Chapter 21

Admission

Clark and Lana openly eyed each other from across the dining hall at the evening meal, but Clark didn't find out about his new duty until just before he went to the bedroom to prepare it to Bruce's liking for a night's sleep. Clark was pleased with the assignment, mainly because it was the reason Lord Lang was allowing him to see Lana again.

What he wasn't happy about was knowing why Lana needed his immediate help. The very idea that he was going to be working hard to get her ready to attend such a major function with someone else was going to be a serious irritant. Knowing her escort was going to be a friend of his like Harry only made things worse.

Clark knew a lot about Harry. He was considered by the younger ladies of the Alemanni court to be handsome, intelligent, witty, and maybe just the slightest bit overaggressive, as if he knew exactly how charming he was and how good of a catch we was and intended to play it for all it was worth. He'd charmed most of the younger ladies, and even a few of the older ones, if rumors were true, but he'd completely failed to charm the one woman he had been sent to possibly match up with.

Clark's sister Mara basically despised him. Since that was so rare for her, and because he implicitly trusted her judgment of people, it made him wonder what hidden character defect Harry might have that he himself had failed to see. Trusting him with Lana was not going to be easy.

As if dealing with Harry being Lana's escort wasn't enough, being the one responsible for getting her ready for such a major social appearance was going to be a bit stressful. He only hoped he could be a good teacher without driving her away from him by becoming overbearing or too exacting.

When Lord Lang told Bruce and Clark about the new assignment, and after Clark had gone off to start his bedtime preparations, Lord Lang pulled Bruce aside in an empty room and unburdened himself.

"I hardly know what to do anymore, Sir Bruce. Lana has received this huge opportunity that I couldn't turn down even if I wanted to, but for her to make the most of it, I have to allow her to see the only person who can help her, who also happens to be a young man I'm supposed to be helping you protect from everything, including himself.

"If those two fall in love with each other, I will have failed them both, and yet, Lana already admits she has strong feelings for Clark."

"Don't look at me," Bruce replied. "I'm a bachelor, so dealing with kids is not a strong suit of mine. And as for stopping them from falling in love, you might as well give it up. I knew Clark had feelings for Lana before tonight, but I saw those two stare at each other without saying a word, and yet they seemed to be communicating quite nicely anyway. If they're not in love, they're on the verge.

And then, completely contradicting his assertion that dealing with kids wasn't his strongest suit, Bruce gave Lord Lang some advice. "As for what to do, don't."

"What?"

"Don't do anything. Those two are just kids. Chances are one of them will grow tired of this attraction sooner or later without your help or hindrance. Teenagers are like that. If so, your daughter will admire you for letting her be an adult and admit there was some wisdom in your advice. If not, the king will end things soon enough on his own and you won't have to alienate your daughter."

"But why? I want to save my daughter from this kind of heartbreak. As her only parent, it's my job."

"She's old enough to marry now, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then she's old enough to make adult mistakes and accept their consequences." Bruce paused, and then added, "Besides, I don't…don't ever consider falling in love to be a mistake, at least not on a personal level."

"What do you mean?"

Bruce gave a faltering smile. "It was just something told to me once by someone I trusted a lot. 'It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.'" Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "If you're going to end up marrying her off to someone she may not even like, much less love, then give her a chance to experience the overwhelming power of love now."

"Doing nothing is the scariest course of 'action' there is to take," Lewis admitted somberly, "for in doing so, you recognize your helplessness, surrender to it in fact, instead of maintaining the illusion of control. Humph. Okay, I guess I'll let Lana go, but I'm still going to look for a husband for her."

The next day seemed to drag by for both Clark and Lana. Clark at least had morning hand-to-hand combat practice to give him something to occupy his mind for awhile, and then had to practice first with Lois for two hours.

Lana spent those two hours after breakfast consulting with the family's dressmakers on styles and fabrics she might choose for her ball gown. By the time she was ready for her turn with Clark, Lana and the dressmakers had decided she needed to go into Varshova to do some shopping.

Lana had thought of dressing up special for her lesson with Clark, but thought better of it, deciding she'd rather look demure and in control instead of too eager. She walked in just as Lois left, and was surprised to see her sister smiling faintly.

"What happened with Lois?" Lana asked.

"Why?"

"She looked faintly happy when I passed her."

"Oh," Clark said, as he looked away from Lana's eyes. "Lady Lois finally decided to apologize to me in a meaningful way. She really meant it, and I was touched by the way she did it. That's all."

"Oh, okay."

Clark dismissed Lois from his mind and focused entirely on Lana. "I have a lot to say to you this morning, Lana, and I hardly know where to start."

"This sounds serious."

"It is." The two of them were standing a mere foot apart, when Clark decided to take a mild risk by reaching out and taking her hands in his. "I know this is forward of me, and I hope you're not offended," Clark said, as Lana's heart soared, "but, I have some feelings, some very strong feelings, for you, and yet I've been tasked to be your new dancing master…"

"Oh, Clark!" Lana's face blossomed with joy to hear him say what she already knew to be true. She couldn't wait for him to finish what he wanted to say. She just couldn't, not without assuring him she felt the same way. "I…me too. Every time I look at you or hear your voice, my heart melts just a little bit more."

Clark smiled out of one corner of his mouth, as he unconsciously pulled Lana closer. "I know what you mean. I don't know how I'll handle four hours a day of dancing with you and talking with you and looking at you, because I have trouble breathing just standing next to you."

Lana stepped closer, so close in fact that the only thing left between them were their clasped hands. She looked up into Clark's sea green eyes with her hazel ones, wishing with all her might that Clark would kiss her.

Clark saw Lana's eyes seem to grow larger and warmer as she drew close. It felt to him as if he was teetering on the edge of a precipice and her eyes were inviting him to take the leap into the unknown.

An image flashed into his mind then. He could just imagine someone watching from the open doorway and running off to tell Lord Lang, who would undoubtedly change his mind again and not only ban them from seeing each other, but send Lana back to Roskilde. Lana and I have to show that we can handle this freedom responsibly, Clark thought, and not just start kissing the first moment we get a chance to be alone. So he pulled back. He felt in his bones there'd be a right time and place to kiss Lana, but this wasn't it. Trying to pretend he hadn't been about to kiss her, Clark went back to what he had intended to say.

"What I was trying to say, Lana, was that I've been tasked to be your new dancing master, though that's a very loose use of the term when applied to me. We'll be together four hours a day working on your dancing. I'm worried what four hours a day of me correcting you will do to the way you feel about me." Clark sighed. "I'm afraid of becoming overbearing or an annoying perfectionist and driving you away even as I improve your dancing."

Disappointed by not receiving the kiss she'd so desperately wanted, Lana listened to Clark's concerns about the potential fallout from his new position in their relationship. She wanted to reach up with one hand in the middle of his explanation and stop him from speaking, but she patiently waited for him to lay out his unfounded fears.

"Clark? I probably will get mad at you from time to time. I can guarantee I'll get frustrated a lot as you try to help me. I will not, however, hold it against you once we are done for the day, because I know you have a job to do, and it's one you've never done before.

"And as for driving me away," Lana stood on her tiptoes, placing her lips as close to his as she could on her own, and whispered, "I'm difficult to attract, but even harder to drive away."

Clark's mouth went dry, and he suddenly couldn't remember why he hadn't kissed her yet, but he knew it was important and he held onto that conviction with a tenacious grip to keep from taking Lana in his arms right then and there.

The best part of the way their dancing was scheduled was that they worked together for two hours and then broke for lunch, giving Lana a much needed rest, and allowing Lana and Clark to eat together without anyone raising an eyebrow over it. Then they headed back to what everyone now called the dancing room for another two hours of instruction. On their way back, Clark swallowed his distaste for the fact Lana was attending the ball with someone else, and asked her if she had a suitable gown for the Harvest Ball yet.

"No, not yet anyway. I spent a couple of hours discussing options with our dressmakers and we came to the conclusion that I need to go shopping for several bolts of fine material."

"Seed pearls? Diamond chips? Thread of silver, thread of gold?"

"Where did you learn about things like that, Clark?"

"Once you meet my sister and see her closets, you'll know."

"Closets?"

Clark nodded his head in affirmation. "Closets."

"Well, I don't know if tiny gemstones or precious metals are in the budget. I'll have to see what they cost and then ask my father."

Don't worry, Lana, Clark thought. If he says no, I'll break my bank plate out of my traveler's belt and buy the gems myself. My girl is going to be the belle of the ball, no matter what it costs.