Page 34 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
As if in a dream they walked towards her parents, who were waiting for them at the edge of the room. Her mother’s face was white, and she was trembling. Her father, in contrast, was an unhealthy shade of puce, and his eyes were dark with fury.
“I cannot believe it,” whispered her mother, her eyes sparkling with tears. “I simply cannot believe it. We have obviously been the butt of some kind of joke…”
Ara nodded slowly. She didn’t know if she could speak, even if she wanted to.
She glanced back at the man, standing there calmly, receiving his guests. The Duke of Lancaster. He was tall, and he had dark hair, but he definitely was not the man who had introduced himself to her outside the horse auction.
He was not the man who had walked her home, and who had called on her. He was not the man who had held her in his arms in the stable and pressed her against the wall. He was not the man who had lifted her gown, and pleasured her in such an unexpected, bewildering way.
It was not the same man, at all.
***
Her mother had her firmly by the arm, leading her towards a private alcove, forcing her to sit down.
“There,” said Mrs. Nott. “You may recover at your leisure, Ara.” She fanned herself vigorously, sinking into the seat beside her.
Her father’s face was like thunder. “I will horsewhip that man if I ever see him again,” he said slowly, blotting his face with a handkerchief. “How dare the devil gain entry to my house, and call on my daughter, under false pretences, pretending to be the Duke of Lancaster?”
“Whoisthe man?” asked Ruth, her face pale and her blue eyes wide.
Mr. Nott snorted. “Who knows, my dear? A charlatan, obviously. A confidence artist, who thought that we were stupid enough to buy his false identity.” His face darkened further. “What I do not understand is how he thought that we would not discover his lie. He knew we were coming to this ball, after all. What did he have to gain, in that short amount of time, before we knew that he was lying?”
Ara gasped, suddenly feeling dizzy. She fell forward a little, so that both Ruth and her mother cried in alarm, reaching out to grab her.
She knew why that man had done it. It wasn’t for the hope of marriage, or riches. Hedidknow that he would be discovered quickly.
Shame burnt through her, to the very core. That man had done it so that she would let him do what he had done to her in the stable. He had assumed that she would allow such liberties for the Duke of Lancaster, who promised to call again and court her further. And, like a fool, she had.
He had told her that he cared for her, that he could not stay away from her. But it had all been a lie. He had never been intending to come back after what had happened in the stable. He had got what he wanted, and that was the end of it.
Ara felt so sick she almost retched. She had been a fool. A stupid, lovesick fool, swept away by the promises of a man who was not only a liar, but a confidence artist. A ridiculously naïve young woman, so innocent that any passing man could whisper sweet words to her and she would believe them.
She would never forgive herself. Never.
Chapter 17
Miles stared at the waiter weaving through the tables at Brown’s. He put up his hand, brandishing his empty whiskey tumbler. The man smiled, acknowledging his request, bringing over the brown liquid held in an expensive crystal container.
“Another, sir?” the waiter drawled.
Miles nodded impatiently. “Yes, yes, another.” He paused. “In fact, you can leave the whole thing here with me. It saves time.”
The waiter raised his eyebrows slightly, but did as he was instructed, filling his tumbler before placing the whole container on the table in front of him.
“Thank you,” said Miles, glumly.
The man nodded, drifting away. Miles raised the tumbler to his lips, swallowing eagerly. He was already on his third drink of the evening, but he knew he would need a lot more of the liquid before he could even begin to relax, just a little.
He snorted slightly. Who was he fooling, thinking he could relax tonight, while his brother’s damn ball was happening in another part of London? It simply wasn’t possible.
He had skulked away from the house, just before the first guests had started arriving. He had tried to slip out without Andrew seeing him, but his brother had waylaid him just as he got to the front door.
Andrew had gazed at him steadily. “You are really going through with it, then? You are not going to be here?”
Miles had stared back, shamefaced. “I have already said so,” he had replied, stiffly. “I have given my reasons, and that is all there is to say on the matter now.”
Andrew had sighed deeply. “You cannot run away from your guilt, and your pain, little brother. It will still be there in the morning, you know…”
