Chapter 28

The Opening Dance

Bridget wanted to hold the Duke's hand as they walked back into the main hall, but it would not be right. It was Margaret's day, and she did not want to draw any attention away from that. Still, she wanted to cling to the Duke in case he was taken from her again.

There were other things on her mind. They had been outside, and while the Duke had left two footmen with her father, she worried it would not be enough to stop him from doing something foolish.

"There you are!" Margaret gasped. "I have been looking all over for you. I thought you had disappeared."

"I'm right here," Bridget told her sister. "What has happened? Is it…?"

"The dancing is about to begin," Margaret informed her. "Oh, I thought everything would be ruined. We could have found someone else, of course, and then—oh! You are with His Grace."

"We were taking a walk," Bridget said softly.

Margaret stood staring at the couple without saying a word.

"Margaret, the dancing?" Bridget prompted.

"Yes, yes, of course," Margaret said, snapping out of her daze. "We are about to dance, and no one is able. Mother and Father were supposed to dance together, but Father had injured his leg or perhaps his arm—I don't recall exactly what he said. He can't dance, and that is that, and then your partner was waiting for you, and His Grace's partner was waiting for him, but the two of you were missing. How are Michael and I expected to dance the quadrille when we have no other couples to dance with? And I know this is a small detail, and everything else has been splendid, but I want the dance to be splendid also. That is not too much to ask, is it? Is it, Bridget? Am I being pedantic?"

"No, you are not being pedantic," Bridget assured her. "Everything should be perfect, and everything will be perfect. You and Lord Michael shall dance the quadrille, and His Grace and I will partner for the dance."

"Oh," Margaret breathed. "Oh!"

"We have no time for that, and we can talk about it later," Bridget told her. She turned to the Duke. "You and Lord Michael have five cousins in attendance, and two were recently married, were they not?"

"Yes, I believe so. Rachel and Stewart," the Duke replied.

"Go and find them, Your Grace. They will have danced recently at their weddings, and I am sure they will be overjoyed to dance with our foursome. That will make four young couples all dancing together. That will work, won't it?"

"Yes, I believe so," Margaret confirmed.

Upon the confirmation of the bride, the Duke went off to find his cousins.

"Are… what happened on your walk?" Margaret asked.

"We shall talk about it later," Bridget promised. "I shall instruct the musicians to get ready for the first song." She was about to complete that task when she stopped and turned back to Margaret. "Did Father come and congratulate you?"

"Oh, yes, he did," Margaret confirmed. "I am so glad he could make it. However, I worry that he is not taking care of himself if he sustained an injury when he was away on business. Still, it is kind of His Grace to order his staff to help Father should he need it. His Grace is a good man, isn't he?"

"We will talk about it later," Bridget said with a smile. "Go back to Lord Michael and be ready to dance when the other couples arrive on the dance floor."

Margaret nodded and smiled before returning to the head table to talk with Michael.

Bridget studied the head table as she went to converse with the musicians, who were playing some light music while everyone ate.

She did not think at any point during the day that her mother and father would be sitting together at the table, but there they were. Penelope listened to Ralph's words and rolled her eyes the entire time. Behind them, the two footmen stood like soldiers stationed to protect. Neither of them took their eyes off Ralph.

Bridget instructed the musicians to play the first dance song once the four couples were on the dance floor, and then she met the Duke as he arrived back with his cousins and their partners. The three couples were soon joined by the married couple, and cheering and applause rang out as Margaret and Michael made their way to the dance floor.

Margaret looked at Bridget with tears in her eyes. Bridget was only glad that she could help make the day perfect for her sister with a little help from the Duke.

The introduction to the song began, and the four couples took up their positions in a square formation.

The Duke took Bridget's hands. She had been expecting it, but the touch still made her legs quiver. She had to concentrate on keeping her balance, now that she was back with him.

I am back with him! We were driven apart, but we are back together, and it shall only make us stronger.

The song started, and four beats passed before Margaret crossed the space between the dancers to face the Duke and step lightly before him. He responded with some steps of his own. When Margaret moved back to her partner, it was Bridget's turn. She moved forward and danced before Lord Michael, with him making a response this time. Then, the cousins did the same.

The partners clasped hands again. The Duke placed his right arm across Bridget's back and shoulders, extending his hand and taking her right hand and then took her left hand in his, standing slightly behind her. The other three couples did the same, and they all moved into the center of the square and danced together in a circle.

Bridget caught her sister's eyes, and she could not help but smile. Margaret looked so happy, content with the world.

Bridget had started the day feeling the complete opposite, but her emotions had flipped completely in the past hour. She had never imagined herself with a life like Margaret's until that moment, when they danced the quadrille together.

The couples spread out into a larger square as the music came to a crescendo. They promenaded around in a larger circle, each couple stepping in time. There was a flourish as the music quickened, and the dancers improvised some steps in time with the music.

When the music stopped, everyone in the hall applauded the married couple, and they took center stage between the other three couples. Bridget and the Duke, and the cousins and their partners joined in the celebratory applause.

Bridget did not want the Duke to let go of her, but he did before going over to his brother to clap him on the back. She took the opportunity to embrace her sister.

"I am so happy for you," Bridget told her. "You found a good man, and I know you will have a happy life with him."

"I am happy for you, too, sister. And I know we will talk about it later," Margaret replied.

The musicians struck up a waltz this time. Michael took Margaret's hand, and he motioned with his free hand for more couples to join them on the dance floor. The guests were quick to get to their feet and join the merriment.

Bridget looked at the Duke, and he raised his eyebrows in return. He walked over to her and offered her his hand.

"My waltzing lessons should not be wasted. I don't have to hum the music this time."

Bridget laughed. She gladly took his hand and allowed herself to be led to a part of the dance floor that was not too full. He had a beguiling look in his eyes that made her heart flutter, and she knew she could spend hours looking into his eyes.

When he came to a halt, she eagerly placed her hand on his shoulder. He was tall and strong, a man who could protect her. The Duke held up her hand to her right and placed his other hand on her waist, cupping her firmly. It was a welcome touch that sent a delicious shiver through her body.

Bridget looked at his lips, then back at his eyes. She swam in them as if they were deep pools of clear green water.

"You are so handsome," she said without meaning to.

She firmly believed he was handsome, but she had not meant to say it out loud.

The Duke smiled at the compliment. "And you are beautiful," he replied. "Certainly the most beautiful woman here, but I can't say that too loud on your sister's wedding day."

"No, best not," Bridget agreed with a giggle.

She took deep breaths as they waited for the music to start and stared into his wonderful eyes. They did not say anything to each other in the silence, but it felt like they communicated everything through their eyes.

The entire hall seemed to darken around them, blocking everything else and everyone else out. There was only a small spot illuminated on the dance floor, where Bridget and the Duke stood.

The music began, and they danced among shadows, with only eyes for each other. Bridget was glad the Duke was leading the dance, as she was unaware of her surroundings. She might have bumped into someone if she were leading the dance, but the Duke led her between shadowy figures as they glided around the dance floor.

Bridget was sure they were moving around the entire dance floor, even if she could not see anything but the dashing Duke's haunting green eyes. She felt his hand pushing her gently, and they floated as if they were on a boat on a calm pond, gliding elegantly.

"I can see my lesson paid off," the Duke noted.

Bridget smiled.

There were no stars above them as they danced, but Bridget only had to close her eyes to be transported back to the silence and serenity of the beach where they had first danced. She took a deep breath and could almost smell the salty air.

She opened her eyes again. "That was the moment I understood how deep my feelings for you were," she confessed. "My goodness, how did you go from infuriating to so desirable in only a few short days?"

"I am very charming," the Duke quipped. "The real question is how you went from incredibly annoying to so beguiling in the same amount of time."

"I must have some charm, too," Bridget pointed out.

The Duke laughed and spun her with more gusto. She gasped and then laughed as she was spun around. The world around them became more of a blur. The Duke's eyes shone brighter, and a glow appeared around him. Bridget became bathed in it, and it warmed her through and through.

She held onto him tighter, less afraid to let him go now but still not wanting to let him escape her grasp.

"You will be nothing like your father," Bridget reassured him.

The Duke nodded, the smile leaving his face for a moment. "I know."

"You are a good man, but you don't need me to tell you that. You already know you are a good man."

"I have a theory," the Duke admitted.

"What is your theory?"

Bridget could hear the muffled sounds of others dancing around her, but it felt like they were in a bubble, and they could only properly hear each other.

"Perhaps we are only irritating and infuriating because we have not found the person who can provide balance in our lives. It is as if we have only been half the people we are supposed to be until we meet each other. Does that make sense?"

"I think it does," Bridget replied. "I have spoken for many years about not finding a man who could treat me well enough, and I believed for a long time there was not such a man. Then, you came along, and you are the opposite of what I thought I was looking for, but it somehow works."

"I thought the very same," the Duke admitted, slightly out of breath as his movements quickened with the music. "We spent a long time looking for something separately, and it was not until the opposite of that thing came along that we finally felt complete."

"I don't understand it, and I don't want to," Bridget said.

The Duke spun her around one more time, and the music came to an end. Clapping rang out from those who were still seated, and murmurs of approval rang out across the dance floor. Bridget spotted Margaret, even though her sister did not catch her eye, and it warmed her heart to see how happy she was.

"I must tell you something," Bridget murmured.

It did not feel as if they were alone on the dance floor anymore, but there was enough noise to talk and not be overheard. Everyone was either too busy congratulating their partners for the dance or looking toward the married couple to be bothered about the Duke and Bridget.

"What must you tell me?" The Duke asked.

"When we danced under the stars all those nights ago, that was when I knew I had feelings for you. Those feelings only grew in our time apart, and when we came back together this afternoon, I knew what they had grown into. I cannot hold it in any longer and must tell you that I love you."

"As you should," the Duke deadpanned. "I am a handsome and charming man."

Bridget was stunned. She tried to compose herself so she could say something to him, but she did not have time before he spoke.

He held up his hands. "I am only teasing you. I apologize, I could not resist. I love you, too. Of course, I love you. We are destined to be together, Lady Bridget, and we shall be once I have dealt with one final matter."