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A musician’s gallery occupied the far end of the room, and at her last count, Eleanor numbered them twelve. They had been playing quietly not long ago, and would begin again soon to accompany the chatter around the room.

“This is not the biggest ball of the Season, but it is one of the most prestigious, and it is the first main ball that everyone looks forward to,” Eleanor recounted.

“This is not my first Season,” Charlotte reminded her. “I attended this ball last year.”

“Some of the dresses are…,” Eleanor observed as they watched the ladies and gents below.

“Don’t worry, your dress is perfectly fine. This is your introduction to society, and you don’t wish to be introduced as a woman who wears a plunging neckline. Look.”

Charlotte pointed to the edge of the dance floor. Eleanor spotted Lady Grisham.

“So beautiful, and her dress choice is always so daring,” Charlotte pointed out. “She has a full dance card at every event, but not one man has asked for her hand yet. You shall do so much better in your dress, Eleanor.”

“Perhaps you are right.”

Eleanor watched Lady Grisham for a while before turning her attention to the others in the main hall. The large hall had a life of its own.

Ladies met in small groups, some in twos like Eleanor and Charlotte, others in larger numbers. They all talked excitedly, and one of them would turn around to observe someone or something from time to time. Mothers, aunts, or matrons watched the young women, and Eleanor could spot the unmarried women by how they constantly surveyed the hall and certain people, checking who was looking at them.

The gentlemen stood in clusters around the edge of the room, their dark clothing creating a striking contrast with the lighter and more colorful dresses.

And between them all, moving like small streams fed by larger tributaries, were the servants carrying trays of refreshments: champagne, wine, and lemonade.

“We should join them,” Charlotte commented. “I know you are waiting for His Grace, but it is not your fault that he is running late. Besides, I will stay with you until he arrives.”

Eleanor thought about that. She was under strict instruction not to be chaperoned by anyone else. Still, she wanted to enjoy the ball and not treat it as only a formal meeting place for her potential husband.

Eleanor took one last look down into the main area and was relieved when she spotted the duke entering. He wore a black top hat and a long tailcoat that looked black at first, but as Eleanor stared at him, she saw it was a very dark green.

If the servants had been like streams, then Gabriel was like Moses parting the Red Sea. Both men and women moved aside to let him through, and while they kept their distance, they watched him closely with fascination.

Eleanor also watched him closely with fascination from her vantage point. He cut the most striking silhouette of any gentleman at the ball. The duke looked around.

He is looking for me.

“I will follow your lead,” she told Charlotte.

* * *

Gabriel scanned the hall for Eleanor. He had made it clear she was not to be chaperoned by anyone else, and here he was, turning up late to the ball because he had been delayed. The evening had started badly.

And then he saw her coming down the stairs.

He forgot all about his tardiness and how badly the evening had begun. He watched Eleanor coming down the stairs with her friend and into the main hall. The dress looked far different on her than it had in her closet.

It was the exact dress that he had recommended she wear for her debut, and he was glad to see that she had followed his suggestion. She spotted him as she came down the stairs, and they locked eyes. Perhaps it was the candlelight, but her eyes also looked different from what he remembered.

He had either stood face to face with her or sat face to face, and most of the time, she had been feisty and defiant. Tonight, she was elegance personified. The duke hadn’t considered it until now, but his acceptance of watching over Eleanor meant that she would become a reflection of him.

She reflected on him well.

He watched her all the way to the bottom of the stairs, and then strode over to be by her side.

“Lady Eleanor,” he said.

She offered him her hand, just as he had taught her, and he took it in his, bowing slightly to bring his forehead closer to her fingers. At the same time,, Eleanor curtsied.

“Your Grace,” she said in greeting. “Allow me to introduce my friend, Charlotte Pembroke.”