Livvy flushed at the thought. She felt a little guilty that he hadn’t found his own release, but perhaps delaying his own gratification was a perverse kind of pleasure.
She sent another glance at his falls. “I’m no expert, but that looks quite a bit larger than your fingers.”
She’d seen drawings of couples engaged in various erotic acts, but until now she’d always assumed the cartoonists had exaggerated the size of the male appendages for dramatic effect. But the swelling disrupting the front of Dev’s falls made her reconsider.
His brows rose, and a smile lurked at the corner of his lips. “You’re worried? Don’t be. You’ll fit me just right, Liv. I promise.”
Oh, God. The certainty in his tone, the dark promise in his gaze, made her stomach somersault all over again.
He stood and retrieved their masks, and she stood meekly as he refastened hers, tying the ribbon at the back of her head to conceal her face. He settled her cloak back around her shoulders, and donned his own mask, and suddenly it was as if they were two strangers again.
How many other couples were having their own secret rendezvous tonight? Dozens, probably.
He unlocked the door and peered out into the hallway, then beckoned her forward. “You go first, just to be safe. I’ll wait a few moments and follow you.” He bent and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, just below the edge of her mask. “I look forward to our next encounter, Miss Price.”
Chapter Sixteen
Liv barely saw Devlin for the rest of the night. Back in the ballroom, she found Daisy, Ellie, and Tess by the buffet and cooled her flushed cheeks with a soothing glass of champagne. She danced with Harry and Lucien, then with a score of other gentlemen who sought her out, and watched in amusement as Harry, the designated Lord of Misrule, caused havoc with his ‘royal’ decrees.
He ordered the women to take the lead in the dances, and the men to take the ladies’ parts; there was much cursing and merriment as everyone turned the wrong way, collided with other couples, and stood on each other’s toes.
At midnight the anonymous secrets were read aloud from the bowl, accompanied by delighted speculation as to who had written which, and a raucous game of blind man’s buff quickly devolved into an excuse for drunken fondling and kissing.
By one o’clock the party showed no sign of ending, but Liv was so exhausted she bid the others goodnight and slipped back to her room.
She listened for any hint that Dev was in the chamber next door, but his duties as host presumably required his attention,so she curled up in bed with a happy sigh, listening to the faint shrieks of the drunken ice skaters and the melodies of the violins drifting up from below.
It was almost midday by the time she woke, feeling gloriously decadent, and when she made her way downstairs, she discovered Daisy, Ellie, and Harry eating breakfast in one of the smaller rooms. Servants bustled about, putting the house to rights, sweeping up broken glass, straightening picture frames, and replacing the flowers.
Liv glanced through the window and saw a poor stable lad being hoisted up onto the back of an equestrian statue at least a dozen feet above the ground, to retrieve a top hat and cravat that some enterprising reveler had placed on the horse’s head.
A particularly loud noise indicated the movement of a large piece of furniture in an adjoining room and Harry winced.
“Too loud,” he groaned, clutching his head.
Ellie snorted at his hungover testiness. “I have no sympathy. I told you not to challenge Lucien to any kind of dare. Unless it’s at cards, and you’re cheating, there’s no hope of beating him.”
Daisy grinned. “My husband does have uncommonly good luck. But if it makes you feel any better, he’s in an equally bad state as you, Harry. He begged me to bring him either a cup of coffee, or an ax to chop off his head.”
Harry perked up. “Thatdoesmake me feel better, actually. Misery loves company, and all that.”
“Has anyone seen Devlin?” Liv asked, trying to sound nonchalant and praying her cheeks weren’t turning an incriminating shade of pink.
Daisy gestured vaguely outside. “He’s gone to look at his weather contraptions. He was muttering something about a storm on the way.”
Livvy glanced at the sky. The day was far too advanced to know if there had been a red sky that morning, but it certainly looked rather grey and miserable.
“Have you decided what your plans are?”
Daisy’s question made her turn as her heart gave a panicked thump. Oh, God, had Devlin told his sister about the offer he’d made?
“Erm. What sort of plans?” she managed.
Daisy sent her a curious look. “About how long you’re planning to stay here, of course. Didn’t you say Dev had offered you refuge until you decide to go back to London?”
Liv expelled a silent, relieved breath. “Oh, yes. He did.”
“Well, what are you thinking? Your father’s scandal will be hot gossip for a while, but it’ll all blow over. Especially when everyone sees you have the full support of two duchesses and a countess. Not even the highest sticklers would dream of cutting you ifwedon’t.”
