'I have very good cause for my outrage, Asheville. Very good cause indeed, I assure you. I feel ill-used."
'Surely the sound of Madame de Chambray's playing cannot help but soothe your soul."
'Madame de Chambray is the cause of my megrims."
The earl's eyebrows rose a little. "From all I observe, you appeared to be getting on famously, none more so. Truth to tell, I have become quite envious of the cordiality which was apparent between you."
'You are cruel to remind me of it, my lord, but even so, I feel it only fair to warn you that the lady, whose name I shall not mention, but who is of interest to both of us, has recently discovered her husband is alive, dashing all my hopes and plans for the future."
'How thoughtless of him."
'I do not doubt you will cry roast meat over this, but I am desolate and cannot be comforted."
The earl made a conscious attempt to hide his amusement. "Are you quite certain of your facts? I am no more pleased about this than you are."
Satisfied he had caused Lord Asheville some shock, Sir Aldan smiled for the first time. "It was told to me in confidence, thus my reluctance to name the lady, but you may rely upon the veracity of what I have said."
'Well, it is of no concern to me," the earl went on airily. "If I so choose, I can call the fellow out and draw his cork. From all Madame de Chambray has told me, it would not grieve her in the slightest."
'Even so, it is a desperate remedy."
'Have no fear, I shall not resort to be dueling on this occasion. Lady Asheville will be back in town with the sennight, and I must address myself to her."
Sir Aldan looked startled. "I had no notion she would return so soon."
'I had looked to see you pleased at the news."
'Oh, I am, I assure you," the baronet insisted.
'I must naturally insist that you keep your distance when she does return, Buckley."
'We are like to meet socially."
'I believe you will find Lady Asheville has lost her taste for your company."
'I take leave to doubt that," the baronet said angrily.
'Let me assure you, it is so."
'I will not believe it until Lady Asheville herself has told me so."
'Buckley, I am telling you. Let that be sufficient.
Sir Aldan glanced at the earl and saw his resolve The baronet swallowed noisily. This is devastating news to me."
'You must endeavor to bear it bravely," the earl told him in a rallying tone.
'We have the misfortune to like the same ladies Asheville," Sir Aldan remarked a moment later and was unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice That should forge a bond between us, not a chasm."
The earl laughed. "I fear that the ladies in question do not much like you, sir." He gave Sir Aldan a withering look. "And I cannot wonder why That coat is as offensive to me as it most undoubtedly will be to Madame de Chambray."
Sir Aldan's eyes opened wide at this unexpected attack. "Lord Asheville! That insult was quite uncalled for, as I employ the finest tailor in London Everyone knows it. I really must protest "
'Protest is all you will do. Now, be pleased to remove yourself and allow me to enjoy what remains of this recital."
'I pity Lady Asheville with all my heart," Sir Aldan said darkly. "She is leg-shackled to a blackguard of the first order."
He turned on his heel, and the earl smiled faintly before turning his attention back to Pandora at the harpsichord.
TWELVE
In the event, Lady St. James did not need her domino for the masquerade, for a note arrived that morning informing them of the imminent arrival of her cousin from France.
'What a relief that is to me," Rosamond declared. "I cannot tell you what a fidge I have been in every time I have heard the news from Paris."
'This is indeed good news," Pandora agreed, "but there is now no choice for me. I must act with no further delay, for after tonight the masquerade must be over."
'Do not allow my cousin's arrival to panic you, my dear. You are very welcome to stay in this house to continue awhile longer should you wish."
'It is kind of you to say so, dearest, but you will have sufficient to deal with when your cousin does arrive, as will Frangois and Jeanne. In truth I no longer have the heart to exploit such a tragic situation."
'That is something I would not have envisaged your saying a few weeks ago."
'It is possible I am vastly wiser than I was then. In any event, this has gone on long enough," she added with more briskness. "I did not envisage it becoming quite so complex."
'What exactly do you intend to do to end it?"
'I must make my attempt to lure Asheville into an indiscretion with no further delay. If I cannot, and he has been exceeding careful so far, I shall be obliged to retire to Brocklesby Hall until such time he allows me back into town."
'I do not know whether I wish you to succeed or not."
Pandora laughed brokenly. "Nor do I, but I have had the devil's own luck so far. Perchance it will stay with me until the end of the game."
'Lord Asheville is not aware he is playing a game."
'Then the odds needs must be on my side."
Madame de Fontenac arrived during the afternoon. She appeared frail and fatigued, which was no more than could be expected after the ordeal of her journey, but she was considerably relieved to be safe and in the bosom of her family at last. Pandora's heart went out to her. Madame de Fontenac was nothing like the flirtatious, fictional Madame de Chambray. Surprisingly, after being reunited with his mother, Francois insisted upon escorting Pandora to Ranelagh for the masquerade, where they were to join some acquaintances in their own box.
'Will you will be my friend when you return to being Lady Asheville?" Francois asked of her as the music played in the rotunda and those in the box enjoyed a hearty supper.
'I have always been Lady Asheville," Pandora assured him. "And I hope very much to remain your friend. However, Francois, now she is arrived in England, your poor dear mother will need your support even more than I have done."
'I know it. I am man enough to afford you both support. You need not doubt it, my lady."
'You are the dearest boy, and one day you will make some lady a wonderful husband."
'But she will not be the first lady of my choice."
'Certainly she will," Pandora enthused. "You will marry only a lady of your choice, Francois."
'It will certainly be possible if I call Lord Asheville out and draw his cork."
Pandora was amused by his ardor, but she strove hard to hide it. "Oh, I beg of you, do not even consider it. You have no cause, in any event."
'His ill treatment of you is reason enough."
'It has all been a trifle, Francois." He looked horrified. "How can you say so after all you have been obliged to endure of late?"
'Had I not acted in such a headstrong manner at the outset, the matter would have been quickly resolved. Now I am trapped with only one way out. I cannot cry off now, I fear. I must continue until the end, whatever that might be."
'Have no fear, my lady. I am resolved to remain your champion."
His loyalty caused her to smile again. "How that knowledge warms my heart, Francois."
'A heart you have given to another, I fancy."
Square, to enjoy her triumph, or to be banished forever to Brocklesby Hall. Once, the thought of spending time in the country had been unbearable to her. Now, Pandora was forced to acknowledge that it was life without the earl she could not bear to contemplate.
Once in the hall of the rotunda she was diverted by having to guess the identity of those strolling there. Some were easy to identify, others not so simple. As always it was vastly amusing. Pandora knew that in her scarlet domino and mask she could not be easily identified, except when she spoke in that soft, seductive French accent that was becoming second nature to her.
As usual she kept seeking out a glimpse of the earl, for s
he felt now she had no more time to lose. The ruse, in any event, was no longer so amusing, and she was eager to see an end to it.
Suddenly she became tense when she spotted someone with Lord Asheville's bearing walking toward them. He was accompanying a lady who could easily be his mother. Pandora squeezed Francois's arm, and they made their way toward the couple.
'Is this not the most delightful evening?" Pandora greeted them.
The man, who was wearing a blue domino and mask, bowed low in front of her. "It is all the more delightful for this encounter, ma'am," came the reply, and Pandora's smile froze behind her mask, for it was not the earl, after all.
As soon as she could extricate herself, Pandora sketched a little curtsy, and she and Francois moved on. "That, I am persuaded, was Lord and
Lady Erskine," All at once she began to laugh. "He is nothing like my husband. Oh, dear, Francois, what if I'am unable to discover which one he is? Or better still, what if I entice a complete stranger?"
'That cannot possibly happen, even if you are obliged to wait until the unmasking."
'I cannot wait that long. Shall I be obliged to challenge every tall gentleman present?"
She began to laugh again, until someone said, "How splendid it is to see you in such good spirits, ma'am."
Her laughter faded when she looked up. He was wearing a black-and-silver domino that covered the elegant clothes that would normally have made him conspicuous to her. Behind the mask his dark eyes sparkled, whether with amusement or malice Pandora could not know, but she would have recognized them anywhere.
'A gentleman in black," she gasped. "I wonder who he may be."
'I know who you are," he responded enigmatically.
'What a tease that is for me."
'We have met before."
'Then I feel we must be friends, sir."
'Much more than that."
'I am all the more intrigued."
'We must continue our promenade," Francois began as he started to move away.
'Not so fast. This gentleman makes me curious," Pandora told him.
'You are exceeding wise, ma'am. Come with me to the lake, and I will give you more clues to my identity," the earl promised.
'How can I refuse such an invitation?" she responded, despite Francois's gasp of annoyance.
The earl turned his attention to the young man. "Unfortunately, young man, there is room within the boat for only the two of us. No doubt you will find other entertainment where you may."
Francois had no choice but to withdraw, but Pandora was very well aware he was not happy to do so. When the earl took her hand and began to lead her toward the lake, she said, "You were exceeding cruel to that young man who is devoted to me."
'
'Tis nothing to the cruelty he will encounter in the future at the hands of ladies."
'You evidently do not have high regard for females, sir."
'I beg you to forgive that slight note of bitterness, ma'am, for I have suffered cruelly at the altar of feminine worship."
'That is a terrible tale indeed. It saddens me greatly to hear of it."
'I did not mean to depress your spirits, ma'am. I should like to gladden your heart."
'It is exceeding gallant of you to say so."
An attendant was waiting at the lakeside. Lord Asheville handed Pandora into one of the small boats, which was not an easy task, owing to her many voluminous skirts. When he, too, was seated a moment later, he took up the oars, rowing gently away from the shore and into the center of the lake, where many other couples were enjoying the boating.
'Do you not think this is a night when magic is abroad?" Pandora ventured.
'How strange that you should say so. I have had just those thoughts myself. 'Tis an evening when devils may be transformed into saints."
'Or the other way around," she reminded him, and he laughed.
'Perchance hags may become beauties," he ventured.
'There might well be a hag behind this mask. You cannot know, sir."
'It makes no odds to me. You see, at midnight you will become a great beauty, so have no fear. You only have to wait."
'You truly believe in the power of magic, do you not?"
'Mayhap just for tonight."
Pandora laughed and sat back as he propelled the boat across the smooth surface of the water. Soon it became apparent there were fewer boats at this part of the lake, and the music had grown fainter.
After a while the earl rowed the boat into the bank and got out, holding his hand to her. Pandora allowed him to help her onto the bank, reluctant to relinquish his hand. He suffered a similar reluctance, for he kept hold of her as they walked together to one of the paths illuminated by colored lanterns hanging in the trees.
'This is such a lovely spot," she murmured. "One can truly believe in the power of magic."
Let us walk back toward the rotunda, and mayhap by the time we arrive you will have guessed who I am."
She drew a deep sigh. "Apparently it is so. I would like to say I wish it otherwise, but Lord Asheville is the only man I have ever loved. It should have been apparent to me from the outset, but poor, blind fool that I am, I could not see it. It appears I was masked long before the masquerade began."
'Does Lord Asheville return your devotion?"
The question brought unbidden tears to her eyes, and she looked away in dismay. "I doubt it. His behavior has never betrayed the slightest affection for me beyond what is polite. His conduct while he believed me to be in Suffolk does not indicate a man who is lovesick. In any event, a man as stylish as my husband would regard it unfashionable to be in love with his own wife. Someone else's mayhap, but never his own."
'I wish, how I wish, I could do something to end your agony, my lady," Francois exclaimed.
'I shall be content to return to my home in Hanover Square
and take my rightful place at his side. That is as much as I can ask now. You can help me achieve my wish by escorting me around the rotunda in the hope I shall encounter him tonight, for time is fast running out in this comedie noire."
'It will be an honor to escort you," Franccois replied, "but I cannot help but hope we do not encounter Lord Asheville this evening."
Pandora cast him a sympathetic smile and then adjusted her domino and mask before they left the box, where the servants were still putting out the miscellany of tidbits she had been unable to touch. By the morrow she would be back in Hanover.
'Time is passing, sir, and I am of the opinion we will have unmasked long before we arrive."
'So much the better, for we will be done with pretense at last, and that must be a great relief to the both of us."
His words seemed uncannily appropriate, and momentarily they unnerved her. Then she cried, "La! What a clear night it is. How fortunate we are the weather is not inclement."
The earl clucked his tongue reprovingly. "Surely you can talk about something of greater import than the weather, ma'am."
'You are at present a stranger to me, so on what subject may we converse with any certainty?"
'There are many things. Life. Love. There is no subject we cannot broach, for our masks make mountebanks of us all."
'So, you are a confessed mountebank, sir." Pandora chuckled. "I confess I am disappointed in you."
'I pray you, do not think ill of me, for when we unmask, the truth will be evident to you at last."
'You talk in riddles, and I grow weary," she said with a sigh.
'You need be weary no longer, ma'am. Look at the sky. The firecrackers have begun to explode. 'Tis time to unmask."
Pandora looked up to where the crackers were exploding and lighting up the sky with their fire. Other couples parading in the gardens paused, too, and then, with a great deal of laughter, they began to unmask each other.
When the last firecracker faded out of the sky, Lord Asheville said in a soft voice, "The masquerade ends," and reached out for the strings of her mask. Pandor
a had no option but to allow him to unfasten them. "Why, Madame de Chambray, as I thought," he said, sounding satisfied.
'And you, sir? I am in a fidge to know the identity of my gallant this evening."
'Can you not even hazard a guess?"
'Lord Merston?" With one movement of his hand he untied his own mask. "Lord Asheville," she gasped, feigning surprise. "How amusing this has been," she added in her flirtatious manner.
'I have also enjoyed the evening," he admitted, "but nothing can last forever, especially when it is a sham. Reality always beckons."
'Alas, that is so. Shall we return to the rotunda, or do you have other plans for the rest of the evening?"
He caught hold of her hand and drew her toward him. "As we are alone at last, and so rarely, I am bound to confess I have no wish to share your company with others."
'Lord Asheville!" she protested laughingly. "You go too far."
'Unlike Sir Aldan Buckley I have no care whether your husband lives or not," he whispered, his face close to hers now.
Pandora's heart was beating so fast, she was certain he must be aware of it. "I… love him dearly," she murmured. "I must caution you that there can be no other in my life."
His lips touched hers, and his arms went around her. Pandora clung to him, reveling in the kiss and in just being with him again. The yearning she experienced bore no relation to the short period of time they had been apart.
When he drew away at last, his eyes were very dark, looking deep into hers. "Come with me to Hanover Square
," he urged, "where we can be alone together."
'We cannot. Lady Asheville…"
'Do you not recall that my wife is in Suffolk?"
'I was in mind of your mother. She is at present resident at your house."
'You need not fear her. Lady Asheville retires early nowadays, so there will be no one to disturb us, I assure you."
Once again he drew her toward him, burying his face in her neck. "I was bewitched by you from our very first meeting. You must be aware of that "
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