Tyb was already having trouble not grinning too fiercely at her, but with the way Elsie kept drowning her smiles in her champagne he was truly struggling to keep his amusement to himself. “You little rebel,” he teased under his breath, looking at her knowingly. In truth he was fairly pleased to hear that she was not due to be swept away in another minute or two for another quadrille, and that she wasn’t to be bullied into too many encounters with the next suitor-to-be lined up. Adlard was one thing, but he didn’t know how she would manage to duck out of the next proposal.
(Unless it happened to be his. Hopefully she wouldn’t want to duck out of that one, however many hundred years away it seemed from here.)
Enjoying yourself? Elsie asked; and Tyb tilted his head at her, looking deceptively casual. “Oh, I don’t know, it’s been a bit forgettable so far,” he mused (if anyone had heard him, they didn’t seem to leap to the evening’s defence!), “but there’s still time to make something of it, wouldn’t you say? You’ll have another?” He added swiftly as a waiter came along carrying drinks, plucking Elsie’s nearly-gone flute out of her hand and snatching two new flutes from the tray before she could answer. Which, besides quenching his thirst, gave Tybalt a quiet opportunity to let his hand linger a little on hers as he pressed the new glass into her grasp.
(Unless it happened to be his. Hopefully she wouldn’t want to duck out of that one, however many hundred years away it seemed from here.)
Enjoying yourself? Elsie asked; and Tyb tilted his head at her, looking deceptively casual. “Oh, I don’t know, it’s been a bit forgettable so far,” he mused (if anyone had heard him, they didn’t seem to leap to the evening’s defence!), “but there’s still time to make something of it, wouldn’t you say? You’ll have another?” He added swiftly as a waiter came along carrying drinks, plucking Elsie’s nearly-gone flute out of her hand and snatching two new flutes from the tray before she could answer. Which, besides quenching his thirst, gave Tybalt a quiet opportunity to let his hand linger a little on hers as he pressed the new glass into her grasp.
