Page 28 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
“Edgar, you should have asked me to accompany you for the tour. You must have bored the poor man with unnecessary details.” Alexander was annoyed at her unwanted presence, feeling as if she knew her husband was going to say or do something that he should not be doing. She was there to save him from divulging too much, and Alexander was certainly not happy about it.
“He did no such thing.” Alexander chuckled lightly.
“But you must return to the ballroom at once, My Lord,” she addressed Alexander, “several young ladies have been askingabout you, and I believe you should not keep them waiting. You are clearly quite a favourite of the ton tonight.”
“Well, if that is the case, we must not keep them waiting.”
He silently followed Lord and Lady Leicester back inside the ballroom, the dance floor fully occupied as the music blared. Alexander sighed deeply, knowing full well that the evening might not bring him any other new revelations since any revelation that could have come through Lord Leicester was curbed by his wife.
He was slightly disappointed, but not so much. His agendas for the evening had been achieved, and he could simply slip out unnoticed.
“Mother!”
Alexander eyed the pale blonde hair and blue eyes hidden behind a barely-there mask on a man dressed in a perfectly white coat and breeches. He knew this must be Henry, the son of Lord and Lady Leicester.
From what Alexander could tell just by staring at him, he was both young and spoiled, brought up on nothing but the perks brought about by money. Money that did not even belong to him. Alexander would not be surprised if he was just as mean and spineless as his parents.
“Henry,” Lady Leicester turned to him while Lord Leicester simply stalked away.
Alexander knew he should have moved away, letting the mother and son have some privacy, but he was too invested in the conversation to care about propriety. He needed to find out as much about the family as he could, and the only thing that would help him do so was to have these interactions.
“Where is Beth?”
Beth? Why did he want Eliza? Alexander felt uncomfortable in the man’s presence; his tone and expressions were too entitled. It seemed as if he had not cared about anything or anyone in his life and was too full of himself even to consider the feelings of another. Moreover, the way he took Eliza’s name unsettled Alexander. It almost felt like he believed he owned her.
“Why do you need her?” Lady Leicester threw a nervous smile towards Alexander, clearly remembering he was still there. Henry, on the other hand, had refused even to acknowledge Alexander’s imposing presence.
“The masquerade is too tiresome, and I require something stronger than champagne for myself and my friends. I need Beth to serve us in my private study.”
Private study. Alexander felt rage build up inside him, but he could not react. He simply needed to make sure that Eliza stayed away from this man.
“She is busy elsewhere, my darling,” Lady Leicester said softly, “you must ask another maid to do so.”
Henry’s expression changed entirely to one of pure inconvenience, as if he was a child who had not been handed his favourite toy. Alexander could feel that this was not the first time he was talking about Eliza in such a manner, but he must treat her similarly on a regular basis.
The mere thought of this man being close to Eliza boiled Alexander’s blood, but he continued to breathe in and out slowly to remain calm. That was all he could do.
“This is absurd,” he frowned, and Lady Leicester laughed to hide his bad temper.
“You are being terribly rude, Henry.” She threw another glance at Alexander. “You must greet … this gentleman right here. I am sorry, but I do not remember you telling me your name.”
“I prefer the mysterious air the mask gives me,” Alexander replied, “although I do assure you that I did indeed receive the invitation, and I am a part of the guest list.”
“I never once doubted that, My Lord,” Lady Leicester said quickly, pretending as if such a notion had never even crossed her mind.
“I do hope you do not think the worst of me, My Lady.”
“I can never! This is a masquerade, and you have every right to be as mysterious as you wish to be.”
“You must excuse me as you continue with this enlightening discussion,” Henry chimed in, leaving the two of them with a bow.
Alexander was glad that Lady Leicester had asked her son to get another maid to serve him and his friends, or else he would have done something to intercept it.
There was no way he would have stood by doing nothing while Eliza was subjected to the whims of someone as rotten as Henry. As soon as he was gone, Lady Leicester’s expression changed from embarrassment to quiet fury as she stared at someone behind Alexander.
“You must excuse me for a moment, My Lord,” she said, walking away, and Alexander turned around to look at the subject of her anger.
A young lady dressed in an ill-fitting, brightly coloured yellow gown, which only turned her complexion sour, stood there, silently listening to whatever Lady Leicester was throwing her way. Her grey eyes were exactly like Edgar’s, and Alexander immediately guessed her to be the second daughter, Lady Margaret. She was not as beautiful as her sister and slightly fatter, and considering the kind of people the Russels were, this was enough to secure immense hatred for the poor girl.
