Page 62 of Loving an Earl
Chapter Twenty-Four
Four days hadpassed since Edmund’s proposal, and it was the night of the Earl and Countess of Warren’s masquerade ball, 25 June 1816, the last major social event in London before the midsummer break and thetonmade their mass exodus to the countryside to enjoy picnics, hunts, and house parties. Emmeline, Aunt Vivian, and Lilly would be staying in London except for the several house party invitations they’d accepted, since none of them owned country estates. Langford had once offered Lilly use of Langford Manor in Kent at any time, but she couldn’t face asking him about it now.
Her courses had arrived again that afternoon, confirming she hadn’t conceived the other night. Nothing was tying her to Langford through any sense of duty. She loved him—she knew that now. But she also knew she could not marry him if he did not love her back. She could not be happy in half a marriage, so she would simply have to stitch up her broken heart and go on.
Lilly decided to forgo a specific costume and wear a new gold silk gown with a matching gold chemise. Madam Serena had finished the lovely dress a day ago for this very occasion. The gown had off-the-shoulder sleeves and a low-cut neckline and was quite clingy. The elaborate gold mask was decorated with feathers and beads. Her hair was pinned up with curls cascading over the bare skin of her shoulders and chest. When she was ready, Daisy stepped back and declared her a work of art worthy of a museum, but Lilly felt exposed and thankful for the mask to hide behind. Perhaps she would leave before midnight and the removal of masks.
Emmeline dressed as a Roman empress. The cream and gold costume and plain gold mask were quite flattering on her. Aunt Vivian had chosen not to attend. She said she was too old to parade around in a costume. She warned them that even though it was an invitation-only ball, the demi-monde and unsavory lower-class gentlemen sometimes snuck in and mingled with the upper class, so they should remain watchful and cautious.
Since this was Lilly’s first masquerade, she didn’t know what to expect, and when their carriage pulled up to the Warrens’ well-lit London estate, she couldn’t take her eyes off some of the elaborate and revealing costumes. There were pirates, dominos, gypsies, Marie Antionettes, and French musketeers, and those were only the attendees she could see from the carriage. She couldn’t imagine what she would glimpse inside the ballroom. Her heart beat wildly with excitement and nerves.
“How do you know who anyone is?” she asked Emmeline as they exited the coach.
Emmeline laughed softly. “You don’t—that is the point. Although if you are well acquainted with someone, you should recognize them unless they alter their voice to match their costume.”
“Oh dear.” Lilly sighed.
“Some take hiding their identity very seriously and will play the role of their costume to perfection until the great unmasking.”
“Perhaps I should have declined my invitation.” Lilly’s head tingled and she felt a little lightheaded. She wrapped her arm around Emmeline’s for comfort as she recognized the signs of panic.
“Do not worry. We shall stay together as much as we can. The first thing we do is try to recognize Blackstone, Caldwell, and Langford.”
“Langford.” Lilly tried not to groan.
“I know you are unhappy with him. So am I, but he is a good friend to have.” She paused and lowered her voice. “I know his marriage proposal, such as it was, disappointed you. But give him time. Men can be dimwitted where women are concerned, especially when it involves a woman they care very deeply about.”
Lilly wasn’t convinced of that. Well, she was convinced that men could be dimwitted, just not that Langford cared deeply for her.
They greeted the earl and countess on their way into the ballroom—no announcement of names or introductions if the guests were to remain incognito. That suited Lilly fine. She could stand on the outskirts of the ballroom and watch the show. And when she deduced who Langford was, she would stay well away from him and his heartbreaking proposal.
“Come,” Emmeline said, “let us take a turn around the room and see who we recognize.”
“I’ve been in London a year and visited only a few times with Henry before that. I don’t think I’ll recognize anyone with masks on.”
“Be that as it may, we can delight in making fun of some of the more outrageous costumes,” Emmeline commented.
The tension in Lilly’s shoulders eased and she almost laughed out loud at the sight of a court jester dancing around the edge of the dance floor by himself. “Who do you suppose that is?”
Emmeline giggled. “Someone who does not mind making a fool of themselves.”
“Caldwell comes to mind,” Lilly said with a smile. “Not that I know him well, but he doesn’t appear to take life too seriously, although he must at times when it comes to business.”
“Ever since I’ve known him he has been like that. But if you look into his eyes, they do not mirror his easygoing nature. He is hiding something.”
“Oh, a mystery to solve.” Lilly believed, now more than ever, that most people held much beneath the surface, and so many struggled with some closely held sorrow—perhaps a death, a secret, an unrequited love. She herself had struggled with all of those things.
“I believe I have spotted Blackstone and Caldwell, though I don’t see Langford. Near the entrance to the refreshments room there are two men, one dressed as a pirate and the other a ship’s captain. Very fitting for them. Let’s go and say hello.”
“Perhaps it is not them.” Lilly hesitated.
“That is the good thing about a masquerade, if we mistake someone’s identity, there is no embarrassment or awkward moment.”
They approached the two gentlemen, and the ship’s captain bowed. “Ladies, how lovely you look this evening. Can I interest you in a sail down the River Thames on my ship this lovely evening?”
Even though Blackstone tried to disguise his voice, Lilly recognized it, and before she could speak, Emmeline murmured, “Another time, perhaps. It seems I am not dressed for sailing.”
He held out his hand. “Would you honor me with a dance then?”
