An Innocent Affair

V

"I was so blessed. The first person I gave my heart to was an angel who plucked the feathers off his wings and built a nest for it." Kamand Kojouri

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V.

Cressie's anxieties surrounding her conduct towards Jem Denham were settled in how he had received her apology, and in how he had apologised for his own actions as well.

Because of this, she was unsure of why her stomach still felt as though it were tied in knots in his presence. If he was not angry with her, or ashamed of her behaviour, then why did she still feel so odd?

"Would it ... would it be too presumptuous of me to ask for a second dance, Miss Martin?"

Cressie's knotted stomach flipped over as she nodded, and she gladly took Jem's arm as he led her back into the sequence of dancers. As she stood across from him, Mr Jem smiled at her. It was a smile of youthful vibrance and spirit, and Cressie found herself quite breathless in receipt of it.

Cressie did not look away from Jem Denham's ocean blue eyes throughout the entire dance. Of course, Cressie had never seen the ocean, but the hue of his eyes was what she imagined it to look like. Mr Jem did not look away from her eyes either, no matter how he stumbled through the steps.

Her own amused smile teased at her lips as she once again thought of a fawn dancing. Mr Jem was so tall, with such long arms and legs, that the image could not quite escape her mind when she danced with him. She had told him as such, and she quite meant it. Cressie found it to be an extremely favourably quality. Somehow, Mr Jem's lack of grace on the dancefloor made Cressie feel oddly safe in his presence.

Though, this notion of safety did nothing to quell her tight, uneasy stomach.

"I believe I should be offended at your laughing at me, Miss Martin," Jem murmured to her when the dance finished as they all applauded the musicians.

Cressie's eyes widened. "Oh, no. I would never," she promised him.

"Do not worry. I am glad to be able to make you laugh, even if it is at me." Mr Jem smirked as he bowed his head to her.

They looked at one another then, unsure of what to do next. Cressie imagined that, like her, this was the first proper ball that Mr Jem had attended. Despite being the brother of the duchess, his young age had to have meant that he was excluded from occasions like this until now. What would he had gotten up to while the aristocrats in his family danced and dined? Cressie could sense Mr Jem's spirit, and she wondered, or rather hoped, that it was as childlike at hers.

Cressie's own unladylike spirit wanted to run away from this ballroom. Not out onto the street, but to run upstairs, to explore and poke around nosily in rooms that were shut away. Such silly, clandestine behaviour excited her, and she got the sense from Mr Jem that he would be very agreeable to such a suggestion.

It took her mother appearing beside her to remind Cressie that she was, in fact, a lady, and to be alone with a man was entirely unacceptable. Her heart sank, and it joined in on the congealed, tangled mess that was her stomach.

Mr Jem's back straightened in the presence of Mrs Martin, and he bowed once again to her. "Your daughter is a lovely dancer, Mrs Martin," he complimented nervously.

Mrs Martin offered a polite smile. "Yes, she is indeed," she agreed. "Good evening to you, Mr Denham." She smoothly threaded her arm through Cressie's and began to lead her away.

Cressie anxiously looked over her shoulder at Mr Jem, where he offered her a warm, understanding smile. He nodded his head, before he turned in the direction of his sister.