He ought to offer her full dominion over the punchbowl, but Theo was not nearly masochistic enough for that. If it hadn’t been a Valentine’s Day ball, maybe he could have suffered it sober. But the general atmosphere of the evening was too much to stomach, even if he had been unburdened of choosing dance partners.
At least this had given them something new to think about that wasn’t just grinning and bearing it, but a battle plan to devise. “What happens if we both end up there at the same time?” Locked eyes over the punchbowl and a fourth dance, no doubt. It would be their luck. “I s’pose we could take turns in that territory, or else switch sides every quarter of an hour... Though that’s hard to time if you don’t have a watch on you.” Most men could be counted upon to carry a pocketwatch, but he was less sure that ballgowns had pockets, or that young ladies were in the habit of wearing any useful timepieces with them.
Not to mention it would probably look diabolically rude to be checking one’s watch at parties.
At least this had given them something new to think about that wasn’t just grinning and bearing it, but a battle plan to devise. “What happens if we both end up there at the same time?” Locked eyes over the punchbowl and a fourth dance, no doubt. It would be their luck. “I s’pose we could take turns in that territory, or else switch sides every quarter of an hour... Though that’s hard to time if you don’t have a watch on you.” Most men could be counted upon to carry a pocketwatch, but he was less sure that ballgowns had pockets, or that young ladies were in the habit of wearing any useful timepieces with them.
Not to mention it would probably look diabolically rude to be checking one’s watch at parties.
