Mattie let out a clear, ringing laugh at his comment – it was blatant flattery, of course, but that wasn’t to say she ever minded blatant flattery. A little flirtation never did any harm. “Who knows,” she echoed genially, happy enough to tease. “I pray your heart doesn’t stop.”
She would allow it to perhaps skip a beat at the sight of her, if his heart liked – but other than that, she hoped he would take none of this to heart. The last thing she needed was for her father to see her getting along with a bachelor too well – for one, that would stop any fun she dreamt of in its tracks, and for two, Mattie did not want anyone to get ideas about marrying her. (That would be the surest way to stop any of her desired fun in its tracks.)
For now, she could keep her independence – they parted ways into the maze. It was darkened, the lights tossed askew by the flashes of mirrors at ever corner, and although Mattie was striding briskly, getting her heart rate up at every remembrance this was a race, she was conscious also of looking serene as she walked, in case there were any eyes upon the ghost-semblance of her out in the ballroom proper.
It was hard to have any sense of how much time had passed in here, or how many distorted versions of herself she had passed, how many left and right turns she had made, but then she came out onto a path that seemed to stretch ahead and perhaps even out, a light at the end of the tunnel, as it were. She daren’t win, but she didn’t want to lose badly either – but, as she slowed for half a second to consider this, who came out towards her from the opposite path but him? “Would you look at that,” Mattie remarked, with a pleasant smirk in greeting. They had been well-matched in this challenge – unless he darted ahead now, at the final stretch. She raised an eyebrow, wondering amusedly which streak was stronger in him – the chivalrous or the competitive?
She would allow it to perhaps skip a beat at the sight of her, if his heart liked – but other than that, she hoped he would take none of this to heart. The last thing she needed was for her father to see her getting along with a bachelor too well – for one, that would stop any fun she dreamt of in its tracks, and for two, Mattie did not want anyone to get ideas about marrying her. (That would be the surest way to stop any of her desired fun in its tracks.)
For now, she could keep her independence – they parted ways into the maze. It was darkened, the lights tossed askew by the flashes of mirrors at ever corner, and although Mattie was striding briskly, getting her heart rate up at every remembrance this was a race, she was conscious also of looking serene as she walked, in case there were any eyes upon the ghost-semblance of her out in the ballroom proper.
It was hard to have any sense of how much time had passed in here, or how many distorted versions of herself she had passed, how many left and right turns she had made, but then she came out onto a path that seemed to stretch ahead and perhaps even out, a light at the end of the tunnel, as it were. She daren’t win, but she didn’t want to lose badly either – but, as she slowed for half a second to consider this, who came out towards her from the opposite path but him? “Would you look at that,” Mattie remarked, with a pleasant smirk in greeting. They had been well-matched in this challenge – unless he darted ahead now, at the final stretch. She raised an eyebrow, wondering amusedly which streak was stronger in him – the chivalrous or the competitive?
