found himself bowing slightly, holding out his hand to her as he asked, “Miss Montgomery, may I have the honor of the next dance?”
Walter felt the silence to be almost deafening. The only sound he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, as he waited for her to refuse. Yet part of him dearly hoped she would accept, though he knew she had no reason to.
He watched with bated breath as she glanced at the countess, pursing her lips for a moment before reluctantly nodding. “I suppose you may,” she finally said, and daintily put her hand in his.
He felt every tiny place where her hand touched his, and a thrill of awareness coursed through his body. He carefully placed a hand on her back to lead her out onto the dance floor, feeling very aware of how close they were.
They face each other as the waltz began and, in that moment, he knew it. There could no longer be any doubt in his mind—he was still in love with Georgianna.
The way his heart was beating, how he couldn’t take his eyes off her, how she seemed to be the most beautiful woman in the room to him, all were all clear signs she still held his heart.
She, however, was looking at the other dancers, at his shoulder, at anything besides his eyes. This reminded him of what he must say to her, preferably before the dance ended…
“Georgiana … Miss Montgomery, I … I want to apologize. I have a lot to apologize for, I know. So much so that, if I were to list all the things I have done wrong, it would probably take me all evening.”
He paused and felt encouraged when she glanced up at him fleetingly. “I think the worst thing I have done was to think for a moment you would have … well, that you wouldn’t have told me if you were engaged. I should have had more faith in you.”
“You could have asked,” she replied sharply and without looking at him.
“Yes, I should have. And that is my second biggest regret after not trusting you, and I made the worst mistake of my life in leaving so abruptly as I did, without a word. I convinced myself my pride had been hurt, and I simply … left.”
At some point, she had looked up at him, her eyes staring intently into his own, as she seemed to gauge his sincerity. He held his breath and nearly lost the rhythm of the waltz as he waited to hear her reply.
Finally, he saw her nod slightly, seemingly satisfied with whatever she had seen in him. “I suppose I can forgive you… Though it was your fault, you didn’t mean to hurt me … and I am certain you hurt yourself, too. Holding it against you wouldn’t do either of us any good.”
Walter was able to let out the breath he had been holding, as he felt genuine happiness start to bubble up inside him. However, he refrained from letting his hope grow too much.
“And what … do you think that…” He fumbled for the right words, wanting desperately to directly ask her if there was any chance of winning back her heart.
She looked at him and seemed to be vaguely aware of what he wanted to ask. “Perhaps we could be friends. I … I wouldn’t mind talking to you … on occasion,” she told him as she looked away again.
Walter felt his heart sink. After realizing he still loved her, to be told he could never be anything more than a friend was crushing, but he knew he had no right to ask for more and did not even deserve her friendship.
He gathered all his willpower, so as not to sound disappointed, as he replied in a grateful tone, “I would like more than anything else to have the honor of still being your friend. I know I don’t deserve even that much. So, thank you.”
Her eyes met his again as the orchestra’s final chord faded away, signaling the end of the dance. “Well, thank you … for the dance…” she said as she stepped back and away from him.
He did not follow her, contenting himself to simply stand and watch, as she walked over towards her aunt and began talking to her again. Whether they had resumed their former topic or were now talking about him, he had no way of knowing.