby’s presence and quick thinking. “Perfect. While you figure that out, we can start with some basic steps.”
Charlie and Henry lugged in comfortable chairs from the unused music room down the hall, so that Franklin and Abby might sit and know some ease while they watched.
“We’ll start with the Scotch reel,” Nicole was saying, as this was likely the easiest to teach, and might find itself well received as a country dance. She hoped. She moved to the center of the ballroom and said, “The reel is danced in set formations, usually in four sets—which is to say, four couples, but we can practice with two couples.” She moved Henry and Charlie to stand, several feet apart, but seemingly in a line. “Now Lorelei, you stand across from Charlie.” And Nicole took her place, next to Lorelei, across from Henry. She demonstrated first the beginning steps, moving forward with her right foot and closing with her left. She stepped forward again with her right, showing then the small hop with the same foot. “And then we repeat those samemotions, starting with the left foot.” She demonstrated twice more, aware of three different expressions watching her; Lorelei could barely contain the animated smile that lit her face, even as she stared so intently at Nicole’s feet as they moved; Charlie certainly looked as if he’d rather be anywhere but here, though his serious gaze did also follow Nicole’s moving feet; Henry’s face seemed only scrunched up in confusion, as if the timing and order of the steps was lost to him already.
Half an hour later, when Timsby had made some strides with the piano, at least managing to create sounds that did not cause harm to anyone, Nicole was sure her three students had a basic grasp of the sketch of the dance. She’d shown them how the reel progressed, trying not to laugh at Henry’s never-before-noticed ill grace. When the hop step was required, it was advised to swing the free foot forward in the air, toe gracefully pointed down, but Henry turned it such a way that might suggest he only required a brace to straighten out the appendage, as it appeared he was lame at that moment of the hop.
They had set up to practice for the first time with music, as Timsby had just seated himself, and waited Nicole’s nod, when Ian and Trevor walked into the room.
Nicole was surprised to see the two men laughing together. This heartened her though she could not fathom why it should. Trevor would be gone soon, she hoped. What did she care if he got on well with her steward? Still, she liked it, that despite their very hostile beginning, these two men had found not only common ground, apparently, but amusements to share. She smiled at them, not really knowing that she did so, until Trevor turned his gaze onto her.
And then she forgot to breathe. While a smile still hovered about him, while his beautiful eyes were crinkled so brilliantly at the corners, he looked at her and Nicole’s last words of instruction trailed off. Unaccountably, her belly twisted, and her breath caught. Truly, it was a shame that he was so damnably handsome. Her present circumstance might be so much more easy to bear if he were possessed of, say, scaly warts or a persistent rash, maybe a third eye or leg—anything at all to lessen the powerful effect his very appearance had on her.
Ian clapped his hands together when he realized what they were about. “Am I in time yet?”
“Y-you are,” Nicole recovered. “But you have to wait your turn, as we haven’t enough females to make for even lines.”
Unperturbed, Ian stood on the sidelines, he and Trevor next to the chairs on which sat Franklin and Abby.
Nicole nodded to Timsby, and the music started.
“You and I are first, Charlie,” she reminded him and set off toward him. “Join hands and advance with steps,” she said, as she’d shown earlier. Charlie had surprised her, being both charming and sure in his step, even as he remained fairly tight-lipped, as if displeased to have been rather forced into this. “Oh, the girls are going to love you, Charlie,” she teased as they spun and then parted, and Lorelei and Henry stepped up, taking hands and performing the same steps. “Perfect,” she praised the pair. They repeated this several times, only the two sets being able to move along, then Nicole called to Timsby to pause for a moment.
Facing her husband and Ian, she decided, “Actually, you can both help us.” She waved them forward, ignoring Trevor’s lifted brow. “Doesn’t matter that you’re both male. I just want to show them the progression down the line.”
The two men strode forward, happy to be of assistance. Trevor stepped into the line, standing next to Henry, while Ian took the place next to Nicole. With a broad grin, Ian said to Trevor, “Guess I’m your date for the evening, boss.”
“I’ve had worse,” Trevor said with a wry grin, and Charlie and Henry smirked at this.
Nicole shook her head at this foolishness. “All right, Timsby. From the top, if you please.”
They went through it several times, and with several missteps, but Nicole was fairly pleased with their progress after only one instruction and a mere ten minutes of actual footwork thus far. Lorelei’s darling face was flushed red with exertion and excitement, her giggles infectious. Perhaps seeing the earl apply himself with some seriousness to the task, Charlie lost most of his displeasure, and some of his embarrassment.
Ian teased Henry, “Lift those feet, boy! We’re high-stepping here!” and he clapped in time to Timsby’s play, obviously being not untutored at all, that he also proved a good model for the lads to emulate.
When Timsby ended the music with a high flourish, they dissolved into laughter, Nicole and Lorelei hugging each other with shiny eyes and cheeks, spinning around one more time, while Franklin and Abby applauded from the sidelines. Trevor ruffled Henry’s short hair, telling him well done. Even Charlie smiled, looking between Nicole and Trevor with no small amount of delight for this occurrence.
Lorelei clapped her hands together. “Oh, please say you’ll teach us to waltz as well,” she begged of Nicole.
“I’m not sure we’ll have need of a waltz at a country dance,” Nicole demurred. Though it was by far her favorite dance, it wasattached to Trevor with some poignant remembrance, and likely would be for all her days, having been the only dance she’d ever shared with him. It dawned on her then, sadly, that she could not recall having danced with him on their wedding day. They must not have, she decided, believing she’d not have been able to scrap that from her mind, as so much of that day was burned so horribly into her memory.
A quick glance to her husband now showed him staring at her with some unfathomable expression, and she wondered if he, too, were recalling the waltz they’d shared.
While he held her gaze, he uttered, “No reason not to include a waltz. Is it to be reserved only for the elite?” With his hands on his hips, he twisted to Timsby. “Can you assist, my good man?”
His valet nodded, with a fine smile, while Lorelei pressed her hands over her mouth in some excitement.
Trevor then approached Nicole, the gleam in his eye nothing short of appreciative, extending his hand to her. “Let’s start with a demonstration, shall we?”
No, we definitely should not. Her breath caught once again. She seemed unable to lift her eyes from his chest, settling her troubled gaze onto the buttons of his shirt. The last thing she wanted—or thought prudent—was to be held in Trevor’s arms again.
He waited, while Nicole toyed nervously with the scrap of lace at the top of her bodice and now considered his outstretched hand.
Oh, but this was a bad idea. With a grimace, she briefly considered those around her, Lorelei’s visible excitement and Ian’sencouraging nod. Franklin, sitting straighter in the chair near the wall, had lifted one brow.
Slowly, Nicole placed her hand in Trevor’s and finally met his gaze, swallowing hard. Still, she could read nothing in her husband’s eyes, and only belatedly, as he led her toward the center of the room, noticed the pulsating twitch in his cheek.
Timsby began to play as Trevor spun her slowly around to face him. He dropped her hand to make a bow at her, which bade Nicole offer a brief dip of a curtsy. While their eyes were locked once again, Trevor lifted his left arm and opened his hand. Nicole stepped forward, setting her hand into his, trying in vain to keep her breathing even. As soon as her fingers touched him, he shortened the distance and lifted his other arm even as Nicole did the same. His hand settled high on her back and her fingers touched the very top of his hard arm, just shy of his shoulder.
