Page 2 of Little Doll

He scoffed. “Hardly. There is a lot left of the night, Nova,” he said, his dark eyes twinkling with more life than I’d ever seen in them. It could have been the flicker of the candlelight.

“Father wouldkillme for going out this late. You must be daft,” I replied.

He shrugged. “I go out this late nearly every night. It’s the only time to go out, really.”

We stood there in my room, staring into each other’s eyes. Matching sets of big black shadowyeyes and expressive beautiful eyebrows. His face uncharacteristically softened. “Come on, Nova,” he continued. “I just want to help you feel better. They’re long asleep, they’ll never know.” I stared at him a couple of seconds longer and couldn’t believe I was considering it. It was just that this had unexpectedly turned into the worst day of all my days, and I felt crazy. He grinned. “I’ve got a carriage already waiting for us by the stables,” he said with a slight sing song to his voice. Once again, he nudged his elbow toward me, inviting me to take it.

I slipped my small hand under his arm and linked my pale, thin fingers into the crook of it. He gave me another dazzling smile and led me out of the room.

I had never seen London at night. I rarely visited there. All my life, I’d known the good fortune of having everything I could ever need delivered straight to the door of Blackmoth House. It never crossed my mind, its source, or method of arrival. My needs were simply and efficiently met. From the finest food to tutors and music teachers, to the highest fashion, it was all available to me, at my fingertips.

Add to that the fact that my dear mother was homebound all my life and had never left the grounds of Blackmoth House as far as I knew, and there had never been much reason for me to venture into London.

That night, I would discover a world I didn’t know existed.

I sat across from Fane perched primly on the silky black cushioned seat as the carriage rumbled along the dirt road that led into the city. I made a point to stare out the window into the night at the misty landscape bathed in pale moonlight rolling past. The air between us seemed to sizzle with the sort of electricity that could give a painful little snap to the fingertips if you touched it just right. I tried to think of a single time I’d ever been alone with Fane in my life, and nothing came to mind.

All the while, I could feel his dark eyes bore into me.

The journey wasn’t long and soon the road turned to a cobblestone street that led into London. The clip clop of the horses’ hooves was like a prelude to the distant sounds of the city that were coming closer. A refrain of music in the night air. Far off, laughter and voices calling to one another. Streetlamps flickered in front of dark buildings and empty sidewalks. Where were the noises coming from?

Fane reached inside his black suit jacket and withdrew two objects I could not at first identify.But he handed one to me and kept one for himself. I looked at the object in my hand and found a dainty and delicate half mask to cover the eyes and tie behind the head with a black ribbon. It was a strange thing. It was made of a thin papery white material and its only design was an intricate network of jagged black lines marring the pale surface. It was like black lightning going insane across a white sky. The thing was fearsome, but strangely beautiful.

I looked up at him, only to find him strapping a mask to his face as well. His was also a half mask, but on one side it extended down to cover more of his face and the corner of his mouth and his looked like a skull.

I shivered as he tied it in place.

His long black hair spilled down his shoulders and framed his face, half graceful and darkly handsome, and half hellish and terrifying. The part of his mouth not covered by the rotten teeth of the skeletal mask smiled, wide and menacing.

“I’m taking you to a masquerade ball, Nova. Put it on.”

I hesitated, staring down at the ugly mask and then back up at Fane, whose smile had slipped.

Then, I tied on the mask.

To reach the party, we had to navigate a dark alley on foot and enter through a back door. No wonder the principal streets gave the illusion of a city that slept. Once inside, I found myself swept into a hot and heady world of music, smoke, crushed bodies, dancing and sweat.

The lights were low, but the energy was frantic. Fane was no stranger to this place. As soon as my boots crossed the threshold, a woman in a dress more revealing than I’d ever seen before whisked him away. She wore a mask made of peacock feathers.

She was loud and fast, demanding with grabbing hands that pulled my brother away from me to vanish into the crowd. My eyes filled with tears, tempting me to turn back into the night. But what would be most frightful? This wild place?

Or a dark alley at night?

Before I had time to make a choice, someone had taken my hand and pulled me.

People seemed to respect the man, as the crowd parted to allow him to guide me through it. He was tall and even though he wore an elaborate black suit with a frilly collar that covered him nearly to his chin, I could see a hard body packed with tight muscles. The muscles of his shoulders rippled beneath the silky fabric of his jacket as he led me. His hand was huge and covered my tinyhand. I wanted to pull away, but the warmth of him was enchanting.

He led me to a bar and motioned to the barman, then turned to me. He wore a mask like Fane’s. The visible part of his face was flawless and devoid of any emotion. The other half covered by the mask was terrifying. A shock of black hair swooped across his forehead and back, styled smooth and debonair.

I became dizzy looking at him.

The bar man brought him a small glass that was full of a pale green liquid. The masked man lifted the glass to my lips. He placed his other hand beneath my chin and tipped the tiny glass, allowing the green liquid to spill over my tongue. It tasted bitter and dry with a slight hint of candy. It was like an old ghost drifting down my throat. He only gave me a little, then allowed me to pull back and grimace.

“What is that?” I asked.

He smiled slightly, then tipped more of the drink into my mouth. I closed my eyes and took it.

Amongst the jovial music and the laughing and dancing patrons, the man coaxed the entire drink into me. The pleasant warmth in my belly sent my thoughts spinning and buzzing like a lively merry-go-round at the fair. The bitter liquid swirled in my belly, and it was almost as thoughit coated my eyes with something that made the light look different in this place.

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