The Folly by Irina Shapiro

to the floor.  Thankfully, the next dance after that would be the waltz and he would partner Elizabeth.  He ’ d been waiting to dance with her all night.  At the moment she was dancing with Sir Henry , and Jeremy watched them discreetly as they navigated the complicated steps of the dance.  Sir Henry’s face was shiny from his exertions , his bald pate and drooping jowls distinctly pink above the snowy cravat around his throat.  Elizabeth, on the other hand, was a vision in bronze, gliding serenely next to her husband. 
    As Jeremy watched Elizabeth dance, he felt a sudden pity for her .  Despite being a l ady, she spent most of her time moldering in the country, away from all the social drama taking place in London.  Jeremy strongly suspected that Sir Henry liked it that way.  Taking Elizabeth to London and accepting invitations to various balls, musical evenings and soirees , would expose her to countless young men , who would no doubt find her beautiful and possibly try to win her love ; putting Sir Henry in a position where he would either have to turn a blind eye or defend his honor.  Sir Henry was no fool.  Being nearly thirty years older than his bride put him at a disadvantage , and he controlled the situation by keeping Elizabeth safely in the country , like a princess in the tower.  No one as sweet and lovely as Elizabeth should be kept hidden away from the world, he thought , as he smiled at something Miss Jakes said to him.  He hadn’t heard a word she said.
    Jeremy bowed to Miss Jakes and led her back to her mother who was eyeing him with undisguised longing.  He would be a fine catch for her daughter, or any daughter currently in the ballroom. 
    “You must come and see us, Captain Flynn.  Flora would be so pleased, wouldn’t you, dear?  We are at home on Tuesday and Thursdays.”
    “I will be sure to call on you soon, Mrs. Jakes.  Now, if you will excuse me, Lady Elizabeth is waiting.”  Jeremy made his escape and went in search of Elizabeth.  She was chatting with some portly matron and her equally portly daughter. 
    “Lady Elizabeth, I believe the next dance is mine.”  Jeremy bowed to the ladies and drew Elizabeth away. 
    Jeremy could feel Elizabeth tense up as he took her into his arms and led her in the waltz.  He kept a proper distance between them, but he desperately wanted to pull her closer and feel her body against his own.  She looked down, blushing , and he saw Sir Henry watching them intently as he conversed with a group of men by the door.  Jeremy wanted to make small talk, but nothing came to mind.  He wished they could be alone together, dancing the way they had only a few days before when he was teaching her the quadrille .  Elizabeth was laughing and looking up at him then, not tense and blushing, the object of scrutiny. 
    “Elizabeth, look at me,” he whispered.  “People are watching.”
    Elizabeth looked up and gave him a charming smile.  “I ’ m sorry, Captain Flynn.  I ’ m a little tired.  Too much excitement.”  She glanced over at Sir Henry and smiled in his direction, continuing to dance.
    “You did a wonderful job.  The ball will be on everyone’s lips for weeks.”  Jeremy was gratified by the look of pleasure on her face.
    “I did it for you, Jeremy.  I wanted to make you happy.”  Jeremy would have liked to tell her exactly what would make him happy, but that would probably cause her to swoon, so he pushed away his amorous thoughts.
    “I am happy.  Very happy,” he said, as Rosamunde winked at him across the room.  She was dancing with a dashing young man, and if Jeremy knew his aunt, nothing made her happier than the attention of an attractive young male.

Chapter 1 5
     
    Elizabeth stared out of the drawing room window as sheets of water poured endlessly from the gunmetal sky.  It was only mid-morning, but the sky was so dark that she could barely see past the sodden lawn to the tree line in the distance.  She could