Page 79 of The Heiress in Disguise
The two footmen looked at one another. Then, as one, they stepped back out of the way.
“Thank you,” Antoine’s mother said with dignity. “Come, Charlotte.”
It was only then that Antoine noticed his sister on his mother’s far side. So this was to be a family affair after all. He gritted his teeth, hoping that their presence wouldn’t complicate matters too much, though he had to admit that so far, he was glad they had come. If not for his mother’s intervention, he wouldprobably still be standing outside trying to get in. Now, at least, he would be able to proceed to the next part of his plan.
His mother took his arm as they entered the foyer. “We’ll leave you to it,” she said quietly. “We’ll mingle. Good luck. Do come and find me if you decide there’s anything I can do to be of help here, Antoine.”
Before he could say another word, his mother and his sister had disappeared into the crowd, leaving him on his own.
He shook off the rough start. The next thing to do was to locate Angelique. He had made the arrangements for her to attend this ball, and he wanted very much to see that she was here and that everything was proceeding the way he’d planned it.
It didn’t take long to find her.
She was wearing the gown he had sent to her, which he would have recognized under any circumstances, but although he had seen it many times, seeing it on her was very different.
She looked absolutely beautiful, he thought. The gown was a perfect fit—he had gotten lucky in that regard—and she moved with a lightness that told him she was enjoying herself, perhaps more so than any other time he’d seen her previously. She looked as if she was walking on air. He wanted to go straight to her.
But he had to be cautious, he knew. She wouldn’t know who he was, not in the mask he wore tonight. She had never seen him in it before. He would be a stranger to her.
And she had no reason to expect that anyone would know whoshewas either. The whole reason to do this at a masquerade had been to give her the freedom of anonymity. She must be much more comfortable believing herself to be unknowable than she would be if she believed her identity could be discovered. He didn’t want to scare her.
He looked around the room quickly and his eyes landed on Lady Grace. She gave him a quick nod as if to say that she understood what her job was, and she was ready to do it. She turned and disappeared from the room.
So she was going to get the papers he had asked her for. That meant there was no turning back now. This would have to be seen through to the end.
He walked over to Angelique. “Good evening, My Lady,” he said, fully expecting that she would be taken aback at being approached by a stranger.
But she smiled. “I know who you are,” she said.
“You do?”
“You’re that mysterious gentleman who attended the last masquerade and refused to reveal his identity,” she said.
“I didn’t think anyone would recognize me.”
“Yes, you’re wearing a different mask today,” she said. “But I do recognize you. I feel as if I’d recognize you anywhere.”
It was such a bold thing to say! Perhaps her own disguise had made her bold, and he felt as if he had been dishonest by not allowing her to know the truth. “I know who you are too,” he told her.
She laughed lightly. “I doubt it very much.”
“I do,” he said. “You are Lady Angelique.”
Her jaw dropped. “You—you knew?”
“I knew that you would be here tonight,” he said. “It’s the reason I came.”
“But how could you…” She paused for a moment, then shook her head. “You can’t have known,” she said. “You can’t have all this information. You know far too much, My Lord. There’s no explanation for how you know all the things you know.”
“The answers are coming tonight.”
“You must tell mesomethingnow, at least. Tell me how you knew I would be here when no one else did. Tell me how you know so many things about me that no one ought to know. It mystifies me. Sometimes it scares me.”
He took a breath. He didn’t know if it was the right time to answer those questions—but she did have a right to the answers, and he didn’t want her to be afraid.
He reached up and undid the ribbon on his mask, letting it fall away.
Angelique let out a gasp. “Philip? You’re Philip? Have you been Philip all the time, then?”
