She shook herself at the thought.
“Are you alone?” he asked, peering behind her. “Who were you speaking to?”
Instinctively, she cupped a hand over Scrunch in her pocket. “No one. Myself.”
He made no attempt to approach, merely surveyed her through the gloom. Now more than ever, she was glad she’d chosen to keep the mask over her face; it was the only thing standing between her and ruin.
“If you would allow me to pass,” she said, unwilling to approach him. “We should not be seen together.”
“Oh?” His fingers came to toy with the edge of his mask, feathered like a bird, but he made no attempt to remove it. “Because you are a lady and I am a gentleman? Fear not, shepherdess, you are safe with me. I am no wolf, here to prey on unsuspecting young ladies in search of some peace and quiet. In fact, I came here for the same.” He gestured to the other side of the balcony. “Do not feel as though you should leave for my presence. See, I shall remain here and you can remain where you are, and no one down there shall be any the wiser.”
If there was another place she could go where she might find some relief from the crowd, Eleanor would have been tempted to find it, but she could see nowhere else, and with the gentleman out of arm’s reach, she didn’t feel particularly unsafe.
“You had better stay where you are,” she warned.
He gave a mocking smile. “Your virtue is safe with me.”
She gave an unladylike snort, searching for her newfound friend amongst the dancers. It was not her virtue she feared for, but her reputation and her peace. Both, he threatened.
A few minutes passed in silence, during which time she felt his gaze upon her. Determined to ignore her unwelcome companion, she kept her own fixed on the crowd below, but his attention bored into the side of her neck.
“Why are you not dancing?” he asked, one elbow propped insouciantly on the balcony railing.
“No one has yet asked me.”
“I find it unusual that a young lady would wish to be here rather than below.”
She pursed her lips. “You have no idea whether I am young or not.”
“Am I wrong?”
“My sisters would not consider me young,” she said without thinking, then winced.
“Ah, so you have sisters?”
“You can stop attempting to discover my identity, good sir.” She adjusted her mask, ensuring it covered her entire face. “I have no wish to be known by you.”
“No?” His tone warmed, as though he was smiling, but she refused to look at him. If she did, she would no doubt notice his mouth again, andthatwas not what a proper young lady ought to do. “And why is that?”
“Because you are a shocking flirt.”
He gave a bark of laughter. “And you have come to that conclusion because I amavoidingthe ballroom below just as yourself?”
“I am not so much of a greenhorn that I don’t recognize your rakish antics,” she said as primly as she could. “I realize you are attempting to seduce me.”
“Did I not say when I arrived that your virtue would be safe with me?”
“And that, sir, isexactlywhat a seducer would say.”
“I see. According to you, my character is a sad one. You are wrong, little shepherdess, but let me assure you now. If Ihadintended to seduce you, I would have succeeded already.”
For the first time, she turned to face him, noticing as she did so how very tall he was. His hair hung to his shoulders, darkin the dim lighting, and a certain gravel in his voice made her shiver. She felt suddenly as though he were a wolf and her a sheep, and although he had promised her safety, an unusual prickle of trepidation came over her… along with excitement. Nothing about him or this encounter ought to make her feel this anticipation in the base of her stomach, and yet she felt warm like never before.
“You think it would be so easy?” she demanded. “You seem very sure of yourself.”
“Why, that’s because I am.”
“You will not find me so readily persuadable.”
