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The other guests joined the dance floor then, David and I stepping in smaller circles to make room for them, changing our stride so effortlessly one would think we’d danced together for centuries.
I looked up at his face to take him in; he was clean-shaven, his dark hair brushed back, tidy and almost too clean. But the coldness in his eyes made the green stand out more, and I couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at me.
“What was that look for?” I asked, noticing a very coy kind of almost smile on his face, too.
His hand moved slightly more around my rib. “You’ve filled out since I last held . . . since we last danced. ”
My smile dropped. “I know. ”
“I warned you about those brownies. ”
“Magda says I’m not fat—that it’s just a part of being pregnant, you know, that you lose your child’s figure and become more of a woman. ”
“Being pregnant does not make you more of a woman, Ara. That’s done by your actions alone. ”
“Yes, but, she meant that the body changed—became more womanly. ”
“And since when is Magda the expert?”
“She’s not. I guess. ” I lowered my gaze onto David’s white bowtie. “How much longer is this dance?”
“It’s been too long already. ” He stiffened just a little, angling his chin so it sat further away from the top of my head. But his eyes kept drifting downward, brushing over my face, my hair, my gown.
My smile returned. “You know, I can read your mind. ”
“I highly doubt that. ”
“No, I can. And you won’t say it, but you think I look pretty tonight. ”
He stared down at me, his face suddenly devoid of all emotion. “I think no such thing. I barely even noticed you. ”
“Okay. I get it. I know you hate me, but you don’t have to be so mean. ”
“It was not my intention to be mean, Ara. Simply to state that you’re fooled if you think you enter even one of my thoughts in a day—particularly when it comes to my opinion of your appearance. Quite frankly, if I’m honest, cream makes you look washed-out, and your head looks too big for your body when you do your hair that way. ”
That hurt. Deeply. But I brushed it off, flicked him a quirky grin and said, “I thought you said you didn’t really notice me. ”
“Just dance, girl. Or this will end with you tripping and accidentally snapping your ankle—rendering you useless for the evening. ”
I shut my gob then and just danced, letting out the breath I’d held when the song finally ended and Mike stepped up to take over. “May I?” he said with a bow.
I grabbed his arm and practically ran away with him.
“You okay, baby?”
“He threatened to snap my leg,” I whispered, leaning close.
Mike laughed, turning to face me. “Why?”
“He wanted me to shut up. ”
“Did it work? Did you shut up?”
I nodded, glancing back at David; he was holding Emily close now, the girl throwing her head back, laughing at something he whispered into her hair.
“Well, I’ll have to remember that one,” Mike said playfully.
“Don’t you start. ”
He just laughed again. “You know he wouldn't actually do that, Ara, right?”
I felt myself shrink a little. “I’m not really so sure about that. ”
“Aw, Ar. ” Mike dropped my hand from position and wrapped me up in a very informal hug. “If he does anything to hurt you or upset you, you come tell me. ”
“Why? What can you do about it?”
“We’re still buddies. I’ll talk to him. ”
“Don’t. Otherwise he’ll think I’ve been complaining about him. ”
“So?”
“So, then he’ll just make life harder. ”
“Harder?” He raised a brow. “What’s he doing to make it hard now? You two are never even in the same room. ”
I wanted to roll my eyes. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. ”
“No, it does matter. ” His voice peaked higher on the end. “What’s going on, Ara?”
A few guests passed us and offered congratulations on the baby, Mike and I taking a moment from our conversation to humour them, and as they danced away again, the music stopped suddenly, Mike looking off to his right when a man tapped his shoulder.
“May I?” Jason asked, stepping into view.
“You may. ” Mike laid my hand in Jason’s, patting his shoulder. “Just return her in one piece this time, mate—unlike the last ball. ”
Jason stiffened, catching my eye quickly. “I—”
“He was just joking, Jase. ” I smiled, watching Mike blend in with the crowd.
“It wasn’t funny,” he said, taking me up in his arms like I was some precious stone.
“I think he’s just trying to show us that he’s passed all that now. ”
“No, he’s not. He’s just holding it together for you tonight. ”
I nodded, feeling my crown brush Jason’s jaw. “How did the meeting go today—before I got there? Were they nice?”
“Surprisingly?” he said, pausing for a second. “Yes. ”
“Was Mike?”
“He was quiet, but I think he knew there was no point arguing my position. ”
“Good. I’m sure he’ll have something to say about it in private, but I’m ready for him. ”
Jase shook his head, smiling distantly. “Just don’t upset yourself over it. I can always counsel you privately, if need be. ”
“The need won’t arise,” I said, and left it at that, focusing on the rhythm of our dance for a while instead. Jase always was such a magnificent dancer. He had a kind of grace and fluidity that David lacked. I guess it came from being so in touch with his emotions—not being afraid to feel or being seen to feel. There was this strange sensation that always came with it, too, much like that connection David and I had one of the first times we went out to the lake: the . . . gravitational pull.
“Has anyone told you how beautiful you look tonight?” Jase asked, distracting my thoughts.
“Of course. ”
He leaned down a little and kissed my head. “When I saw you up there—” he nodded to the top of the stairway, “—I was sure I felt my heart beat for the first time in a century, Ara. I mean, every time I look at you, I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world but, tonight, even you’ve outdone yourself. ”
I blinked back the tiny pool of tears around my lashes. “Thank you, Jase. ”
His lips pressed firmly into my head again. “You’re welc—”
“Break it up, you two,” David snapped, drawing us suddenly apart.
“David!” I shrieked, looking around to see if anyone noticed. Only a few people looked up, but politely went about their own business.
“You both know the rules. ”
“Rules?” Jase asked.
“You two are not allowed contact. ”
“Who says?” Jason stepped between David and I a bit.
“I do. ”
“You have no say who she—”
“David, Jason is one of my council members now. We can dance if we want. ”
I went to step into Jason again, but David grabbed my wrist, yanking it away. “That’s it, you’re coming with me. ”
“David, let go of me. ” I tugged against him.
“Stop wriggling. You’re making a scene. ”
“You are the one making a scene, brother,” Jason said, blocking his path. “You have no right to order her around this way. ”
“No right?” David asked in a high tone. “I am her husband. I have every right. ”
“No. ” Jason moved closer, lowering his voice so it came as just a whisper through his teeth. “You left her. You are bound only by a contract that states she is queen and you are king. Nothing else. ”
/> “Precisely. ” David shoved past him, dragging me along again. “I have every legal right to do with her what I see fit. ”
“If you touch her, I’ll—”
“Go ahead, brother. ” David spun around, warding Jason off with an icy gaze. “Hit me. Give me a reason to arrest you. ”
“Jason,” Arthur called, sending a very stern gaze across the crowd and into Jason’s intentions, altering them. Jase didn’t move or shift in any way, but something in his eyes said he’d backed down.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you’d have the guts,” David said, and led me away.
I stumbled along, checking over my shoulder, but Jason was gone. “We were just dancing, David. ”
“To dance, one does not need to kiss. ”
“You were watching us?”
“I noticed,” he said dully and shoved me into a chair in the corner under the stairs. “There’s a difference. ”
I landed hard, my teeth clucking as the chair slid an inch and hit the wall. No one looked up. No one even noticed. Or maybe no one really cared.
“You will stay here for the remainder of the evening, Ara, unless I say otherwise. ”
“But—”
“I said sit. ” He forced me down again by aim of that stern, pointed finger. It made no physical contact, but I wasn’t willing to challenge it. “I want you where I can keep an eye on you. ”
“You can’t make me sit here. ”
“I can, and I am. I will not have you making a slut of yourself in front of all these people. Now sit here and behave. ”
He turned away, dusting his hands off, and I heard the tail end of some smart remark about disciplining his wife, shrinking into myself when everyone nearby laughed. They waited until he walked away before casting their judging eyes on me, sending shrink rays onto the surface of my body.
I turned in my seat, hunching over a little. I didn’t care if my posture slacked or if I looked less than noble. I just wanted to hide in the darkest corner I could find.
“Would this pretty little girl in her party dress care to dance?”
I looked up to Arthur’s kind, smiling eyes. “Arthur, I can’t. David said I have to stay here. ”
He drew my hand toward him anyway, helping me stand. “Let’s see him challenge his old uncle, ehy. ”
I smiled, but it wasn’t Arthur David would challenge; it was me. Except, I knew he’d wait until we were alone. “I’m trying not to make him mad right now. He needs time to—”
“He can have all the time he needs to heal, Amara. ” He drew me closer, positioning our arms in an elegant sweep outward. “But he does not need to hurt you and degrade you in the process. Now—” We moved away and stepped onto the dance floor. “Let us dance. ”
As we circled the room, couples dancing nearby bowed their heads, stepping in wider circles to give us room, as if I were some kind of royal entity or something. I smiled up at Arthur, so grateful he’d come along when he did. I wouldn’t challenge David in a room full of people: he’d only make more of an effort to hold strong and put me in my place, and that would just create a massive scene, degrading David’s pride even more in the process and hindering any hope I had of sorting things out with him. But Arthur, I could tell, was more than up for that challenge. Except, David wouldn’t dare challenge his uncle. I wondered what it was about him that the boys feared and respected so much.