Chapter 54: WHISPERS IN THE HALL
Ace
The music carried softly through the ballroom as Selene and I moved across the dance floor.
She followed the rhythm gracefully, her emerald gown flowing with each step. A few nobles nearby watched us with open curiosity, while others pretended not to stare at all.
But I could still feel their attention.
Selene noticed it too.
“You realize they’re still watching us,” she said quietly as we turned.
“Of course they are.”
“And you’re completely comfortable with that?”
I gave a small shrug.
“After years of being Duke, you stop noticing it.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever stop noticing it.”
“You don’t need to.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“Oh?”
“Because tonight isn’t about becoming invisible,” I said. “It’s about showing them exactly who you are.”
Selene considered that for a moment.
“And what if they decide they don’t like who I am?”
“Then they’ll learn to accept it anyway.”
She smiled faintly at that.
We continued dancing until the music faded and the room filled with applause for the musicians.
As the nobles began returning to their conversations, Selene and I stepped away from the dance floor.
Emma immediately appeared beside us with two glasses of wine.
“You survived,” she said cheerfully.
Selene laughed softly.
“Barely.”
Emma handed her a glass.
“Trust me, you did better than half the nobles here on their best days.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Emma leaned closer.
“Also, Lord Harwick has already told three people that you’re ‘unexpectedly impressive.’”
Selene blinked.
“Unexpectedly?”
Emma grinned.
“That’s noble language for ‘I underestimated you.’”
Ace chuckled.
“Sounds accurate.”
Emma took a sip of her wine.
“Oh, and Lady Bellmont told her husband that you carry yourself like someone born into nobility.”
Selene looked surprised.
“Really?”
Emma nodded.
“Which means she’s already trying to figure out your secrets.”
Selene sighed dramatically.
“I don’t have any secrets.”
Emma smirked.
“That’s what makes it even more mysterious.”
While they spoke, my attention drifted across the ballroom.
Something caught my eye near the far doorway.
John Thomas.
He stood with two unfamiliar men dressed in dark traveling coats rather than formal attire.
They weren’t nobles.
I was certain of that.
One of them handed John Thomas a small folded paper before quickly stepping back toward the corridor.
John Thomas slipped the paper into his coat.
Then he glanced across the ballroom.
Our eyes met briefly.
His expression remained calm.
Too calm.
Emma noticed the direction of my gaze.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” I said quietly.
But something about that exchange bothered me.
Selene followed my line of sight.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes,” I replied.
But even as I said it, I wasn’t entirely sure.
Later that evening, the ballroom began to empty slightly as some guests stepped onto the balcony for fresh air.
Selene stood near one of the open doors, enjoying the cool night breeze.
I joined her.
“You look thoughtful,” she said.
“I was just thinking about the evening.”
“And?”
“You’ve won over most of them.”
“Most?”
“There are always a few exceptions.”
Selene leaned against the balcony railing.
“I can live with that.”
I studied her face for a moment.
“You handled John Thomas well earlier.”
“I’m not sure he meant his compliment.”
“He rarely says anything he doesn’t mean.”
Selene looked back toward the ballroom.
“Then why do I feel like he’s still waiting for something?”
“Because he probably is.”
She folded her arms lightly.
“What exactly does he want?”
“That’s the question.”
Just then Emma stepped onto the balcony.
“There you two are.”
Selene smiled.
“Escaping the crowd.”
Emma joined us at the railing.
“Well, enjoy it while you can.”
“Why?”
“Because Lord Harwick is about to come looking for you again.”
Selene laughed.
“Already?”
Emma nodded.
“He’s telling people that you’re ‘refreshingly intelligent.’”
Selene shook her head.
“I’m beginning to think noble compliments sound more like surprised discoveries.”
“They usually are.”
Emma glanced back toward the ballroom.
Then her expression shifted slightly.
“That’s odd.”
“What is?” I asked.
“John Thomas just left.”
Selene frowned.
“Left?”
“The gathering isn’t even over yet.”
Emma shrugged.
“Maybe council matters.”
But something about the timing felt wrong.
John Thomas had never been the type to leave an important event early.
Especially not one where he had spent the entire evening observing Selene.
Selene noticed my expression.
“You’re thinking about that message he received earlier.”
“Yes.”
Emma blinked.
“What message?”
I explained what I had seen.
Emma frowned.
“That’s… unusual.”
Selene looked thoughtful.
“Could it be unrelated to us?”
“Possibly,” I said.
“But John Thomas rarely deals in coincidences.”
Emma sighed.
“Well, that’s a comforting thought.”
The music inside the ballroom shifted to a slower tune.
Guests began returning to the dance floor again.
Selene turned toward me.
“Whatever John Thomas is planning,” she said quietly, “we’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
I nodded.
“You’re right.”
She smiled gently.
“But tonight we already won one battle.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“Yes.”
She gestured toward the ballroom.
“They came here expecting to see a mistake.”
“And instead?”
“They saw a Duchess.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
“Yes,” I said softly.
“They did.”
But as the music played and the evening continued, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that somewhere beyond the lights of the ballroom…
A far more dangerous game had just begun.