SHE DANCED ALONE IN THE EMPTY BALLROOM AFTER MIDNIGHT-UNAWARE THE DUKE WAS WATCHING

go quiet, and had once in London watched a duchess walk across a courtyard and seen three grown men forget what they were saying. This woman was not lines.

This woman was thin and tired, and her dress was two seasons old. She had a mark on her cheek where she must have rested against something rough, and her hair was coming down. But she was dancing.continue reading …