The silence that followed Carcel's declaration was not empty. It was heavy. It rippled out from them like a stone dropped into a still, dark lake.
Priscilla's eyes widened. Her perfect composure cracked.
"Pardon?" she whispered.
It was a word of pure disbelief. Her hand, which she had held out for the dance, dropped to her side. It hung there, useless and rejected. She looked from Carcel's stone-cold face to Ines, her blue eyes wide with shock and a deep, burning humiliation.
Ines couldn't breathe. The air in the ballroom felt thin. She stared at Carcel's profile. He wasn't looking at Priscilla anymore. He wasn't looking at the crowd. He was looking only at her.
What is he doing? She thought to herself.
"Carcel?" she whispered, her voice trembling so much she barely recognized it. "What are you..."
"Dance with me, Ines," he whispered to her.
