Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

O livia all but dragged her sister out to a balcony where she gasped with relief at the feeling of the cool night air on her face, turning to face her sister with a delighted grin lighting her youthful features.

"You have danced so much that you are flush," Marina observed, her smile mild and tender as she observed her sister. "It makes me quite sore that I have not been able to see you flourish all season."

"Why is that?" Olivia asked, her head tilted to the side.

"I am not the important one tonight," Marina protested. "I feel as though I have missed years of your young life. Tell me what has happened so far tonight"

Olivia giggled but decided to indulge Marina anyway. "I have spent the night attempting to gain the Viscount's attention."

"Attempting? My, you have it, my dear Olivia."

"Really? Do you think so? He has not yet asked me to dance. I have been approached by four other men tonight, none of them him. I nearly missed a fifth dance on my way to fetch you."

"Ah, I see. He has been standing at the edge of the dance floor, waiting for you all night."

"Then why does he not ask?"

"He is not as quick as your other suitors," Marina said with a sigh. "We shall stay here for one dance, and then I will accompany you back inside and assist with keeping your card clear until we find him."

"You are my savior, Marina."

"I am your sister. It is my duty."

"What of you, then? Will you dance with the Duke tonight?"

"I expect not."

"Why ever?"

"He does not strike me as the type who likes to dance."

"Have you asked?"

Marina and Olivia stood across from one another, both gazing at the other as if in deep thought. Marina had never asked Phillip whether he liked to dance. In all her time of chastising him for not communicating well enough, she realized that there were times when she had not pursued the communication she so wanted from him. She wondered how that could be. She could also see the concern on her sister's face. It was obvious that even Olivia had noticed that something was not quite right in Marina's marriage without her having to explicitly say so.

She wished that she felt more comfortable sharing her concerns, but she did not wish to burden this delicate and beautiful time in Olivia's young life with her own marital troubles. They could quite possibly be over soon anyway, she thought. Not all was perfect at the Hayward Estate, but there at least seemed to be an agreement between herself and Phillip. She felt they were progressing—slowly, sure, but it was progression all the same.

"I suppose that I have not."

"You should ask. The two of you are a handsome couple. I would so love to see you dance together, and I cannot be the only one."

"No one will give us a second thought if you are dancing beside us, Olivia. You look stunning tonight."

"Thank you," Olivia breathed, taking a turn in her dress and delighting in the way the skirts twirled around her feet as she did so. "I was so excited to wear our dresses tonight. I have to say, I am glad that you were able to attend at all. I did so worry that you might not."

Marina frowned. "I said I would when you asked."

"Yes, but you were unsure whether or not the Duke would attend with you, and I would not have forced you to come alone."

Marina smiled tenderly and reached up to stroke her sister's cheek. "You think too selflessly, Olivia. You are young. The rest of us are happy to cater to your wants and needs. It reminds us of our own youth."

"You are still young."

"I am married," Marina sighed dramatically. "My days of dancing are over, I fear."

Olivia giggled, clasping her sister's hand in her own. "Never say so again!" she demanded. "If your husband will not dance with you, then I shall do so myself!"

The two girls laughed together. "Tell me, Olivia, what is it precisely that you think of the Viscount. I know you wish for him to dance with you, but have you quite made up your mind about any one man in particular?"

Olivia's cheeks blushed a bright pink. "I believe I have."

"Pray tell."

"The Viscount is handsome, and I would be remarkably fortunate to make a match of him. But what has won me over, truly, is his disposition."

"Yes?"

"He seems quiet and timid at first—I believe that is clear to see—but we recently ran int one another at promenade."

"Did you walk together?"

"We did, with Papa, and we spoke for so long that my feet were sore and tired by the end, and I nearly forgot that we were not alone. He is quite intelligent. And well-traveled. More so, his insights on literature and daily life—oh, Marina. I could listen to him speak for hours."

"You're quite smitten!"

"I believe I am!"

The two girls clung to each other in a tight hug, both excited for what this news promised in regards to Olivia's future, but the time they had to spend in one another's arms was limited. Marina heard the song playing inside come to a close and extended her arm to Olivia for her to take. They entered the ballroom together, and Marina spotted the Viscount immediately. She quickly devised a path that was least likely to incur the attention of Olivia's other suitors and at last delivered her to the nervous Viscount, who promptly asked her for the next dance.

Marina saw them off, smiling at the way they gazed into one another's eyes. She thought, perhaps, that her sister might be falling in love. It was then, as she turned to find her husband and give him the update on Olivia, that Duchess Hayward was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight before her.

In that moment, all she could think was that she wished Kathrin had been in attendance. If she had, perhaps she could have warned her.