Chapter Nineteen

I stand uncomfortably in my too heavy dress, looking down at the ridiculous assortment of layers. The circumference of the dress makes it just about impossible to get through any doorframe. Arthur stands an arm"s length away from me. He couldn"t stand any closer, even if he wanted to.

The party is in full swing around us, and I watch people navigate the dance floor in dresses as ridiculous as mine. I watch amazed as the women twirl about with grace in their own outfits. I shift uncomfortably under the weight of mine, thinking that I am just as tired as I would be after one of Amelie"s sparring sessions. There"s no way any garment should be this heavy.

Arthur sends me a smile and says, "You look wonderful, Elizabeth."

I smile back at him and look over his light grey suit and smile. Not for the first time I am jealous of a male"s ability to wear just a couple of layers in what must be much more functional clothing. My eyes are dragged back to the dance floor, where Amelie twirls around in William"s arms.

The pair make a handsome couple. And I can"t help but notice the way people look at the two swirling around. In company, they seem to be head over heels with one another. Easily getting along, and their playful banter being well received by the people around them.

Amelie looks absolutely radiant and glances back towards me with a smile. My heart flutters in response and I feel a quickening in my pulse.

Arthur leans over to me and asks, "Would you like to dance?"

I look down at my dress and wonder how I"m supposed to move about in any kind of grace while wearing this monstrosity, but I cannot see a polite way to turn him down with so many people listening.

So, I nod, and reply, "I would love to." I take his hand, and he leads me out to the dance floor.

As we move out into the swirling mass of couples. He takes hold of me and gently guides me around the space. As I twirl, my eyes jump over a familiar figure. I jolt with a start as I realize the woman, Mary, from the previous party is also in attendance at this one.

I figure that she must be an acquaintance of William or Arthur to attend both events. Because I have little idea who she is. I cannot help but feel uncomfortable with the steeliness of her gaze as it follows me everywhere I go. Nor, the way she doesn"t seem to be able to let me move to a part of the room without being in her line of vision.

I tap on Arthur"s shoulder and ask, "Do you know all of the guests here?"

He shakes his head and replies, "Oh heavens no. These kinds of events are ridiculous with posturing. Half of the people I know by name only. And I feel William is much the same."

I nod and look back towards the woman. I don"t know what it is about her. There is just a level of discomfort that emanates from being in her presence. I stumble about doing my best to be graceful in the heavy and cumbersome dress, and Arthur takes it all in stride. Proclaiming loudly to all that will hear that the stumbling is the fault of him being a terrible dancer, and no fault of mine.

Thankfully, the dance concludes, and he drifts us off the dance floor towards Amelie and William, who stand by the fire, holding glasses of wine in their hands. Amelie grins and gestures for a servant to come over with a tray of his own, and I take the offered glass.

Arthur holds up his hand and declines one. I am pleased with his decision to remain sober for the event, but if I have to sit through one more conversation where I have to play imbecilic and dull female, I might scream. I take a sip of my sweet drink and notice the way Arthur keeps his eyes flicking amongst the crowd for any sign of trouble. I look back to where I"d seen the woman earlier and realise with a start she"s no longer there.

I turn to Amelie and William, and ask, "Do you know of a woman named Mary?" I pause for a moment as I consider her last name. "I believe it was Rald."

The two of them pause, think on it, before shaking their heads.

"No," Amelie replies.

"It isn"t familiar to me." William agrees.

Arthur scratches his chin. "Rald?" He says thoughtfully. "I have some sort of a memory there, but I can"t quite put my finger on who it is. I"ve definitely heard the surname before."

I look back out to the crowd and say, "She was at the last event we had. And she is again at this one. She seems very interested in me."

Arthur looks back out into the crowd suddenly, and asks, "Can you see her now?"

My eyes sweep over the people filling the space around us. I search for the greying brown hair and the light grey dress, and I shake my head.

"No, but she watched me all the way through the dance."

William scratches his beard. "Perhaps she"s just very interested in your dancing."

Amelie smiles. "It did look quite a difficult feat to accomplish in that dress."

I flash her a grin. "I feel like there should be a parade in my honour just for having achieved it."

Arthur smiles at me and says, "You dance beautifully. It is entirely the fault of the garment. Do not feel it has lessened my opinion of you in any way."

I smile back at his kind words, and say quietly, "Thank you."

My eyes scan the crowd once more, looking for the figure of Mary. Her form, absent from the crowd.

"I was sure I saw her." I say quietly. But after taking a moment to look thoroughly through the mass of people, I see nothing.

Arthur gestures to William and Amelie. "Perhaps during your rounds, you could inquire as to whether or not anybody is familiar with her. Maybe she accompanied somebody here?" He pauses and looks thoughtfully out at the crowd.

William nods and takes Amelie"s hand. Together they drift off into the thronging group. I take another sip of my drink, grateful for the way it seems to warm my belly and relax my muscles.

Normally I have great disdain for the drink, but this large group of people to parade in front of while I watch the woman of my dreams dance with another person is definitely a formula for stress. Top that off with the knowledge that an individual out there is trying to kill me before my wedding to Arthur and it"s a recipe for a nervous wreck.

Arthur takes my hand in his enormous one and pats it. "It is alright. You are safe with me," he says.

Suddenly, there is a huge clatter and I turn to see a heavy tray thundering to the ground spraying small biscuits everywhere. Beside it, a woman falls heavily to the floor with a sprawl.

Arthur, being the gentleman that he is, rushes over to help her back to her feet. I watch him affectionately, thinking how lucky I am to get him as a husband, and then I feel the cold press of steel against my neck.