The Marquis kept his word and from the moment they returned to the ballroom Carmella did not lack partners.
Towards the end of the evening the Marquis asked her for a waltz.
As he put his hand round her waist, she felt herself quiver and wondered why the feeling was quite different from any she had with her other partners.
Then, as they swung round, he said quietly,
“You dance exactly as I expected, as if you are floating on the air and your feet do not touch the ground.”
“I wish that was true,” Carmella answered, “but all the evening I have felt that as if I was moving in a dream.”
“You have enjoyed your first ball, even though it is not a big one?” the Marquis asked.
“It is so exciting being in a beautiful room in this magnificent house and I keep thinking that the ladies in thei
