Chapter 56: A Woman from the Past
She jerked her chin toward the mask still clutched in Robert’s hand, and at last, he relented, releasing her wrist.
"Oh... right," he murmured, his voice oddly quiet as he handed it back to her. "I saw you drop it on your way here, so I followed you to return it."
Anna took the mask from him with a polite nod. "Well, thank you for that."
Robert said nothing, but his dark eyes remained locked onto her, scanning her features as if searching for something—something familiar.
The weight of his scrutiny made her skin prickle with unease. Without another word, she swiftly lifted the mask to her face, shielding herself from his piercing gaze before turning away, eager to put distance between them.
But Robert wasn’t finished.
"Excuse me," he called out, catching her wrist once more. His grip was firm, yet there was no aggression this time—only insistence. "Would you care for a dance?"
Anna’s eyebrows shot up, barely concealing her disbelief. "Why would I dance with such a rude man?" she scoffed. "With the way you keep grabbing me, you don’t seem like a particularly desirable dance partner."
Robert exhaled sharply, then softened his tone, the hint of a plea threading through his words. "I apologize. I was out of line. But it would be an honor to dance with you. This is a ballroom dance event, after all. We’re here to dance... aren’t we?"
Anna hesitated, her eyes subtly scanning the room, searching for any sign of William.
Rejecting Robert would seem odd—after all, it was just a dance. Yet, an uneasy feeling settled in her chest as she wondered whether William would be upset, knowing she had done something they hadn’t discussed beforehand.