"That is the woman they say comes from the border," Harper whispered to Selina. "She is of age to marry."
Selina tiptoed, trying to get a good look at the woman standing with the Collinses and Castros. She had not heard of the Collins family having a guest and disliked that it was a young woman also seeking a husband.
"You do not have to worry since you remain the woman closest to having a chance to marry Elijah," said Harper.
Selina smiled, looking away from the stranger. "I am not worried. Elijah Collins is a man who knows he must pick a good wife. One who will make a good duchess in the future."
Harper didn’t believe that Selina wasn’t worried. She noticed how Selina would pick at her nails each time a young woman of marriageable age to marry was around Elijah.
Instead of worrying about Selina, Harper turned her attention back to the crowd. Her eyes widened when she saw who was approaching them.
"Elijah is coming," Harper said, tapping Selina’s hand.
Selina pretended not to notice Elijah was coming toward her, but when he stood before her, she smiled. Selina greeted Elijah with a curtsy.
From the corner of her eye, Selina saw her mother looking proud that she was once again approached by Elijah. It was something to share with her father so he could boast about her suitors.
"It is good to see you in attendance today," Selina greeted Elijah. "I was hoping I would be so lucky to cross paths with you and with your family to wish Penelope well on her marriage. I did not know when would be a good time to approach her."
Elijah glanced in the direction of his family. He was lucky they had not noticed who he stood with. "Once they are finished speaking to the king and queen, you may approach my sister and the prince."
"As long as you are going to approach her with kind words and be genuine, there isn’t any reason why you cannot go to her," said Elijah.
"I adore Penelope. There is so much chatter tonight, so I didn’t want her to think I was going to approach her and speak of what was said. My heart aches for her. This is meant to be a good time for her," said Selina.
Harper was surprised by the things Selina said now, since her only interest was speaking to the duchess. Harper had not heard one word of Selina wanting to approach Penelope.
’She is good,’ Harper thought. ’I should do the same.’
"Penelope is enjoying her marriage. It is the townspeople trying to convince her that she is not happy-"
"Oh my!" Harper gasped, stunned by the sight of Rue grabbing a man.
Elijah turned around to see what had caused the commotion. He found Rue seemingly scolding someone. Knowing Rue, the man must have invaded her space and did not listen to her warnings.
Luckily, Edgar was close by to get rid of the poor fool.
"That is why the men are now hesitant to dance with her. They are relieved to know she has come from the border, so their time isn’t wasted. She won’t find anyone to dance with," Harper said, shaking her head at the strange behaviour. "Her behaviour is concerning."
Harper looked away from Rue and regretted her choice of words when she noticed Elijah was staring at her.
"I mean," Harper said, trying to think of a way to save herself. "I am not the one who brought up that she is from the border. Everyone knows of it since she visits the palace with her father, Rafael Callahan. I didn’t mean any harm by my words."
Elijah smiled. "Excuse me. I forgot there is something I must do."
Selina’s eyes widened, surprised by Elijah leaving before he asked her for a dance. She had not said anything like Harper did, so why did he leave her?
"You fool!" Selina snapped, annoyed that Harper stood beside her. "You should have moved when he came to my side. Now he is gone."
"What did I do wrong?" Harper asked.
"She is a Callahan; therefore, she is close to the Collins family. I must fix this," Selina said, not wanting to be attached to Harper.
Away from where Selina stood, Elijah returned to the group and offered his hand to Rue.
"Would you be so kind as to be my first dance?" Elijah asked, deciding to make her first dance special.
Rue stared at Elijah’s hand at first. "I am not a very good dancer. I will step into your shoes."
"Look," Elijah said, hitting his shoe against the floor. "They are pretty sturdy. If they cannot protect my feet, then I must get a new shoemaker, right?"
Rue liked that someone was finally caring about how they could protect themselves.
Still, Rue was hesitant to dance with Elijah.
"Are there no ladies waiting to dance with you? They will all be better dancers than I could ever be," Rue said, noticing the disappointed stares.
"There are, but I would rather dance with you. I am seeking your protection from the ladies around me. Will you help me or must I run for cover?" Elijah asked, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist.
Rue placed her hand on Elijah’s and walked with him to where the other pairs stood. She hoped her father would not be watching to see how terrible she still was when it came to dancing.
’Oh,’ Rue thought, remembering her little friend. ’Where did he crawl to?’
"Do not fret. I will help guide you with the steps," Elijah promised.
"It is not the dance that I am worried about. It is my pet," Rue revealed, peering down at her dress.
Elijah closed his eyes for a moment as he thought of the creatures Rue was said to love. "What pet did you bring along to a ball?" He asked, opening his eyes.
"A spider," Rue replied, ending her search for a moment when the music started. "He is harmless. He would only hurt a fly. Sorry," she apologised for stepping on his shoe.
"It is fine. It did not hurt. Follow my count and you will be fine," Elijah said, waiting for the perfect time to start the countdown.
Rue wasn’t like the ladies present since she was raised in a different town, but they were judging her before they got to know her. Elijah knew Rue well enough to say his peers were missing out, but he was glad Rue’s time wouldn’t be wasted with the men here. She was too special for them.
"Oh!" Rue exclaimed, happy to see her spider.
Elijah prepared himself for the worst since Rue was looking directly at his chest.