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Sebastian took it and led her toward the dance floor, while Margaret watched them both.

Others joined them on the wooden floor in the great hall as the musicians warmed up.

Eleanor turned in a circle as she walked, taking in all of the other costumes, a mix of glitter and feathers, and both bright and muted colors. The ladies wore pastel dresses, and the men wore more outlandish garb than usual, foregoing the usual black and dark blues of trousers and tailcoats.

One gentleman wore a purple suit with a mask attached to a golden crown. Another had black wings. A third was covered in felt leaves from shoulder to ankle.

Eleanor didn’t recognize anyone. The masks hid most of the facial features, but the style of dress was unusual, too. It was usually easy to spot a certain lord or lady by the way they dressed, but not that night.

“You are different tonight, Lady Eleanor,” Sebastian pointed out. “Something has changed.”

“I am much the same.”

“Whatever it is, I like it on you,” Sebastian added.

Eleanor gave him a nervous smile, and then she looked over his shoulder, expecting the duke to be standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching them both with his piercing, fiery gaze.

He was not there.

The musicians began their final tuning, and Sebastian held out his hand. Eleanor placed her hand in his, and then the other on his shoulder. When she felt Sebastian move to reposition himself, she mirrored his movements in the opposite direction to keep the space between them.

“I have many more stories to tell you about Eton,” Sebastian told her as they waited for the music to start. “If you would like to hear them.”

“I would be glad to,” Eleanor admitted.

She didn’t care so much about the story itself as about what she might learn about the duke by hearing it.

The music started, and Sebastian almost missed the first step, delaying no more than a heartbeat, but enough that Eleanor noticed.

They spun around the dance floor, ladies’ dresses lifted as if touched by the wind, feathers pulled back as in flight, and eyes darting behind masks as people tried to figure out who was who.

And still she looked for the duke.

Would he dress up for the event? Would he wear colorful attire and a fantastic mask? Would he be having as much fun as Eleanor was?

Which, when she thought about it, was not much fun at all. She didn’t know why her eyes kept seeking him out, but she wished he was there and… and what? What did she plan to do if he did turn up at the event as he was supposed to? That part, she didn’t know.

“…in the winter, and in the summer, I often visit my cousin in Cornwall,” Sebastian was saying. “It really is beautiful there. Have you been?”

“Mmm?” Eleanor mused. “Oh, to Cornwall? No, not in a long time.”

“Perhaps you would like to visit the area sometime?” the lord asked.

“Yes, perhaps,” Eleanor agreed halfheartedly.

Eleanor tried her best to keep a sweet smile on her lips. She was dancing with a handsome, elegant lord, and she still didn’t feel happy.

“…you, if you would like?” Sebastian enquired.

Eleanor pieced together what he had asked from the context. He wanted to invite her to Cornwall, to his cousin’s home, which would make anything between them more official if she accepted.

“I will need to talk to His Grace about it.”

It was hard to look deflated while dancing to such an upbeat melody, but Sebastian still managed it, putting on a brave face.

Eleanor knew it was the right response, but she still felt some guilt in saying it. Gabriel had made her feel terrible, and he was only around to oversee her Seasons, not dictate them. She could accept invitations if she liked.

The music ended with a flourish, and Eleanor rocked back and forth as she came to a stop, Lord Fairfax holding her tightly.