I could not even say that I would visit her as, after our trip there, it held bad associations for me. Plus I did not want to leave Max and Freddie, and them coming with me was out of the question. The thought of bumping into Dorian on the street was enough to give me heart palpitations.
‘We will write to each other often,’ I reassured her. ‘And you are most welcome to stay with us whenever you like. You do not even have to wait for an invitation. If I wake up one morning and you are sitting at the breakfast table, sipping tea, I will not bat an eyelid.’
Jane giggled. ‘You might if I scoff all the eggs and toast and leave none for you.’
‘Very true,’ I deadpanned. ‘If that occurs, then I will send you back to Bath forthwith!’
Our talk turned to the masquerade ball, which was starting at six o’clock and had been deemedthewinter event by Derbyshire high society. Apparently, the entire county’s gentry was currently donning their best and making their way to our house. I told Jane that I was worried we were not able to provide enough food and drink for everyone.
She reassured me that no one would think me a bad hostif that occurred, and they should blame their own greediness.
Max too did not seem to be concerned in the slightest when I voiced my fears to him as we were changing into our ball attire.
‘Maurice has roasted a whole hog, Fliss. I sorely doubt you will hear anyone complaining about having a meagre plate of ham. Besides, everyone will be having too much fun dancing to worry about eating.’
‘Will you save a dance for me?’ I asked, looking up at him as he tied on his black mask. He stroked the nape of my neck and dropped a kiss on my lips.
‘Always.’
He looked so heart-meltingly dashing and mysterious that I was tempted to say, ‘Let’s stay here and have our own masquerade ball in bed.’ But I could hear carriage wheels crunching on the gravel outside—guests were arriving already!
Hastily fixing my mask in place, we descended hand in hand down the staircase to greet them.
Soon, I was immersed in an ever-growing crowd of people that kept on arriving. As everyone was wearing masks, I had no idea who I was greeting. I kept shaking hands, nodding, and saying, ‘How lovely of you to come. Please make yourway through to the ballroom.’
I kept a lookout for Rosalind Whiteley’s shining auburn hair and translucent cheeks, but no one bearing that description crossed my path. Eventually, I told Max that I needed a breather, and he nodded and told me he would come and find me shortly.
At least I could recognise Harriet. She descended the staircase, wearing a scrumptious yellow silk dress and holding the purple mask that Annie had made for her.
‘How are the children?’ I asked, kissing her cheek.
‘Evan is reading them a story, and they all looked very sleepy when I left. It’s been a long day, so I think they will drop off quickly.’
We had moved the younger children, including Freddie, to the rooms in the wing farthest from the ballroom so they would not be too disturbed by the noise. Freddie had been most excited to top and tail with his cousins.
Some guests passed by, looking at us, and Harriet held up her mask to conceal her face. ‘This is going to be tiresome holding it all night. I need some string or ribbons or something. Annie said she would tie them on, but she must have forgotten.’
‘I have some thin yellow ribbons in my workbox,’ I said. ‘Give it to me, and I’ll fix it for you.’
She handed me the mask, and I went off down thehallway to the parlour. I didn’t bother lighting a candle as the fire was casting enough light in the room. Locating the yellow ribbons in my workbox, I snipped off a couple of lengths with my scissors, poked the ends through the side holes, and tied them securely.
When I heard the door open behind me, I looked over my shoulder to see a masked Max standing there in the dim light. ‘I won’t be long,’ I said to him. ‘I’m fixing Harriet’s mask for her.’
He didn’t reply but came up behind me, put his arms around my waist, and nuzzled my hair.
‘Darling, don’t you need to greet the guests? There may be late arrivals.’
He grunted and clasped me tighter against him. I could feel his need for something else pressing into my backside through his breeches. I giggled to myself. Max was obviously thinking the same thing as I: that we looked most attractively mysterious in our masks.
Stroking his arm, I lowered my voice to a seductive purr. ‘Well, I’m sure an interlude of amour wouldn’t hurt.’
Before I had time to think, I was spun around, and his lips crushed mine. His hands began roaming over my body, caressing my breasts and cupping my buttocks. I felt faint with delight.
Goodness,I thought.Max must be more het up than Irealised!
But I rose to the challenge and kissed him back even harder, so hard that he growled. Our kissing grew more and more frenzied, and I pushed him up against the wall and rubbed my body against his mercilessly. My hand squeezed one muscular thigh, and he grunted and squirmed as I moved it higher and higher, aiming for his instrument of pleasure.
Just as I was about to grab it, he pushed me away without a word and whirled out of the room, leaving me gasping for breath. I sank against the back of the sofa, pressing a hand against my bruised lips in awe.Gracious, I am definitely going to suggest we wear our masks in the bedroom!
