"Now what's all this about?" Xavier asked, as we finally found our seats in the parterre at the ballet. Xavier had commented on how good our seats were, but my eyes kept turning up towards the royal box. The seats James had acquired were beneath it such that I couldn't see who was there with him and Andrew couldn't see me. It was a fair enough compromise on James' part in that he'd followed Andrew's wishes and invited me to the ballet, but he'd also successfully managed to keep me away from the prince for an evening. Well played, Lord Amberly.

"All this is about that fact that our list just got shorter by one," I said, shooting a look up towards the royal box.

"It's barely been one day!" Xavier laughed.

"Yes, and Lord Amberly has decided that I'm no longer to be a friend of his or the prince's," I said darkly. Xavier chuckled.

"You always hated it when you didn't have your way," he said. I glared at him.

"So I've decided to start taking this seriously, as you suggested," I continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"Excellent choice, but it still doesn't explain why you succeeded in dragging me to a ballet," Xavier said.

"At the intermission, I need you to help me bump into someone from the list," I said.

"Bump into someone? This isn't a marketplace Libby, it's a ballet!" Xavier laughed anew.

"Well we'll have to figure something out, won't we? You're the intelligent one, think on it," I hissed as we clapped for the conductor before the lights dimmed and the music started.

***

Xavier had thoughtfully chewed his lip throughout the whole performance, while I had to keep from scooting to the edge of my seat because I was so enthralled. Once again, Andrew had proven me dreadfully wrong about my imagination being the greatest interpreter of the written word. The ballet was magnificent, the sets and the costumes bringing to life things my mind couldn't have imagined. I'd been to ballets before as a girl, but I had never been old enough to appreciate the talent and grace with which the dancers made their movements seem effortless. When the house lights rose for intermission, Xavier had to nudge me to get me to rise.

"That was wonderful," I said, still in awe as he offered his arm to escort me towards the grand foyer where all the attendees were milling between acts.

"Well then at least you enjoyed it," he said, "Because I've racked my brain and I can't think of a single reason for us to-"

"Libby?"

The voice made the pair of us turn around towards where Georgina was standing on the staircase next to an older man in a very dapper suit.

"Hello Georgina," I said, "I didn't expect to see you here,"

"Father, this is Elizabeth Marks-Whelan," Georgina said, shooting a look at Xavier as I curtseyed to her father.

"Ah yes, the troublesome girl my Georgie has befriended. How very good to put a face to the name," her father said through his thick moustache. Georgina blushed beet red at the pet name.

"This is my brother Xavier," I said, my brother shaking hands with Georgina's father before bowing to Georgina herself.

"Very pleased to have met you," Xavier said, gallantly ignoring Georgina's blush.

"We were just on our way up, were you stuck in the parterre?" Georgina asked.

"Unfortunately yes, but I'm just happy to be seeing such a lovely show," I said. Georgina's father harrumphed.

"No lady-in-waiting ought to be stuck down there, come up with us for the intermission at least. Xavier and I can have a brandy while you two stay out of trouble," Georgina's father said, clapping my brother on the back. Xavier shot me a perplexed look, but I didn't hesitate to follow them up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry!" Georgina whispered, as her father proceeded to natter Xavier's ear off, "He brought a flask to get him through the ballet because he knows I love it. We should probably spare your brother!"

"Nonsense, Xavier's an academic. He'll logic his way out of it," I said, casting my eyes around the upstairs lounge to see if any of my targets were present, "How did you manage to get up here anyway?"

"My father's a retired cavalry Colonel," she said, "Though don't let him hear me say retired. He'll forever be Colonel Courtenay, even if he's stuck at a ballet,"

I snorted a laugh before an idea sprang to life in my head.

"Do you know William Weatherington?" I asked, "Seeing as his father's Lord Admiral and all?"

"Ugh, William? Sadly yes," Georgina said, pulling a face, "Conversing with him is like speaking to a pompous brick wall, unless of course you're a man who can talk military strategy,"

"Could you introduce me?" I said, spotting William across the room. Georgina followed my gaze with lifted eyebrows.

"Of course, but..." she started, then caught herself.

"But what?" I said, linking my arm with hers so we could make our way towards William.

"Here I was thinking you were after the prince...?" she said quietly. I forced a grin even though I wanted to scowl.

"The prince is much bigger game than I'm familiar hunting," I said, "I've decided to aim for something more attainable,"

Georgina shot me a worried look before we pulled up next to William Weatherington and, to my dismay, Dorian Fletcher.

"Georgina, how lovely to see you here," William said, bowing and introducing her to Dorian. Dorian raked his gaze over the both of us before deciding that his drink was much more entertaining.

"I wanted to introduce you to my friend, Elizabeth Marks-Whelan," Georgina said. I pasted on my most practiced demure smile as I sank a curtsey.

"Very nice to meet you," William said, sparing me little more than a look. This charming business was going to be harder than I thought.

"Georgina tells me you're quite the tactical enthusiast?" I said. That drew his eyes right back to me, although not in the way I'd hoped.

"I was not aware that ladies discussed military business," William said, shooting Georgina a questioning look. She was blushing again.

"That's because real ladies don't," Dorian said, before gesturing to his empty glass "I think I'll go fetch myself another,"

The three of us stood in uncomfortable silence once he'd left and I couldn't help but remember the last time Dorian Fletcher had so rudely dismissed me. James had been the one to step in and smooth it all over, but it was abundantly clear he wasn't about to step in now. I forced the memory away, attempting to keep my best smile in place.

"I know it's supposed to be dreadfully complicated, which is why it's so impressive that you understand such things," I said, batting my lashes at William. The simpering seemed to appease him and his stiff posture relaxed.

"It is, which is why it's best left to the men to think about. You ladies needn't worry yourselves with such business. How have you enjoyed the ballet?" he asked. I willed my cheeks to hold my smile despite my overwhelming desire to scowl. Edward and Xavier had staged many a mock battle with me on the lawns of Draughton, educating me, albeit briefly, in all manner of military strategy. I took great joy in playing the part of the mortally wounded Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, so for William to imply that understanding warfare was beyond my capabilities was infuriating.

"Oh I'm very much enjoying it," Georgina said quickly, noticing that my smile was strained, "I'm excited to see how they stage the hunt itself,"

"I would have to say that I'm not entirely impressed," William sniffed, swirling his drink, "You'd think that with the budget set aside for them that they'd be able to pull off something a tad more impressive than a mere two set changes for the entirety of the first act. I think the dancers are dreadfully overpaid if you ask me. If you pulled a serving maid up from a kitchen and trained her for a few years, she could likely do just as well for half the salary of these French ballerinas,"

My smile turned into a full on grimace.

"I'm terribly sorry, but we should go find my brother before the next act," I said through my teeth, "Lovely to have met you,"

William bowed as Georgina and I took our leave.

"Didn't I try to warn you?" she whispered with a grin. I, on the other hand, was not grinning. My heart was hammering in my chest as the walls threatened to close in around me again. If William Weatherington was the kind of man my mother hoped I'd marry, there was no way I was escaping a mind-numbingly boring life with a man who thought of women as mindless ornaments. I was lost in a daze and it was thanks only to Georgina's firm tug on my arm that I halted just short of careening headlong into the prince.

"He said you'd declined," Andrew said, once he'd blinked away the surprise of nearly running into me. I stared at him, my brain so clogged with all the things I wanted to say that nothing came out. Thankfully, the lights dimmed to signal that we should all be returning to our seats.

"I never saw the paintings," was all that I managed before James appeared over Andrew's shoulder, livid.

"We should be returning, Andrew," he said, his glare positively murderous as it settled on me. I studiously avoided his gaze only to realize that I was staring at my own cousin, hovering just behind him. Ella was frowning as she looked between me and the prince.

"We'd best be getting on too," Georgina said, clearly not at all understanding what was going on, but adept enough to figure out that something was wrong. Just like that, James steered Andrew away and Georgina led me back towards where my brother was waiting with her father at the top of the stairs. Pleasantries were exchanged, but I was too bewildered to do much else besides curtsey to the Colonel and kiss Georgina's cheek goodbye.

As Xavier took my arm to help me back down the stairs, I turned to look behind me. Andrew was doing the same, our eyes meeting for the briefest moment before he turned the corner to the royal box and  disappeared.