Dangerous Masquerade (Regency Masquerade)

Ria slipped quietly from the bed. Shivering at the blast of cold air, she put on her dressing gown. Not wanting to disturb Luc, she gathered her clothes and took them downstairs.

Soon a nice blaze began to warm the kitchen. Ria dressed in front of the fire, then made a pot of tea.

Sipping her tea, she looked outside. Last night’s snowstorm had abated, leaving behind deep drifts of snow and a clear sky pale blue in the early morning light but with the promise of richness to come.

As she thought of the previous night, she blushed and smiled. The last time they made love, just before dawn, had been the most intense experience yet. She would swear she felt the sparks in every part of her body, from the top of her head down to the soles of her feet.

She didn’t know if Luc had heard her last night when she told him she loved him. And he had said nothing about their engagement. Did he still want to marry her?

She’d already decided to say no if he asked her to become his mistress, although…

Ever since she was young, she’d loved him. Could she really turn her back on him?

No, she couldn’t. If he asked her to be his mistress, she would say no. But she would not leave it at that. She would tantalize and torment him until he agreed to marry her.

She wasn’t going to lose this. Lose what they had.

After removing her cloak from a hook in the scullery and slipping her feet into pattens, she went out the back door. Ria stood for a moment and surveyed the scene. Snow was everywhere she looked. It was piled up in large drifts against the buildings, a rich, thick white carpet stretching as far as the eye could see. There was no wind, and the sun was shining brightly from a pristine sky.

She shivered; it was beautiful but cold. She had just picked up a piece of wood from the pile on the corner of the house when she heard a noise behind her. Glancing around, she saw Luc walk out the back door.

Giving in to temptation, she dropped the wood, grabbed a clump of snow from a railing, and threw it at Luc. She was aiming for his chest but instead the ball fell short and showered his feet with snow.

Laughing at the look of surprise on his face, she scooped up another handful of snow, formed it into a loose ball and threw it at him. This time her aim was better, and she hit him squarely in the chest. That ball was followed in quick succession by two more.

Just as she launched another ball, she saw Luc grin wickedly and toss one at her. Ducking, she sheltered behind the woodpile. Raising her head above the pile, she launched another, but he was waiting for her.

Her breath caught as he advanced toward her. Her refuge was being pelted with snow, and she had no chance to throw at him.

Laughing, she ran for the more substantial cover of the well’s stone wall, but he reached it almost at the same time as she did. Bending down, he pulled her to her feet and caught her to him.

He looked at her intently, then kissed her. It was an exquisitely sweet, gentle kiss.

Suddenly behind them they heard the crunch of footsteps on snow. They stepped back from each other and turned just in time to see a middle-aged man dressed in a long coat trudging through the deep snowdrifts around the corner of the house.

Ria’s cheeks stained pink as she thought of what he would have interrupted if they hadn’t heard him.

He came to a sudden halt when he saw them. Breathing heavily, he doffed his hat to Ria and addressed Luc. “Our wagon and horses have become caught in a drift, and I’m unable to free them. Do you have a shovel I could please borrow?”

She answered him, gesturing to the stable. “We have some in there.”

He gave a small sigh of relief. “Thank you. We shouldn’t have set out so soon after the storm, but our daughter is unwell and my wife was anxious to reach her.”

Turning to Luc, she saw him hesitate. Seeing him glance at the cottage and then back at her, she realized he was concerned at leaving her on her own. She reassured him. “I’ll be all right. Please go and help them.”

He nodded.

Ria turned to the man and asked, “Would your wife like to wait in the cottage where it’s warm?”

He shook his head. “Thank you, madam, but no. She is eager to press on as quickly as possible.”

As the two men waded through the snow to the barn, Ria collected wood from the pile and went back into the house.

Concerned, Ria glanced out the kitchen window. Luc had been away for an hour, and Mary and the others hadn’t returned yet.

She tidied up the kitchen and stoked the fire. Just as she straightened, she stopped still. Was that a horse? She heard the sound again, a whinny. Luc had taken his horse, using it to carry the shovels and other supplies. Or Mary could be back.

She grabbed her cloak from the hook in the scullery, swung it around her shoulders, and looked outside from the doorway. Not seeing anything, she started to walk toward the stable.