"Earl, are you saying..."
The ladies looked expectantly at Bella Belinder. At that moment, Shade was the only man around the sofa, so the Countess looked around. Shade then rose like a gentleman, turning his back to the Witches and shielding her with his body.
She closed her fan.
Though Shade had not asked, "her" voice promptly rang out gently, carrying a smile:
She bent down and used the ribs of her fan to lift the hem of her skirt, revealing red high heels and...
Shade had already heard the gasps behind him. People elsewhere in the salon looked over curiously, but due to their positions, they naturally could not see the shoes concealed by the sofa and tea table. The Countess then lowered the skirt hem she had lifted to her ankles.
She tugged at Shade's sleeve, signaling that he could sit back down. She opened her fan again to hide her smiling face, while the other ladies tugged at one another's sleeves and whispered among themselves. Some of them were even saying things excitedly, though it was unclear what exactly.
Black.
"I didn't ask."
But you really wanted to know, didn't you?
"She" had always understood the Outlander's thoughts so well.
"This fabric really does look quite nice. It fits closely."
Another lady whom Shade did not know spoke softly, studying the Countess's expression.
"I just wonder whether it feels as comfortable when worn as it looks. And although the material appears quite high-end, one cannot always judge its texture merely by looking."
"What do you think?"
The blonde Countess smiled and bumped Shade's arm. Shade answered instinctively:
"It feels quite nice. It has both the smoothness of touching silk or a girl's long hair, as well as a slight roughness brought by the fabric's fine texture."
He