Between her laugh and her unexpected offer to dance it made him smile and relax a little.  He extended his arm to her his eyes searching hers for a moment before echoing her thoughts in his next statement, "Maybe attending wasn't as bad as I feared it would be..." he said softly. He meant it down to the very core of his being.  He felt that this girl was special...whether anything would ever happen more than these brief conversations he was not sure but he knew she was something different.  Something to be treasured.  God help her if his father ever learned of her existence.  Just as he was about to start back toward the ballroom he heard the echo of guards coming down the hallway. "Shit!" He cursed under his breath and pulled her into the room next to them which was large and lined with tomes, obviously a library.  He quickly shut the door and pressed his ear to the thick wood.  He couldn't have the guards calling out who he was, not yet anyway, for some reason he could not quite explain he didn't want her to know just yet.