Dancing with Duke Orla couldn't end fast enough. It looked like he wanted to keep talking to me but a familiar shadow towered over me and came to my rescue.
"Charles, I believe my fiancée needs to rest. I can take care of her from here," Al said firmly as he wrapped an arm around my waist and whisked me off the dance floor to a secluded corner with a glass of lemonade.
Normally, I would have teased him about saving me but I felt odd after my conversation with the duke. Al wasn't stupid. He just wasn't putting his capabilities to the test because he didn't care to.
People didn't give him nearly enough credit. If Al had been born in my world I could see him as one of those grad students who keep going back to school forever to avoid getting a real job. I knew a few of those in college. They were highly intelligent but had no sense of direction.
"Are you alright? I know you don't get along well with him."
