was something she must have cultivated well: more lie than perception, more perception than truth. His fault for once believing it. He stared deep into her eyes—soulfully, as he knew women with ideas of romance preferred. He doubted Willa Stratton had a romantic bone in her body.
A t this statement she laughed, but finally—curiously—he noticed the darkening of her cheeks below her mask. What sort of woman blushed when accused of being innocent but gave no indication of embarrassment when she spoke of kissing, when he spoke of her delectable ears?
“You’re the one who is blushing now,” he said softly.
When she looked up at him again, her eyes seemed brighter than before. The rose of her cheeks might have been becoming if she were someone else. “The waltz is almost over,” she murmured.
His hand tightened even as a Thank God! rolled through his mind.
“I’ve never danced three waltzes with the same woman in one evening,” he said.
“I’ve never danced three waltzes with the same woman in one evening,” he said.
“Should I prepare myself to soon be scandalized?”
“No one is watching us. They are all concerned with their own affairs.”
“Still, I would know something else about you, the woman who might become my affianced if the gossips discover our three-dance perfidy.” A t the humorous and dreadful thought of actually marrying her, a cog in his brain whirled A lex from the past and his desire for revenge to the present.
Specifically, to Willa Stratton’s presence in London, when she should have been in A merica. Or somewhere else in the world luring another investor for her father’s company. Not here, not with him, and certainly not among the ton, where he intended to make connections through marriage and search out the creator of the Madonna dye.
He sucked in a breath, the air hissing through his teeth. “I’ll begin with something about me,” he managed to say, studying every nuance of her expression closely. “I came here tonight because I wish to see my sisters married, and even though it’s a masquerade, it’s also the first event of the Season.” He was careful not to truly reveal anything about himself or his own motives. “A nd you, my Lady in Diamonds? Why did you come to the Winstead masquerade?”
“Oh, that’s simple,” she said, dimpling. Not even pausing to consider her words.
“To find you, Mr. Midnight.”
He nearly growled. Jo would have applauded.
The waltz ended. Though he was tempted to find a reason to keep her by his side until midnight, until he could discover her true reasons for being in London, A lex escorted her off the dance floor. “Minx,” he murmured in her ear, then turned and walked away.
Chapter 4
Willa held her palms to her cheeks. “He told me he wanted to kiss me,” she said to Jo, though that wasn’t the cause for her blush, and she’d been the one to bring up the kissing part. But Jo didn’t need to know that.
“Oh, he did?” Jo’s gaze snapped across the ballroom.
Willa nodded. She wished he hadn’t called her innocent, though. She’d done things in the past that had left her conscience black. Or perhaps more of a grayish color, but certainly not white enough for her to be described as anything close to innocent. She’d far have preferred to continue talking about kissing and wicked things. He would be good at kissing. He had a nice mouth, Mr. Midnight did, such a mouth that she had a difficult time focusing on anything beyond the sphere of his arms when he spoke.
A nd when she did try to turn the conversation and learn more about him, he’d deftly maneuvered it back to her. Clever man.
He’d said she deserved to be courted, that she wasn’t a woman to be flirted with casually. But her previous interactions with men were required to be nothing more than casual, part of the role she played. She excelled at flirtation, at acting the charmer, at opening investors’ pockets and inspiring trust.
“Well, are you
A t this statement she laughed, but finally—curiously—he noticed the darkening of her cheeks below her mask. What sort of woman blushed when accused of being innocent but gave no indication of embarrassment when she spoke of kissing, when he spoke of her delectable ears?
“You’re the one who is blushing now,” he said softly.
When she looked up at him again, her eyes seemed brighter than before. The rose of her cheeks might have been becoming if she were someone else. “The waltz is almost over,” she murmured.
His hand tightened even as a Thank God! rolled through his mind.
“I’ve never danced three waltzes with the same woman in one evening,” he said.
“I’ve never danced three waltzes with the same woman in one evening,” he said.
“Should I prepare myself to soon be scandalized?”
“No one is watching us. They are all concerned with their own affairs.”
“Still, I would know something else about you, the woman who might become my affianced if the gossips discover our three-dance perfidy.” A t the humorous and dreadful thought of actually marrying her, a cog in his brain whirled A lex from the past and his desire for revenge to the present.
Specifically, to Willa Stratton’s presence in London, when she should have been in A merica. Or somewhere else in the world luring another investor for her father’s company. Not here, not with him, and certainly not among the ton, where he intended to make connections through marriage and search out the creator of the Madonna dye.
He sucked in a breath, the air hissing through his teeth. “I’ll begin with something about me,” he managed to say, studying every nuance of her expression closely. “I came here tonight because I wish to see my sisters married, and even though it’s a masquerade, it’s also the first event of the Season.” He was careful not to truly reveal anything about himself or his own motives. “A nd you, my Lady in Diamonds? Why did you come to the Winstead masquerade?”
“Oh, that’s simple,” she said, dimpling. Not even pausing to consider her words.
“To find you, Mr. Midnight.”
He nearly growled. Jo would have applauded.
The waltz ended. Though he was tempted to find a reason to keep her by his side until midnight, until he could discover her true reasons for being in London, A lex escorted her off the dance floor. “Minx,” he murmured in her ear, then turned and walked away.
Chapter 4
Willa held her palms to her cheeks. “He told me he wanted to kiss me,” she said to Jo, though that wasn’t the cause for her blush, and she’d been the one to bring up the kissing part. But Jo didn’t need to know that.
“Oh, he did?” Jo’s gaze snapped across the ballroom.
Willa nodded. She wished he hadn’t called her innocent, though. She’d done things in the past that had left her conscience black. Or perhaps more of a grayish color, but certainly not white enough for her to be described as anything close to innocent. She’d far have preferred to continue talking about kissing and wicked things. He would be good at kissing. He had a nice mouth, Mr. Midnight did, such a mouth that she had a difficult time focusing on anything beyond the sphere of his arms when he spoke.
A nd when she did try to turn the conversation and learn more about him, he’d deftly maneuvered it back to her. Clever man.
He’d said she deserved to be courted, that she wasn’t a woman to be flirted with casually. But her previous interactions with men were required to be nothing more than casual, part of the role she played. She excelled at flirtation, at acting the charmer, at opening investors’ pockets and inspiring trust.
“Well, are you
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