He watched from his position against a wall as Rose dazzled the room, moving through the crowd with ease and bright smiles. She was nothing short of a miracle in a pink gown and the only reason he agreed to come to these infernal dances was to see everyone else be as bowled over by her as he was on a daily basis.
"Anybody home in that great big head of yours?" Rose asked, suddenly in front of him and directing that peculiarly enchanting tongue-in-teeth smile of hers up at him, leaning in close.
"Might be preferable if there wasn't," James retorted, falling back on his known dislike of these events so he wouldn't accidentally blurt out something about watching her or that she looked gorgeous. It would all be true but now wasn't the time.
Rose rolled her eyes. "We can leave early if you promise to dance a couple of sets with me later. No one would blame us."
The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Because I'm old or because we're newlyweds?"
"Oh hush, you're not that old," she protested. She reached up and cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb across it in a quick caress before withdrawing.
He watched as she bit down on her bottom lip and her cheeks colored to match her dress as she realized she probably shouldn't be taking such liberties in public, or maybe at all. It was hard to know entirely what was going on in her head, what she had deemed acceptable and not.
"Save a few dances for me, Rose," he said, smile achingly gentle.
Her grin was brighter than the summer sun and then she was gone again.
James shook his head. This thing between him and Rose was still so new and he didn't want to scare Rose off by letting on that his feelings had grown stronger a lot faster than he'd anticipated. He was by no means the groom she would have chosen if circumstances had allowed her a choice. As it was, they had hastily wed a month ago as strangers to keep her safe and a month's acquaintance had let them build a fledgling friendship but nothing more. She was his wife in name only and he was planning on having it remain that way unless she wanted that to change.
His life was immeasurably brightened by having her in it and Rose loving him one future day was more than he deserved but James knew he would wish for it until his dying breath all the same.
For now though, he would cherish all the affection and trust she showed him and subsist on her smiles while people started questioning him about his sudden return to his ancestral Scottish home with a young bride in tow.
She was worth all the pointed questions and dance attendance though. She always would be.
