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There were plenty of perfectly acceptable reasons to explain why Theo Sharpe had never danced before. He was terribly clumsy, first and foremost. The idea of a dancing Theo was a danger to society. He was much better with his hands than he was on his feet. It would be best for him to stick with writing, printing, knitting, and other lovely hobbies that would have him nowhere near a ballroom. However, as he and his wife had proven to each other time and time again, marriage was something that required compromise. He would happily make a fool of himself for the night, knowing how important this was to Eloise.
See, Eloise hated dancing too. She had told him she was no more comfortable on the dance floor than he was. He believed that. His wife was beautiful, talented, intelligent... but she was an absolute disaster when it came to spacial awareness. Every time the topic of her brief stint as a debutante was brought up in the Bridgerton house, one of her brothers managed to fit in a remark about how their feet had never recovered from teaching her how to dance. He always laughed at that, knowing that part of her life was long behind her now, but now? Well, he had good cause to worry regarding what the state of his own feet would be at the night's end.
Eloise's debut was long behind her, what with marrying a printer and all that, but her youngest sister was only just beginning her traipse into the terrible world of courting. She was a good sister. Despite her hatred for dancing and all things related to polite society, she had agreed to an invitation to the first ball of the season. It was in the name of supportig Hyacinth, and she had said to Theo that it was the least she could do for her younger sister. She symapthized with the struggle in a way Theo couldn't, but he didn't need to understand to care about supporting his wife and his sister-in-law. He had agreed to attend as well.
Of course, Theo Sharpe had in no way been prepared for a ball. He did not know any of the unspoken rules that went with such things, or how to do those silly and pointless dances. Spins, gliding around a candlelit room, being flocked with suitors... That was a word he had never been allowed much of a glimpse into. He had been more than alright with that thus far. In that particular moment, though, he cursed himself for not showing more interest.
In a half-hearted attempt to survive the whole ordeal, he had sought out dancing lessons with Anthony. At least he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that nothing could top how awful that experience was. Not even the ball itself.
Then, of course, there had been clothing. Theo was a printer in Bloomsbury. He did not have the outfits necessitated by such an event. He had to be fitted for a suit. The Bridgertons paid for it, but it was still pure torture. So far, the experience had been a bother. It was a painful process of preperation for what he knew would be a miserable night. Eloise wasn't looking forward to the affair either. Every time he complained, she informed him of her own grudges with the process and reminded him that he was preaching to the choir.
"At least you do not know these people," she countered one night. "I am terrified at all the familiar faces that will no doubt be staring at me."
He sighed. "But, those who gawk at you will no doubt fixate the same judgemental gaze upon me. We are both doomed to a miserable night; let us face it bravely."
Eloise laughed bitterly at that. "Hyacinth will owe the two of us the world after this. Typically, a Bridgerton lady making her debut is the highlight of the season's beginning, but no doubt it will be us receiving all of the unwanted attention. Gossipmongers beware."
"Is she not looking forward to her debut?" Honestly, he still was not entirely sure what a debut was, and the term season always brought forward the image of hunting to his mind. From what Eloise had told him, perhaps he was not incorrect to make such a connection.
She snorted. "No, she is not. She is horrified. She looks forward to the process as a whole, but she is terrified of the first ball. She told me she'd rather have no one watch her and do perfectly than risk having everyone watch her fail."
"How would she fail?"
"Well, I insulted the Queen when I first met her. She took it as a compliment, somehow, but that easily could have ended in disaster. And, I've heard, a Featherington sister fainted while being presented to the Queen during Daphne's season."
"So, upset the queen, and you will be an object of ridicule?" he asked. He still found it absurd that Eloise knew the Queen of England, and even more so that the Queen of England knew her. It seemed silly that everyone's world revolved so entirely around the whims of one woman.
"That is essentially the way it works, yes."
"Well, I hope she never learns of my existence, then," he said. His tone was lighthearted, but he meant it.
Eloise laughed. "It is too late for that. You married a Bridgerton. She will not be in attendance, but I promise you, she will hear of your presence."
Well, that certainly did not make Theo feel better about the situation.
- – — • — – -
The night of the ball, he considered pretending he had taken ill. Or, in fact, actually forcing himself to become ill so there was no way he could attend. With his nerves, he was practically halfway there already.
Even Eloise needed a new dress. She had thrown a fit about it all, but eventually, Violet had convinced her it was unavoidable. He knew she despised being fitted for dresses, but he could not help but admire how gorgeous she looked. It was a lilac shade with gorgeous white ribbons. He had never seen her in such a color.
"You look stunning, my love," he whispered into her ear as they walked towards the carriage. They would be riding with Hyacinth and Violet, it was decided, being Hyacinth's special guests.
The Viscount had suggested it be him or his wife to guide Hyacinth through her first season, but Violet had refused the suggestion. Neither Anthony nor Kate had been through the process Hyacinth was about to stumble through, so it was only fitting that she was escorted through it by someone who had experience. Theo was not privy to most of their arguments, given he and Eloise resided in Bloomsbury, but what he had heard of the debates was awful. That family knew how to fight when they really wanted something, he had noticed over his years with them. Anthony especially was known to be as stubborn as a mule.
"You look lovely in that suit," she complimented him back, "but you look so unhappy."
He chuckled at that. "I am afraid I am quite nervous. My newfound dancing skills are lacking."
"I have been dancing for years and I am still terrible at it, so you are not alone."
"Given you are the one with whom I will be dancing, I am not sure that is as comforting as you intend it to be," he teased as he and Eloise slipped into the carriage. Violet and Hyacinth were already there, and he could see how poor Hyacinth was shaking.
"Ellie!" she said, attacking her older sister with a hug. "And Theo!" It was amusing how she tacked his name on as an afterthought. Even Hyacinth was much more in her element than he was, so he did not expect his presence to bring her much comfort.
Eloise pushed her away. "I do not understand why you attack me like a rabid dog."
Theo had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing. "Eloise!"
"What? It is true."
"Just because it is true, you do not have to say it." He was not mad at her, as evidenced by the silly grin on his face. Playful banter was the couple's expertise.
"I hope that I may find a man who I fit with as well as you fit with Theo," Hyacinth said. She looked like she was about to cry, tears barely held in by her lashes.
Eloise held her hand out for Hyacinth to place hers on top of. "You will be fine. Even if it is not today, you will find someone who brings you a good life." Theo knew she had not taken that optimistic perspective during her own season. It was interesting how she chose to comfort her little sister in that moment instead of scaring her with reality as was her signature tactic. He wished he could take a look into that brilliant mind of hers.
Hyacinth sniffled. "I do not wish to end up alone."
"You are a strong and lovely young woman. You do not need a man to bring purpose to your life. Marriage is nothing but an added bonus to the joy you can bring into your life by yourself."
Her words made Theo smile. "She is right about that."
"But I despise being alone," she insisted.
"Not having a husband does not mean you are alone," Eloise countered. "You have us, do you not?"
Even Hyacinth could not argue with that.
- – — • — – -
"Is it truly mandatory that we dance?" Theo complained. "Surely, there are enough people dancing already that no one will notice if we do not also partake."
Eloise shook her head. "No, there is always someone who will notice. That is the trouble with polite society. Two dances shall suffice, I think, and then we will mingle."
"Mingle?"
"Well, as much as I would love to spend the evening alone with you in the corner of the ballroom, we must participate in the customary foolishness for the evening. Attending a ball is more than just showing up in a pretty dress. I do not wish to bring Hyacinth a bad reputation."
Theo was not pleased with this arrangement, but it was too late to back out at that point. He might as well accept his fate. "Well, my lady, may I have this dance?" he asked, feigning a regal sort of politeness as he offered her his hand.
"I apologize, Mr Sharpe, but it appears my dance card is full," she jested. She took his hand and they headed to the ballroom floor. "I wonder if perhaps I should have also practiced. It has been years since I have participated in such an event."
"You will do just fine. Just remember you will be sleeping in your family home tonight if you break any of my toes with those shoe-shaped weapons on your feet." He spun her around and brought her close to his chest, which most certainly wasn't part of the traditional dance. She giggled as they swept around the floor with all the other couples.
"This is not as terrible as I remember," Eloise commented, slightly breathless.
When he was not dancing with his terrifying and brooding brother-in-law, he seemed to be much more suited for the activity. "Perhaps it is the company that makes the difference?"
"Or perhaps lack of practice has made me a better dancer." With perfect timing, she stepped on his foot.
He winced. "My lovely wife, such a graceful dancer," he teased.
She stomped on his foot again, this time totally intentionally.
Theo stumbled in surprise, laughing. He could feel eyes on them. He knew they'd been improper in some way, as they both had a knack for, but he didn't really give a damn. Dancing with Eloise, he could just pretend they weren't there.
They ended up dancing more than twice on that night, and certainly never fufilling the social obligations she had mentioned before. That was the night it really sunk in for him: as long as Eloise Sharpe was by his side, they could turn anything into a fun time.