For a little bit Baylor was caught up in his own thoughts. Was it the port he had been drinking, or was there a simmer of some feelings for Lady Adeline Delaney, the seasons diamond. He would have hated if she had in fact walked away from him and ended their dance, and for more reasons than that she was a respectable lady. Could he? Could he allow himself to feel anything at all for any lady, let alone this year’s diamond? Many gentleman had shown interest in her, he knew he was far from the only gentleman. As she met his gaze, he could not help but feel a beat of the heart. He however, needed not to look at these matters too emotionally, he could not allow himself to get taken over by an hasty emotional approach to this.
As she apologised, he gave her a faint smile. “No harm done, Lady Adeline.”, at that moment there was a complex spinning move in their dance that required some of his attention to be diverted. He was happy with this, as it allowed him to think his answer through briefly. Soon after however, he needed to continue speaking: "It’s a testament to your romantic nature and a reflection of the changing times. You deserve nothing less than true love, my lady." he once again felt a flutter in his stomach as those words left his mouth, could she ever actually become his lady? He softly shook his head and recollected himself, he could not think in such ways, and continued on: "May your journey during this season lead you to the love you seek. I am under the impression the gentleman who captures your affection should deem himself most fortunate, for you exhibit all the attributes of a remarkable lady." Even if he meant those words, he was careful not to expressing them in an emotional manner, he more so spoke them as a factual conclusion.
"I am afraid I do have a full night of dances." he said, Baylor had wished to dance with as many ladies as he could this season, for he was really committed to fulfilling his duty as Earl to get married this season. One way or another, he needed to secure himself a marriage this reason. This explained part of Baylor’s hesitation when it comes to finding love for himself. A love match contained complications of the heart, where a match based on practical, logical and social connection reasons was often without such matters. A lady such as Adeline was dangerous for Baylor, for she possessed the power to make him fall in love with her. Love and affection leads to illogical decisions, something out of Baylor’s comfort zone. "They are all shared with respectable women who are most suitable for matrimony. However, when considering matters of the heart, I do not find myself drawn to any lady in a romantic manner, but rather in a friendly one.“, he took a breath, and there it was, his emotions leading him to speak: "Except for you, that is.”
As if saved by the bell, the dance was coming to an end right as he said that. That would distract somewhat from the words he had spoken. He gave her a nod and spoke again: “Thank you for the delightful dance, Lady Adeline. I am truly honored to have had this opportunity. May I look forward to our next encounter, maybe as soon as tomorrow?” He was not quite certain if he was ready to expose himself to the danger Adeline could be to him, but he knew everyone, Dorothea, Maisie, Augustus, would all have a go at him for not exploring the path of his feelings. Especially if Adeline would be to share with any of them what he said said about her being the only lady he found himself romantically attracted to at this point. He did not want that to happen, so he felt forced to call on her the next day, even if he still not believed it was the most logical decision to call on the diamond, he could not deny he was intrigued by her and had the strong desire to get to know her better.
@sunflowerjm - Adeline