“Do not worry,” the gentleman said quickly, stepping in front of her.
But Evie did worry, a terrible amount. For one, she was a good deal wider than most ladies, thanks to all of the work that she had to do, and for another, her aunt was not a fool. One knows when a person is behind another, after all.
And yet, both her aunt and her cousin seemed all too preoccupied by the gentleman to notice her. It was as though they were utterly enraptured by him. Then again, if the aim were to marry Imogen off, Evie was quite sure that a fire could break out in the household then and there, and neither of them would bat an eye until the supposed duke, or whichever role he told them he held, mentioned it.
“Mama, the marquess and I were discussing the next ball.” Imogen beamed. “He is to have my first dance. Isn’t that right, my lord?”
“I do not recall this conversation, Lady Imogen. My sincerest apologies, but perhaps you were speaking with another gentleman? It is a masked ball, after all. I would not be surprised if another man claimed to be me.”
“No, it was you,” she said, giggling uneasily. “I remember your mask perfectly.”
Evie could not see them speaking, as she was crouched foolishly behind the duke, but she could picture Imogen’s face: her pleading eyes, desperately chipper smile, and pink cheeks. It had always been impossible for her to disappoint her parents, but there were moments when she feared it might happen, and it always showed. Perhaps that was because she had seen how they treated girls that they no longer liked.
“What is that behind you, my lord?” Aunt Josephine asked, and Evie froze.
Do not look, she willed, do not, do not, do not.
“There is nothing behind me,” he said, almost with a mocking tone. “Truly, the two of you seemed to have enjoyed yourselves this evening.”
“I beg your pardon?” Aunt Josephine asked.
“I only mean to say that these evenings tend to play tricks upon us. You may be seeing and hearing things that simply are not there. It is something that I have caught myself doing as well. It is a sign of a splendid soiree, you know.”
That seemed to please her aunt, at least.
“Yes, well…” She nodded. “Perhaps we ought to take the time while we can and have the two of you dance?”
“That is a good idea, but…”
“But what, my lord?” Imogen asked.
“I-I have simply danced far too much this evening! Yes, I am awfully tired, and it is unwise of me to over-exert myself.”
“You seem perfectly fine to me.”
“Imogen!” Aunt Josephine snapped. “My lord, there are to be two more dances this evening. Might you take this next one to recover and then dance with my daughter? It would be most lovely and an honor.”
“Very well.” He nodded. “I shall see if I feel up to the task. Now, should there be another dance starting soon, perhaps the two of you should find another suitor?”
“But I do not want another suitor, Mama,” Imogen hissed as if nobody else could hear them. “I want this one.”
“Hush,” she said firmly. “You are correct, my lord. We shall see you later.”
Evie waited until long after she thought they were gone before she dared move. The marquess seemed to find this terribly entertaining because as she opened her eyes to look up at him, he was already looking down at her, grinning.
“Are you quite enjoying yourself down there?”
“You are not funny.”
“That is an incredibly strange way of thanking me for hiding you from your masters.”
“Thank you, I suppose.”
“Again, not the most gratitude that has ever been expressed toward me, but I shall accept it nonetheless.”
Evie nodded with an uneasy smile.
“She really is something, isn’t she?” he continued.
“Which one?”
“The younger one, Lady Imogen, although there is equally a lot to be said for that mother of hers. They reek of desperation, you know. I cannot stand it.”
“Is a gentleman not supposed to adore that sort of behavior?” Evie asked. “That is how all of that works, yes? The young lady falls at the feet of some marquess or other, and then the gentleman loves that she is so dutiful and desperate and marries her with haste.”
“Perhaps that is how you see my class, but it is not strictly the case. I, for one, cannot bear the thought of having a little wife who does exactly as I say, never doubting me and never suggesting that her own wants be fulfilled. I loathe it entirely.”
“Then you are one of very few, I suppose,” she muttered. “And it has nothing to do with how I see your class. It is simply how Lady Imogen speaks of it. She says that if she simpers then she shall be married within the year.”
“Perhaps she will, but not to me.”
“Then why did you ask her to dance?”
“I did nothing of the sort!”
“You must have. Why else would the two of them have come out here to find you?”
“Oh, Lady Evelyn, you truly do not know how this world works, do you?”
She hated how he was treating her, as if she was truly some peasant girl rather than a young lady that had been out in society before, but she could not tell him her true identity and so she had to let him continue.
“I suppose that I do not. Might you wish to enlighten me?”
“I have a high position in society. Lady Imogen has decided that she wants me as a husband, and her dear mama is only too happy to keep her darling daughter happy. Thus, they shall concoct as many schemes as necessary for me to want her in return. It does not change the fact that I do not, and that I never will, but that is beside the point.”
“And why is it that you never will?” Evie dared to ask. “Objectively speaking, there is nothing wrong with her.”
“She is pleasing enough to look at when she is wearing a mask.” He nodded, and Evie could not help but laugh. “But she is demanding, and her voice sounds unkind. I cannot marry a girl like that. Then again, if you were to speak well of her, and prove me wrong…”
But he was completely correct. Imogen was not a kind girl, and she never had been, not to Evie, at least.
“I cannot.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Lady Imogen has never been all too welcoming of me.”
“Does she dislike girls that are prettier than her?”
Her cheeks flamed. That was not the proper thing to say to anyone, especially a maid.
“It isn’t that,” she said quickly. “It is that she wants what others have, and better if at all possible. She will also not hesitate to simply take things that do not belong to her if it means that she gets what she wants.”
“Then she is out of luck entirely in this situation.”
“How so?”
“Because she wants me, and unbeknownst to her, so do you.”
“Excuse me?”
Evie did not know what to think of the man at all. He was kind, she could see that much, but he also had an opinion of himself that she deemed to be entirely too high, even for a man of his status.
“Evelyn, ladies fall at my feet constantly, and they all believe that they shall be the exception.”
“I have certainly not done that.”
“No, and that is a first for me, I must say, but that does not signify. There is nary a lady in London that would not want me as a husband.”
“There is, for I am in London.”
“So you would rather be a maid, is that it?”
“If my choice was between staying here and making my own way through life, and being the wife of a gentleman who is all too eager to talk about how many ladies have set their caps for him, the decision is rather simple. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well, when you word it in such a manner as that—”
“And another thing,” she continued, “is the way you speak to those you deem to be beneath you. I do not just mean servants, but ladies, too. You spoke to the two of them like they had never read a book before or as though they cannot write their own names.”
In truth, Evie had never seen Imogen reading, but that was beside the point.
“You certainly think a great deal of good about them, don’t you? That is a surprise to me, given that they clearly do not treat you well.”
“And how could you possibly know that?”
“You are hiding from them after feeling as though you had no choice but to attend a party that was being held. That shows desperation, don’t you think?”
Whether she liked it or not, he had her down.
“And what of you?” she asked. “It is easy to speak down to a lady, but what of yourself? If it is so easy for you to find a wife, why not find someone at least bearable and marry her?”
“Because…”
“You do not have a reason, do you?”
“I am looking for the right lady, but she is proving elusive. Might we leave it there?”
“No, we certainly will not!” she snapped. “If you are so happy to pick apart everyone else, let us start with you. No more lies. Why are you not married?”
“That was not a lie,” he explained, sighing. “There truly is a lady that I am in search of. She lived here once, long ago, and so when I received an invitation, I felt as though it was fate. I was hoping to find her, but she is not here and now I do not know what to do.”
“Find another wife?” she suggested.
“I do not wish to. Not only do I hope to find her, but my late father requested that I do. I must do as he asked.”
“So you shall put your entire life on pause simply because there is a missing girl?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “Yes, because what if I do as you say, and I marry another lady that I do not care for simply because I can tolerate her, and then the other lady returns?”
Evie had to admit that he made an excellent point, but she did not want to tell him that. In truth, she had often wondered what it might be like to have a gentleman want her so terribly, but again, that was not the sort of thing that one would discuss with a stranger.
“So what is it that you plan to do?”
“I shall find my answers, and then go from there. If she is alive and well, then at least I can tell myself that I fulfilled my father’s dying wish. Should a more unfortunate fate have befallen her, I shall accept defeat and find another.”
“And which seems the more likely outcome?”
“You can tell me here and now. Besides Lady Imogen, has there been any other lady living here?”
Herself, but he could not know that. She did not dare even try. After all, even if any good could come from it, why would he believe her?
“The only ladies in this household are Lady Imogen, myself, and one other maid. If you are looking for a lady of high standing, and you do not believe that Lady Imogen is it, then I am afraid that you must keep looking.”
“Very well, you have answered all that I needed to know. I apologize for keeping you, and for anything that I said that might have hurt you.”
“You did not—Goodness, I have heard far worse than someone reminding me of my place in the world.”
“But I should not have done it. Whether true or not, it is not for me to say.”
“Well…I thank you for your apology. Not many people do that.”
“They should. Lady Evelyn, I—”
“My lord!” Aunt Josephine’s voice came once more. “The final dance is to begin, and you must remember your promise this time!”
He sighed, turning to Evie with a sad smile.
“I suppose it is best that I do not keep my hostess waiting.”
“No, of course not. Besides, if she were to come this way a second time, she would certainly recognize me. I shall go.”
She knew that he continued speaking to her, but she could not wait there any longer. She had to leave, and quickly, before she was caught. She did not dare think of what the punishment would be if she was seen.
But that did not stop her from going back to the ballroom.
Out in the gardens, if her aunt were to see her, it would be far easier to know that she was not where she was supposed to be. Among the other guests, however, she would be safe, especially when all of her attention would surely be on the marquess and her darling daughter sharing their first dance of (what she assumed would be) many.
She knew a longer way back through that would ensure no accidental meetings with her aunt and cousin, and she told herself that she would be happy to see Imogen and the marquess together. If nothing else, it meant that Imogen would soon leave the household.
Except when she arrived, Imogen was not dancing. She was standing behind her mother, who was pleading with the marquess to stay. The marquess, to his credit, seemed to have a perfectly reasonable explanation for needing to leave. His brother was dragging his feet, his speech slurred, and the marquess was simply trying to leave with him.
“We can find a space for him to wait,” Aunt Josephine pleaded. “Do not leave, my lord. You promised to dance with my daughter.”
“I did not promise. I said that I would see how I felt. I do not feel comfortable staying with my brother like this, and you know as well as I do that it would not be proper.”
“No, but all the same—”
“Have a splendid rest of your evening,” he said quickly, ushering his brother away.
Evie almost pitied him. He seemed arrogant at times, but at least he was unafraid to apologize when he noticed it, and he had been kind to her in spite of her situation. He was not altogether a terrible person, and Evie wondered if the same could be said for his brother.
All the same, with the only real company that she had had all evening gone, she had no choice but to retreat. Besides that, it had all been far too risky for her liking. She had escaped her aunt twice; the third time might not have been so lucky.
Upon entering her room, however, she saw a folded piece of paper that had been slipped beneath her door. Reading it, she wondered who had gotten it to her, for it was not addressed to her in any way that her fellow servants would understand.
“To be handed immediately to Lady Evelyn.”