Masquerade Secrets(11)

His look of astonishment confused her. "You can't be serious. Surely you jest."

Could he honestly not know that she was a wallflower? She had always  just assumed that he asked her to dance after he had danced with Lady  Sera because he felt sorry for her. Could he have not realized her  situation because he had been so enraptured by Lady Sera?

Leaning forward slightly, Lady Victoria came into her view, clearly  listening to their conversation. "Come now, Wathersby. You can't be  ignorant that Lady Aubrey rarely dances or that she is seldom the sole  company of other men."

Heat stained Aubrey's cheeks again, but this time the color had nothing  to do with being flustered by compliments and everything to do with  shame. Lady Victoria's comment had come out in a sugary voice, the tone  sounding kind to anyone that overheard it, but her words were meant to  demean, to belittle Aubrey in front of the duke.

Bradford's face became shuttered, hard, as he looked at Lady Victoria.  If Aubrey had ever wondered about his feelings toward Lady Victoria, she  wouldn't now. His distaste for her was easily read. At least for her,  who had years of experience watching others. He was not pleased. In  fact, he looked furious.

"All I know is that I have found Lady Aubrey to be anything but boring  and am never disappointed in any circumstance where we have danced or  conversed. She is very accomplished in both aspects, and I'd conclude  that any man would be fortunate to have her as a partner."

The table quieted around them at the duke's defense of her. Several of  the mens' eyes wandered to her, discretely perusing her figure,  reevaluating her after hearing the duke's interest. And the light in  their eyes caused her to blush.

Aubrey hadn't had so much male attention in her life, excluding the  maquerade, and it was a little unnerving. These bachelors were looking  at her with admiration, with interest.

Seeing that their conversation was no longer private, and that the men's  attention had settled on Aubrey, Lady Victoria smiled coyly. No doubt  trying to gain back their attention. "Lady Aubrey is indeed an excellent  companion. I never meant to imply otherwise."

The duke's hand clenched at his side, only visible to her eyes. He was  upset, furious with Lady Victoria. If she didn't do something, he might  say something he would regret.

Reaching forward with her right hand, she took a drink to distract  others from seeing the other hand she placed on his arm. He stilled, but  gave no indication she was resting her hand on his forearm. Placing his  hand on top of hers, he gave a light squeeze as if in appreciation for  stopping him from making a mistake before she slid her hand out from  under his.

Under the tablecloth, she briskly rubbed the tingles out of her palm.  She had meant to reach out to stop him, but instead she had been more  affected than she ever thought possible. She had touched him countless  times before and had never had this reaction. Why now? Had his interest  in her as the masquerade woman, his kiss, unlocked something inside her  that had lain dormant?

The rest of the meal was rather uneventful compared to the first half.  Conversation mainly stayed to what activities they would be indulging in  while in the country, at least until the women left to allow the men to  enjoy their brandy and cigars.

Hot tea was waiting on the sideboard in the sitting room as the women  filed in. Usually a rather feminine room, the Viscount's sitting room  was neither masculine nor feminine, allowing both genders to feel  comfortable in the spacious room. The furniture was neither dainty nor  overwhelming, as men's furniture tended to be, but was a mixture of  larger frames with fabric of soft cream. Whoever had decorated this room  was a genius, managing to make it comfortable for both genders.

"I don't know what you thought you were doing earlier, but the duke is mine. Consider this a warning."

The words were said to her back, but Aubrey wasn't ignorant of who said  them. Turning slowly, she found Lady Victoria watching her, her gaze  piercing into hers. The other women were already sitting with their tea  across the room, oblivious to their conversation.

Aubrey normally strayed away from confrontation, but in this instance,  she couldn't. "I'm sorry, I hadn't heard a betrothal announcement. In my  mind, and every other debutant's here, he is still single."         

     



 

Lady Victoria's eyebrows slashed down, the icy glare evident in her  features. "You fool," she hissed. "If you continue conversing with the  duke, I guarantee you will regret it." A cruel laugh escaped her lips.  "Others would only feel sorry for you, and the other men, whom you might  still have a chance of making a match with, would only see you as  rejected by a powerful man. No man wants a woman who was rejected by  another. She is tainted, you see." She examined her nails before looking  back at her. "Your chances would be completely ruined."

"I see. And no doubt further damaged by any rumors that would happen to  circulate about me being compromised." Her eyebrows rose with mock  realization. "Oh, didn't that just happen to someone recently? That's  right, Lady Sera."

Hands fisting at her side, Lady Victoria's relaxed appearance completely  vanished. "Look here, Lady Aubrey. I will ruin you. Count on that.  Regardless of whether you stay away from Wathersby or not, I will make  sure your life is a living hell and that you are a pariah, completely  shunned by all good society."

A calmness Aubrey had never felt washed over her. Tilting her head to  the side, she looked at Lady Victoria with fresh eyes. "You know, I kind  of feel sorry for you. You are so consumed with catching the duke that  you have no clue how others despise you, no clue that you have no true  friends, and no idea that men, especially Wathersby, know what kind of  viper you are."

Lady Victoria sputtered, clearly unused to others delivering such a set  down to her, but Lady Aubrey didn't care. Breezing past her, she joined  the other women in conversation, none of which had any clue about what  had just transpired at the sideboard.

Why Aubrey felt as if a challenge had been issued, she had no idea. But a  sense of freedom rose up inside her, a freedom that allowed her to  shuck off the stigma that had surrounded her since her first season when  she was a shy young girl. That girl was gone now but it had been easy  to continue to remain on the sidelines of the parties. No more.

Aubrey was ready to live, and no one, especially Lady Victoria, was going to stop her.

Keeping up with the women's conversation, she barely noticed when the  men filed into the room. Lady Victoria immediately pounced on the duke,  claiming his attention, keeping him trapped by his gentlemanly manners.

Aubrey couldn't help but watch him. She was drawn to him, but couldn't  explain it. He didn't search her out though. He seemed distracted,  seemed to be scanning the crowd for something. Or someone.

Was he still looking for her? For the masked woman? Even as she thought it, an awareness settled over her.

It doesn't matter who you are, he had said. He would find her. His final  gaze that night had promised that, and he hadn't forgotten.

Secretly, she admitted that she wouldn't forget either. Ever.

She was determined to change, to not be the shy wallflower that everyone knew her as, and tonight was as good as any.

Looking up from her seat, she focused her attention on Lord Acton,  smiling invitingly, her lashes lowered coyly as she had seen other women  do.

Surprisingly, it worked. Stopping in mid-conversation with another  gentleman, he made his way over to her. "You summoned me, my lady?" he  asked flirtatiously.

"Yes, Lord Acton, I seem to be devoid of conversation." She tossed him a flirtatious smile he seemed to lap up.

"Well then, I shall have to do my best to amuse you," he said as he took  the seat next to her, beginning to relate a tale that would have even  the most dour matron smiling.

While his attentions didn't have the flash of fire that Bradford's did,  they were still enjoyable. Why had she shied away from this for so long?

Over the next half hour, several more men had been drawn into their  conversation, clearly enchanted by her laughter and her new openness.  The interest she saw in their eyes flattered her, the attention they  lathered on her amused her.

For an instant she felt grateful for Lady Victoria's confrontation. It  was what she had needed to completely push her over the edge, to free  her from the bonds that had kept her from reaching out to others. While  she rusty, and no where near completely comfortable, it was a start.

Looking up at Lady Victoria, she was surprised to see her gone, and for  Bradford to be standing against the window staring at her, the heat in  his eyes evident.

Had he been watching her this whole time? She laughed on cue to one of  the men's jokes, but she hadn't heard it over the thrumming of her  heart. Did he recognize her as the masquerade woman now that she was  more outgoing?

He turned his eyes away first, and when they returned to her they were  devoid of the passion that had been in them earlier. She couldn't look  at him anymore.