Page 40 of The Heiress in Disguise
Lady Grace smiled. “Mother and Father won’t like it. They want to know who you are. But I think it’s rather exciting that you’ve chosen to keep your identity a secret. After all what’s the point of a masquerade without a little mystery?”
“You’re very pleasant company, Lady Grace,” Antoine said, wishing to help her. He could see that she was least favored among her family. And besides, it was the truth. Hehadenjoyed her company. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I hope you enjoy the rest of the ball, and thank you for the time we spent together.”
And thank you for answering my questions about Angelique.
Chapter 17
As the clock struck three, Angelique hurried through the foyer, anxious not to be noticed. She knew her aunt and uncle wouldn’t like that she was in such a visible part of the house—and she knew, too, that they would find a way to punish her if they were to find her here.
She couldn’t believe the party was going on so late. Few of the guests had left. Most were still there. Perhaps she should have anticipated this somehow, and yet, she hadn’t. She had thought that things would be winding down by now. She had expected to get to bed.
Of course, she’d still be expected to be up at the crack of dawn to begin the household chores. There would be no getting out of that. If only she could get away from all this and have a little sleep!
But she knew that all the members of the household were feeling the same way. Everyone on her aunt and uncle’s staff wanted nothing more than to sleep for a while, and they couldn’t—they were needed to keep the party running smoothly. About an hour ago, they had met for a quick conversation and had agreed that they would take turns sleeping, an hour at a time, so that at least everyone could get a little bit of rest.
Angelique had volunteered to be last to bed, knowing that she was among the youngest members of the household. It wasfitting that she should stay awake the longest. She would have felt very wrong about going to sleep before the others had had their chance.
But oh, she was tired!
It was all right for these partygoers. They would be able to sleep as late as they wanted tomorrow to make up for tonight’s revelry. Of course they were in no hurry for the night to end. Of course they could tolerate a bit of exhaustion.
Jane was standing in the kitchen mixing up a fresh bowl of punch for the party. “I can’t believe they still want to drink,” she murmured. “Aren’t they worried they’re going to fall asleep standing up? I know I am.”
“Perhaps they’ve forgotten to worry about anything at all,” Angelique said, offering her friend a small smile. “Would you like me to carry that out for you?”
“You know your aunt will lose her mind if she sees you. You can’t be out in that part of the house.”
“I know I shouldn’t,” Angelique agreed. “But I feel as if I’ll fall asleep if I don’t keep moving.”
“I can’t allow you to risk getting into trouble. But I’m supposed to take a turn sleeping in half an hour.” Jane yawned as if topunctuate the idea. “Why don’t you and I swap so that you can get some rest?”
“Don’t be silly. I couldn’t possibly do that to you,” Angelique said.
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“I know you’re too kind to ever complain about it, but you need rest every bit as much as I do, and I won’t have you compromising that. No, keep your sleep shift. I’ll find a way to stay awake.”
“Pinch yourself,” Jane suggested. “That will help you remain alert.”
“Or maybe I should go out and let my aunt confront me after all. It will be hard to fall asleep while she’s shouting at me.”
“If you’re going to provoke her wrath, you may as well just go ahead and get some sleep,” Jane laughed. “At least you would be getting some benefit from it.”
“True enough—although I’m sure she would do worse than yell if too many of the staff slept at once and her party suffered,” Angelique said. “It’s not myself I’m worried about. She can yell at me all she likes, but if she became really angry with me, she might dismiss Peter and Molly."
“You can’t protect them forever,” Jane said. “You ought to think of yourself more than you do, Angelique. They wouldn’t want to think that their presence here was causing you suffering.”
“But I couldn’t bear it if they were dismissed,” Angelique said. “I need them with me, Jane. You, Peter, and Molly are the only friends I have left in the world. If my aunt and uncle were to get rid of any of you, I would be utterly alone. That would be unbearable.”
“You really are too kind-hearted,” Jane said. “You need to protect yourself more than you do, and I wish you would.”
“Thank you, Jane,” Angelique said. “It’s nice to know that you see good in me, even when nobody else does. I appreciate that about you.”
“You know, the good news is that the family won’t wake until late tomorrow,” Jane said. “It’s true that we’ll have to be up to clean from the party and prepare things for their day, but we’ll be able to relax a bit more and move a bit more freely thanks to the fact that they’ll all be asleep. I can let the others know that you ought to be allowed to sleep in an hour tomorrow—no one would notice that.”
“No one else is getting an extra hour of sleep,” Angelique said. “I wouldn’t feel right taking such a thing for myself.”
“But you’ll be up for the longest uninterrupted stretch of time. Everyone else is getting a nap before you."
