Page 34 of Red Masquerade

And in the morning, as Mother and I sat for breakfast, she shook her head at the paper.

“A shame. How indecent people can be nowadays.”

She folded the paper and discarded it in the seat next to her, but not before I saw the headlining story detailing a group of vagabonds stealing a car and causing havoc throughout the city, before they perished in a crash, early in the morning, a photo of the flaming auto front-and-center on the page.

Eleven

Six Years Ago

“You’re going to have to introduce us eventually.”

Flora’s arm was linked with mine as we strolled down the street, heading toward our luncheon. She knew about Adam—of course she did, who else would I talk to?—but insisted upon meeting him every time he was brought up in conversation.

I scanned the other pedestrians, hoping no one heard.

“I will,” I said, lowering my voice. The paranoia was still there, the worry that Lucas would find out. It had been a few months, but we’d managed to slip under his and Mother’s notice. She believed me when I said I was going out with Flora, and Lucas didn’t give me any more attention than he usually did: a sneer, some terrible remark, before going out or into his study to work.

“I want to know what he looks like,” Flora gushed, squeezing my arm. “I need to know how handsome he is!”

My cheeks heated, as they always did when I thought of him. “He’s quite handsome,” I said.

She grinned at me and leaned closer, her lips brushing my ear. “Have you kissed him yet?”

I should have expected the question from her, but I turned aflame all the same. “Flora!” Glancing around the street, the other people walking didn’t seem to notice our conversation. How improper it would be—he and I weren’t officially courting, and if Mother knew I kissed someone, she’d lock me in the house until I was married.

“What?” Flora’s grin spread, painted lips glossy in the sunlight. She knew that she was the first person I would tell if anything happened. “Don’t act like you care about being proper now, doll. You’ve already gone out with him—manytimes.”

“Quiet, or my mother will know she harbors a harlot.”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she laughed. “You’ve done more, then?”

“Hush.” I nearly covered her mouth with my palm. “Of course not.”

In truth, we hadn’t yet done much ofanythingpast holding hands. He said such devilish things, sending me reeling, wishing for him to just claim my lips as his, making my toes curl—but every time he wrapped his arms around me, that was it. He held me, he pulled me to him, he caressed my face and brought me so close, but he never pressed his lips to mine, and I was beginning to wonder if he cared more for my honor than I did.

It kept me awake at night, wondering if he did not crave me as much as I craved him?

He’d get this look in his eye when he saw how I clung to him, and suddenly the rogue side of him melted away, and he’d set me on my feet and make sure I got home safe. He was a gentleman, even when the facade slipped away.

Flora sighed dreamily. “You’re going to get married before me.”

“I didn’t realize it was a competition,” I said. Though, of course, it was. An unspoken thing between us—she was the first to have a boy interested in her, the first to be courted, the first to be kissed. And in those milestones, I was significantly behind. But it was the first time in our friendship that the roles were reversed. She had no one calling on her now, butIdid.

“Do you think you’ll get married?” she asked as we neared the lunch club we frequented. “You and Adam?”

Adam Vering. I would be Helena Vering.

I didn’t think about it too much, because I didn’t like the answer. Lucas would never let me. Mother would lose herself weeping. I couldn’t marrydown—not when our family worked so hard to make a name for ourselves.

Another thing that forced sleep to evade me in the evening hours.

I took a breath and shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said. Because if I couldn’t marry him, why did I see him? Why let him worm his way into my heart? I did all this against my better judgment—I couldn’t deny that thread between us, how every day it pulled taut, begging me to find him, wherever he was in the city. Iachedevery day for him. Never before had I felt so strongly, so quickly.

“Well, you know I’ll be your maid of honor,” she smiled, noticing the change in my mood.

“I would have no one else.” I returned her smile, pushing all the negative thoughts from my mind. It was daytime, the sun was out, and I was with my best friend. My worries were for the dark, when I was well and truly alone.

We crossed the street quickly, coming upon the hotel we lunched at. The crowd was thicker here, carriages crowding the street and groups of people spilling out of the building. We managed to squeeze through, and the doorman let us in without a word, nodding as we passed. The lobby was just as boisterous, except voices bounced and echoed off the polished floor. Arms still linked, Flora and I passed the front desk, making our way to the club just past the grand staircase.