Page 65 of The Duke's Sinful Deal
Then, as though sensing the moment had settled sufficiently, Cissie reached for the basket with renewed purpose.
“Well,” she said briskly, “if we are to discuss odd preferences, we ought at least to do so with proper provisions.”
Jane let out a small breath, smiling as she reached for the plates. “That is the most practical solution you have offered all morning.”
“It is the only one that will not lead us into further complication,” Cissie replied. Then, after a beat, “At least not immediately.”
Arabella laughed softly, the tension easing from her shoulders.
“And what complications do you propose we discuss instead?” she asked.
Cissie’s eyes brightened at once. “The masquerade.”
Jane looked up. “It is confirmed, then?”
“Entirely,” Cissie said. “The Dowager Countess of Lampton is hosting it at the end of the month. Invitations are already being whispered about, though not yet formally delivered.”
“A masquerade,” Jane repeated, her expression shifting between intrigue and uncertainty. “I cannot decide whether that sounds thrilling or deeply improper.”
“It is both,” Cissie said without hesitation. “Which is precisely why it will be attended by everyone who claims otherwise… that is, if they are invited.”
Arabella tilted her head slightly. “And what is the purpose, beyond spectacle?”
“Speculation,” Cissie replied. “Mystery. Opportunity.” She smiled faintly. “No one is quite who they appear to be, and for one evening, that is not only permitted but encouraged.”
Jane laughed softly. “That sounds like an invitation for disaster.”
“Or discovery,” Cissie countered.
Arabella considered that, her fingers tracing lightly along the edge of her teacup.
“A room where no one is known,” she said slowly. “And yet everyone is observed.”
Cissie inclined her head. “Exactly.”
Jane glanced between them. “You sound as though you approve.”
“I sound,” Arabella said, her gaze drifting toward the open stretch of park beyond them, “as though I am curious.”
Cissie smiled. “That is far more interesting.”
“And you will attend if you receive an invitation?” Jane asked.
Arabella did not answer at once. The thought settled beside everything else she had only just begun to understand.
“Yes,” Arabella said at last, her voice steady. “I believe I shall.”
Cissie’s smile deepened. “Then we must ensure you are very well disguised. All the better to hear what thetonis saying about you if they do not know who they are talking to. ”
Jane shook her head lightly. “I think she may not require it.”
Arabella glanced at her. “Why do you say that?”
Jane hesitated, then smiled. “Because I think you are only just beginning to decide who you wish to be.”
The words lingered.
Arabella held her gaze for a moment, something thoughtful settling behind her expression.
