"I-I can't believe Lady D'Arclight actually laughed..."
"That smile... did you see her smile!?"
"They weren't kidding, Lillian and her really do look like twins."
"Crap... I just lost a bet."
The whispers followed them off the dance floor.
Evelina's hand remained in Cael's, her fingers cool and steady despite the heat radiating from her cheeks. She didn't look back at the crowd, though she must have felt their stares like needles against her skin.
"You're blushing," Cael murmured.
"I'm warm."
"You're blushing."
She shot him a look that should have curdled milk, but the effect was somewhat undermined by the lingering flush across her cheekbones.
"Keep talking, and I'll make you dance with a dog."
"You wouldn't."
"Try me."
They wove through the clusters of guests who parted before them with the same instinctive wariness that prey animals showed predators. Nobles who had been whispering fell silent as they passed, then resumed their conversations at a lower volume.
