50. Mutinous Masquerade
“ E veryone is staring.”
Adrian chuckled as they walked along the booths of vendors. “Fruit?” he questioned, motioning.
“I can’t.” Rose set a hand to her nervous stomach.
“You are stunning, Rose. That is why everyone is watching you.” He handed the vendor a copper and took one of the fruit kabobs from his table, handing it to Rose, who immediately pulled a grape off, making him smile.
“They’re all staring because I don’t belong with you.”
“We were made for each other,” he answered, turning her to a jewelry booth. She barely glanced at the offerings, though she liked the way they sparkled in the light of the setting sun. Instead, she glanced around at all the eyes on them.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered. “It’s one thing meeting you privately, but to be out in the open like this . . . I feel as if I have a target on my back. ”
Adrian turned her to him, setting a thin gold chain with an exquisite glittering teardrop-shaped diamond around her neck. Rose glanced down at it as he secured the clasp and then tried to back away as if she could escape the extravagance of the gift. He held her in place with an arm around her waist as he paid the jeweler, who bowed.
“It suits the lady well,” the older vampire complimented.
“Yes, it does,” Adrian agreed.
She let herself be pulled along, fingering the necklace she felt was far too much. As they walked, she nibbled mango, cherry, pineapple, and another grape while taking in all the wares offered—homemade shawls in one stall, baked goods in the next, a selection of teas in another.
Turning a corner to take in more stalls, Rose tossed away her skewer in a trash bin. Carriages lined the street beyond them, unloading more guests. Everyone was elegantly dressed in their costumes and finery, even though they were outside in the city center.
The dance floor, in the cobbled heart of the square, was vacant, everyone waiting for the King and Queen to arrive. It was lined on one side with tables offering champagne, blood-spiked wine, and desserts. There were also three tables for all the gifts. Like she and Adrian, all the guests were visiting the vendors or milling about socializing. Some were already partaking in the libations and food.
All the variety and colors of costumes delighted Rose. There was a handsome peacock—she thought that was Prince Dimitri—a dragonfly, fox, rabbit, deer . . . and so many others. Of course, some were simply dressed up with a mask, and there were some more risqué outfits—tight dresses that accentuated curves, shorter skirts with tight pants underneath, low necklines, and pushed-up, almost bursting bodices. Rose was unsure how some of the females had the guts to wear such things. A few females even wore elaborate headdresses, and Rose wasn’t sure how they didn’t topple over.
Fingering her necklace, she looked up at Adrian and found him smiling down at her. “Thank you for the gift. It is beautiful.”
“You are welcome.” He kissed her temple in the way she loved.
“You’re not holding anything back.”
“Not today. You are radiant. And you smell divine. I want to disappear somewhere and ravage you.”
“You insatiable beast,” she whispered, bumping him with her shoulder. “Later.”
“Perhaps after my parents arrive, and we participate in a few dances and show off for the costume competition, we could find a quiet little shadowed alcove.” He scanned their surroundings. “My guards can keep lookout.”
She gave him another little bump, trying to tame her red cheeks and the waves of heat overtaking her. “You’re so naughty.”
“I still dream about the night of the spring ball. You destroy me when you’re on your knees.” He sent her a lascivious grin. “We should make it a habit at every ball.”
“Stop,” she insisted, though she thoroughly enjoyed his teasing. But if he didn’t stop, she would take him to a dark alley herself.
Sun God, she needed something to distract her from the images in her head making her unbearably hot. The glint in Adrian’s eye and the hitch in his step told her he knew exactly what he was doing.
Thankfully, she spotted a booth of honey cakes and sent him a dazzling smile as she pulled him over. Without a word, he paid and Rose took one as the human woman selling the cakes with her daughter bowed and smiled.
“The lady is very beautiful,” the mother complimented Rose .
“Thank you.” Rose took a small bite of the sugary treat and smiled at the little girl. “You are very pretty too. I love your dress.”
The child blushed as she glanced down at her stained gray dress. “I help Momma bake,” she said timidly.
“Is that why they’re so delicious?” Rose took another bite.
“Momma says the best ingredient is love. We put lots of love into our foods. ’Specially the honey cakes. We gots lots of bees and takes good care of them so they gives us lots of golden syrup.”
“I bet they do.”
There was another waiting to purchase a treat, so Adrian urged Rose along. As they walked away, they heard the girl whisper about the handsome male, and her mother quietly admonished her to be more respectful of the nobles.
And then excited chatter washed over the people as the white and gold carriage of the King and Queen pulled up across the square. Rose let Adrian guide her as his parents exited, all the nobles lining up behind them to bow and greet them.
Her Majesty wore a rich purple gown with jewels sewn in, a white mask with purple feathers and diamonds, and her hair studded with more sparkle. The King matched her, dressed in white with a purple vest and mask.
“Good evening, Mother. Father,” Adrian said, rising from his bow and pulling Rose up with him.
“Hello, Your Majesties,” Rose greeted. “Happy birthday, Queen Eileen. You look stunning.”
Queen Eileen gave a tight smile before turning King Florian to Dimitri, who bowed across from Adrian. They then made their way down the receiving line .
With a nod from the King, the orchestra started, and they moved into the first dance. Everyone watched as they moved gracefully around the dance floor, making sure to preen for the judges of the Queen’s costume contest.
Rose was nervous as Adrian pulled her out to join them for the second song. As Dimitri took his place with his first partner, the young Lady Frannie Whitstead—very pretty dressed as a bluebird—Adrian whispered for her to relax.
“It’s going to be fine,” he assured her as he began leading her in the circular dance, his parents and brother moving in synchrony. Though Rose moved smoothly, knowing the steps, her eyes darted everywhere, checking the position of Adrian’s guards. There were many law enforcement officials as well, and several who looked like they were guards of his brother and parents. There were also knights likely brought for the protection of the nobles. Her pulse raced because Adrian’s crew suddenly seemed small.
“You’re making me thirsty,” Adrian said into her ear, fluttering a few loose tendrils of hair. “I can smell you. Your distress is likely heightening it, which means others will, too, unless you tame it.”
“I can’t help it,” she retorted. “We’re in the spotlight.”
“If we are to stay together,” Adrian said, tipping up her chin, “you must get used to it.” He spun her as the dance called for, dipped her, and then stepped back as the ladies went into a deep curtsy. After he bowed in turn, she rose again, stepped back to him, and the dancers turned the circle.
A slightly more upbeat song began next, and more couples joined the floor. Rose recognized the steps as one from their first date—the outdoor dinner after she’d been freed—and began to relax, letting Adrian guide her and taking the steps lightly. He made sure they passed the judge’s table, twirling her and showing off .
The music continued, and though everyone else changed partners frequently—Dimitri had someone new for every song, as Adrian should have, being a bachelor—she and her Prince remained together. It worried Rose, but Adrian said it would be fine, and further make his point.
Make a point it did. Many whispered angrily behind embellished fans or glasses of drink, aiming glares at her.
The mothers and fathers of the capital’s daughters were offended.
The tension under the joviality built.
It was only a matter of time before it burst.
After another dance—that made five—Rose begged for a break. Adrian took her to the champagne table, where they both took glasses and sipped.
“Oh, I like the bubbles,” Rose said, sipping more.
“Good evening, cousin,” came a voice behind them.
Adrian turned them to the bowing male. “Good evening, Benny,” he greeted with a welcoming smile. “Rose, this is my mother’s brother’s son Benedict Southby. Benny, meet my lady, Rose.”
Without hesitation, Adrian’s cousin bowed, though not as deeply as he had for Adrian. Rose immediately dipped into a reverence. When she rose, Adrian said lowly in her ear, “Be prepared for more to approach now that he has.”
After a slight nod, she said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Duke.”
“Likewise. You seem to have bewitched my cousin. I have never seen him so besotted.”
“I used to tease her the same,” Adrian said fondly. “But there is no magic at play, simply the heart’s genuine affection.”
Benedict laughed. “And such a poet you’ve made of him!”
Rose laughed lightly. “I fear that’s the champagne making him a shameless sweet-talker.”
More gathered around. Adrian introduced them as the Marquis Holt, the Duke Clearwater and his son (and Julianna’s brother) Lionel, and the Count and Countess Mayweather. The Countess whispered to her husband behind a large green fan that matched her dress.
Sensing the hostility in the air, Rose tried to prepare herself. She felt like a hen in a den of foxes. Anger was plain in the Countess Mayweather’s eyes as she rose from her deep reverence. Rose tried to calm her tripping heart, afraid of what would be said and how she should handle herself. No matter what, she needed to reflect well on her Prince.
If Adrian’s plan was to work, she needed to win these stuck-up snobs over.
And that probably was not the way to think.
She tried to take a subtle breath—why had the Baroness laced her corset so tight—while pulling on more of her power. She wrapped it around her more tightly, like Adrian’s arm, because it gave her confidence.
Sensing what she was doing, those around her eyed her more warily while focusing on Adrian. She thought it rude how the Countess continued whispering behind her fan to her husband, but ignored it as Adrian was. After a quiet word from her husband, the Countess snapped her fan shut.
“I think it adorable that you matched costumes, surprising as it is. I believe I speak for most of the nobility when I say that we expected an announcing of your courtship with someone so . . . unknown .”
“Consider this my announcement,” Adrian replied dryly.
The Countess slightly narrowed her eyes and when she opened her mouth to retort, her husband took her arm and said a quietly whispered word so it snapped shut again.
“It is nice for a moment of peace before the fighting starts,” Count Mayweather said to the group with a genial smile. “With everyone training so hard, some frivolity is a welcome reprieve.”
“Indeed,” Duke Clearwater agreed. “I never did like the wolves, superior brutes that they are, and am glad for the stance the Royal Family has taken. Can’t let them overrun us.”
Rose glanced fleetingly at Adrian before schooling her expression. She sipped more of her drink while Adrian replied, “Nothing could stop Mother’s birthday celebration.”
“I imagine she is most happy to be healthy and out of the palace.”
“Ah, yes,” Adrian agreed, “though any occasion to be the center of attention is good for my mother.”
There was quiet laughter around the group as everyone sipped their drinks and looked to the dance floor, where Queen Eileen was dancing with her eldest. Beside her, the King was dancing with Benedict’s sister Bonnie.
“What say you on the war?” Duke Clearwater asked Rose.
Rose took a moment and said, “I think it is sad.”
“Sad?” The Duke blinked. “It’s sad how the beasts try to take advantage?”
“Have you ever met a werewolf, Duke Clearwater?” Rose asked, not flinching from his gaze. She understood he was trying to make her seem stupid, not genuinely caring for her answer or even thinking she had an opinion worth hearing.
No, he was trying to degrade her and so embarrass her Prince.
“I—uh—that is, no,” the Duke stuttered. “But I’ve no need. This is common knowledge.”
“I disagree. You’re basing your opinion purely on speculation and rumor with no personal experience.”
“Our Prince was captured on arrival in their lands! Detained and held captive until he gave in to the demands of that alpha!”
Rose glanced at Adrian, who didn’t meet her gaze, and then back to the red-faced male. “I see.”
“Young lady, how can you stand beside our next monarch being so uneducated?” Countess Mayweather asked haughtily, drawing the attention of some around them, who turned at her tone. “Obviously, you are soft-hearted and simple. War is not sad; it is necessary to maintain our stance.”
Rose looked around the group all staring at her. Instead of the words making her feel slighted and less as intended, she felt angry—angry at them for blindly believing what the King spouted, angry at the King for his manipulations, and angry at Adrian, especially Adrian, for crippling under pressure.
All the anger made her magic fiery. The gazes around her grew more cautious, worried, even fearful as she spoke.
“When the fighting starts and this kingdom loses males, will that not be sad?” she asked. “When the bodies roll in and the notes must be sent to worried families, will you not cry if it is one of your own? Will you not feel pain and loss?”
“How dare you insinuate that our males are not strong enough!” the Duke cried, insulted.
“No matter how strong, how good the training, how valiant the male, it only takes one blow, one slash of the sword, one well-placed arrow. No matter how fierce the fight, there will be losses on both sides.” Rose looked from the stunned Duke to the Countess again. “That is sad. I find it unintelligent to think that there is only glory in war.”
There were whispers among those gathered around, listening. Rose ignored them. “Perhaps you are right that war is necessary in some instances, but having never met the werewolves yourself, how can you even judge?”
“Rose,” Adrian warned in a whisper.
But she would not be put down, so she shrugged him off, to the dismay of everyone watching. After giving a curtsy, she said, “Excuse me, Your Highness.”
She shouldn’t have done that. She and Adrian needed to show a united front, and she’d done the opposite.
But she couldn’t abide. She couldn’t listen to such talk and let it pass. These people were blind sheep following their malicious leader and it infuriated her. It infuriated her more that Adrian seemed so willing to simply go along.
When she turned to walk away, Prince Dimitri was there, as if he’d been waiting.
“Perhaps a dance?” he offered, bowing and offering his hand.
Chatter erupted around them—the other Prince wanted to dance with her too? What did they see in her? She was unattractive, her clothing trying too hard to make up for it, her opinions far-fetched and rebellious, and what was that air about her? She was superior and mighty.
Hesitantly, glancing at Adrian’s stony face and then at Timothy moving silently through the crowd like a shadow, Rose accepted Prince Dimitri’s hand and let him pull her to the dance floor.
She couldn’t say no to the older Prince publicly. And it was unlikely Prince Dimitri would try anything with all the nobles present.
Regardless, her heart tripped like a frightened rabbit’s, making her slightly dizzy. She hated the weakness .
A slow song started, and Prince Dimitri set a hand on her waist, took her other gently, and began leading her. “You are beautiful tonight,” he complimented.
Rose nodded, unsure she’d heard correctly, unsure what to make of him.
“I want to apologize. I’ve been an ass from the start and treated you horribly. I am genuinely sorry for everything I did to you. I regret it terribly and hope in time you can forgive me.”
Rose glanced again to Timothy, following them as he wove through the crowd, his eyes never leaving her. Remorse or an apology from Prince Dimitri was among the last things she expected from him.
Would Timothy be quick enough if it was a ploy?
“Can we perhaps start over? Wipe the past and begin anew?”
Rose glanced up at his gray eyes, and then away.
“I’m not even sure what to call you.” He chuckled nervously.
“Rose,” she whispered.
“Rose,” he repeated quietly, almost reverently. “Thank you for healing me, Rose.” He turned her, held her hands as she sunk into a deep curtsy, helped her up, and lifted her to do a slight spin as the dance called for, and then they spun together before the dance slowed again. He continued, “I surely would have died had you not intervened.”
“I know. Regardless of how you treated me, or how your brother felt”—they both looked to where he stood at the edge of the floor, watching with burning eyes as he spoke to Lady Julianna Clearwater—“I could not let you perish.”
“I am most grateful.”
The song ended and Prince Dimitri bowed to her. When he rose, he took her hand, kissing the back. “You are very beautiful, very kind and warmhearted, and brave. I did not think so at first, but I now realize my brother has exceptional taste.”
Rose simply stared. What was his goal in this? She sensed no deception, but surely he couldn’t be genuine. Surely, her saving him couldn’t have changed his attitude so completely.
“You are good for him.” Prince Dimitri nodded to Adrian. “Don’t let any of these uptight nobles tell you differently. We’re assholes, Rose, set in our ways, and can’t see anything past our own gain. It is why they fear you.” His gaze flitted over all the people around them. “You shake things up when shaking is just what we need. You shook me, changed my perspective by gifting me a second chance. I may be a cruel pig, and I may always be second best, but you helped me realize I don’t have to stay where others have relegated me.” A small smile graced his face. “I truly hope you can forgive my past atrocities. And I truly hope you enjoy the rest of the party.”
Dumbfounded by his words, she curtsied out of habit, and he walked away. To her surprise, another male stepped up to offer his hand. Because it was rude to refuse, Rose accepted, and they started a dance where the partners changed often.
Adrian, furious though he hid it well, joined the dance with Lady Clearwater, who was stunning in an ivory gown with deep green vines and clusters of purple lilac flowers. Her mask was ivory as well, and sparkled with hints of gold, as her dress did.
Comments on her beauty abounded as the dance started, and gossip ran rampant around the square. Rose ignored it, trying and failing to not feel bitter, and met instead the red eyes of her new vampire partner. Thankfully, the dance was fast, and the exchanges so quick there was no chance to speak.
From her pocket, Ciel poked his little mouse head out, not liking the bouncing moves of the dance, and then climbed her arm to her shoulder. As he wrapped around her neck as the mink, holding on, Rose smiled, spinning to a new vampire, who took her smile for flirting. Slightly awed, he took a misstep. Rose moved on, trying to ignore how the male watched her—and Adrian’s hot gaze.