The Wedding Night Affair--An Historical Mystery by L.C. Sharp (i have read the book .TXT) 📗

a lingering visual examination, lingering on her bosom until Ash wanted to hit him, but he held himself back and brushed past the man, leading his guest into the main hall.

Except that there was a great deal more flesh on display than one generally found in Mayfair, this could have been a fashionable gathering. In fact, half of polite society was here—the male half.

Ash said nothing, but drew her gently onwards, ignoring the chattering masses, and climbed the stairs. Juliana inched closer to him. “I did not realize such a place existed.”

“It’s a mirror to polite society, a corollary. If you see anyone likely to recognize you, you must let me know and we will avoid them.”

Normal clothes vied with fancy dress and stage clothes. A plethora of masks of all kinds added a sinister and yet frivolous edge to the company.

Tension made him want to roll his shoulders, but he dared not draw attention to himself in that way.

“We will promenade,” he told her as they entered the main room.

This room was at least two times longer than it was wide. Candles blazed in every wall sconce, and in the two chandeliers above, but the ceiling was lower, plainer than in fashionable Mayfair, and the walls held no ancestral portraits, only generic landscapes and prints. The mirror above the heavily carved wooden fireplace was grand, but spotted. The mustard velvet drapery was lavish, but the hems of the curtains did not quite reach the floor.

Although a violinist provided music, nobody was dancing. Not yet. The night was young.

He strolled into the main space very slowly, allowing his companion a good view of the activities. She clung to his arm as if she’d grown there, forcing down her impulse to push him away.

Although the ball was barely started, already two couples were standing at the side of the room, allowing one another more liberties than would ever be seen in an aristocratic ballroom. The woman’s bodice was almost nonexistent, and just in case anyone missed them, she’d rouged her nipples.

Her gasp informed Ash that Juliana had seen, but he could not afford to rush her past, or shelter her from the couple who, oblivious to everyone else, were already engaging in, if not the act itself, then heavy preliminaries. The woman’s swain had pushed her skirts right up, exposing her most intimate charms.

Juliana stared straight ahead, her posture far too rigid for this place. Her eyes flashed and she drew a breath, her bosom swelling. As she let it out, she relaxed, her shoulders dropping, and her body unwinding.

He should never have brought her here. She was handling herself well, but after what her husband had done to her, she might not be ready for this.

But she’d asked, and he feared he would always be weak to that.

Ash dropped his hand, grazing the small of her back above her skirt in a gesture society would never allow, mild though it was. To do her credit, Juliana did not flinch, but her grip on her fan tightened. A pulse beat at the base of her throat. He glanced at her eyes, glittering from behind the mask. She gave a faint nod and took a shallow breath.

When he straightened, a man stood before them. Still light headed, Ash faced him. The man wore a black mask that covered the whole of his face except his full lips. Eyes glittered behind narrow slits, impossible to make out their shape or color. He was about the same height as Ash, perhaps a shade shorter. His broad shoulders filled his crimson velvet coat with little need for padding. He bowed, his hand fluttering before him in a gesture not quite as elegant as it could be.

Ash gave a punctilious bow in return, and Juliana curtseyed, far too low for politeness, a nice touch.

“Sir, I have been watching your lady. May I ask if she is exclusively taken?”

Ash glanced at Juliana. His instinct to claim her reared up, and this time he had no reason to deny it. He lifted his chin in a disdainful gesture. “That is entirely up to the lady. I have made her a generous offer, but if you can better it, I daresay she would consider you. However, if she does, she loses me. I do not share.”

A pause. The mask was annoying Ash. “I see. And I do not make offers without trying the goods first. May I see more?”

Juliana turned in a swish of skirts, moving closer to Ash and grasping his arm. “I do not go back on my word.” Her voice was lower, huskier than her usual brisk tones. “I have just promised myself to this gentleman...” She let the pause lengthen.

Oh, this lady had a gift. Ash would have breathed a sigh of relief, but the unknown man was watching them. “I see. Then good day, sir.”

To emphasize the point, Ash leaned down to her and hovered his lips over hers, as if claiming an intimate kiss. Somehow she moved, or he did, and the pretend kiss turned into something else. A throb met his lips, warm blood pulsing. The scent of oranges increased, but she tasted of something else. He couldn’t put any name to it other than woman.

He pulled back, his feigned kiss now disastrously real. “Are you all right?” he murmured.

“Y-yes.”

At least she did not move away or cry out as she had in the house when he’d touched her. He’d hated that more than he cared to admit.

After a bow, his challenger moved on.

Juliana remained where she was, nestling close to Ash, holding his arm, not moving away. Although he liked her response, he thought of her. “Are you sure you want to continue?”

“Yes,” she answered, her voice back to normal, briskly efficient. “Shall we?” Stepping away, she tugged on his arm. Ash let her lead.

They promenaded around the room, speaking to no one except each other, heads close as if exchanging naughty confidences.

This time a woman confronted them, her pink silk