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

a fox barked once. Her breath made no sound as she began to dance.

There was no music. There was only the sound of her own soft slippers on the wood, the whisper of her skirt, and the small in and out of her own breathing.

She lifted her arms as if a partner held her. She stepped to the left, stepped to the right, and turned. Her skirt lifted a little continue reading …