Evie wanted to enjoy her night, but she found that she was all too frightened of her aunt to do so. She was frozen on the outskirts of the room, a hundred different warnings in her mind.
Her aunt was not a fool. She would not be tricked by a gown and a mask, surely? Her hair was a deep red, an uncommon color for ladies, and was easily recognizable. Her birthmark was, at least, covered by both her hair and her mask, but that only slightly alleviated her concerns. If her aunt saw her, and found out that she had directly disobeyed orders, she dreaded to think about what would become of her.
“Go!” Francesca hissed from behind her. “Otherwise, you shall be seen in the hallway to the servants’ quarters, and then she really will know that it is you.”
Evie knew that she was right, and that she had to go quickly, but her feet refused to move. She was planted firmly there, and no amount of willing was changing it.
“For goodness’ sake!” Francesca laughed, running up to her and giving her a shove. “Off you go. Have a great night!”
And then she and Rose were gone, and Evie was alone. It was a strange feeling to be so lonely when there were so many people in the room with her, but it did not change the fact that they were all strangers to her. It did not matter that she knew how to speak to people and enchant them and all of the things that a lady should know how to do. If they knew who she was, what she was, then it would all be over for her.
“Good evening,” a gentleman said. “I do not believe that we have met.”
“It is entirely possible,” she stammered. “My name is…Lady Evelyn, yes.”
“You forget yourself,” he joked. “I shall play along. I am Lord Buckingham.”
“A pleasure.” She nodded with a curtsey.
“Might we dance?” he asked. “I was hoping to avoid that dreaded Lady Imogen.”
Evie shuddered for a moment; after all, she was once known as Lady Imogen. It felt wrong to hear someone speak so brazenly against her cousin, but after a moment, she realized that she did not care. Imogen had never been kind toward her, and for once, it felt as though she was the perfect one, even if there was no possibility that Lord Buckingham knew that.
“It would be an honor.” She nodded, and the two took to the floor.
Evie remembered how to dance, and she did it well. The gentleman even complimented her on it. Unfortunately, Imogen had been telling her for days about how beautiful her golden gown would be, and so Evie could see her from the dance floor. Even with the mask, Evie could tell that her cousin was scowling, likely because someone was dancing with a gentleman that she liked.
It couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that she had recognized her, could it?
“So, Lady Evelyn,” Lord Buckingham asked, “might I assume that you are unmarried?”
“You might, but I shall not reveal whether or not such an assumption is correct.”
“You are certainly brave if you are dancing with me whilst you have a husband, that much is certain.”
“To be sure. Do you have a wife?”
“No, although I am not against finding one. Lady Imogen, however, shall not be my wife under any circumstances.”
“You certainly seem to loathe her.”
“It is not so much her, although she has a very sour countenance. It is her mother. She seems to know when there is an eligible bachelor within a five-mile radius and then she bounds toward him.”
“That is certainly my aunt.”
“Excuse me?”
Evie’s blood ran cold. If this was her attempt at hiding her identity, then she had already ruined it for herself.
“I mean—What I was trying to say is that she is an awful lot like my aunt. She was much the same with my cousin, always trying to find a suitor for her whether my cousin liked it or not.”
“And how did that work for your cousin?”
“She is now a spinster living by the sea. She says she would not change her life for the world and is glad to have escaped London.”
“And would you ever wish to join her? Live by the sea?”
“I would not be opposed to it, but I do so adore London. There are always people to speak with and things to see. It is a gift to be here.”
“Is that so?” he asked. “I never much cared for it, all of the gossip and balls and events that I would rather miss.”
“Then perhaps you should marry and take your wife to the sea.” She laughed, and as the music came to an end, he bowed and grinned at her, flashing away his mask.
“Should you ever recognize me,” he told her, “tell me.”
It was flirting and nothing more, and she knew that, but even so, her heart raced. He was a gentleman, a real gentleman, and it had been thrilling to speak with him and dance just as she had done as a debutante. She so missed her life before her father died, and she had not truly realized that until she had had a taste of it once more.
Such pleasantries did not last, however. Amongst all the smiling faces, there was one that thundered.
“Excuse me,” Imogen said coldly, approaching her at the refreshments table. “Do you know who I am?”
“That defeats the purpose of a masquerade ball, Miss,” Evie replied, trying to change her voice.
“I am Lady Imogen,” she huffed, “and this ball is being held in my honor. You were dancing with a gentleman who has promised to court me.”
“That sounds like a conversation more suited for you and the gentleman, rather than with me. I have nothing to do with this.”
“Do not lie. I saw you looking over at me. He was telling you all about me, wasn’t he?”
He had been, of course, but that would not have made things any better.
“How long have you been courting for, again?” she asked instead.
“For long enough to know that he would have no interest in you.”
“You do not even know who I am.”
“That does not signify. I know how the baron feels toward me, as he has already told me as such.”
“And how do you even know that he is your baron? We are wearing masks, Lady Imogen. He could have been anyone; he could have been married. Perhaps you should wait and see if he comes to call on you tomorrow, and leave me alone.”
In truth, she was dumbfounded. She knew that her cousin was growing desperate to marry, but to accost ladies that she did not know was something she did not think even Imogen was capable of.
“I shall have you escorted out!” Imogen snapped.
“I shall leave you be,” she said with a sigh. “Truly, all that I did was dance with a gentleman. I do not want him. He is all yours, truly.”
“What is it? Are you frightened of me?”
Imogen was almost entertaining when she was taunting someone, as she was so small and slight that anyone around her knew that she herself posed no threat to anyone at all. It was her parents that had all the power, but it was her parents that Evie had to avoid at all costs. She had to placate, whether she wanted to or not.
“I am not frightened of you, Lady Imogen. I only want you to be happy, especially when it is, as you said, a night being held in your honor.”
“Yes, well…You had better act accordingly, then.”
“I aim to. Perhaps you and I could find your suitor?”
“No, it is quite all right. If he has any interest in another lady, then he is simply not the gentleman for me. If anything, I suppose that I should thank you.”
Evie paused. It was the first time that her cousin had thanked her for something, and even then, she did not know that she was thanking the maid. It would likely be the only time that any gratitude would come her way from Imogen, and she would never be able to tell anyone.
“Us ladies should stick together,” Evie replied with a smile, though she wouldn’t have been able to see it, and then Imogen walked away.
It was close, too close for comfort, and she knew that she had to avoid other such encounters as that if she knew what was best for her.
However, it was hot in the room, and from all the dancing and the argument Evie had to admit that she was stiflingly and uncomfortably hot, and she needed air, which was no small feat when one’s face had to remain covered.
Then again, she knew her garden very well. She quite easily found a secluded place to at last take off her mask and breathe for a moment.
But a moment was all he needed.
“You!” he called out, running toward her.
It was dark, but Evie knew that her skin was pale, and so he could recognize her if he saw her. She pulled her mask back to her face, but she was too late. She knew that she had been reckless throughout the evening, and now she had been seen completely and fully and her aunt and uncle would find out and—
“What are you doing here?” a gentleman asked.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she recognized the same piercing blue eyes from the day before. He had taken off his mask and was smirking at her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I was invited. It is as you suggested. I am indeed in a position of privilege and am therefore invited to events such as these. You, on the other hand, are a maid. You should not be here, dressed like that and acting as though you are a guest.”
“Does that mean I have your approval?”
“It means you have some nerve, I shall tell you that much.”
“Are you going to tell the hosts?”
“Certainly not. There would be no fun in that, and I am not the sort of man to cause trouble. That is for my brother to do.”
“You have a troublesome brother?”
“He means well, but after my father passed, he seemed to spend more and more time with these people. He calls them friends, but I do not see why he would consider them as such. They are not good people, and they are not a good influence.”
“Can you not do anything about it?”
“He is a grown man. He can make his own decisions, for better or for worse.”
“And I assume that this is for worse, yes?”
“It is not a good thing, that much is clear.”
“Can you do anything about it at all?”
“No. Unfortunately, there are some things that even dukes cannot do.”
“So you are a duke?” she asked.
It was his turn to be at a loss for words.
“Perhaps it is mainly a way to hide my true identity?”
“Very well, I shall not pry.”
After all, he had kept her secret. It was only fair that she pretended that he had not revealed hers at all.
“Brother!” A voice came, and both of them turned to see the source of the voice.
“I have seemingly caused quite a stir for Lady Imogen.” He grinned, and the mysterious stranger bristled.
“Not now, Dylan.”
“But Leo, you know how much you hate her.”
“Dylan,” he hissed.
Evie looked between the two of them, and realized that she recognized both of them. The man seemingly named Leo was the man from the garden, and the other…
“Lord Buckingham,” she mumbled to herself in thought. “Is that not your name? I thought I had danced with that gentleman, but I suppose I was mistaken. It is a shame, too, because I truly did like him.”
“Oh! Lady Evelyn. I did not expect to see you out here.”
“Lady Evelyn.” Leo nodded with a smirk. “It appears that we are all guilty, unless, by magic, you have become a lady.”
“Become?” Dylan asked. “You mean to tell me that you are unmarried?”
“I may or may not be.” She nodded. “Now, tell me more about how you used me to irritate Lady Imogen.”
“That shall not be necessary,” he said quickly. “I shall speak with you later, Leo!”
He was gone instantly, and the stranger laughed quietly before sighing.
“Well, I suppose that is the end of my mysterious persona,” he smirked. “Might we put an end to yours?”
“We cannot.” She sighed. “It is not that I do not want to, but I—”
“You do not trust me.” He nodded. “That is perfectly understandable. You do not know me, after all. I wouldn’t expect you to divulge such information as that, especially to a stranger. If anything, it makes me respect you even more, as you are clearly intelligent enough to know not to do it. My brother, on the other hand…”
“Will likely find his way, eventually. I assure you.”
“I would so like to feel assured about that, but Dylan is a host unto himself. If he has decided that this group of his is a good idea, he will stay with them until the bitter end.”
“He sounds rather loyal, then.”
“I like to think that part of him remains, yes.”
The two of them remained silent for a moment, unbothered by the comings and goings of the ton. Even though Evie had missed it all so much, there was a part of her that was grateful for the peace, especially when she was enjoying the company that she was in.
She was simply surprised that she enjoyed it so much.
“Might I continue to call you Evelyn?” he asked. “It is not particularly proper, I know, but as I do not have any other name to go by, it seems the best.”
Evie would never see him again. She knew that if he were truly a duke, their paths would never again cross, and she would never have to hear him say her name, real or invented, but she did not want to upset him. She wanted to say that it was simply because of her nature, but it was more than that.
She liked him.
“I suppose so,” she agreed. “Evelyn is a fine name. I am quite glad to have chosen it.”
“Very well.” He smiled, bowing to walk away. “Until we meet again, Evelyn.”
“My lord!” Came a shrill voice, and Evie’s heart sank.
Her aunt seemed to think he was a lord of some sort, and she was coming straight toward them.