“Well, maybe we can help you figure out who she is,” Patricia offered. “We talked to almost every lady here tonight. What was she wearing?”
“I don’t remember what every woman was wearing this evening,” Stephen said. “I doubt you can, either. The entire ballroom is full of guests, and more than half are ladies.”
“It’s worth a try,” Patricia replied.
Stephen let out a frustrated sigh. “Figuring out who this phantom lady is will be like picking a winning card out of deck on the first try.”
“Stephen, we owe it to him to try. And if we can’t figure it out, we’ll go back into the ballroom and look for her. She might have returned while we’ve been in here.”
“If she ran out of the room, it’s because she doesn’t want us to find her.”
“Stephen,” she warned in an exasperated tone.
He threw his hands up in the air. “All right. I’ll stop being the voice of reason.” He gestured for Lewis to talk. “Tell us what this phantom lady looked like.”
“She was wearing a pink gown,” Lewis began. “It wasn’t a light kind of pink. I’d say it was between medium and dark pink.”
“There were quite a few ladies with pink gowns on,” Stephen said. “And saying it was between medium and dark is somewhat vague.”
Ignoring Stephen, Patricia asked, “What about her mask? What did it look like?”
“It was white, and it had a gold trim around it,” Lewis said.
He’d barely finished the sentence when Patricia gasped. “I wonder if it could be…” She glanced between Lewis and Stephen as if trying to figure out if she should continue on with the thought or not.
Since he had nothing to lose, Lewis encouraged her to keep going.
After a moment, she said, “I gave Marcy a mask that was white with gold trim so she could come to the ball tonight.”
“I saw quite a few white masks this evening,” Stephen pointed out.
“Yes, but how many had a gold trim?” Patricia asked.
“All right, I didn’t look at their masks that closely,” he allowed. “But what if it was Marcy? Maybe she came to enjoy some dances. It doesn’t mean she wants to marry Lewis.”
“You’re wrong. She’s been in love with him for quite some time now.”
“She has?” Lewis asked, surprised.
Patricia jerked and looked at him as if she’d forgotten he was there. Her cheeks went pink, and he suddenly realized Patricia hadn’t meant for him to find out, especially not this way.
Well, she’d let the secret out, so there was no taking it back. No wonder the lady had seemed familiar to him. He’d gotten a glimpse of her every so often when he came by to see Stephen and Patricia, and there were a couple of times when she’d offered to bring him tea or help him in other ways. He had no idea she’d done all of that because she was in love with him. He’d assumed she was just being nice.
Why hadn’t she just come out and told him who she was, especially since he’d told her he’d wanted her to show up and talk to him tonight?
The answer was obvious. She’d probably intended to tell him who she was but then lost her nerve. If he’d been in love with a lady, he probably wouldn’t have told her who he was. What if she laughed at him? What if she told him he couldn’t be with her because he was a servant? She knew he was looking for a wealthy lady. She might be in love with him, but she was Patricia’s lady’s maid. Why would she think he’d ever pick her to be his bride? So it was no wonder she ran off.
And this left him in a conundrum. He needed money, but what he most desired was a marriage like Stephen and Patricia had. He just might have something like that with Marcy. He wouldn’t have believed it before, but he did now. She had a fun side to her. She’d gotten him out of his shell, and when he finally warmed up to talking to her, she hadn’t gotten bored of listening to him. He thought they might do well together. And in the past whenever he’d seen her, she’d done whatever she could to make him comfortable. She’d done that for Stephen and Patricia, too, and he suspected it wasn’t just because she was a maid. She sincerely cared about them.
He’d heard horror stories of gentlemen who married ladies who turned out to be harpies. Why, look at Lady Eloise and the way she’d treated Stephen. No amount of money was worth being with someone like that. That decided it. He’d rather marry Marcy knowing exactly what he was getting. Wealth could be built up. He’d be diligent about following Stephen’s advice. It would take time, but he’d restore his estate to what it’d been when his father was alive.
“Take me to Marcy,” Lewis told Patricia as he rose to his feet. “She’s the one I’m going to marry.”
“Are you sure that’s a wise idea?” Stephen asked. “Marcy has no money.”
“I know that,” Lewis replied, “but she’s the one I want. I have enough money to get by for a while. I’ll invest the rest. It’ll take time, but everything will be fine.”
“It might take you longer to get that money than you think it will,” Stephen argued.
“Oh, stop,” Patricia told Stephen as she stood up. “I think it’d be romantic if Marcy got to marry him. She’s been pining for him for a long time now. This will be wonderful for her.” She turned to Lewis. “Let’s see if she’s in her room.”
Before Stephen could protest again, Lewis took Patricia by the arm and led her to the doorway. He couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. Love matches only came once in a lifetime. He wouldn’t get another chance. He had to seize the moment while he had it. Before the night was over, he was going to claim his bride.
Chapter Seven
Marcy’s heart was still pounding by the time she changed into her nightclothes. The gown and the mask were safely tucked away in her trunk. The evidence that she’d been at the ball was hidden. The night had been wonderful. Some might say it’d even been magical. But it was over now. She was back to being a maid. Now that Lewis had come out of his shell, he would be able to approach other ladies, and certainly, he’d find another one to take an interest in…one who had lots of money.
And she’d have this evening—this wonderful and magical evening—to look back on and relive whenever she wished. She glanced at her journal. She must write everything down while it was fresh in her mind. She didn’t want to forget a single detail. Then, whenever she wished, she could read about it and, for a while, she’d be happy.
She might end up spending all night writing her entry, and she’d be tired tomorrow. But she didn’t care. This wouldn’t be the first time she’d lost a full night’s sleep. It would just be the first time she’d lost it for a good reason.
She had just sat down on her bed with the journal open on her lap when a knock came at her door. She tensed. No one ever knocked on her door.
“Marcy?” came Patricia’s voice from the other side of the door. “Are you in there?”
Marcy cleared her throat. “Yes. Just a moment.”
Marcy set the journal down and went to the door. She was sure Patricia intended to take her to the ball. She’d wanted Marcy to have a dance or two in order to enjoy the evening. But Marcy would have to claim a headache or some other malady in order to get Patricia to leave her alone. Then she’d write in her journal…and relive her enchanted evening with Lewis all over again. She stood at the door for a moment then opened it a crack.
Patricia, who was fully dressed in her gown and holding a mask, offered her a smile. “Have you had an enjoyable evening so far?”
Surprised by the playful tone in Patricia’s voice, Marcy’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’ve been in here all evening.”
“Really? Because we have good reason to believe you were at the ball,” Patricia said. “Mind if I show Lewis a mask a certain lady was wearing this evening?”
Marcy was tempted to shut the door and shove the trunk in front of it to bar their entry, but then Lewis came into view. She jerked in alarm.
“I don’t care that you’re a maid,” Lewis said. “I want to marry you anyway
.”
Patricia gestured for Lewis to step out of view. “She’s in her nightclothes. She needs to put on a robe before you can see her.”
“Oh, my apologies,” Lewis replied then went out of Marcy’s view.
“Go on,” Patricia told her. “Put on something to cover yourself up.”
After a moment of stunned silence, Marcy grabbed her robe and slipped it on. She had just tied it around her waist when Patricia and Lewis came into the small room. From behind them, Marcy saw Stephen. Stephen didn’t enter the room. He remained outside. That was just as well since the three of them filled up almost the entire space.
Patricia went over to the small armoire and sorted through it.
“What are you doing?” Marcy asked.
“Looking for the mask so Lewis can confirm it was you he was dancing with this evening,” Patricia said. “We have to make sure he has the right lady.”
“You said yourself that she was wearing a white mask with gold trim.” Lewis told Patricia. Then he turned to Marcy. “You’re the same height, and you have the same voice. It has to be you.”
Marcy’s heart thumped so hard she thought for sure it would jump out of her chest and onto the floor. She hadn’t expected him to ever find out it was her. She’d assumed he would go on with the evening and end up with someone else. But he was here…right here in her room…and letting her know she hadn’t been as clever as she’d thought.
“It’s not here,” Patricia murmured as she left the armoire. She went over to Marcy. “It has to be you. I made that mask especially for you. No other lady was wearing anything like it.
“Oh good grief,” Stephen intervened from outside the room. “There’s a trunk right next to you, Patricia. It’s probably in there.”
Marcy was ready to voice a protest when Patricia rushed over to it. Certainly, there was something she could say or do to stop them from discovering the truth, and as much as she knew she should do it, a part of her wanted to be exposed. Lewis had just told her he didn’t care that she was a maid. He was willing to marry her anyway. The selfish part of her screamed at her to keep quiet. Let Patricia expose her. Then, if Lewis really wanted to be with her, she’d get to hear him say those wonderful words again.
Patricia lifted the lid, and right away, her pink gown was there for everyone to see.
This didn’t get past Lewis, for he called out, “That’s the gown the lady I was dancing with was wearing.”
Patricia found the mask and showed it to him.
“That’s the mask she was wearing, too,” Lewis said as he took it. Then, as if he remembered Marcy was in the room, he turned to her. “It was you. You can’t deny it at this point. The evidence speaks for itself.”
Marcy glanced at everyone, her face growing warmer by the second.
Marcy cleared her throat and tucked the robe closer around her body. “I’m just a maid. I didn’t belong in that ballroom as a guest. The whole point of this evening was for you to find a wealthy lady.”
Lewis hesitated for a moment then asked Patricia and Stephen to leave them alone.
“I don’t know if we should do that,” Patricia said. “Isn’t that scandalous?” She looked at Stephen, waiting for him to answer.
“We’re in the servants’ quarters,” Stephen replied. “No one cares what servants do.”
“He’s not a servant,” Patricia argued, gesturing to Lewis.
“I don’t care if this will end up becoming a scandal or not,” Lewis said. “I’d like to talk to Marcy alone.” When Patricia didn’t move, he added, “I’m going to marry her. I should have a right to speak to my bride in private.”
There they were again. The words that told Marcy he wanted to be with her. And they sounded even better the second time around.
Stephen motioned for Patricia to leave the room. “You and I are both witnesses. He’s not getting out of this marriage. It doesn’t matter if they do anything in bed at this point.”
“I’m not going to have my way with her,” Lewis said. “I only wish to speak with her. I’ll be back in the ballroom soon enough.”
Patricia nodded and left. Stephen escorted her down the hall, and Lewis shut the door.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Marcy blurted out. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Lewis replied as he went over to her. “I’m coming for the lady who enchanted me this evening in the ballroom. That lady is you.” He lifted the mask. “This was the mask. No one else in that ballroom had a mask like this.”
There was no sense in denying the evidence. Finally, she shook her head and said, “I shouldn’t have gone. I had no business being there.”
“If memory serves, I did ask you to come.”
Yes, but even so, she should have showed some restraint. She should have stayed here.
“I don’t understand how you could be so lively out there in a room full of people, and yet, when it’s just us, you’re closing yourself off to me,” he said.
“It was easy to hide who I was out there. As you said, there was a room full of people. We were all wearing masks. I…I…” How could she best explain it? “I got caught up in the moment.”
She’d forgotten the past few years of her life, and for a short time, she was the person she used to be. But she couldn’t dare say that. He must never know the truth. She put her face in her hands. She should have been stronger. She should have stayed here.
“I got caught up in the moment, too,” he softly spoke. “That’s what made everything so magical. I think this evening was the first time we saw each other as we really are. I think the masks helped us to be our real selves.”
Well, yes, he was probably right about that.
“I’m glad you came to the ball,” Lewis continued. “It allowed me to see you. Really see you. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re the right lady for me.”
Marcy had to take a couple of deep breaths so she wouldn’t faint. She’d only fainted one time in her life, and that was at her father’s funeral. She recalled how fast her heart had been beating right before everything went dark. Only by taking deep breaths did she now get her heartbeat to slow down.
So many times she had fantasized about Lewis coming to talk to her alone, and in those dreams he always told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She had no idea any of those fantasies would become real.
“I understand why you were afraid to tell me who you were,” he began. “It would have been terribly awkward, considering how many times I’ve been here and you’ve given me tea or seen to my comfort in some other way. I didn’t realize you did that because you loved me. I thought it was something you were only doing because you were a maid.”
She felt her heart stop. He knew she loved him? How could he possibly know unless Patricia had told him? This was embarrassing. He wasn’t supposed to find out she’d been in love with him all along.
“Marcy,” he continued, “you’re fun and exciting, and for the first time in my life, I can see myself marrying someone. I don’t care that you have no money. What I want most is a love match. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I only had one problem. I never found the right lady. That is, until tonight. As you know, I don’t have much money to my name. We wouldn’t have any servants except for the coachman, and the townhouse I own isn’t in the best condition. Some day, though, I’ll have money. I’ll be wise with what I have and invest it. For some time, we won’t have many comforts. I know it’s not the ideal way to start a life together, but what good is money if you’re with someone you can’t give your heart to? I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter what the future brings.” He took her hand in his and pressed it against his chest. “What do you say? Will you marry me?”
She blinked back the tears welling up in her eyes. That part was so much better than anything she’d ever imagined in her fantasies. How could she say no to something like that? Even with her past screaming at her that she didn’t d
eserve to be happy, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. Because, when it all came down to it, she wanted to be with him more than she’d ever wanted anything.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you.”
A smile crossed his face before he brought his mouth to hers for a kiss she’d often dreamt about but never thought she’d get to experience. It was much more thrilling than she’d imagined. She wrapped her arms around him and gave herself completely to the moment. At this point in time, the past didn’t matter. All that mattered was Lewis.
When the kiss ended, he asked, “Why don’t you put the gown and mask back on and come back to the ball? There’s still another hour left where we can enjoy each other’s company.”
“We’ve already had two dances.”
“Who says we have to dance? I was having fun talking to you. There are plenty of chairs in the room.”
“Where’s your mask?”
He glanced around as if he expected to find it in her room, but she would have remembered if he’d brought it in with him. He snapped his fingers. “I left it in the den when I was trying to figure out who the mystery lady was.”
“Mystery lady?”
“That’s what I called the lady I had fallen in love with tonight.”
She resisted the urge to ask him to repeat the last part of that sentence. More than anything, she wanted to hear him say he’d fallen in love with her again. But she managed to push the desire aside. He had come for her after she ran out of the ballroom, he had proposed to her, he had kissed her, and he had mentioned loving her. There was no way she could expect more than that in one evening.
He gave her another kiss, this one shorter. “I’ll get my mask and wait for you in the ballroom. I’ll be by the entrance so I won’t miss you.”
With a smile that made her weak in the knees, he left her room, shutting the door behind him.
She needed to take a moment to gather her composure. Her hands were shaking, and her heartbeat was still much too fast. Everything was happening so quickly she could hardly believe it. When she woke up this morning, she didn’t think this evening would end like this.
One Enchanted Evening (Marriage by Fairytale Book 2) Page 6