"I'm glad to hear it." And she was, even if it was a half hearted gesture, anything was better than thinking this evening might be causing him pain. He continued speaking and she could feel the truth of them sinking into her. "She did." Came Sisse's soft afirmative, she wanted to reach out and touch his hand, to show him she was there. But the last time she'd done that had ended diasterously. Besides, they were in a crowded ballroom and it was certainly wasn't how she should begin her first evening out.

The first chords of the next set sounded and Sisse looked about her. Henry was no where in sight. Sisse couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips. It would not do to have to sit out a dance tonight. "I cannot believe Henry's stood me up." She admitted with the annoyance of an elder sister. "He so earnestly wanted this dance." Sisse couldn't help but shake her head at the memory. Henry had asserted that each male of the Thompsett family would dance with Sisse and he would have the pleasure of a waltz. He'd told her that he'd wanted the waltz specifically so Matthew wouldn't glower at whomever tried to claim it at the ball. Reasoning that Matthew would soften as the season went on but that perhaps this one night she might do him the honor of the dance to ensure she didn't have to miss her favorite dance and to keep the peace in their household and so no potential gentlemen were scared of. Honestly, the amount of thought her carefree younger brother had put into the idea was so endearing and heartwarming that there had been no way Sisse would have turned down his suggestion.