The sound of applause filled the room and jarred James' mind from his conversation and dance with Florrie. His head turned to Lily, and he noticed that the applause was for the pair's dance ending. "See, everyone else is glad that it's over with," he joked bitterly. "Thank you for the dance, Florrie. Get a head start to the catering table, Lils and I will meet you there momentarily," he offered in hopes that the girl would find another to dance with or simply take off running to busy herself with hors d'oeuvre.
He took a few long strides to reach the pair once the applause died down and the music resumed. A hand found Lily's and he gave it a gentle tug to pull her away from the man and into his stance. "Brilliantly done," James commented in Lucius' direction. "The dance lessons worked out well for you, Lucius," he added lightly with a wink. "Enjoy the rest of the party," he dismissed them and led Lily away.
"You alright?" he asked evenly once they put distance between them and Lucius.