As They Fall [First Draft] ~ Currently Editing ~

3 (first edit)

A/N: What's this? Two updates in one day? It sure is! I was pretty excited writing this chapter so I couldn't wait to post it :D 
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     "Lady Amelia, you look simply enchanting tonight!" Focusing my attention on him, I said with a tight-lipped smile,

"I thank you, kind sir. It is my pleasure to be here tonight and feast my eyes upon the splendour of your beautiful home."
I cringed internally when I heard his next words.
"Would you grant me the pleasure of dancing the second set with you?" Quashing my disgust, I replied,
"Certainly, the pleasure is mine." Dipping our heads to one another we parted ways and my uncle towed me over to his other acquaintances.

He and some of the other high-ranking Lords and Barons began to discuss the shortage of grain and livestock in Galaan, but when he mentioned the sickness in our stables I quickly tuned out, not wanting to think about my beloved steeds. I let my gaze wander about the room and sought out Lady Flora's familiar face. Out of all the young noble ladies I'd met, Flora was my favourite; both of us quickly discovering our shared love for singing and horses. I continued my search until I spotted her, dancing with a tall blond gentleman I did not recognise from behind. Her long, blonde hair was styled in an elegant bun, leaving out a few strands to frame her oval face. Her piercing blue eyes shone with excitement as she spun and twirled, the fabric of her light green gown catching the light in a remarkable way. The low-cut style of her gown accentuated her slender shoulders and it was clear her beauty had commanded the attention of more than one eligible bachelor in the room.

The music faded into the clapping of the onlookers as pairs moved to and from the dancefloor in preparation for the next set. Now it was my turn.

I picked my way past the tables and groups of people over to the other dancers and took my place in front of Sir William. For my uncle's sake, I forced myself to glance up at his face and smile, before fixing my gaze on his black waistcoat and white vest that he had paired with tight-fitting black breeches and dark leather shoes. He looked down at me with his menacing green eyes and smiled, though it seemed more like a sneer like he already regarded me as one of his possessions. The musicians took up their instruments once more and began a lively tune I recognised instantly. It had been my favourite dance as a child and I was relieved to learn that I still remembered the steps.

Thankfully, despite his personality flaws, Sir William was an excellent dancer who easily kept my pace, as I threw myself into the dance the same way I had thrown myself into my warm-ups earlier that morning. I couldn't help but smile as I was twirled around and around trying to forget that it was by his hands. When the dance was over I was rosy-cheeked and short of breath so I hurriedly thanked my partner and returned to my uncle's side. Trying to ignore the comments my uncle and his partners made about what a 'beautiful pair' the two of us made, I picked up my card. Scanning it quickly I saw that I had dancing requests from half a dozen men, almost all of which were Sir William's associates and hunting partners. All except for one, I didn't know who he was, nor had I ever heard of him.

"Excuse me, uncle," I asked, drawing his attention away from his conversation partners, "do you know who Sir Lewis is?" My uncle took the card and peered at the name thoughtfully.
"Hmm," he muttered, "I believe I do, Lord Dalbury has a boy named Lewis, though it has been many years since I last saw him. I shall inquire about his character to the others and see what they know of him."
"Thank you," I replied, leaving to find Lady Flora. As I approached her, she looked up and cried out.

"Amelia!" Throwing her arms around me eagerly, we kissed one another's cheeks and she gripped my hands in both of hers.

"It has been too long, my friend," I said, squeezing her gloved hands warmly.

"Come!" she exclaimed, "You must meet the others!" as I let her pull me over to her friends.

"Ladies, this is Lady Amelia Thorel, Baron Alder's niece." There were three women seated at the table, two had brown hair, the other was blonde like Flora.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," I responded nervously, nodding my head politely. I wasn't good at meeting people, especially other highborn ladies. The blonde woman smiled at me and said,

"How very nice to meet you. I am Lady Anna and these two are my cousins, Lady Grace and Lady Eleanor. Why don't you join us? I'd love to find out more about you." She gestured towards the empty chair beside her and smiled warmly. I couldn't help but smile back and sat down beside her.

After half an hour of conversation, Anna and Flora were both called away to dance and it became readily apparent to me that, while Anna was friendly, her two cousins were not.

"That gown is so quaint," observed Lady Eleanor, eyeing me the way a cat would eye a mouse.

"I agree sister, but I'm sure once she is married to Sir William she shall never want for the most modern fashions," sneered Lady Grace who didn't look at me at all. I stiffened at their jealous comments but thanked them, pretending to ignore their mock civility as I hoped for someone, anyone, to take me away from the table. I had already danced most of my requested sets with the men from my card, though none of them was remarkable in any way, except for the man who had trodden on my foot an impressive sixteen times. After that, I had chosen to decline the other names on my card until now, when my final partner cleared his throat behind me.

Standing up I turned around eagerly and found myself face to face with someone very familiar. He grinned at me and said,

"Good evening, I am Sir Lewis and I believe it is currently my honour to dance with you." Frozen to the spot with my mouth partly open, I was sure I looked absurd, but all I could think was what a complete and utter fool this man was.

Remembering my manners, I performed a shallow curtsey and dipped my head.

"Of course," I replied weakly, as I positioned my hand on his arm and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. Placing my hands on his open palms he led me through the steps of a slow, elegant dance I was not especially familiar with. He performed surprisingly well, taking the utmost care to avoid my toes, the gleam in his eyes suggesting he had noticed the travesty that was my last dance.

The music swelled and we stepped toward one another, one hand hovering beside the other's cheek. I took the opportunity to whisper,

"What on earth are you doing here? Have you gone mad?" He said nothing, but I had seen that mischievous grin one too many times to know that he was up to no good. We came close once more and I began to question him in hushed tones. When he learned to dance, where he found his clothes and most all how he managed to acquire an invitation. The dance passed all too quickly and as he spun me around one final time, I became transfixed by the happy grin plastered across his face.

He bowed to me, I thanked him and then he was gone and I was beside Flora once more. Eager for some fresh air the two of us slipped away from the ballroom and wandered out into the garden.

After taking a seat on a small garden bench Flora turned to me and said,

"That was not Sir Lewis." Feigning surprise I replied,

"What do you mean?" A small blush crept onto her cheeks despite the concern in her eyes.

"That man was not Sir Lewis," she paused for a moment, flushed a deeper shade of red and continued, "I've been writing to him for months, we're quite close, yet I apparently danced with him twice tonight and he made no mention of it, in fact he acted as if we were perfect strangers." Dread began to creep from my stomach into my throat.

"Are you sure he wasn't just keeping up appearances or being overly polite?" I suggested, hoping to throw her off the scent.

"I might have been inclined to think that, if it weren't for the fact that he told me he would not be attending the ball tonight due to his father being ill. The man inside is an imposter." Flora fixed me with a worried look and I bit my lip nervously. "What is it?" she queried, noticing my sudden discomfort.

"You must promise me," I began, praying it was the correct decision, "You cannot breathe a word of this to anyone."