The choir’s voices began to fade, and with them the instruments. The initial quartet’s voices were more clearly heard, echoing each other with soft precision, until only the first singer’s voice remained, drawing out the last notes into the utter silence of the room.

As the music died away, Hugh felt rather as though applause would be inappropriate, far too common a thing for what they had just experienced. But applause filled the room anyway, though neither he nor Elinor did so.

They looked at each other instead, and he realized with a pang of agony that this connection between them, this moment, would shortly be broken. They would both go back to dancing at the ball without being able to be near each other. Not unless they wished to be open to comment, and he would not be able to hold her hand like this in public.

Elinor stared back at him, her expression pained.

He rubbed his thumb along her hand in a slow, deliberate stroke, and Elinor inhaled slowly, then exhaled the same, giving him a slight nod.

Hugh curved a lopsided smile at her and ran his thumb over hers once more.

She repeated the gesture, and he nearly declared his love right there and then.

Somehow, he managed to avoid doing so, a crowded ballroom of her relations not being entirely the right place for such a statement.

Reluctantly, he let her hand go, and she replaced her glove as the carolers commenced with a far more jubilant number, which prompted some of the more intrepid guests to return to dancing, though with the sort of feeling rarely found in Society. This was the rousing sort of dance the middle and lower classes usually enjoyed, and which Hugh had long secretly envied.

The guests not dancing clapped in time with the music, and Hugh noticed Elizabeth seeming to almost float with her enthusiasm as she watched.

He smiled to himself then took a step and turned to her. “Miss Elizabeth, would you like to join the dance?”

It was difficult to say whose smile was brighter, Elinor’s or Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth put her hand in his and nearly led him out into the dance, so delighted was she. The dance was energetic and spritely, and despite not being the partner he desired above all others, he would be hard pressed to find a dance in his memory that had been as much fun.

The rest of the evening was spent dancing with several of Elinor’s other relations, though he did manage to avoid being snared into one with Letitia, which seemed a thing of mercy. His favorite of the night may have been dancing with Mrs. Asheley, Elinor’s mother, who had seemed to appreciate the gesture a great deal. He had not danced with Elinor again, which had proved to be far more difficult than he’d planned, but his reasoning had been sound.