Author Notes: Thanks so much to ElbePhoebe for her inspiring message Apparently I don't have reviews enabled, and I'm trying to figure out how to fix that… I definitely want reviews! Anyway, in her honor I'm posting the next two chapters.
The Lieutenant and the Lady
Chapter Three
The New and Rather Daring Waltz
"There, Tom!" Captain Aubrey exclaimed, turning to him with a wide smile. "How is that for a reception? I told you, did I not, that you were quite the hero? The admiral seems quite pleased with you."
"I confess I never expected such a welcome," Tom admitted.
Will laughed. "Then you didn't think, my friend. It is no exaggeration when I say that your actions were the completest thing! I was mortally jealous, Tom, watching you from the Surprise."
Before Tom could form a reply, Captain Aubrey spoke again. "Now, Mr. Pullings, I believe you must ask Lady Evelyn for a dance."
Tom stared at the captain in shock (everything seemed to be shocking to him tonight). "Excuse me, sir?" There was no way he, the scarred son of a tenant farmer, could ask a Lady, a genuine capital 'L' Lady, for a dance.
The captain nodded encouragingly. "Yes, she seemed quite taken with you, and I'm sure there can be no better way to endear yourself to her father."
"Quite taken with you," William emphasized. "'I suspect you must be very brave', indeed!"
"Sir, I don't think-" Tom began hesitantly.
Will grinned at his friend. "Good, don't think… You think too much, you know."
"Ask the woman to dance," Captain Aubrey insisted. "That is an order, Mr. Pullings. If you disobey, I shall have you court marshaled for disobedience."
Tom looked at his captain miserably. "Sir, please…"
"Never think for a moment that I'm joking, Tom," Captain Aubrey said gravely. "This is for your own good, my boy. Look, she's standing against the wall there, quite alone. Go to it!"
Tom wanted to protest further, but he had spent nearly 15 years obeying Captain Aubrey's orders without question. To his distress, he found it a habit that was nearly impossible to break. "Yes, sir," he responded, saluting before making his way across the ballroom. He looked back once to see William smiling at him reassuringly before a crowd of revelers came between them.
Squaring his shoulders, Tom approached Lady Evelyn. She stood alone against the wall, watching her guests glide across the dance floor with a nearly blank expression on her plain face and did not notice him until he spoke. "Lady Evelyn," he greeted, bowing.
She looked at him in surprise, curtseying automatically. "Lieutenant Pullings," she acknowledged with a smile. "How are you enjoying the ball?"
"It is…" he hesitated before settling upon "quite an experience, my lady."
"Indeed?" she responded. "I hope it is an enjoyable experience, at least."
"Yes, of course… I… Ah…" Tom stammered as he searched for some comment to make, some way to request a dance. "I am surprised to see that you are not dancing."
Lady Evelyn stiffened. "Are you, so?" Her voice sounded almost hurt.
Tom realized unhappily that he had just insulted her, most unintentionally. "Forgive me, my lady, I had not meant any disrespect. I was merely… Ah… Surprised. As I said."
"You must not move much in London society, Mr. Pullings. Otherwise, you'd know that I rarely dance. Not," she added wryly, "from a lack of inclination, of course."
Tom groped vainly for some response, and ended up repeating himself. "Forgive me, Lady Evelyn. You are quite right, I do not move much in London society… Or any society at all, really."
"No, I suppose you would not have done," she murmured. "I daresay you've been at sea your entire life."
"Yes, my lady," he agreed earnestly, nodding. "Though I must say I feel less at sea when I am actually at sea than I do here in this ballroom. I hope you can forgive my ignorance."
Surprisingly, Lady Evelyn laughed. Tom had meant his comment quite sincerely, but still felt a sense of accomplishment at having amused her. The sound of her laughter was clear and bright, and reminded him unaccountably of the shining brass bell that told the time on the Surprise. It was also quite loud, and Tom shifted uncomfortably as he realized that the other guests were all looking over at the two of them with curiosity.
"Well, Mr. Pullings, I suppose I must forgive you, as you feel at sea on dry land," she said when she was finally able to speak.
Tom bowed and smiled at her, feeling slightly more at ease. "You are very good, Lady Evelyn." He paused to gather his courage before adding "And I hope you forgive me enough to honor me with your hand for the next set."
At his words, Lady Evelyn's expression turned into a strange combination of shock, confusion and anger. "There is no need for any gallantry, Mr. Pullings," she answered stiffly. "I have already forgiven you, after all."
"I had not meant…" Tom trailed off, rather at a loss. It had been hard enough to ask for the dance without having to convince her of his sincerity.
Slowly, her expression lost its anger, leaving behind only surprise and confusion. "Oh. You actually wish to dance with me?"
"Yes?" Tom answered uncertainly. He wasn't uncertain about wanting to dance with her, even if it was only to please Captain Aubrey. But after her reaction to his invitation he was uncertain of expressing the wish again.
"Oh," she repeated, blinking owlishly behind the lenses of her spectacles. "Forgive me, Mr. Pullings, I should be quite pleased to stand up with you."
With an uncertain smile, Tom bowed again and offered his arm to lead her out onto the floor. The first strains of music drifted out over the crowd, and Tom realized they indicated that the dance was to be a waltz. The dance was new and rather daring, and he felt a sudden rush of gratitude that he had learned it on the Surprise in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, he thought as he took his place with Lady Evelyn, she felt much better in his arms than any of his practice partners. She felt much better than he'd expected, in fact, soft and feminine despite her dowdiness, but perhaps this perception was merely an effect of having been so long at sea.
As they began the steps of the dance, Tom couldn't help but think back to his lessons on the Surprise and laugh. Lady Evelyn looked up at him curiously. "Have I amused you somehow, Mr. Pullings?" she asked.
"Not at all, my lady; I was merely reflecting upon the very great differences between my learning this dance and my dancing it with you," he replied, smiling.
She echoed his smile, and again he was struck by an ephemeral hint of beauty within it. "And what are the differences?"
"Well, for one, my partner was not nearly so pleasant," he explained. "In fact, if you'll look towards the French doors…" he indicated the spot where William was dancing with a lovely blonde.
Lady Evelyn looked confused. "Miss Newton was aboard the Surprise and taught you the waltz?"
Tom laughed again. "No, no! William- that is, Mr. Mowett- was my partner. There are no women aboard a man-o-war, at least not one commanded by Captain Aubrey, and the midshipmen all flatly refused to stand up with us, you see."
Once more Lady Evelyn's laughter rang out like a bell. "They refused indeed?"
"Oh yes," he assured her. "They refused even a direct order, despite our threats to have them up on a court marshal. In the end, Mr. Mowett and I were forced to learn together, with the captain and the doctor playing for us on their violin and cello."
"I hesitate to ask," Lady Evelyn began, "but which of you led?"
Tom grinned. "I did, of course. My rank is superior to Mr. Mowett's, if only just, not to mention I'm several inches taller."
"Whatever compelled you to learn the dance to begin with?" she inquired curiously.
"Well," he explained, "the captain had a packet of letters from his betrothed waiting for him in Valparaiso after the action with the Acheron. She referred to the dance and Captain Aubrey thought it best for Mr. Mowett to learn it before we reached home, in case of such a ball as this."
At that moment, another couple brushed past them, far too close, and pushed Lady Evelyn hard against Tom's chest. He could feel her soft, full form yielding to his strength, could just catch the delicate scent of vanilla that clung to her smooth skin, and he had an insane urge to bury his face in the crook of her neck and inhale deeply. From that wild inclination his mind created an entire fantasy of running his hands through her hair and kissing her throat, pressing his lips to hers roughly and tasting her… With something akin to panic, he realized that all the physical signs of desire were about to manifest themselves. Truly, he had been far, far too long at sea; Lady Evelyn wasn't even pretty. Tom set her away from him immediately, perhaps even further away than she had been at the beginning of the dance, and tried to focus his mind on other things.
"Mr. Pullings?" Lady Evelyn's lovely voice interrupted Tom's fervent concentration on an image of William Mowett dressed in that lady's hideous yellow gown. "I asked you whether Captain Aubrey thought it best for you to learn the waltz, as well."
"Forgive me," Tom began, feeling himself blush when he realized he had been so preoccupied with lust that he had missed her question entirely. "My mind was wandering. And yes, I suppose he did think it necessary for me, though I never considered it at the time," he explained absently, mind focused once more on 'Miss Mowett' out of necessity. The image didn't seem to be doing the trick at all; he was still aroused to the point that he almost believed she would notice.
"I see…" Lady Evelyn trailed off, looking at him with some concern. "Mr. Pullings, the dance is over," she whispered.
Recalled to reality, Tom observed that she was quite correct, and they were now standing almost completely alone in the middle of the dance floor. "Oh, yes, of course… I'm so sorry," he added, releasing her and blushing again.
"It is no great matter," she answered kindly. "I must thank you for the dance; Mr. Mowett was an excellent choice of learning partner, it would seem, for you waltzed quite well."
With a smile, Tom bowed. "You are too kind, my lady."
And they went their separate ways.
