Roarke laughed, which was the purpose of the joke, but he said, “You know, you might not hate it as much as you think. I believe the duke and I are veryhappilyleg shackled.”
Theo thought of Etta’s mouth beneath his own. The little sound she’d made when his tongue touched hers. He pushed those images away along with images of her looking up at him all those years ago, making him wish for...
“I suppose we’ll never know,” he said, staring into his drink. “I don’t intend to marry until I’m eighty-two and then only to produce an heir.”
“At eighty-two,” Roarke said with a shake of his head. “What a feat.” They were both quiet a moment and then he said, “Are you certain you have nothing you need to discuss?”
“Nothing at all.” Theo got up and moved back to the window he had abandoned. “If I seem maudlin to you, I suppose I’m just being…being foolish. What I need to do is clear my head. Go out and have a bit of fun. Usually I’d drag Callum along for such adventures, but he’s busy at the moment. Would you like to join me?”
Roarke got up and set his empty glass aside. “It’s a kind offer, but I also have plans with my wife.”
Theo’s brow wrinkled. In a flash of a moment he realized that now that his friends were both married and unfashionably in love with their wives…he was left out. No longer part of the center of the inner circle. And so was Bernadette. Perhaps that was why they were suddenly drawn to each other.
Once again, he shook those thoughts away. “Well, you enjoy that. Perhaps I’ll go to the Donville Masquerade. It’s been a while and it’s always a fine distraction.”
Roarke held his gaze a moment too long and then shrugged. “You have a good time.”
Theo saw him out, but as he watched his friend ride down the drive, the idea of the Donville Masquerade didn’t feel very good. It felt like he was living a lie. And betraying a woman he had already refused.
* * *
If Annabelle had tried to prepare her with harsh language, Bernadette still hadn’t fully understood what she was in for. But now she stood in the middle of the Donville Masquerade, wearing a blue satin mask she had hastily stitched with paste pearls earlier in the day, watching everything around her in overwhelmed awe.
All around her was noise and color and sin. She’d been at the masquerade for all of twenty minutes and she’d already seen so many people doing so many sensual things with and to each other. Kissing in ways that would cause a scandal in a proper house, dancing with not an inch between them as hands roved freely, and more. Things her husband had certainly never done to her.
She lifted a hand to touch her mask, to ensure her face was still covered. Although Annabelle had promised her that this was a safe space, she wasn’t fully certain of it yet. And if the wrong person discovered she was here andwasn’tdiscreet, it could be disastrous for her reputation. At any rate, she didn’t feel entirely protected by a thin layer of satin and frivolity.
“You look nervous, Miss Etta.”
Bernadette pivoted and found Annabelle Rivers standing at her side. “Oh, Annabelle, you scared me.”
“Yes, you looked a little lost and I thought I’d come say good evening.” Together they looked out over the hall at all the debauchery. “May I ask you a question that I didn’t want to pry about earlier in the day?”
The way that statement was couched made Bernadette nervous, but how could she refuse to answer the woman who had granted her entry? “Certainly.”
“Why did you want to come here?” Annabelle asked gently. “Was it only to find out about what your husband did or didn’t do all those years ago?”
Bernadette shifted. “No,” she finally admitted slowly. “Honestly, when it comes to his betrayals of me, I wasn’t surprised. His disregard was no mystery, even before I knew he took his appetites elsewhere. And he’s been dead long enough that sometimes I don’t even recall his face.”
“So you did truly come for yourself.” Annabelle reached out and squeezed her hand when she was quiet. “Etta, there is nothing wrong with wanting pleasure for yourself. With seeking it in a place like this or somewhere else.”
“I hope not, because I’m here now. And I have no idea what to do.”
“I could introduce you to a few gentlemen. Or ladies, if you prefer.”
Bernadette’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of ladies. What a concept! But no, I think it is a gentleman who would fit the bill. But…” She hesitated. “May I wait to take that generous offer? Perhaps tonight I could just…look. Watch. And get up my nerve.”
“Certainly.” Annabelle squeezed her hand again. “Do as you like. Here you have all the freedom in the world to do so. And I’m just across the room if you change your mind, or if you become overwhelmed. Good evening.”
Bernadette smiled at her, kind all over again. “Thank you.”
Annabelle slipped away, and Bernadette drew a long breath as she looked again at the people around her. A lady she thought for certain she recognized as a normally staid countess was being propped up on a table by not one but two men, and if the kissing and touching was any indication, it was all about to get even more arousing.
But before she could decide if she was going to watch or flee, she felt a hand curl around her upper arm and she pivoted to find a man towering over her. Only it wasn’t just any man. Masked or not, she knew it was Theo even before he spoke. And judging from the thin line of his mouth and the fire in his gaze, he seemed to know it was her, too.
A guess that was proven true when he hissed, “What the hell are you doing here?”
* * *
