Page 52 of The Duchess and the Beast
Virtue had been drinking casually all night. Nothing too bawdy, but she’d had more than her fair share. Enough that she was feeling free and unencumbered, caring naught for the people she bumped into or the way she tripped over her skirts.
Past the grandeur of the grand hall, near the back of the Rochester Estate, there stretched a broad balcony that curved elegantly around the manor. It boasted a view of the gardens,whispered to be nothing short of enchanting, and tonight, under the moon’s watchful eye, she longed to see it. She needed the cool embrace of the evening air to temper the heat that the vigorous dancing—and Sebastian’s nearness—had kindled within her. Though the pair had been lost for a few short minutes, they had finally ended up locating the balcony doors with relative ease.
Stepping onto the balcony, the chill of the night air caressed Virtue’s skin, eliciting a sigh of deep relief from her lips. Holding tightly to Sebastian’s hand, she spun around, laughter bubbling from her as she lost her balance and fell into his waiting arms.
“My lady,” he teased, his strong arms tightening around her delicate frame. “Have you been in your cups tonight?”
“Have you?” she playfully accused, meeting his gaze with an impish stare.
His smile was a slow spread of warmth in the cool night. “I confess, I have indulged. Yet unlike you, my dear, I am no worse for the wear.”
“Oh, stop it.” She slapped his broad chest lightly. “But before you do, carry me to the edge, will you? I would like to take in the view.”
He chuckled, and at her behest, scooped her up in his arms and carried her across the balcony. The air was filled with a quiet murmur, with most guests having retreated indoors, leaving only a few couples who lingered in the shadows, relishing thequiet and the privacy the darkness afforded. Sebastian, seeming to sense that she wished for privacy, carried her towards the furthest end of the balcony, rounding the corner of the manor to a more secluded nook.
There, nestled discreetly, was a quaint spot featuring a lone bench upon which he set her down with gentle care. There was no light where they sat, yet the lanterns from the garden below cast a serene glow, illuminating a splendidly decorated garden, anchored by a grand marble fountain as its cornerstone. Among the lanterns, she spied a few couples walking hand in hand, a few kissing, and a few stealing behind hedges for moments left to the imagination.
“It is magnificent, is it not?” Virtue gushed, her eyes wide with delight. She hoped to turn the Greystone Gardens into a sight nearly as spectacular as this sprawling vista when she was done with the renovations.
“It sure is something,” Sebastian replied nonchalantly.
She snorted and turned on him. “I will require more than that.”
He frowned beneath his mask. “Meaning?”
“Verve,” she declared, tapping his chest. “A true feeling that is not guarded behind seven layers of heavy stone walls. Share with me yourgenuinethoughts.”
Sebastian laughed softly and shook his head as his gaze swept back over the lush gardens. “It is... exquisite. Breathtaking. A marvel to behold. But...” He trailed off.
“Yes?” she leaned in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation.
He turned to face her with a smile that reached his eyes. “It pales in comparison to you.”
“Oh...” Her cheeks warmed. She knew it to be a silly little platitude, but she blushed anyway. “Can you ever be serious?”
“Aren’t I always?”
She looked at him, sitting beside her, gazing at her visage rather than admiring the view. Although, she supposed, hewasadmiring a view, one that he clearly preferred to some silly garden. Feeling a flush of warmth, she daringly removed her mask and let it fall to the marble floor beside her.
“Scandalous,” Sebastian feigned a gasp.
She giggled and met his eyes. Those deep, dark eyes. Every day she was married to him, she found herself getting more and more lost in them. And not just the eyes, but the face that framed them. He believed himself hideous and disfigured, but to her, he was the epitome of handsomeness. A strong face. A kind soul. Not the monster he was so insistent on pretending to be.
“Take off your mask,” she whispered, her voice soft but firm.
He winced slightly. “Virtue... please.”
“Sebastian.” She captured his hands in hers and held his intense gaze. “I... I want to see you without it. Just for a moment.”
His eyes darted about them nervously. “I... what if someone sees?”
“Who cares what these people think,” she declared boldly. “Let them see.”
“But—”
“You do not need the mask, Sebastian. You know you don’t. But so long as you wear it, you convince yourself that you do. Take it off...” She squeezed his hands. “For me.”
It was emotional manipulation at its finest. Virtue had long since realized how much her husband struggled to say no to her, how much he loathed it. And indeed, at those words, she could sense the fight within him, that repulsion he felt toward himself, battling with his need to please her. Sensing his inner turmoil, she gently reached up, cupped her hand under the mask, and deftly removed it.