3rd October 1814, All the Gaiety of a Ball

"It is so warm in here, one would think it was May," Emma said, opening her fan. "I do not think that I could have kept so active as you managed to in Spain. Was it very hot?"

"Very. By the height of the war, we had learned that we should get on the march by about three o'clock in the morning so that we could cover the greatest distance before the heat of the day, and when we reached our camp-ground, the old hands had learned to disregard the heat until everything was in order before relaxing. We were all of us as brown as berries for the sun beat down every day without fail, it seemed - apart from when it stormed."

Emma gave a theatrical shudder. "I do not know how you bore it so well, John."

When the dance ended, Torrington escorted his rather youthful partner back to her doting mother, but escaped any further conversation as quickly as he could. He looked quite forward to the next dance and had no intention to keep Emma waiting, but unfortunately he had lost sight of her, so he supposed he should give himself enough time for the astonishingly difficult process of finding and meeting a single person in a ballroom full of very sociable people.

Hoping that she was still escorted by her brother or that he at least would know where to find her, Torrington kept his eyes open for a green coat, reckoning that the unusual colour and greater height made Vickery easier to spot.

"Necessity, mostly, I think," Vickery replied with a smile. "One can bear a great many things if one has to, after all - though I do not think that Robert could have borne the privation so well. But that is all past, now, and I am home safely and looking forward to the pleasures afforded by Society."

Willoughby bowed lightly to Estefania, thanking her for the dance and the enjoyable conversation that they had. As they parted ways he went in search of Lady Needlestone, whom he had promised to dance with. He had decided to enjoy the evening and was a little amused at the few glances that were cast in the direction of his former dance partner. It seemed that the English may have thought her unable to dance their dances, but proven wrong, she was approached by some of the gentlemen with their sisters or relatives, asking to be introduced and also for a hand in one of the remaining dances.

Estefania was polite towards the new acquaintances, and allowed for some of the dances that she had not intended to dance at all, to be filled in by this or that gentleman.  Adjusting her mantilla and using her fan mostly for its practical purposes and partially for its less obvious, she seemed to be a little torn where to begin the search for the man with whom she was to dance the waltz. Her friend Ines had unsurprisingly taken to the dance floor with her husband to be and she gave them a little nod of recognition as they passed.

"I believe the boulangeries has finished and that it is now your waltz - if we can locate your partner," Vickery said, scanning the room in the hopes of seeing Torrington somewhere.

"That looks like him over there, look," Emma said, gesturing towards a man in red at the far side of the room.

Willoughby, who was standing beside the man that Emma had misidentified, turned, whether it be by chance or by one of those sensations that were illogical but that caused one to feel that they were watched, even if they were not. Perhaps he had even hoped that it was his present partner that had caused this. He spotted the Vickary siblings looking in his direction, and nodded a greeting to them. Then he turned again, continuing his search for the lady.

Brother and sister nodded their greetings to Lord Gwydyr as they passed him.

"Such a press of people - I had no notion there were so many people in Town. And this is the Little Season, too," Vickery murmured, as they passed another group of people chatting together.

Having spotted Willoughby and decided to ask him whether he had seen the Vickery siblings, Torrington was fortunate enough to see the viscount turn, automatically looked in the new direction, and saw his partner for the next dance for himself.

After some dexterous footwork to weave to the conversing groups, he reached his goal, bowed to Emma and nodded to Vickery.

"Miss Vickery. May I hope that you still wish to walz with me?"

"Of course. It would be my pleasure, my Lord," Emma said with a smile and a curtsey.

Vickery surrendered her to his friend with a slight bow.

Lady Neddlestone was holding court amongst a group of people. Mostly they were male, although a few had a female on their arm; none was married to that female, though. They were also all from a set that Lady Gleve would call "the underside of the top drawer", although they were dressed and behaved well enough.

The lady laughed brilliantly at some joke, then spotted Willoughby, smiled encouragingly and made an inviting gesture to come closer.

Willoughby spotted the group first, and then saw her gesture to him. He inclined his head again and then proceeded towards the group. He greeted her first, then the others as politely as he could. "If you would still wish, the waltz will begin now." He said then.

Torrington offered his arm to lead her to the dancefloor and a matching bow to Vickery - a kind of conversation without words, assuring the other man that he would take good care of his sister.

"I hope the ball has found your favour sofar, Miss Vickery? Or is it maybe an even sadder crush than usual?", he asked in a teasing voice.

Emma rested her gloved hand lightly on his arm. "There are a great many people here - far more, indeed, than I would expect to see in the Little Season. Although perhaps that is because everyone is back from the war?" She smiled up at him.

"And starved for a real ball, with all the dancing, white soup and gossip that goes with it. I take it the rules for the walz are still as strict as they were, though? Fortunately, in the little season, nearly all ladies should have permission, shouldn't they?"

As he led Emma onto the dance floor, his sharp eyes quickly checked on Bella (safely escorted by James) and, for different reasons, on Willoughby (much less safely included in Lady Neddlestone's circle). When he saw that, he frowned.

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"But of course I want to walz, Gwydyr!", the Countess beamed. "Which lady could refuse if presented with such a dance and such a partner?"

She graciously waved a dismissal to the rest of her court - something not all of them took with equal grace, and Willoughby found himself at the recieving end of a few rather distempered stares.

Willoughby offered his elbow to the lady, countering the stares wit ha polite and calm gaze. He turned then to head in the direction of the dance floor again. "I hope your friends are not too displeased that I had taken you from them sooner than they seemed to have been ready." He said. He avoided the crowds, but made good way towards the spot that they could claim as their starting point.

She was not exactly the person he had wished to dance the waltz with, but he was most certainly not going to make it any less a pleasant experience for the lady, just because of that. It would not have been fair.

"They are a little jealous", Lady Neddlestone agreed with charming ruefullnes. "After all, they have to compete with a young, rich, handsome, titled hero of the war, who already has shown himself to be a man of honour and pride, an elegant dancer and a friend to many admirable people."

She easily kept her place at his side, her own steps perfectly coordinated to his, the pressure of her arm neither too light nor too heavy.

"They probably would have wished introductions, but I'm a selfish creature; I wanted to keep you all to myself for just a little bit longer."

"I cannot say that I am deserving of such praise , though I am humbled by your kind words." Willoughby answered  a little at loss for words. He was not used to having a lady flatter him so, even if part of it was true. He was indeed rich and he was fairly young. It was certainly a great change from Spain and Portugal. "Of course,  I need not say how charming you appear today, as any word I may say, will probably be an awkward failing to do you justice."

He stopped once they reached their spot and waited for the music to begin and hoped that he would remember how to dance it without mistake.

"Oh dear! Were there no ladies in Spain to dance with?" Emma asked, looking up at the officer she was walking beside. "And yes, they are - or at least, while the waltz is permitted at a private ball such as this, I do not think that it will be permitted as Almacks for some time yet - though of the Lady Patronesses, I think that the Countess Lieven is the most amenable to its introduction."

"She certainly is one of the most proficient dancers of it. And while there are dances in Spain as well, and beautiful girls to dance them with, they all pale to the first ball back home on British soil, and the first dance you share with an English rose again."

The first notes of the introduction to the walz called the dancers to order, and Torrington bowed, his laughing eyes never leaving Emma's.

"My dear Viscount, I certainly never will tire of hearing you say it nevertheless! And as words never seem to be able to do justice to deeds, I will with this caveat accept yours if you will do the same with mine."

The lady curtsied elegantly, somehow managing to display all her more substantial charms in the movement without appearing unnatural or overtly advertising herself.

Willoughby bowed his head a little again to be polite and perhaps to aknowledge her words. He was not awkward in movement when it was required and he seemed to know the footsteps at least considerably well enough to do them justice. He could not lie that the attention did not flatter him, and she seemed quite skilled at distracting the young man.

Perhaps he had craved for some signal that his company was not entirely undesirable, or perhaps it was the stroking of pride, when she had so easily left the others merely for him, but never the less the dance itself was nothing to regret having.

"I admit I have been out of sorts, how has life been here, during the war?...and now? Has much changed?" He inquired softly.

"I believe you are trying to flatter me, although I know this is not the first dance you have danced this evening," Emma said with an equally amused look in her eyes as she straightened from her curtsey.

"Always, Miss Vickery. But I must admit, the first dance I would not have wanted to share with anybody but my sister - not currently at least."

He lead her in a wide arc around the dancefloor, skillfully matching their speed to the other couples and guiding them safely around the less proficient dancers.