Page 4 of Claimed By the Beastly Duke

Edwin regretted attending the ball the moment he stepped inside. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and simply leave. After all, he found such gatherings to be rather pretentious and overwhelming. They were filled with mamas who sought to foist their daughters on the few eligible bachelors present.

He caught quite a number of people glancing at him as he navigated the crowd. This was yet another reason why he hated balls—and, truthfully, any social event.

When he was younger, he had foolishly thought that donning a mask would stop people from staring so blatantly at him. However, it only seemed to make them more curious.

And yet he preferred that over the terror and pity that would cloud their faces if they saw what was beneath his mask.

He fiddled with his black velvet mask as he looked around the ballroom for Magnus to no avail. He raked a hand through his hair, effortlessly ruining the meticulous work his valet had done earlier in the evening.

He had only agreed to attend the Pemberton ball because he and Magnus had been personally invited by Lord Pemberton. And Magnus had promised to meet him at the ball so he would not be sulking alone, as he presently was.

Edwin wondered for a moment why he had even believed Magnus. Now, he had to pay for this mistake by hiding in plain sight until Magnus decided to finally grace them with his presence.

“Your Grace!” a low, feminine voice called to him.

Edwin looked down to see a lady so young he could immediately tell that she was a debutante.

He groaned inwardly.

“It is a lovely evening, isn’t it?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

“I apologize, but I must be on my way,” Edwin said.

He caught the flash of disappointment in the young lady’s eyes before he slipped out of the ballroom.

I am certainly not at the ball to court attention or entertain desperate maidens.

It was not until he was out of the ballroom that he finally heaved a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to converse with a debutante who was only seeking a husband.

Moreover, if the other debutantes saw her, they would all decide to try their luck too, and before he knew it, he would be surrounded by a throng of mamas and their daughters.

He was catching his breath in the hall when he heard footsteps approaching. Without so much as a thought, he made for the nearest way out—a staircase that seemed to lead to the underbelly of the house.

He would rather wander below stairs than spend any more time with members of the ton, and so he began to follow the passageway, partly out of curiosity and partly because he would do anything to avoid the crowd.

The further he walked, the more soothing he found it. There, in the passageway, he was all alone, just as he liked. And more importantly, he could not hear any noise from the party above.

It was simply blissfully quiet.

He was especially curious to see where the passageway led, and he was certain that by the time he reached the end of it and returned to the party, Magnus would have arrived.

Suddenly, he heard the distant sound of footsteps. He stopped and waited to hear it again.

He wondered briefly if it was Lord Pemberton.

What would he think if he saw me lurking here?

Edwin knew the man would not believe him if he said he had decided to wander there simply because he hated the crowd. Who would possibly believe him?

Fortunately, the footsteps stopped just as abruptly as they had started. He shrugged, concluding that he must have imagined the sound, before he resumed walking. As he rounded a corner, he saw a door at the end of the passageway. He smiled, eager to see what was behind it.

And that was when he heard the footsteps again—louder this time. He stood still and listened for them. And that was when a figure rounded the corner behind him.

He did not have the time to warn the person before they walked right into him.

He only saw a flurry of fabric as the person—who he now realized was a lady—held on to his coat so as not to trip over her feet. Her hands seemed to linger a tad too long on his chest.

Edwin wanted to steady her. However, being in a dark passageway with a lady, away from everyone else, was enoughto cause a scandal, not to mention touching her. Moreover, the poor lady might be terrified, thinking he was trying to do something untoward.

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