07-04-2023, 05:54 PM
She at least did wait to be handed up into the carriage, finally able to breathe once outside. When they were both seated, assuming he followed soon behind, she finally answered him. "It doesn't matter how well you dance as long as you make it clear I am your intended. That's what this whole thing is about." It was business, of course. She would appear on his arm, they would dance together, people would talk. That was the nature of things, right? She had never been to a soiree before, so she did not know. She'd only learned to dance recently, she was not adept in such things as of yet as far as she was concerned.
Then there was a stretch of time where the young woman kept silent regardless of whether he was chatting or not. She was avoiding his gaze for the moment, then she glanced his way and... damn it, stared at his lips. Her eyes darted away. "I trust your day was pleasant enough, Na-- Mister Appleton?" She'd caught herself saying his name. Hopefully, she thought, he would ignore the slip up and not catch her in the blatant act of pretending she was unaffected by him.
Then there was a stretch of time where the young woman kept silent regardless of whether he was chatting or not. She was avoiding his gaze for the moment, then she glanced his way and... damn it, stared at his lips. Her eyes darted away. "I trust your day was pleasant enough, Na-- Mister Appleton?" She'd caught herself saying his name. Hopefully, she thought, he would ignore the slip up and not catch her in the blatant act of pretending she was unaffected by him.