Looking down at her, a lazy, wicked smile crossed his lips. “Well, hello there, petal. I was wondering where you had disappeared off to.”
“Are you leaving already?” she asked before she could stop herself and inwardly grimaced at the disappointment evident in her voice. He heard it, too, and his smile grew a touch more wicked. When he took a step toward her, Mary immediately took one back, which ran her right up against the rail of the staircase.
“Would you like me to stay?”
Yes.
That was the answer that sped through her mind, although she dared not say it aloud. Her heart was fluttering madly against the book pressed into her breast, and her mouth felt suddenly dry. The way he looked at her… He leaned in, and her head tilted back automatically, eyes staring back into his golden gaze, trapped by it.
“Hartford.” Thomas barked out the title, and Mary had never been more relieved for her stuffy cousin’s interruption. Heat bloomed in her cheeks.
Good lord, she had been about to kiss Hartford in the middle of her aunt and uncle’s hallway!
Stepping back, a mild mask of an expression descending over his face, Hartford turned his head and nodded.
“Hood. I was just leaving.”
“See that you do,” Thomas replied, coming to a halt beside Mary. They both watched as Hartford made his way to and out of the front door. It was not until it shut behind him, she felt like she could truly draw a deep breath again. Thomas frowned down at her. “You should stay away from him, Mary.”
About to protest that he had not been there to see her but to visit Arabella, she quickly bit her tongue. That would hardly be a helpful argument to make to Thomas.
“I was making my way back to the drawing-room when I unexpectedly ran into him,” she said honestly. Thomas nodded, but the expression on his face was still dark, as though he was thinking.
“I will escort you back.” He proffered his arm, and Mary took it, feeling only a little wistfulness over what might have been if Thomas had not interrupted.
Rex
His second private encounter with Miss Wilson had only confirmed his thoughts after the first.
There was a secret side to the young lady, one which Arabella had not been aware of, even though she would have been delighted by it. She seemed close to Miss Wilson. He wondered if Miss Wilson’s friends knew. Regardless, he knew his attention was now fixed.
In the hall, she had backed away initially, yes, but then she had been waiting for him to kiss her… wanting him to. There was an attraction between them that could not be denied. He had to admit, the mystery of her appealed to him greatly, especially since he had been permitted to see a side of her she did not reveal to most others. Why he had been so singled out, he did not know, but he felt rather chuffed to be so.
Strolling along the streets of Mayfair, he began plotting his course.
Tonight, he had the masquerade to host for the Society, but his thoughts were already on tomorrow. He would keep everything aboveboard, just as he had with Arabella. Imagining the look on Hood’s face when he learned Rex had applied to the Viscount to court Miss Wilson nearly made him laugh aloud. He would also have to prepare for the interest in her his courtship would garner.
After his failed courtship of Arabella last year, many might assume he had decided to pursue her antithesis, but there were other women who would fit that description who were unrelated to Arabella. Some might question his motives in courting the cousin of the man who married the woman he had spent so much time dancing attendance on last year. Either way, attention would be fixed on them for a bit. There was no way around that.
He would still be the only one who knew of Miss Wilson’s hidden character, which should give him a distinct advantage.
First, the courtship, then the marriage proposal, and he would be able to finish what he had started at the Richmonds’ ball. The front of his pants tightened as his body reacted. It would be very interesting to tease and seduce that secret side of Miss Wilson to the fore for him to enjoy in the bedroom.
Head lost in the clouds, he strolled home, plotting and fantasizing.
Chapter 6
Rex
“Rex, there you are—come and play.” The sultry, seductive tones of Mrs. Emilia Huss matched her appearance. She was temptation personified—tall and plumply curved, with a face and body like a Botticelli angel—and they enjoyed the same games in the bedroom. In fact, they had whiled away many an hour together on those games.
Tonight, he was not tempted at all.
The translucent material over her breasts hid nothing, and she’d thrown open her domino, so he might have a look at her ripe nipples and the swell of her breasts. The mask over her face hid her identity well enough, but the hood of the domino had slipped, showing off her easily identifiable dark red hair, and she had not bothered to disguise her voice.
“Perhaps later,” he found himself responding, already knowing later would never come. “I believe you will find an eager partner in the next room over. The blue domino and mask.” He tilted his head, indicating the direction. Emilia brightened with interest, the front of her domino sliding closed again before she hurried away.
He was fairly certain the gentleman in question was Lord Hartshorn, newly in from the country. Emilia would not have played with him before and would appreciate the novelty and the mystery of his identity.
That was half the fun of a masquerade, especially for the Society. Like a regular masquerade in the ton, there were those who clung to their chosen partners, but for those who spread their favors around, it added an extra flavor of forbidden fruit to the night. The very anonymity of the encounters created an entirely new kind of excitement.
Rex did not bother wearing more than a half-mask. With his height and coloring, he was instantly recognizable, regardless, and since he was the host, he preferred it that way.
There was one guest he was looking to identify, though. He had been looking for Lucas for the past half hour, going room to room to room. After assuring Hood and Perth, Lucas would not interrupt their enjoyment of the evening, Rex was determined to ensure that would be the case. While he had been truthful in saying the masquerade would disguise their identities, he was not the type to take chances. A reminder to Lucas, and perhaps an eye on how much drink he imbibed, would not be amiss.
It also gave him a convenient excuse for not indulging in the activities. They were not having their usual effect on him. Oh, his body responded, but his mind was not engaged. He was easily distracted and found himself fantasizing rather than diving in.
Miss Wilson’s face kept sliding across his mind, making its way into every tableau he became a voyeur to. Wondering what kind of wife she would make, whether or not she would enjoy the various scenes laid out around his house, and which ones she would be willing to be a part of. Between his fantasizing about his current marital prospect and his concern about Lucas, he was not in the mood for the kind of play the Society had to offer him.
Frowning, Rex realized he had come to the front of the house and had not seen Lucas. Was he even here? Determined now, he turned to make his way back through the rooms, closely inspecting every single person. Which was when something caught his eye—something… wrong.
He paused in the doorway. At first glance, the scene in the room appeared to be common for one of the Society’s gatherings. One of the women was bare to her waist, her domino puddled on the floor around her, hands held above her head by a masked man, while a masked woman and masked man sucked on her nipples. She was moaning and writhing, thrusting her breasts forward. Around the edge of the room, various couples and singles were watching.