‘Come inside,’ Maggie urged. ‘We shall investigate the secrets of the upper floors.’
‘No, you won’t,’ Brent said sharply. ‘Perhaps you are accustomed to this level of debauchery, madam, but Lillian will not witness what goes on up there. The punch is heavily laced and everyone will be tossing off their inhibitions, if they had any to start with.
‘You didn’t tell me his lordship was a prude, Lillian,’ Maggie said, making Lillian groan aloud. Her friend was taunting Brent, though she had no idea why, nor what she should do to intervene.
Brent stiffened. ‘I am far from a prude. I simply don’t think any of these men, or the sights, are worthy of Lillian. She deserves a gentleman, not a lout. A man who will introduce her to pleasure and block out her memories of pain.’
‘Then perhaps, your lordship, you should volunteer to broaden her knowledge of bedroom antics.’
Brent’s eyes widened and Lillian held her breath waiting for him to laugh at her companion’s suggestion, or perhaps berate her. He met her gaze and the heat in his sent blood rushing through her entire body and a flush rush to her cheeks.
‘Perhaps I should. At least Lillian would be safe with me.’
Lillian gasped. ‘Would you two mind not discussing me when I’m standing beside you.’
To her shock, they continued their conversation as if she was invisible.
‘That’s true, your lordship, but you’re her best friend. You risk her falling in love with you.’
Brent shrugged. ‘It’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means smuggling her out of here before anyone recognizes her.’ He stared at Maggie. ‘Will you leave with us?’
Lillian had heard enough. She walked away and left them discussing her. Once back inside the ballroom, she pasted on her most flirtatious smile and eased her way into the closest circle of masked revelers. The gentlemen automatically shifted to widen the circle and allow her into their conversational ring, eager to speak with an unknown woman.
‘Would one of you lovely gentlemen mind escorting me to the upper levels. I’d go alone but I’d rather an escort who understands these things.’ She fluttered her eyelashes and tiptoed her fingers up the sleeve of the blonde man on her right. ‘Which of you will introduce me to the games I’ve been told take place in the upper chambers.’ She turned to the dark haired man on her left and ran her hand along his sleeves, trying to flutter her eyelashes again in what she hoped was a seductive manner. Though by the alarmed looks on the men’s faces, she feared she was a failure as a temptress. Time for more explicit advances, and damn the consequences. Time to toss off her conventional persona and welcome some excitement into her life.
Her hand eased further up the dark man’s sleeve and curled it around his neck, tugging his face down to hers. She kissed his freshly-shaved cheek and was gratified to hear his breath catch and feel his hands slide around her waist to draw her close to his body.
‘Stop.’ When someone yelled near her ear, the delicious dark-haired man abruptly dropped his hands from her body. He looked over his shoulder and Lillian followed his gaze. Brent gripped his elbow from behind, tight enough to cause the poor young man to pale and tremble.
She whacked at Brent’s hand where he gripped the man’s sleeve. ‘Let go of him,’ she hissed. ‘This instant.’
Brent released the young man and he and his group of friends backed away and then moved along to the next empty area and continued their conversation, glancing at Brent and obviously talking about their connection, and most worrying, their identities. Gentleman were much easy to distinguish here because their own concession to anonymity was a short black mask, whereas the women could dress in a completely style than their usual and thus radically change their appearance. Her low-cut red gown was something a bird of paradise looking for her next prey would wear, and not the style of gown Lillian wore to tonnish events.
‘How dare you.’ She spat the words at Brent and gave him her fiercest glare. ‘You shouldn’t have interfered like that. If those gentlemen recognize you, they might work out who I am, which is exactly what you wanted to avoid.’ She huffed. ‘Besides, I instigated that kiss.’
‘Why would you do such a brazen thing? Risk your good name and your life in such an impulsive manner.’
She sighed, all her anger delating. ‘My good name evaporated when Geoffrey’s sexual preferences became known after his death. The men he mixed with kept his secrets when he was alive, and possibly even liked whips and ropes as much as Geoffrey, but dead men can’t reveal their secrets so they felt safe to expose him, while distancing themselves from those activities.’