The Knight; His secret author

Among friends

*Knightley*

King has waited.I knew he would. I was tempted to ask the lovely she-wolf for another turn about the floor, but I managed to catch a glimpse of her dance card and noted not a single dance remains unclaimed.

I suspect she has the right of it. Those with empty coffers are striving to fill them as easily and quickly as possible. A daughter with a significant dowry is always the preferred method among ranked sons who are opposed to work. Bugger the lot of them.

"I'll leave it to you to explain to Ace and Joker the reason they had to wait on us for the true merriment of the evening to begin," King says as his car carries us through the city.

"By all means, it should fall to me, although I doubt very much if they will mind. We have plenty of night left." I point out.

He tilts his head lightly and looks at me. "You seemed anxious to leave once you finished your dance. Did it not go as you had hoped?"

It has gone differently than I had expected, but I did not want to watch her dance with others, to discover if she enjoys being in the company of someone else more. If some other gent has the ability to coax a smile from her. If her eyes would warm for another. "I was merely in the mood for a dance, King. Make no more of it than that."

King issues a little grunt, his equivalent of calling me a liar, but it requires no response, is merely an acknowledgment. Because it is a lie. I had been in the mood for a closer association with the she-wolf, had wanted to know her better.

Having her in my arms was sublime. She is light on her feet, wispy as a cloud. Delicate and yet sturdy. But it is what I have discovered while talking with her that fascinates me. She isn't like the other she-wolves who flings themselves at me, anxious to wield the power that comes from being my mate, who would one day be a Luna. She's seemed to have no interest in me at all.

"I detest these balls," King mutters. "I believe I'm going to stop attending."

"You go to few enough as it is." I point out.

He shrugs. "But going to none would be even fewer."

"How do you propose finding a mate? The whole purpose of these affairs is to facilitate the arrangement of matches." I say.

"I'm not yet ready to take a mate. When I am, I will come up with another means to spare me the bother of these tedious social engagements. Perhaps I'll run an advert." He ponders.

I laugh. "Oh, I can't imagine that tactic will go well. Your mother won't take kindly to your lack of participation."

"As she has begun to travel more, I doubt she will even notice." He glances out the window. "Ah, good. Almost there."

The car comes to a stop. A few minutes later, we are inside the Rogue and maiden. Located in the poorer part of the city, it is seldom frequented by anyone of rank, which is one of the reasons we like it. We are never bothered by people wanting investment advice.

I immediately spot Joker and Ace at their favorite table in a back corner. Tumblers of scotch are already waiting for us as King and I draw back the empty chairs and sit. In a ritual from our school days, we each immediately lift a glass and hold it aloft in a salute before tossing back the contents.

Ace begins pouring from the bottle he has no doubt purchased to save the barmaid being run ragged with all their requests. "What kept you?"

"Knight took a fancy to the Alph’s daughter and decided to have a dance with her." King says.

"Thought you were going to let me tell them," I say, glowering at my friend.

He shrugs. "You would have lied."

"She must have been pretty, then," Joker says. "He only dances with the pretty ones."

"She was very comely," I admit. "Like King here, she didn't want to be there."

"Hence you thought your company would make the evening more pleasant for her," Joker says, grinning.

"How could it have not?" I take a sip of my scotch. "I'm the most pleasant among us."

My comment receives a mixture of groans, laughs, and headshakes. I do enjoy time with my mates. But not nearly as much as I had enjoyed those few minutes with Miss Althea Leyland.