Page 2

CHAPTER 2

E dwin regretted attending the ball the moment he stepped inside. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and simply leave. After all, he found such gatherings to be rather pretentious and overwhelming. They were filled with mamas who sought to foist their daughters on the few eligible bachelors present.

He caught quite a number of people glancing at him as he navigated the crowd. This was yet another reason why he hated balls—and, truthfully, any social event.

When he was younger, he had foolishly thought that donning a mask would stop people from staring so blatantly at him. However, it only seemed to make them more curious.

And yet he preferred that over the terror and pity that would cloud their faces if they saw what was beneath his mask.

He fiddled with his black velvet mask as he looked around the ballroom for Magnus to no avail. He raked a hand through his hair, effortlessly ruining the meticulous work his valet had done earlier in the evening.

He had only agreed to attend the Pemberton ball because he and Magnus had been personally invited by Lord Pemberton. And Magnus had promised to meet him at the ball so he would not be sulking alone, as he presently was.

Edwin wondered for a moment why he had even believed Magnus. Now, he had to pay for this mistake by hiding in plain sight until Magnus decided to finally grace them with his presence.

“Your Grace!” a low, feminine voice called to him.

Edwin looked down to see a lady so young he could immediately tell that she was a debutante.

He groaned inwardly.

“It is a lovely evening, isn’t it?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

“I apologize, but I must be on my way,” Edwin said.

He caught the flash of disappointment in the young lady’s eyes before he slipped out of the ballroom.

I am certainly not at the ball to court attention or entertain desperate maidens.

It was not until he was out of the ballroom that he finally heaved a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to converse with a debutante who was only seeking a husband.

Moreover, if the other debutantes saw her, they would all decide to try their luck too, and before he knew it, he would be surrounded by a throng of mamas and their daughters.

He was catching his breath in the hall when he heard footsteps approaching. Without so much as a thought, he made for the nearest way out—a staircase that seemed to lead to the underbelly of the house.

He would rather wander below stairs than spend any more time with members of the ton, and so he began to follow the passageway, partly out of curiosity and partly because he would do anything to avoid the crowd.

The further he walked, the more soothing he found it. There, in the passageway, he was all alone, just as he liked. And more importantly, he could not hear any noise from the party above.

It was simply blissfully quiet.

He was especially curious to see where the passageway led, and he was certain that by the time he reached the end of it and returned to the party, Magnus would have arrived.

Suddenly, he heard the distant sound of footsteps. He stopped and waited to hear it again.

He wondered briefly if it was Lord Pemberton.

What would he think if he saw me lurking here?

Edwin knew the man would not believe him if he said he had decided to wander there simply because he hated the crowd. Who would possibly believe him?

Fortunately, the footsteps stopped just as abruptly as they had started. He shrugged, concluding that he must have imagined the sound, before he resumed walking. As he rounded a corner, he saw a door at the end of the passageway. He smiled, eager to see what was behind it.

And that was when he heard the footsteps again—louder this time. He stood still and listened for them. And that was when a figure rounded the corner behind him.

He did not have the time to warn the person before they walked right into him.

He only saw a flurry of fabric as the person—who he now realized was a lady—held on to his coat so as not to trip over her feet. Her hands seemed to linger a tad too long on his chest.

Edwin wanted to steady her. However, being in a dark passageway with a lady, away from everyone else, was enough to cause a scandal, not to mention touching her. Moreover, the poor lady might be terrified, thinking he was trying to do something untoward.

So he simply watched as she managed to regain her balance.

It was not until she took several steps away from him that he was finally able to see her face.

Miss Jennings?

She was the sister-in-law of the Duke of Mayfield, who happened to be his friend.

Edwin had seen her around quite a few times, and he had always thought her rather easy on the eyes. Now, as they both stood several steps away from each other, he could not help but notice her flushed face and how her chest heaved as she regarded him, shock visible on her face.

He watched her eye him curiously, her gaze darting across his face before landing on his mask. Her blue eyes were inquisitive, and despite her slender build, she still possessed a fierce demeanor.

“Curious habit, hiding in the walls,” he remarked, in a bid to break the silence.

His words did not seem to please the lady. She frowned, the dusting of freckles on her nose scrunched together.

“Says the man haunting the passageway,” she retorted.

Edwin was taken aback. He eyed her with interest.

Miss Jennings was a curious one, indeed. Most ladies of the ton would have fled at the sight of him. After all, it would not bode well for her reputation if they were discovered together in such circumstances.

And yet there she stood, only a few feet away from him, daring him.

Now, he wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to know why she was so fierce and so different.

“I do not haunt. I hunt ,” he corrected.

She sniggered, covering her mouth with her hands to hide her amusement.

“A common greyhound would say the same,” she quipped.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to suppress a smile. “I suppose you would have been less lucky if you had run into a greyhound instead of me. The poor dog might have mistaken you for a common thief and attacked if it saw you crawling in the shadows of another man’s estate.”

“I would be safer with a dog. I know that,” she asserted.

“Do you fear that you’ll be attacked by me?” he asked, taking one step towards her.

Instead of moving back or shrinking, she mirrored his step.

“You would not dare.” She jutted her chin.

“You do not know me,” he retorted.

“I know you are a duke, an honorable man, if only a little annoying. You would not dare,” she insisted.

“You seem to know quite a lot about me. I am beginning to wonder if you followed me here,” he countered.

She gasped. “I would never do something of that sort.”

Her jaw tightened, and Edwin knew then that he had finally managed to anger her.

“And yet there is no way for me to know that, is there? After all, what would a lady possibly be seeking in such a place?”

“If you must know, I am looking for my sister, Stella,” she said, her eyes darkening. “Now, you must tell me what you are doing here, or I shall be forced to assume that you have only amassed your wealth by robbing nobles’ homes during balls.”

Edwin’s lips twitched. He enjoyed her wit.

“And I must inform you that I know some interesting individuals. All I have to do is put out the word, and your name will be in tomorrow’s newspaper along with some speculations that you would rather not read.” She smiled, as though proud of herself.

“If I were a thief, do you not think I would have robbed you of some valuables you possess?” He raised his eyebrows at the last two words, before glancing quite brazenly at her bosom.

She gasped once again and quickly threw her hands over her chest, as though to protect it from his unruly eyes.

Edwin laughed. “Does this mean you fear me now?” he asked.

She must have realized what he was doing because she dropped her hands to her sides and stared at him defiantly.

“On the contrary, I am not afraid of you. There is nothing to be afraid of,” she asserted.

The fire in her eyes as she dared him and the way she jutted her chin thrilled him.

It had been long since anyone had such an effect on him. He didn’t see her defiance as a deterrent. Rather, it was a dare for him to get closer to her and explore beneath her hard surface.

He decided to honor her invitation and closed the distance between them.

He was towering over her now and looking directly into her eyes. And yet her eyes were still fierce and daring.

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

An emotion he could not place flickered across her face, and her eyes softened. He could feel her breath on his neck, and for some reason, that excited him to no end. Her ocean-blue eyes entranced him as he stared into them, and for a moment, he forgot that he was supposed to taunt her.

He could have sworn that she tilted her face up to his, as though asking for a kiss. However, in the next moment, she broke eye contact and cleared her throat as she stepped back from him.

“You must let me pass,” she said, looking away from him. “I am looking for my sister.”

He did not say a word in response. He simply studied her, how her hardened exterior had given way to a nervous one.

“You seem unsettled,” he noted curiously. “Why is that?”

Instead of responding, however, she tried to slip past him.

Edwin was a huge man, and as a result, it was a rather impossible task for her. Therefore, she had no choice but to stand in front of him unceremoniously, exasperated, her eyes pleading.

“I suppose if you ask nicely enough, I can attempt to get out of your way.”

She sighed. “All right. Your Grace, would you be so kind as to let me pass?”

Ava stood there, flustered and unsure of what to do. She did not quite understand the effect he had on her, and she had even been terrified out of her wits when she had found herself lost in his eyes for a moment.

She needed to get away from this passageway, from him . She felt like prey, cornered by the most dangerous predator. She needed to clear her head, and she could not do that if he was so near that she could touch him.

That was the reason why she did not hesitate to beg him to step out of her way.

He gave a wickedly delicious smile that told her he was enjoying her discomfort a little too much.

Finally, he stepped out of the way, and for the first time, she could see a door at the other end of the passageway. She was certain that she would find her sister behind that door.

She made to leave. However, the passageway was so narrow that she could not possibly step past him without touching him. Even though he was pressed against the wall, she still found it hard to move to the other side. And so their bodies brushed as she tried to move forward.

Ava’s senses were heightened, and she could feel every inch of her body that touched his.

Her bosom brushed his ribs, and her nose grazed his neck, which smelled so delicious. She was dazed for a moment.

You have your sister to look for, Ava!

She snapped herself out of it immediately. It was, however, hard to ignore how delicious his body felt against hers, how she could tell that he was ripped and muscular just by the taut contours of his stomach.

He, on the other hand, did not seem so discomfited. Rather, he seemed to be enjoying her struggles a little too much. In fact, he had a wicked smile on his face, and that infuriated her to no end.

“Next time, I won’t let you go so easily,” he murmured.

Ava’s heart skipped a beat as she felt the vibrations against her chest.

She wanted to give a smart retort, and yet she could not. He was magnetic, and their bodies touching in this way was too much for her brain to handle.

“There will not be a next time,” she managed to say, swallowing hard.

Her body heated all over, and she could feel the tension in the air.

His pupils dilated, and she knew at that moment that he was about to do something scandalous.

She struggled even harder to get past him to the other end.

He smiled as he leaned into her ear. “Won’t there?” he whispered, sending a shiver down her spine.

Flustered, she finally managed to move to the other side of the passageway.

Her pulse quickened as she walked away from him as fast as she could without sparing him a backward glance, even though she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head.

She was determined to put as much distance between them as possible. After all, she did not quite trust herself to be able to resist him if he caught up with her.

It was not until she stepped through the door and slammed it shut behind her that she finally heaved a sigh of relief.

But then she remembered that he was still behind her, and he could choose to follow her at any moment.

Fortunately, there was a room close, only a few feet away from her. She quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Her face felt hot all over. However, she was happy to have gotten away from him.

She sat on the bed in the room while she tried to catch her breath. Her hand rose to her ear and brushed it, still painfully aware of her body’s reaction when he had whispered in her ear.

A sudden rattling at the door startled her, making her jump.

He could not have possibly followed me.

Ava was terrified, yet a part of her was excited. What would he do if he entered the room and saw her?

The door was pushed open, and Ava held her breath. However, she was disappointed when, instead of the Duke, someone else entered the room.

“Stella!” she blurted.

Stella was smiling sheepishly while looking behind her, as though ensuring that nobody followed her. She whipped her head around and gaped at Ava, her face white with shock.

Ava slowly rose from the bed and approached her sister, who did not seem pleased that she had just been caught.

“Where have you been, Stella? And what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I… I was not feeling quite well,” Stella stammered, not quite looking her in the eyes.

Ava could tell that her little sister was lying.

“You seemed to be feeling quite well when you entered the room—with a big smile on your face,” Ava countered. “Now, where were you running off to?”

Stella kept her eyes trained on the floor while she grumbled an answer that Ava did not quite hear.

“Look me in the eyes when you answer me,” Ava huffed.

Reluctantly, Stella looked up at her, frowning deeply.

“Ava, why is your face so red?” she asked.

Ava touched her face. “My face is not red. Now, answer my?—”

“But here”—Stella touched her cheeks and nose—“you are flushed.”

“I do not want to hear anything about this, young lady. Now, let us return to the ball.”

With that, Ava stormed out of the room, her sister hot on her heels.

Stella’s questions had scared her, and she feared that she would end up revealing more than necessary if she told her young sister why she had been blushing.

Stella must never find out that she had been in a narrow passageway with a man. If she ever knew, she would taunt her to no end. And even more than that, she would feel justified in her sneaking around.