1798

As I make my way down the long corridor back towards the party, I'm all wrapped up in my own head, so much so, that I don't watch where I'm going and end up bumping right into Mr. Cissell as he steps out of the cellar. He quickly shuts the door behind him, breaking out into a shrewd grin while I mutter my apologies and attempt to brush past him.

But he doesn't allow it. With only a few long strides he catches up to me. "Miss Blackwell, what a wonderful surprise!" He greets me as if we're old acquaintances, and I'm uncomfortable with how familiar he's being.

"Mr. Cissell." I acknowledge him with a polite smile and a terse nod, but keep walking. Something about the man rubs me the wrong way.

He stops, waits a second or two, and then calls out after me, "Seems like that fresh air did you some good."

My pace stalls and I slowly turn around, curious as to what he's suggesting. "Were you spying on me, sir?"

His eyes glisten, and he smirks back at me. "Spying? No. But perhaps Mr. Harrington wasn't the only gentleman coming to your aid; maybe he just got there a little faster."

The door to the cellar opens behind us and we both turn around. Out steps a disheveled looking Nora Potter, her lips swollen, and her pale skin covered in splotchy red patches. She's fluffing up her dark brown curls, but freezes when she spots the two of us. Her violet eyes bore down the hallway, and her red lips tense into a thin, tight line.

I twist my head back to Mr. Cissell, whose smile has now expanded into a full-on grin. He doesn't seem the least bit ashamed to have been caught, so I step closer to him, lowering my voice to a whisper. "It appears you managed to keep yourself occupied quite nicely."

He bows his head but lifts his gaze with a defiant glimmer. "Jealous?"

I almost laugh, but I'm afraid it might encourage him, so instead I shake my head, and walk away, leaving him there with Nora. Whatever game Martin Cissell is trying to play, I have no time for it.

When I make it back to the safety of the ballroom, I spot Charlotte in the corner standing with Tobias. As I draw closer, I see that Tobias is scowling and it suddenly dawns on me that maybe I shouldn't disturb them.

I start to slink away, but Charlotte happens to glance up from their conversation and sees me. An enthusiastic smile springs to her face, and a confused Tobias follows her eyes over to me. His expression changes, and the same artificial smile Charlotte wears appears on his face.

They wave me over.

"Ellie! Where did you run off to?" Charlotte asks as I cautiously approach.

"Sorry. You two looked as if you were deep in conversation, and I didn't want to intrude."

Tobias shakes his head and Charlotte lets out a breezy laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous! You're never intruding." She hooks her arm through mine and pulls me closer. "Now, tell me, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing noteworthy," I lie, knowing this is neither the time nor place to mention the highlight of my evening. "How about you?"

"You name it!" She giggles. "I think I've spoken to everyone here, and my feet are killing me from dancing." She sighs, sounding spent, but happy as her eyes wander over my shoulder. Suddenly she perks up, nervously smoothing down her skirts and fixing her hair. "Well now, what do we have here?"

Foolishly, I turn around, pinching my eyebrows together with displeasure as soon as I see Martin Cissell approaching us. I release a silent groan and turn my back on him, but he walks right past me, acting as if we've never met, and heads straight for Charlotte.

He drops into a stately bow. "Miss Aberson." Taking her by the hand, he kisses it, and Charlotte practically melts right there. "Would you do the honor of sharing a dance with me?"

She answers him in a breathy voice. "Why, I'd almost forgotten all about you, Mr. Cissell."

"I was saving the best for last, Miss Aberson." Martin drips with charisma, and judging by Charlotte's ever-brightening face, it seems to be working.

Tobias clears his throat, reminding Charlotte of her manners and she draws her hand to her chest as if she's suddenly been brought back to reality.

"Oh! How rude of me! Mr. Cissell, have you been introduced to Mr. Myers and Miss Blackwell yet?" She extends her hand, motioning to both Tobias and me.

Martin barely acknowledges me, but nods in Tobias' direction. "Yes. Mr. Myers and I have met. Good to see you again." He takes Tobias' hand and gives it a hearty shake. Then his eyes swing back to Charlotte, and he gestures towards the dance floor. "Now, Miss Aberson, if you'll give me the pleasure."

As if completely besotted, Charlotte breaks out into a demure smile and takes his hand, following behind him.

"What was that?" I sputter as Tobias and I watch the two of them start to dance.

"Trouble," he answers, and I can't help but smile.

I guess it's true what they say: the less you talk, the more you see, and Tobias has never been one to say much.

"You're probably right," I agree. "But the question is: what to do about it?"

He shakes his head and chuckles. "Aw, Ellie. It isn't your job to take care of everybody. In fact, haven't you spent too much time doing that already?"

His remarks remind me of how public my family's problems have now become, and it's not something I want to dwell on, so I steer the conversation back to Martin.

"Yes. Well, what do you know about this Mr. Cissell character anyway?"

Tobias' father's store, much like church, always seems to be a hot bed for gossip in town. If there is something to be known about Martin Cissell, Tobias will have heard it.

He looks around, and then motions me closer. "They say he's come up from New York. And he's got money—a lot of it. In fact, he's already purchased a hundred acres near Potter's place."

"On the other side of the falls?" I picture the beautiful stretch of land filled with dark, thick forest. I'd only been over there once as a child, but I remember the woods being so dense that I found myself lost for a bit, until my Ma came for me.

Tobias doesn't answer my question, so I peek up at him. He's not paying attention; instead he's staring at something going on behind me.

I twist around, following his gaze over to where Daniel and his parents are huddled together on the other side of the room. Daniel's father, Thomas, looks furious. He grabs Daniel by the arm and they exchange heated words. His mother, Alma, reaches between the two of them and pries her husband's hands off of her beloved son as inconspicuously as possible. When she looks up and finds Tobias and me staring, she grabs Daniel by the sleeve, sending us a shrewd glare as she drags him out of the room.

Tobias pulls on my hand. "Come, Ellie. You still owe me a dance."

After dancing with both Daniel and Levi, Tobias comes as a bit of a challenge. He clunks his way through the steps and counts under his breath. I find myself taking the lead more than once, and it's not easy, but there's something endearing about watching him as he stares down at his feet and tries to concentrate on what he's doing.

Over his shoulder, I spot Levi leaning against the wall. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he's watching me with Tobias. He looks intrigued, and it's as if I'm suddenly aware of every inch of my body as his eyes burn into me. I break out into warm shivers and, not knowing what else to do, pull my eyes away.

The hem of my dress tugs as Tobias trips on it, and we both shuffle and stumble before clumsily getting back on count. He apologizes profusely, but I tell him not to worry about it as my eyes skirt back over to Levi. His amusement is evident, and my face singes with further embarrassment.

Charlotte and Martin twirl glamorous circles around us, and I sneak a peek over at them. My instincts are not to trust Martin, but the harmless way he's looking at Charlotte right now would even have me fooled. As they dance past us, his eyes roll over me and he winks, then, without missing a beat, he turns back to my best friend. I give my head a little shake, wondering if I just imagined the whole thing, but something inside me tells me that I didn't.

Tobias is still counting the steps, and I focus back on him. He really should be my priority right now since each move he makes seems to bring me a step closer to losing a toe. I suppress a small smile and he catches me, interrupting his own count and letting out a low chuckle.

"That horrible, eh?"

I shake my head. "Not at all. This is perfect."

And in some ways, it is. Because despite the occasional toe crush, I'm at ease here with Tobias, not flustered like I am with Levi, or irritated like I am with Martin. I remind myself to take a moment to just enjoy it because, honestly, who knows how long it'll last.