Cress didn't think she could ever tire of the swirling dresses, the beautiful music, the ball guests all in their finest. If she were allowed, she would simply stand in a corner and take it all in for hours, content to be an observer instead of a participant. She could almost forget her unfortunate childhood when surrounded by such lavishness and gaiety.
Unfortunately, a constant stream of new gentlemen and ladies came by to greet Winter and Selene, and Cress was caught in the middle. She tried to smile and curtsy just like her friends, but by the time Colonel Kesley and his companions arrived, she was exhausted from the effort. Still, she couldn't help but steal a glance at the Colonel's handsome friend. Captain Thorne looked breathtaking in a white dress uniform with red trim, an ornamental sword hanging at his hip. His eyes twinkled as he looked out over the crowd. Cress quickly averted her eyes before he could notice her staring.
A noise from next to Cress drew her attention to Selene, whose arms were folded as she watched Captain Thorne make his way through the room.
"What's wrong?" Cress asked.
"I don't want to speak ill of any of our guests," Selene said, "but I may make an exception when it comes to Captain Thorne."
"Selene!" Winter chastened, then leaned forward to greet another guest with a radiant smile. Out of the corner of her mouth, she said, "He's still a guest, and he's still a friend of Colonel Kesley's."
"As well as a drunk," Selene loudly whispered back.
Winter pursed her lips but didn't refute the claim.
"What do you mean?" Cress asked, eyes darting to where Captain Thorne was shaking hands with two foreign-looking men across the ballroom. "Why did you call him a drunk?"
"Because he is a drunk. And a gambler, if what I hear from Miss Kinney is true." Selene pulled at the neckline of her gown, making a rather un-ladylike face as she tried to adjust it. "And I'm never letting you pick what I wear again, Winter. I can barely breathe in this contraption."
Winter laughed prettily. "But you look so lovely. Doesn't she look lovely, Miss Benoit?"
Colonel Kesley's fiancée, who had been about to pass by, stopped to examine Selene as instructed. "Oh! Um, yes, you look splendid, Lady Selene. Although I can't say I'm the best person to ask. I'd sooner climb a tree than go dress shopping on any given day."
"I feel as if you and I are going to be good friends, Miss Benoit," Selene said with a grin.
"How do you know Captain Thorne is a drunk?" Cress interrupted, then she put a hand on her mouth, her cheeks heating. "I beg your pardon. I just—he doesn't seem like someone who'd take part in such unsavory activities. He's a captain, after all."
"Normally I'd be as skeptical as you, Cress," Winter said. "But my cousin and I saw the proof as plain as the glowing sun in the sky. Though we can't be sure it wasn't a temporary discretion on his part."
"It wasn't," Miss Benoit confirmed, looking uncomfortable. "Captain Thorne is…well, he enjoys a lively time. His father and Colonel Kesley's father are old friends, and my fiancé feels a bit like an older brother to him. The Captain's father pressured him to join the military with Ze'ev in the hopes that he would grow more disciplined, but…" She shrugged.
Cress's mouth twisted into a frown. Could it really be true? Surely he had only made some mistakes, and rumors had twisted them into this reputation. Cress knew as well as anyone how heartless society could be to someone who didn't fit in. Her only saving grace was her association with Lord and Lady Park, as well as her friends at Artemesia Manor. If not for them, she would be as unsavory as a drunk or a gambler in the eyes of high society.
"It looks as if my stepmother wishes to speak with me," Winter said, letting out the smallest sigh. "She plans to find me a husband here if it kills her. Wish me luck."
"Good luck, Lady Winter," Miss Benoit said. "As for me, I should find Colonel Kesley. Don't tell him I said anything, but he's a bit shy. He always does a little better at parties when I'm by his side."
Cress watched the red-headed woman cross the room and fit her arm around Colonel Kesley's. The tall, dark-haired man looked down at her and smiled, a trace of relief evident in his face.
"So this is how the residents of Artemesia Manor throw a party," a man's voice said from behind them. "I must admit, I'm impressed."
They turned to see Captain Thorne and one of the foreign men he had been talking with. Cress's face heated up immediately, and she inwardly cringed at the way she reacted in his presence.
"Captain Thorne," Selene said, failing to keep a hint of disdain out of her voice. "How nice to see you."
"The pleasure's all mine," the Captain said, grinning crookedly. "Miss Darnel, Lady Selene, let me introduce my new friend, Ambassador Kaito. His Excellency is only the second diplomat that China's sent to their new embassy in London. Don't worry, though—he speaks excellent English."
The young man next to him laughed wryly. "I do indeed. I was raised in England, as a matter of fact. Coming here is like coming home."
For the first time that evening, Selene looked truly interested in what was going on. "I've always been fascinated by the technological advances of the Chinese. Is it true that your ancestors developed fireworks as early as 200 B.C.?"
Ambassador Kaito's dark eyes lit up. "It is, indeed! Although they didn't truly perfect the process until a few hundred years later." He looked over at Cress and Captain Thorne, then turned back to Selene with a sheepish expression. "I don't want to bore our companions with such talk, though. Perhaps you'd favor me with a dance so we could discuss it further?"
When Selene accepted, the Ambassador wasted no time leading her out to the middle of the floor, where a new dance was just beginning. Cress was left standing next to Captain Thorne. She tried to swallow, but her throat was suddenly dry. Was he about to ask her to dance? She was positive she would trip at least three times if he did, but she still found herself hoping that he would.
Instead, he ran a hand through his light brown hair and said, "I'm going to go get some air."
"Oh," Cress said, trying not to sound dejected. "Okay."
The Captain's eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. "Would you like to join me?"
Cress glanced to where Winter stood with Lady Blackburn and a balding man at least twice Winter's age. "I suppose I could…"
"We won't be far," he said. "And I promise not to try anything unsavory."
Cress couldn't believe he'd even bring up the idea of doing something unsavory. It certainly didn't help her stay calm as they stepped out onto the balcony, their only company a couple of older women who stayed far to one side, talking amongst themselves. Captain Thorne crossed over to the railing and leaned on it with his elbows, looking out at the dark gardens and fountains of Artemesia Manor.
Cress uncertainly joined him, standing ramrod straight and racking her brain for something clever to say. Nothing came to mind.
"You're not from around here, are you, Miss Darnel?" the Captain said, still looking out over the estate.
Cress shook her head, then managed to clarify, "No, Captain. Not originally."
"I thought so."
What did he mean by that? Had she done something improper without realizing it? She ran her hands over her dress, her hair, making sure that everything was in place.
Captain Thorne noticed her distress and laughed. "That's not what I meant. You just seem…different. Innocent."
Cress didn't know how to reply to that, either, so she stayed silent.
"And now I've probably gone and offended you, too. I tend to do that."
Cress swallowed, trying to moisten her suddenly parched throat. "I'm not offended," she said in a small voice.
The smile that spread across his face made her warm from her toes to her fingers. He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, and his scrutiny did nothing to stop her blush.
"Do you ever feel like you don't belong here?" he said, his voice low, almost urgent. "Like you would be better off if you just left everything behind, went and made your own way?"
Cress thought about that. She often felt like she didn't belong, even though Winter and Selene tried so hard to include her in their lives of splendor and good company. She was like a puzzle piece from an entirely different set, and no matter how hard she tried to complete the picture, it would always be fruitless.
She didn't say that, though. Instead, she said, "I'm very fortunate to be where I am. And unlike a man, I don't have any other options than to accept the life that I've been given."
Captain Thorne nodded, meeting her gaze again with his beautiful blue eyes. Cress had to remind herself of what Miss Benoit had said—that he enjoyed a lively time, that he wasn't disciplined even though he was in the military. If she truly wanted to fit in more with this life, the last thing she should do is make friends with a ruffian.
"I—I should probably go back in," she said, avoiding eye contact. If she looked into those blue eyes again, she'd never have the courage to leave. She would stay out all night while he poured out his woes to her, if that's what he wanted.
Instead, she gave Captain Thorne a small curtsy and hurried back into the swirling dresses and beautiful music of the ball.
Note: I apologize for how long it's been since I updated! I'm writing a novel and that's been taking up a lot of my creative energy. But I promise I will keep updating this fic, because I'm just having so much fun with it. Hope you liked the chapter!