"Excuse me, miss. Do you have a dance partner?" Claire approached with a polite smile.
The girl looked up and shook her head, her own smile soft and open. "Not yet."
Claire leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "Would you be interested in dancing with Gilbert Watson?"
The girl's posture straightened in surprise. Her eyes widened with excitement. "Gilbert Watson? You mean the Mr. Watson?"
Claire nodded and gestured toward the tall, striking man standing a short distance away. "Yes, that's him."
The girl's eyes lit up with admiration, her expression blooming with awe. Claire guessed she couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen, young, beautiful, and innocent. There was a gentle kindness in her face that made Claire pause. Maybe, just maybe, if Gilbert ever took a liking to someone like her, the boys could have a better stepmother than... Emma.
There could only be one Emma Miler in the world. And one was more than enough.
