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eyes daring her to deny it. “Not only did I escape the dragon, I gained a wonderful dance partner. I only regret that you were a little singed in the exchange.”
    She pressed her lips together against the giddy laughter that threatened to escape.
Dragon?
Oh heavens, she couldn’t wait to share that with May and Charity. “No harm done,” she assured him.
    They swept along among the other couples for a few measures, moving quite well with each other. Perhaps she really could do this. Perhaps she could actually be anormal human being around him, and show him that she could be fun and exciting and graceful and—
    Sophie’s body suddenly jerked as her foot caught in the fabric of her skirts. She gave a little squeak of alarm, knowing in a flash what was about to happen. One second she was floating in Evan’s arms, and the next she was stumbling backward like an overloaded packhorse on ice, tangling with the man of her dreams as he vainly tried to stop the inevitable.
    It was too late. Arms flailing, Sophie tumbled to the floor, hitting the unforgiving wood surface square on her bottom. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, eliciting a squawk not unlike that of a dying goose. Her legs flew up in the air as she fell backward, and before she knew it, she was looking up at the gigantic chandelier above her, tears of pain and mortification blurring the candlelight into one big fiery ball.
    The music abruptly ceased, and the soft swoosh of several hundred heads turning to gawk was immediately followed by the low roar of excited whispers, snaking out in all directions at the speed of wildfire.
    Dear Lord, this can’t be happening!
But the throbbing of both her backside and her right ankle told her all too clearly that the embarrassment was real. She could have died, right there on the scuffed floor of the Assembly Rooms Ballroom.
    The blurry form of Lord Evansleigh appeared in her teary gaze as he dropped to his knee beside her and grasped her hand. “Miss Wembley, are you injured?”
    Her nightmare was complete. She shook her head, unable to actually speak. If she so much as opened her mouth, she was sure she’d either embarrass herself further or burst into tears. Actually, one was not necessarily exclusive of the other.
    May emerged out of the crowd, her normally golden complexion pale with concern. “Oh, Sophie, you poor thing. Here, let us help you up.”
    Yes, good—a plan. May could help her up, walk her outside, and accompany her to the banks of the Thames, where Sophie could happily toss herself in. She nodded, her movements feeling jerky, and May grabbed one elbow while the earl supported the other. Together they lifted, and Sophie was halfway off the floor when she put weight on her own feet. Sharp, burning agony shot through her right ankle, and she cried out, eliciting gasps from those around them.
    Evan’s jaw clenched and he quickly lowered her back down. “What is it? Your leg? Ankle? Knee?”
    Oh good Lord, was he actually enumerating her body parts in public? Her face flamed even hotter, if it were possible. Unable to bring herself to answer the question, she settled for simply nodding.
    May shared a concerned glance with the earl. “We must get her away from here,” she said, her voice low but insistent. Sophie nodded again, this time more urgently. Yes, away from this disaster of an evening. The sooner, the better. She gritted her teeth against the pulsing pain that radiated from her ankle. All she really wanted was to be hied away to somewhere private where she could have a proper breakdown, but at this point she’d settle for just being off the dance floor.
    â€œAgreed,” Evan said curtly. Without so much as a word of warning, he hooked an arm beneath her skirts at her knees, and used his other to support her back. With one smooth motion, he lifted her from the floor and straightened to his full height. “Beg pardon,