not one to play at idle games.”
“Don’t you find the masquerading amusing? The idea of dancing and socializing while hidden behind a mask sounds enthralling. And tonight, it serves my purpose well. I noticed a solid blue mask near the bottom of the pile. It would complement your suit.” She looked up at him with a hopeful note in her voice.
Phin’s amber eyes locked to hers, his expression unreadable. When he did not reply, she replaced the lid on the box, but he stalled her hand. His grasp, incredibly strong, awoke an unbidden spark of desire that intensified the intimate confines of the carriage.
“Far be it from me to ruin your fun.” His low murmur whispered through the shadowy lantern light. “Tonight, for you, I will make an exception.” Then he winked at her and she forgot to breathe.
With purposeful fingers he removed the blue domino and placed it on the bench. Penelope detected an approximation of indecision and wondered at his odd expression. Did he hold his own secret? Or worse, did she look too deeply, tainted by her experience and wary of everyone since Simon played her false? All her misery began and ended with that one despicable individual.
“I am hopeful I will be able to locate the person I seek this evening. Imagine my good fortune if it should all prove so easy.” She tried to sound as if her future did not depend on it.
“I will assist you in any manner I am able.”
He appeared relaxed again, his eyes sincere.
“I realize you have only requested an escort, but were you to tell me the gentleman’s name I could help with expediency.”
Indecision forced the butterflies in her stomach into a panicked flutter. She strove to keep her courage intact and breech the uncomfortable silence. “I wouldn’t want you or your mother to feel any type of involvement on my behalf. You have already shown me great generosity.”
Sensing his disappointment, she focused on the domino lying beside him. His fingers worked idly at the edge of the mask, his skillful movements manipulating the ribbon in a repeated pattern. His hands, large and powerful, exuded a sense of control and she exhaled with calm. Transfixed, she watched his fingers bend, then smooth, the thin ribbon in a repeated motion. How might it feel were those same fingers tilting her chin to capture a kiss? Or intertwined in hers as they shared a waltz? Good lord, she was every kind of fool. Having once risked her heart with disastrous results, why could she not learn to be more prudent?
Upset she may have spoiled the evening before they’d arrived, Penelope fumbled for any explanation he would accept. “I’m sorry I cannot explain further. It’s a private matter and as such, is imperative I find and speak to him alone.”
“Then you leave me no choice.” He turned to her with a serious look, his face half lit by the lantern, handsome and unwavering in the fractured light. “I will shadow you, protect you and keep you under my watchful eye until this business of yours is concluded.”
His statement pre-empted argument and she wondered at his protective attitude. Did she imagine his tone implied something beyond friendship? The niggling thought refused to sit right. Wasn’t this how she found disaster the first time? By not seeing things clearly?
The carriage pulled to a stop interrupting her muddled considerations and Penelope promptly exited, grasping Phin’s arm as he led her away from the drive and down the candlelit walkway. She almost stumbled when he stopped without warning, his purposeful strides veering them off the path and behind a tall hedgerow.
“Phineas?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, as if they played a child’s game.
Without a word, he positioned her gently, his fingers embracing her bare shoulders and with a twist, she no longer faced him. Then he slipped from her grasp the mask she’d long forgotten, bringing it over her head while he deftly sorted the ribbon ties.
“It won’t do for us to walk inside without our disguises in place.”
Although his words rushed past her ear, his fingers stalled in motion. Two of the ribbons fell and brushed against her shoulders. Phineas fumbled to recapture them, his knuckles sweeping across her cheekbone in an unexpected caress. Then he shifted position, and muttered something under his breath.
After a motionless minute, she could no longer contain her giggle. “The mask is slipping.” Her cheeky smile buoyed it into place. If only she could see his face and understand what he was thinking.
Instead standing in the intimate shadows, she heard him mumble words undecipherable as his fingers tightened the knots. After a rough sounding exhale, he stepped away busy with his own disguise, his body slanted from her view. They followed the slate path together and found themselves in the ballroom trailing an endless receiving line. There was nothing to do but wait, although the momentary delay offered the perfect opportunity to absorb the lavish decorations and opulent splendor surrounding them.
Brilliant crystal chandeliers, glistening with candlelight and shimmering reflection hung from the ceiling amidst streamers and bowers strewn with orchids. Servants, bedecked in their finest livery and laden with trays of sparkling wine, mingled through a crowd composed of pirates, shepherdesses and assorted wild animals, the masks perfectly matched to silk and satin formal attire in every color of the spectrum. Lively music filled the air, while conversation competed for attention within the revelry. Penelope hardly knew where to look first.
“Ridiculous crush, really.”
Phineas tucked her hand into his elbow and snaked them across the room, past a tall couple masquerading as owls, and around the other side where they stood amongst the hundred or so guests in total anonymity. At least for Penelope it remained true as everyone appeared a stranger.
“Here comes Lord Chadling. Harold is a good friend of mine.”
Phin’s deep voice next to her ear shot a thrilling shiver straight down her spine, the excitement of being out in society getting the best of her. There was no other way to explain the odd reaction.
“But how can you recognize your friend so readily? Everyone is disguised.” She looked up into glinting amber eyes. The domino made him look mysterious and intriguing, and his lips…his lips were showcased below the edge of the velvet. Penelope lost all train of thought as she concentrated on his mouth and that wonderful cleft in his chin.
“Easily, actually. No one dresses as well as Harold and the debutantes all know it. See the twittering wave of commotion following as he moves towards us.” Phineas indicated a gentleman to the right only a few steps away. A collection of fluttering females trailed after him.
“Oh, yes.” Penelope smiled. The man appeared a sharp dresser in every way. He wore a rich waistcoat with intricate threaded embroidery and shiny gold buttons. Tight fitted pantaloons led to gleaming top boots while his white lace cravat, tied extravagantly, was pinned with a blood-red ruby. His masquerade domino enhanced the look with its stark black velvet contrasting his fair skin and blond hair.
“Harold.” Phineas nodded his head in greeting before his friend walked by.
“Devil take me, I didn’t know that was you. First the mask and then the lovely lady. You are in disguise tonight, are you not?” Harold stalled mid-step. He assessed the situation with a mocking smile.
“May I present Miss Penelope Rosebery.” Phineas introduced Harold and they exchanged pleasantries followed by Chadling’s prompt request to dance.
She looked to Phineas, all at once unsure.
“Go ahead, my sweet.”
He stared at her intently, an odd look setting his lips in a firm line and confirming the unexpected tone of his reply. Penelope hesitated.
“It will offer you a glimpse of the guests in attendance because it’s so damnably crowded in here, it will be difficult to circulate otherwise.”
Harold did not wait for indication, sweeping her forward to the floor and fluidly into position.
He smiled as they began, a congenial