“What is it?”
She jolted a little at the question and shook her head. “Nothing. Shall we?”
Will tucked her arm against his side and led them to the town house. The place was tidy and well-kept but looked empty from the outside. All the windows were dark and no sounds could be heard. If this really was a house of debauchery, it was a remarkably discreet one. Will’s heart began to flutter as he used the front door’s heavy brass knocker.
“I’m sure I will absolutely regret telling you this,” he began while they waited. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
She turned to him as her hand tightened on his arm, but before she could respond, the door swung open. They were met by a positively hulking man with white hair that hung past his shoulders and a pair of rheumy blue eyes. He said nothing as he looked past them with a blank stare, waiting.
After a moment, Phoebe nudged Will and he cleared his throat. “Avec plaisir.”
The man immediately stepped back from the doorway andgestured for them to enter. Will shot Phoebe an apprehensive look even though he could barely make out her face through the heavy gauze, but they dutifully stepped inside. The man led them down a long, dark corridor lit by wall sconces every few feet toward the faintest sound of laughter and conversation.
From the outside it looked to be just another town house, but inside it was deceptively big. They made a sharp turn and proceeded down another hallway going deeper into the house. Will guessed it was actually three row houses combined. No wonder they hadn’t heard anything from the street. But the sounds grew progressively louder as they reached a heavy oak door. The old man stopped abruptly.
“Enjoy yer evening,” he said in a dull rasp before he turned around and proceeded back down the corridor, dragging his fingertips along the wall.
Will and Phoebe both watched his slow, steady retreat. A blind doorman seemed like a good way to guarantee anonymity.
He faced Phoebe. “Last chance to turn back.”
“Absolutely not.”
Then she pushed open the door and charged ahead. Will rolled his eyes and followed her into what appeared to be an antechamber but after a few steps, Phoebe halted to a dead stop. As Will came up behind her, he noticed a couple pressed against a wall by another door in the throes of a rather passionate embrace. The woman’s skirts were rucked up and the man had hooked her stocking-clad leg around his waist. Whatever else he was doing, she seemed to enjoy it.
“Come,” Will said softly as he took Phoebe by the elbow and guided her past the couple, who hadn’t noticed them.
The sounds of revelry were even louder now and he opened the door to a party in full swing.
An attractive young lady wearing a silver half mask flanked by two massive men greeted them at the door and asked for the fee.
Will paid the eyebrow-raising sum without reacting, but this club certainly wasn’t cheap.
Phoebe reached for his arm and gripped it tightly as he ushered them deeper inside. The room was larger than he expected with patterned wallpaper in a deep forest green and matching sofas in soft velvet. An opulent crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and a large marble fireplace nearly took up an entire wall.
To his surprise, everyone in this room was fully clothed and simply socializing while masked waiters circulated with trays of champagne. One came up to them, but Will waved him away. He needed to be sharp tonight, especially with Phoebe here. Some of the guests also wore masks, but a number of others didn’t. They must be quite confident in the discretion of the other guests.
Will was just about to comment on this when an extremely inebriated man stumbled toward them, leering at Phoebe.
“And who have you brought?” He tried to swipe at her veil, but missed and nearly fell over. “Don’t be shy, love. We all share here.”
Will wrapped his arm around Phoebe’s waist and pulled her against his side. “Not her.”
The man pouted. “Well that’s not very sporting of you.” Then he let out a braying laugh that Will did not return. He gave a shrug. “Fine. You can’t hide forever though,” he added before toddling off to annoy someone else.
“Who was that?” Phoebe whispered.
“The Home Office’s undersecretary.”
She let out a huff. “Unbelievable.”
“Come.” Will took her hand and guided her along the edge of the room. He wanted to avoid any more encounters and onlyrecognized a few other people, none whose attendance here was a surprise. When they reached the other side, he drew Phoebe into a dark corner and leaned over to speak by her ear.
“Did you see her?”
She shook her head. “This can’t be all there is.”
Will could hear the frustration in her voice. “I’m not sure how freely we can wander about.”
