Page 26 of The Heiress in Disguise
Angelique stood on the balcony that overlooked the foyer. She had drawn herself back ever so slightly into the shadows, and she was confident that she couldn’t be seen from the entryway below—not that anybody appeared to be looking up anyway. She was able to see them, even though they couldn’t see her, and she hadn’t seen her aunt, uncle, or cousins look in her direction once.
Marcus and Gwyneth would be so occupied with showing off for the arriving guests that Angelique doubted they would have noticed if a storm had blown through the front door. In fact, Gwyneth hadn’t even entered the room yet—no doubt she was waiting until the last minute so that she could count on being the center of attention.
Grace was simply too nervous to pay attention to her surroundings. Uncle Clive had never been overly preoccupied with Angelique’s comings and goings, though he wouldn’t have disagreed with his wife about anything concerning the running of the household, he also wasn’t likely to be on the lookout for misconduct from Angelique.
Aunt Wilhelmina was, as usual, the one she had to worry about. But she didn’t think her aunt would notice her at this angle. “Shecan’t see me,” she told Jane. “Even if she looks up here trying to spot me, I don’t think she’ll be able to.”
“Perhaps not,” Jane agreed. “But is it a chance you really want to take? She can make your life miserable, you know.”
Angelique knew all too well. She’d been taught what could happen to her if she disobeyed her aunt and uncle’s orders, and it certainly wasn’t anything she wanted to experience again. Even now, just thinking about it, she could feel the throbbing pain on the backs of her legs, reminding her of what it had been like to be whacked there with a birch rod when she hadn’t followed orders well or quickly enough in her youth.
That was the kind of thing that didn’t happen anymore. Angelique had learned where the lines were and had learned how not to cross them. And this current infraction wasn’t something her aunt would strike her for—at least, she didn’t believe it was.
“I’m not a child anymore,” she pointed out to Jane. “If they try to hit me, I’ll simply walk away from them.”
“I don’t think they’ll let you get away with that either,” Jane said. “You know how they are. They’ll withhold your meals, and you’ll find yourself starving.”
Angelique said nothing. She hadn’t mentioned her Fairy Godmother to anyone other than Molly. She thought for amoment about confiding in Jane—really, there was no reason not to, since Jane was a trusted friend—but she decided against it. She wanted to keep the secret to herself for a little bit longer, at least.
“I know I’m not supposed to be here,” she told Jane. “I know she doesn’t want me to be seen during the party. Even the other servants may be seen, but I must always remain hidden—I know that. It’s been made more than clear to me.”
“And yet, here you are.”
“I’ll retire to the kitchen soon enough,” Angelique said. “But I would like to watch a few of the guests arrive first. No one need ever know. You’re not going to tell them, surely?”
“Of, of course I won’t,” Jane said. “You know I wouldn’t. I just don’t want to see you find your way into trouble, that’s all. I care about you.”
“Ah,” Angelique said. “Here comes Gwyneth.”
She was making her way grandly down the staircase, her chin in the air. The mask she wore was meant to evoke a butterfly, Angelique knew, but there was so little to it that it barely obscured her face—it was a thin strip that wrapped around her eyes with an ornate wing off to one side. The guests actually broke into applause as she made her way down the stairs, whichled Gwyneth to stop where she was and turn a slow circle, the better to let them all admire her.
Jane chuckled. “She never gets enough of herself, does she?”
“At least she’s happy,” Angelique murmured.
“And why do you care if she’s happy?”
Because when she’s happy, she doesn’t bother me.Angelique didn’t say it out loud, though. She allowed a small smile to play across her lips. “Maybe I ought to get into the kitchen.”
“I think it would be best,” Jane said. “I’d hate to see you get into any trouble.”
Angelique took a step back, ready to make her way to the stairs in the servants’ quarters so that she could have a way down to the kitchen without being seen by anyone—
Suddenly, everyone downstairs gasped.
Angelique couldn’t help it—she left the shadows and walked all the way up to the edge of the balcony to see what was going on.
A gentleman had just entered. He wore a cape and a black velvet mask, and his dark hair was slicked back. Dark eyes shone out from behind his mask.
“Oh, my,” Jane breathed.
Angelique understood why Jane was so taken aback—she was feeling the same thing herself. The man who’d just entered the party was devastatingly handsome. His jawline was sharp and dignified. His shoulders were broad, and he was tall—she could tell she would only come up to about his shoulder. Angelique hadn’t felt herself this preoccupied by a man’s good looks in her life—at least, she didn’t think so.
There was Philip, who always took her breath away a little bit, but that was different—it was just as much his personality as his good looks that held her so entranced. And, of course, she had had that girlhood affection for her friend Antoine long ago, but that had been childish feelings of admiration for an older boy, nothing more.
This was different. She was staring at a man she had never exchanged a word with, stunned by his good looks, unable to believe how handsome he was. She felt herself begin to lean ever so slightly over the edge of the balcony to get a better look.
The man looked up.
