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She wasn’t afraid of danger, thieves, and scoundrels. She had read far too many stories about them, romanticizing the entire notion to ridiculous heights. What she was afraid of, however, was the mundane. Which meant that the next item he selected for her would need to be frighteningly boring. Terribly dull.

And there was only one place that elicited such feelings in him. A ball.

Luckily, a ball was brewing just around the corner, and since his sister, Isabel, was the one hosting it, he could be certain Miss Fowley would get an invitation. As for Miss Fowley’s list, she had an item ready to cross off: To dance all dances during a ball. This on its own sounded quite dull to him, but he had formed a plan to make this entire ordeal even more taxing for the adventurous bluestocking.

When the night of the ball arrived, Adam had a strange fluttering in his belly. He had never been excited or anxious about a ball, and this newfound feeling was rather confusing. Perhaps, he was just looking forward to getting rid of Beatrice, or perhaps, he was tickled by the idea of outsmarting her.

So, he got dressed, applied his cologne, and made his way to his sister’s townhouse. Miss Fowley would meet him there, hopefully with her chaperone this time. In the meantime, he spent his time chatting with his friends, discussing their recent escapades.

“And where have you been, Adam?” Viscount Thornton asked after another story of the drunken roguery was over.

“I’ve been… keeping busy.”

“Anything to do with the lady you snuck off with during the Hades’ masquerade?” Lucien Drake asked him with a curious glint in his eyes.

“No,” Adam lied, conscious of the fact that anything he admitted to could bring scrutiny to his every step tonight. “Actually, I’ve had my watch stolen.”

“Your silver watch with diamond dust?” Thornton blew a whistle.

“Exactly. I’ve been looking for it everywhere and have been advised by a few sources that it might be sold at an underground auction.” He turned to Lucien, who had connections in the underground world. “Would you happen to know anything about that?”

The man just shrugged. “I am not privy to the catalog of items they will display. But I can get you an exclusive invite.”

“That would be perfect.” Adam heaved a sigh of relief. He still didn’t think his watch would actually be there. But he would feel better knowing he’d exhausted every possible avenue before giving up the search.

“A word of advice,” Lucien added. “Do not show up there alone. You need a stunning woman on your arm.”

Adam furrowed his brows. “Why is that?”

“Because you want to blend in as if you belong. And since no one knows you in their world, they will be scrutinizing everything about you. But if you have a beautiful woman on your arm in a revealing gown… Nobody’s going to pay any attention to you.”

Just then, Beatrice entered the ballroom, and Adam’s attention immediately drifted to her.

She was not wearing a revealing gown. In fact, she was covered from head to toe, with an unfashionably high bodice and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. And Adam would not exactly call Beatrice stunning—charming, yes. She had a quiet type of beauty. One that wasn’t obvious at first glance, but the more one got to know her, the more it shone through. She had a smile that lit a fire within his veins and big brown eyes one could drown in, which she hid under her round spectacles. But he found some truth in Lucien’s words. Once she entered the room, Adam forgot to pay attention to anyone else.

He excused himself from his friends and walked toward her with measured strides. She looked nervous as she stood by her aunt’s side, fiddling with her gloves. He reached her, and immediately, her face lit up with a beautiful smile.

“Miss Fowley.” He bowed over her hand. “Such a pleasure to meet you here.”

“Likewise.” She dipped into a curtsy, her eyes glittering with excitement, and for a moment, his heart flinched, forcing him to reconsider his plan.

But only for a moment. He needed to do this, or he would spend the next few weeks running after her, pulling her out of one dangerous situation after the next. He had already lost his watch and was now wasting his time looking for it. Which was not her fault but the direct result of her careless list. Next time, something more sinister could happen. He was doing this for her own good, he convinced himself.

“Mrs. Merriglow.” Adam kissed the air above her knuckles. “I hope you shall enjoy yourself here tonight.”

“Kind of you,” she said in a tone that meant ‘I doubt it.’

“Do you mind if I steal Miss Fowley for a stroll about the ballroom?” he asked.

Aunt Dragongaze glanced at her niece and nodded. “Enjoy your night. I shall be at the refreshments table.”

Adam offered his arm to Beatrice. “Shall we?”

“Thank you.” She wrapped her fingers over his arm, and they started their route around the room. “So, you decided to continue with our wager,” Beatrice noted after a brief pause. “I would have thought you would choose an easy way out.”

“This is an easy way out,” Adam insisted. “I am not taking you to the auction.”

“Unless you lose this wager,” she pointed out.