Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

J osiah was all eagerness and anxious energy. He paced to and fro, unable to sit still for any length of time. It had been like this all day, even when supervising a rehearsal at the theatre, until Beatrice had lost her patience with him and sent him on his way. It was not often that he had this kind of eager anticipation for a dancing lesson. Eva was due to arrive at any moment, the last lesson of the day. He had scheduled it thusly on purpose, so that neither of them would feel hurried by the arrival of other students.

You are getting too invested in this one , a pragmatic part of his brain warned him. Josiah was inclined to scoff at the very idea, but there was a truth in it that he couldn't deny. It had been pure impulse and sentimentality that had him sending his treasured illustrations to Lady Eva. She could very well have simply discarded them, or they could have been ruined in transit. Still, something told Josiah that he was right to trust her; there was something about her that made him believe that she would see the importance.

There was a slight whoosh of air through the studio as the door was opened. Immediately, Josiah paused, his entire body tensed and listening. There were the expected sounds of Lady Stanton, who seemed intent on talking the ears off the poor maid. Below that, the unmistakable sound of Lady Eva, placating and patient, as if she were the parent. Her voice was low and smooth, velvet for the ears.

Josiah forced himself to remain where he was, awaiting her arrival, ignoring his impulse to rush forward and hurry her along. It would not do for him to gawp at her, however, while she was engaged in the delicate business of changing out her shoes.

At last, when she appeared, Josiah could not keep a smile from spreading across his face. Lady Eva seemed inclined to respond in kind, and she did not duck her face to hide it demurely, as another young lady might. This only served to endear her further to him. She strode forward in confidence, offering her hand, which Josiah automatically accepted.

"Lady Stanton, Lady Eva," he greeted them both, his eyes flicking only briefly to Lady Stanton. "Shall we begin? I believe I heard that you walked here? Very good, we shan't need a strenuous warm-up then."

With one hand behind his back, he shifted his other hand so that Lady Eva's rested atop it. Without preamble, he escorted her to the centre of the dancefloor. "Should we see what you remember?"

"Very well, Mr. Galpin," Eva murmured in assent. She straightened her shoulders, and did not flinch when Josiah put his hand on her waist. He was fully prepared to have to fully guide her through the steps again; to his astonishment, he found her perfectly able to keep up with him. She moved lightly, not looking down at her feet even once.

"You've been practising," he said approvingly. He caught a smile on her face as she turned about in front of him.

"You should know when I set out to do something, I mean to do it right," she replied.

They were silent for a few moments, passing around one another, hands lightly touching here and there. "Did you receive the parcel, then?" Josiah asked neutrally, though he was quite eager to know her thoughts.

"I did," Eva confirmed, another smile making her eyes twinkle a little.

"I'm glad to hear it." A pause. "And what, may I ask, did you make of them?"

Lady Eva's steps slowed for the first time during their lesson. Josiah did not chide her for this, however, because it was clear from her expression that she was deep in thought. "They were beautiful, of course," she said slowly. "But…" She trailed off, clearly struggling to say what was on her mind.

"But?" Josiah prompted.

"They made my heart feel…strange," she admitted. Josiah inclined his head at her, and she hurried on to explain herself. "I did not know that there were so many forms of dancing; I mean, I knew in an abstract sort of way that people dance differently in different places, but… I did not expect them to all be beautiful."

Josiah laughed softly. "Just imagine if the knowledge ever got out that the people of France and Italy were every bit as accomplished at dancing as the British."

Lady Eva gave him a dour look, the effect somewhat spoiled by her own smile that fought through. "That isn't what I meant, and you know it. It seemed that they all understood the art of what they were doing, that they themselves could be as glorious as a painted ceiling. It simply had never occurred to me that anyone could do that, that dance could be more than a social exchange on a ballroom." She paused, then looked up at Josiah fully in the face. "I could see this reflected in your own performance, too."

Josiah felt a great swelling of pride within him, as well as a kind of relief that she had seen what he was trying to show her. He didn't reply, but let them dance in peace for a few beats.

Eva pulled to a halt suddenly, nearly throwing Josiah off-balance. He was prepared to ask her what was wrong, when he saw that she was staring intently out the window.

What is she looking at? he wondered, following her gaze. It's too dark outside to see much of anything, and the lamp lighters haven't been out yet… Oh. Realisation dawned on him, followed by a slight twinge of disappointment.

Twilight had indeed fallen outside, though the hour was not yet late; pewter-coloured clouds had hung heavily over London all day, threatening more rain. Night fell early enough in January, but with the addition of clouds, it was more than punctual. The studio was not particularly brightly lit, but compared to London outside of its walls, it was brilliant enough. There were large windows that faced south, to catch as much sun as possible so that the dancers might have the benefit of natural light.

The combination of this interlude between light and dark was that the windows had effectively been transformed into dim mirrors. Lady Eva was staring at her reflection, tilting her chin this way and that. Josiah felt his heart sink; she was only concerned about how she looked while she danced, if she was shown to good advantage. He wasn't sure why he expected a woman as beautiful as she was to be immune from vanity, if anything she?—

"My arm isn't right," Eva said abruptly. Startled, Josiah looked down at her. Right between her brows, a little line had formed as she stared at her reflection. "It's something with the elbow, I think," she continued, then turned her head a little again, as if trying to catch a different angle.

Blinking, Josiah looked at their reflections again. He could see it now, exactly what she was referring to. He was a little embarrassed at not having spotted it himself, but also a little pleased that she had . He stepped back, critically analysing her stance.

"If you raise your hand a bit higher, my lady," he said, encouraging her to do so. "Yes, that's it—see now, how your arm falls more naturally?"

"Ah," she said, raising and lowering her arm again, watching as she did so. Suddenly she turned to him, her face alight with amusement. "I shudder to think what you would have made of my silly little hops, if you can find such a small flaw."

"Little hops?" Josiah repeated.

Lady Eva laughed, throaty and full, and waved him off with one hand. "Oh, it's nothing really. I was attempting to copy one of the plates you sent over, nothing more. A bit of girlish fun."

Josiah stared at her for a moment. "Show me," he said.

"What? Here? Now? " Lady Eva asked, her eyes darting down to where her mother was sitting.

"Yes," Josiah said firmly. He stepped back, allowing her some space. With a sweep of one arm, he invited her to make use of the dancefloor.

Her white teeth flashed as she bit her lip for a moment, hesitating. She glanced again at her mother, who seemed preoccupied with a novel of some stripe. Her dark eyes flicked to Josiah then, narrowing slightly as if trying to determine if he were in jest. He nodded his head toward the open space, silently encouraging her.

Setting her shoulders, Lady Eva walked out a few steps, looked to Josiah once more, and then prepared herself. She shifted her weight effortlessly to her left foot, and holding her skirt slightly to the side, she leapt easily and landed on her right foot. Her left arm had stretched out naturally to help balance her, but folded back in when she landed, like a swan's wing.

She kept her back to Josiah for a moment, but when she turned around, her face was full of nervous conflict, seeking his approval. Her expression gradually faded to one of apprehension, and she began to attempt to explain.

"I know that it was not as precise as you are used to seeing, and it's difficult to get the full range of motion with my skirt, and?—"

"How did you do that?" Josiah demanded. "Tell me your process."

Eva stared at him. "I'm…not sure that I had one? I simply looked at the plate, and just…did it?"

Josiah continued to stare, but he could feel his mouth beginning to form a smile about the edges. "That was a very nearly perfect jeté ," he said around a grin. "Perhaps not as high as a more practised dancer would have accomplished, but certainly as graceful."

"Indeed? Truly?" Lady Eva asked, stepping closer to Josiah again. Her face was suffused with pride and glee.

"Yes, it was very well done. But I would urge you to be cautious about doing such things until your ankles are strong enough," Josiah continued. "You wouldn't want to twist one on a bad landing."

She looked a little disappointed at that. "What may I do to strengthen them in the meantime?"

Josiah considered. "Well, continue practising the regular dances that you have been learning, and walking about with your heels off the floor, as we have discussed previously. Of course, walking is also quite good." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Perhaps you are ready for something a bit more rigorous?"

At Lady Eva's nod, Josiah encouraged her to follow him to where a bar ran the length of one wall. "You may do this at home, at your leisure, but be sure to hold to the back of a chair."

Resting his hand lightly on the polished length of wood, he placed his feet about a shoulder-width apart, toes turned outward. Effortlessly, he raised onto his toes, his calves all tension, his left arm automatically going up in a graceful arch over his head. Slowly, he lowered himself back down.

Lady Eva frowned in concentration, and took up a similar position opposite him, so that they were facing one another. "Like so?" she asked, going up onto her toes easily. Her feet came down flat soon after, and she looked to Josiah for approval.

"Nearly," he said, stepping a little closer. "Anyone can go up onto their toes; it takes skill and strength to be able to come back down slowly, controlled."

Lady Eva nodded, trying again. The little line between her brows appeared again as she focused. "Oh, I say, that is a bit more difficult than one would expect."

Josiah nodded. "Do this a few times every day to begin with, but do not strain yourself. You will quickly find that you can do more and more each day."

"Is the rest of me correct?" Lady Eva asked, looking up at her raised hand. "I know I am meant to be focusing on strengthening my legs, but I don't wish to begin a bad habit that will need to be corrected later."

"Very true," Josiah agreed. He swept his eyes along her arm, and unthinkingly stepped close, very close, to help adjust it. Lightly, as he was expected to touch all of his female students, he ran his fingers over her bicep, gently encouraging her to the correct angle. His hand skimmed up to hers, touching her fingers and attempting to ease the tension in them.

"Is this right?" Lady Eva asked, her voice a little strained. Josiah, who had largely been focused on correcting her form, looked down into her large brown eyes. He had been quite unaware of exactly how close they were standing, particularly as this had never been a concern with a student before. Every fibre of him was keenly aware of it now, however. They were close enough that he could nearly feel her breathing, nearly count her lashes when they brushed against her cheek. He was aware that he was staring, but he was transfixed, held tight by her gaze.

Swallowing hard, his eyes swept over her again, boldly. She did not shy away from this, but she did pull in air rather suddenly. "Almost, my lady," he murmured. Gently, he released her arm, and slowly, deliberately, he placed his hand in the small of her back. She made a small noise and tensed for a moment, but relaxed into the contact. "If you were to lengthen here, just a little, and—yes, that's right," he said.

Beneath his fingers, he could feel her adjusting her posture, even through the layers of clothing and her jumps. Her breath was coming quicker now, and Josiah was aware that his was as well. He was also aware that he was lingering, his hand splayed against her back. Reluctantly, he withdrew, his hand feeling suddenly cold at the loss of contact.

He stepped back, attempting to put some semblance of professional distance between them. Clearing his throat, he nodded to Lady Eva. "Try again, my lady."

Obediently, she went up onto her toes again, her back and arm exactly as he had placed them. Despite the tension of the moment previously, he couldn't help but be pleased at her progress and ability to take instruction. As he had advised, she worked to keep herself from simply plonking back down onto her heels, remaining balanced and elevated for as long as possible.

Her triumphant smile said all that needed to be between them, especially when Josiah gave her an answering smile. The tension of a moment before was temporarily forgotten. Josiah nodded, indicating that she might proceed with the exercise.

"If you found the illustrations diverting," Josiah said, watching her face take on a determined cast as she attempted to perfect herself, "then perhaps you might care to observe a rehearsal of my troupe."

Lady Eva's head jerked toward Josiah, her eyes questioning. "A rehearsal? For a performance, you mean?" she asked.

Josiah nodded. "Yes; we are beginning a new routine for the theatre. There shan't be any costumes yet, but it will be the best of my dancers."

Lady Eva continued her exercise at the bar, but slowed as she thought. "Do you think it will be useful to me?"

"Perhaps," Josiah answered with a shrug. "I should hope that you will find it inspiring, at the least."

"This rehearsal would be…at the theatre ?" When Josiah nodded again, Lady Eva bit her lip, her eyes shifting down the room. "I'm not sure Mother would?—"

"What are you two conspiring about?" Lady Stanton called, right on cue. Josiah could see that Lady Eva's first impulse was to jump away from him, but that would surely have signified guilt. As it was, she tamped down that instinct, and instead lifted her head aristocratically and continued on as if her mother had not spoken.

"Just think on it," Josiah whispered to her, then turned about to face Lady Stanton, a smile plastered on his face. "Not to worry, Lady Stanton; the worst corruption I have to offer young ladies is teaching them a waltz or two."

Lady Stanton's eyes narrowed at him, unsure if she was being jested at. They slid from his face to Eva, who was imperiously ignoring everything about her. "What on Earth have you got my daughter doing, then?"

"Mr. Galpin is helping me to strengthen my ankles, Mother," Lady Eva said, her eyes half-lidded and her nose still in the air. "It wouldn't do for me to injure myself in my first turn about the ballroom."

"Too many young ladies find themselves excluded from the festivities because of it," Josiah agreed, nodding gravely. "And it would be a very great shame indeed if London were to be deprived of Lady Eva's charms because of a twisted ankle."

Lady Stanton looked betwixt them again, then threw back her own shoulders. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Galpin. Your diligence has been noted. I believe that is enough for today—come along, Eva," she announced.

Reluctantly, Eva released the bar, and without looking at Josiah, followed along after her mother. He could not help but feel a little disappointed; she was right, there was no way that her mother would ever allow her to go, and he sincerely doubted that she had the fortitude to stand up to her.

With surprising agility, however, Lady Eva turned back around while still walking, catching his eye. She clearly wished to ensure that he was looking, which he undoubtedly was. She whipped back around, and before he knew what she was doing, she was giving another little hop, a miniature jeté.

Josiah had to cover his poorly stifled laugh with an impromptu cough. It was such a tiny, joyful act of rebellion that he could not help but be completely and utterly charmed.