She could feel his eyes on her from across the room. It was like that now. Ever since he had saved Aurelia and had broken his morphine habit there had been a bond between them. A connection that followed them everywhere they went.

They were accustomed to giving comfort to one another, at first under the guise of friendship, but what they had experienced on the day of the presidential visit had changed them irrevocably.

When he had touched her before then, there had been a certain amount of plausible deniability in his touch that could be written off as comfort.

But the way that he had looked into her soul and said exactly what she needed to hear as he brushed her tears away had taken away any doubt in her mind of the depth of their feelings.

After that, the moment had been quickly broken by the sound of the President's entourage entering and they had recovered themselves in time to meet the great man himself.

That was a fortnight ago and since then she had done her level best to avoid him. To make excuses when he asked for her assistance. To hide on the other side of the ballroom, talking with the odious Hale, who had somehow managed to remain at Mansion House, and Dr. Summers.

Mary smoothed out the contours of her made over blue dress. She had removed the stained fabric from the dress to reveal only the deep blue underneath. It wasn't as ornate as before, but perfectly serviceable, although, it felt a little ridiculous to be at a party during the middle of the war. But it was all for the cause.

She glanced up just in time to see Jed moving towards them. Surely he wouldn't possibly come over when she was near-

"Ah Gentleman." Jed's voice broke behind her. "And Miss Phinney. It's a grand party isn't it?" Jed moved between her and Summers standing much closer to him than the head of the hospital.

She inhaled the fragrance of his usual pine scented soap. It filled her with a sense of comfort. It also didn't help that he looked rather dashing in full uniform. That was to say, that all the men looked fine in their uniforms.

"Yes it is. Miss Green has a lovely home." The back of his hand brushed hers gently. She closed her eyes suddenly, attempting to banish thoughts of him, caressing her cheek away. Not that it was going to do her any good. She had tried to banish them for the last fortnight, unsuccessfully.

Hale gave a sharp bow. "The champagne isn't quite up to snuff, but beggars and choosers and all that. But there are some first rate fillies here, if you catch my meaning."

"I'm afraid I don't sir." Mary felt her face burn at Hale's cavalier attitude towards women. How he managed to attract any women she couldn't guess, though Miss Hastings was also something else as well.

"Ah well, probably just as well you didn't Miss Phinney." Hale sipped his champagne.

How she wished that she could take Jed aside and laugh with him about Hale's arrogance, but even that was dangerous right now.

Juillen's Prima Donna Waltz began suddenly. She could feel Jed turn just as she had started looking for a possible escape.

Jed stepped in front of her, blocking her view from Dr. Hale. She took a deep breath, dancing would be the worst possible thing for him to ask her to do right now but-

"Miss Phinney, Might I hope that you'll do me the honor of dancing the waltz with me?"

She locked eyes with him pursing her lips tightly. He did have an authoritative way of putting a question that one felt they couldn't refuse. "Well you see-"

"Go on Nurse Phinney, you're young. Enjoy yourself. We old men will hold down the carpet here." Summers waved them away.

She glanced at Hale whose nose wrinkled at the implication that he was old, before putting a placid smile on his face.

"I couldn't have said it better." Jed offered out his arm to escort her to the dance floor.

Mary inhaled sharply through her nose, before lightly placing her hand on Jed's as he led the way.

They took their places on the floor, Jed standing closer to her than expressly necessary. She placed her hand in his hesitantly and tried to take a half step back before his hand moved to the small of her back forcing her closer than their original position. Before she could protest they were gliding around the room almost effortlessly.

"Why Baroness, I see you dance as elegantly as your title would suggest." He flashed her one of his teasing smiles and she felt a part of her icy facade start to melt. No! She must stay strong.

She knew his eyes were searching for hers, so she glanced over his shoulder. "I'm a little rusty, I'm afraid."

He adjusted the hand at the small of her back. "Nonsense, all one needs is a firm male lead to get the hang of it again. As with many other of life's pleasures."

Her footing fumbled and she tried to let go of his hand. She flushed lightly, both at his insinuation, and her embarrassment at her missteps.

He pulled her back into form, pulling her in slightly less closely than before.

"You've been avoiding me." It was a statement, not a question.

Her gaze met his. Of course he'd noticed. How could he not have? He was annoyingly perceptive about those sorts of things.

"I don't know what you mean." Her gaze broke with his staring out the open doors. How she longed for escape!

"And now, she is telling a falsehood." He laughed lightly.

Mary's pulse raced. "Dr. Foster, I-"

"She calls me Dr. Foster. Insult to injury!" He steered her towards the doors near the end of the ballroom. "Come now Mary, it might be kinder to wound me with a shot than to continue wound me with these tiny pricks. Let us not glide over what's happening between us as easily as we dance through this room, although I must admit that I am enjoying it."

"The dancing or my supposed deception?" Mary challenged, her eyes meeting his.

His eyes bore into hers "Both, I'm sure. If there's one thing I know about you, you never fail to rise to the challenge placed before you. The question is, what's the challenge?" He flashed another half-smile at her.

The music finished. Jed held her for several seconds longer than was strictly necessary before reluctantly releasing all but her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it, forcing her eyes to his. "We must speak. Privately." He rasped, dropping her hand but not releasing it. There was a note of desperation now in his tone that had replaced the playfulness of before.

She knew that look in his eyes. Their intensity, their sheer passion was one she'd seen directed at other things many times before in their time together. But never before at her. "Surely not. For I don't think either of us is in the right mood to-"

"There is a grove of trees past the garden." His head indicated towards the open doors. "Meet me there in ten minutes."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Her pulse raced as she spoke the words. She knew it wasn't a good idea. She also knew that convincing him of that fact would likely be near to impossible.

"Shall we speak here instead then? Give the gossips even more fuel to set the hospital on fire tomorrow?"

She scanned his eyes, attempting to discern if he was in earnest. Knowing his passionate nature though, one couldn't be too careful. Mary let out a long sigh. "Very well, although I don't imagine what I have to say will take that long."

He smiled before his body leaned in towards hers, his lips almost touching her ear. "Ten minutes," he whispered, "And we will settle, what will happen after we leave this ball tonight."

Mary closed her eyes. A shiver ran down her body stopping at the warm coiled feeling in the pit of her stomach, his words making her quake with fear, and excitement.

When she opened her eyes Jed had vanished from before her. She took a deep breath in, before coming back into awareness of the other people in the room.

She walked quickly out of the space, attempting to hide the redness in her cheeks as she moved towards the ladies retiring room. In ten minutes the course of her life might change forever.

Thanks for reading. There is likely one or two other chapters left for this story. Please feel free to let me know what you think!