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“Lydia! There you are!” Alice called, interrupting the moment.

“They must check on you,” Ezra said dully from behind his mask, “to make sure I have not been drinking your blood or something equally as sinister.”

Lydia smirked, recalling their first kiss.

“Well, have you not?” she asked coyly.

Even with his mask on, Lydia could see Ezra’s wicked smile light his eyes.

“As you have tasted mine,” he murmured, low enough for only her to hear. “Or have you forgotten that wicked little nip you took of me?”

Heat pooled in Lydia’s lower belly as she recalled the small fleck of his blood that she had tasted on their wedding night. Hot, coppery, and delicious. It should have repulsed her, but even now, remembering it filled her with excitement.

“Behave yourself, husband,” Lydia purred, letting her voice drop to a sultry tone.

“You behave yourself, wife,” he warned darkly right back, though his voice was full of admiration.

He then bowed toward her, catching her hand to graze it across the bottom of his mask, and left her just as Alice, Juliet, Helena, and Barbara surrounded her.

“Where have you been, we have been hunting for you since we arrived!” Juliet exclaimed worriedly, leaning to drop a kiss on each of Lydia’s cheeks.

She was wearing a pale purple gown with a matching mask, one of the more modest ones Lydia had seen thus far at the party.

“We have been here for twenty minutes already,” Lydia laughed, moving from friend to friend to hug and kiss them, whatever are you so worried about?”

“You know good and well why,” Barbara retorted icily.

She had chosen a glittering green gown with a fascinating half-mask of crushed pearls, tiny emeralds, and amethysts, encompassed by a thin, gold metal band.

“You have been refusing a visit from us for nearly three weeks, of course, we are worried,” Helena added, her delicate brows drawing down.

As usual, Helena was wearing a shade of pink; rose this time coupled with a matching glittering mask. A crown of gold roses rested atop her pretty head.

“Good heavens,” Lydia laughed, motioning for them to follow her to the table of refreshments, “I simply do not know what the four of you have imagined, but I assure you I am well!”

And she meant it, she realized, with a swell of emotion. Lydia picked up a glass of wine as she continued, saying, “Ezra and I were quite clear with one another about what this relationship would be, and we are both holding up our end of the bargain. Our work takes up much of our time.”

She paused, took a sip of her wine, and added, “It, well, actually, has been quite fun being married to Ezra.”

Around her, her friends gaped, none of them even remotely interested in the drink table.

“Fun,”Barbara echoed.

Lydia nodded her head and took another sip of her wine.

“Oh, indeed,” she confirmed happily, “It turned out that we are quite capable of working well together.”

“But,” Alice said reluctantly, looking from their friends to her older sister, “If you are so well, why deny our visit?”

Lydia looked at Alice curiously as she lowered her wine.

“Darlings, I was honest with you all in my letters. I…we…truly have simply been too busy to host a family gathering! As I said, Ezra and I have discovered that we work quite well together, and I have been able to seal up many ventures that he has been chasing for months if not years.

“That is why I wrote and insisted we all meet here at the masquerade. Tonight, Ezra and I are not obliged to work. I wanted to be able to speak with you, as I am sure Ezra also wants to speak with his friends.”

Lydia’s sisters and friends all looked at one other curiously, as if they were not sure she was telling the truth. Deciding that she would not let them linger on her any longer, she pushed for a new subject.

“I have missed you,” she said enthusiastically, reaching for Alice’s hand with her free one, “I have missed all of you! Do not let our night be heavy with worry. We should be joyous! Nowthat I have made it clear that I am not in distress, please, let us speak of your lives. Surely there is news to tell.”