Page 2 of Marrying a Marquess (Widows of Mayfair #3)

N ick received an invitation to a masquerade ball at the private residence of Mr. and Mrs. Hayward.

He wasn’t one for masquerades but decided after the day he’d had to send a late reply.

The Duchess of Avery, with her daughter, Lady Priscilla, had visited for afternoon tea, and his mother had insisted Nick attend.

They had openly discussed his marriage to Lady Priscilla in three years.

Three years? That was a lifetime away. Anything could happen during those years.

He would not promise or sign any document forming a legal betrothal contract.

Both the duchess and his mother were displeased with him.

Lady Priscilla sat quietly and said nothing, which was unlike her.

He wondered what she was thinking. At fifteen, he had to admit she was becoming a beautiful young woman.

Deep auburn hair framed her classically beautiful face.

Large hazel eyes constantly moved around as if every little thing interested her.

But would she also become the wife for him?

His carriage pulled up to Hayward House, dressed as a Privateer for the event.

He recognized some of the attendees but didn’t know many others.

He wasn’t surprised since he had only a passing acquaintance with Mr. and Mrs. Hayward.

After an hour of standing off in a corner sipping sherry, he was approached by a lady dressed as a courtesan, which he thought was quite bold .

“Hello.” She curtsied. “I’m Esmeralda, and you are?”

Her voice was soft and seductive, and warmth spread inside his belly. He bowed over her gloved hand, brushing his lips across her delicate fingers. “Captain Burke, at your service.” Nick flirted with Esmeralda and she flirted back, seeming to enjoy herself as he drank two glasses of sherry.

“Well, Captain Burke,” she said after a while, “there is a small gathering at the home of a friend of mine not far from here. Since this party is quite dull, would you care to accompany me?”

Usually, Nick didn’t escort ladies to the homes of people he didn’t know, but tonight, he’d had a great deal to drink, including the two sherries with Esmeralda, and was bored out of his mind.

“It would be my honor, Esmeralda.” He licked his lips.

His mouth was suddenly dry as a bone. The room tilted, and his feet refused to move.

She wrapped her arm through his, helping him along as they made their way to the entrance and out the door to an unmarked carriage.

Once inside, Esmeralda snuggled up against him.

The inside of the carriage appeared to be moving in circles around him.

The coach lurched forward, and Nick was nearly unseated, causing him to chuckle. “I must have consumed more sherry than I thought. Please forgive me, my dear, while I rest my eyes.”

A few seconds after closing his eyes, he opened them to stop the spinning.

“We have arrived,” Esmeralda said softly.

“That was fast. Did I fall asleep?” he asked, as the inside of the carriage still spun in circles.

Esmeralda helped him out of the carriage and inside.

She possessed the strength of two gentlemen.

They entered the townhouse to laughter and raucous sounds coming from up the stairs.

At least, he believed that was where they came from.

Esmeralda’s arm, wrapped around his waist, led him up the stairs to a drawing room full of people.

If he had not been so deep into his cups, making him wonder what was in the sherry, he would have recognized several of the gentlemen present, gentlemen who had questionable reputations amongst the ton .

As it appeared to him, though, the faces of the room’s other occupants were blurry, round orbs without any facial features.

Esmeralda led him to an overstuffed chair and poured him a drink from a sideboard, which he downed in one gulp.

He may as well get more foxed because the feel of this place was odd.

Even with his impaired vision, he saw the bodies of women and men in various stages of undress.

His eyes traveled back to one couple and swore they were both men.

Men out in the open? Indeed, he must be seeing things.

He closed one eye, trying to focus but to no avail, while his body slumped into the chair.

His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he licked his lips slowly.

The room and all its occupants faded into the background. Had Esmeralda drugged him?

“Captain Burke,” she whispered as she straddled his lap. “You have too many clothes on. Let me divest you of your shirt.”

Cool air caressed his chest, and he shivered as Esmeralda tossed his shirt onto the floor.

In a short span of lucidity, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Their tongues tangled in slow motion. He broke the kiss, licked his dry lips, and tried to say something, but his mouth wouldn’t work, and bloody hell, he felt himself go under before he even had time to enjoy having Esmeralda in his arms.

*

“Earl of Crowley, wake up.” Someone was repeatedly shaking his shoulders. Where was he? He vaguely remembered a lady dressed as a courtesan. She had taken him to a private residence. “Esmeralda?”

Several deep chuckles invaded his ears. “If ye want to call me Esmeralda, go right on doing so, but to be honest, my name is Raymond. Esmeralda is my masquerade character.”

Nick grabbed the hands as they tried to shake him again and held on tight.

His head pounded, and the jarring of his body intensified it.

Inhaling several deep breaths, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

It was the same room Esmeralda brought him to last night.

Several people were asleep on the floor and on the furniture in various stages of undress.

All appeared to be men. He looked down at himself and was very glad to see he had his breeches on, even if he was without his shirt.

“What the hell is this?” He tried to sound demanding and pompous.

He wasn’t convinced it worked, as several men nearby laughed.

“Ye are in a den of iniquity for gentlemen and gentlemen only.”

He released the man’s hands and forced himself to his feet, swaying slightly. He retrieved his shirt from the floor and put it on. “You are mistaken. I was with a woman last night.”

The man who said his name was Raymond laughed more, grating on his nerves and exacerbating the ache inside his head and behind his eyes. And lucky him, his stomach joined in the fun.

“Esmeralda is no lady. Now, if ye want to keep this life of yours secret, all I need is five hundred pounds.”

Nick considered himself an intelligent person.

Yes, he had the reputation of being a rake, which he wouldn’t deny, but he had never let his guard down before or been swindled or tricked into something nefarious.

Unfortunately, there was a first time for everything.

Meeting Esmeralda had been his undoing. No matter what the man—Raymond—said, Esmeralda was a woman.

When she’d straddled his lap and he’d pulled her close and kissed her, he had felt the curves of a woman.

It was a trap. These people preyed on rich men who had money to burn and reputations to uphold. Esmeralda must have drugged him. At the masquerade and again here. It left a sour taste in his mouth. Mortification burned his cheeks for falling for her scheme. He had no option but to pay.

But even though he paid, rumors spread rampant in the coming days. The only thing he could do was ignore the whispers and gossip and continue living as he had. Keeping up his reputation would eventually make the rumors disappear.

Except they never really did.