Chapter 6
I'm already in the carriage to head to the ball when Fen arrives.
His ruffled white cravat and dark blue jacket with golden buttons make him look dashing in a different way to normal, which is only accentuated by the way he's tied his hair at the nape of his neck with a matching blue bow.
I've seen him with it tied back before, but usually, he prefers some kind of knot on the top of his head that makes him look like a warrior.
"Have you got your mask?" I ask him.
"Here," he says, holding up his hand so that I can see it. "I figured I didn't need to hide my identity from you." He knocks on the top of the carriage and it pulls away from the inn.
"I've probably known you long enough to know what you look like, yes."
"Even in dragon form." He meets my gaze, his dark eyes shining through the darkness.
I swallow hard. "I can't tell from too far away."
"You knew it was me the other night." It isn't a question.
"Yes, I knew it was you," I respond.
"Mmm." He lapses into silence, and as much as I want to fill it, I don't know what to say, especially when what I said about his eyes is still at the forefront of my mind, and no doubt in his.
I fiddle with the ribbon of my mask, trying to work out whether my nervousness is about Fen, or about the upcoming ball and the rest of the work we've got to do in order to get Lady Eyre out of the precarious position she's in.
Thankfully, it doesn't take very long for us to arrive at the castle, and I reach up to tie on my mask, arranging it carefully so that it won't slip off. I don't think anyone will assume that I'm the same person as the maid they see tomorrow, but it's better to be safe.
"Tonight we're Lord and Lady Han," Fen says.
"I know. If anyone asks, I'm the daughter of a wealthy merchant desperate for a title, and you had trade links with him, so the two of you made a deal. A bride price for a title. I read the backstories we were provided," I assure him.
"Good." He knocks on the door, and within a moment, it's opened for us. This is it. From now on, I'm Lady Han and not Ingrid.
Fen gets down from the carriage first and holds out a hand to me. I take it and try to ignore how good it feels, even with the gloves we're both wearing preventing me from feeling his skin against mine. Maybe it even makes the touch even more intense.
He helps me out of the carriage, and despite all of the practice I've had, I'm still a little surprised that I've managed it without getting caught on the door.
His gaze rakes over me, making me feel as if he's noticing every part of me, from my intricately styled blonde hair to the scandalously low neckline of my gown.
I'm not sure if it's the fashion right now, or if it's just because this is a masquerade, but I like the reaction it seems to be getting from Fen.
"You look beautiful," he says, his voice a low rumble and feeling as if it's addressed to me, and not to my alter-ego for the evening.
"Thank you. You look good too," I say a little breathlessly.
His lips quirk up into a smile, the Fen I'm used to returning in it. "Is that so?"
"Well, you always look good," I murmur, completely forgetting myself and the fact that I want to keep my attraction to him a secret from everyone I know. Especially him.
"That's an interesting thing for you to say."
I roll my eyes, something he'll almost certainly still be able to see despite my mask. Some of the tension coming from earlier evaporates. Maybe he hasn't given another thought to my comment about his eyes and it's all in my head.
"You know you're an attractive man," I point out.
"Oh, I do. I'm just enjoying discovering that you think that too."
"I wouldn't have married you if you weren't," I joke.
Fen laughs, a wonderful sound that I've always enjoyed hearing. "You wound me, wife. I would have thought you married me for my sparkling wit." He holds out his arm to me.
I slip my arm through his and rest my hand on his sleeve, trying not to think about how close the two of us are currently standing. The slight hint of smoke that always comes from being near Fen is impossible to ignore, even beneath the more unfamiliar smells caused by his disguise.
We make our way into the castle, and my mind is temporarily distracted from Fen as I look around and take in the magnificence of the ballroom.
While my dress is by far the most beautiful thing I've ever worn, it has nothing on some of the dresses the other ladies in the room are wearing, and it's the same for Fen.
His jacket is dull compared to the intricate embroidery on the sleeves of some of the other nobility.
A page announces us, but thankfully, no one seems to be paying us any attention, which is just what we need when we're supposed to be keeping a low profile. We've got a cover in case we have to use it, but the intention is that we don't have to.
"We should dance," Fen says.
"What?"
"We're at a masquerade, it's what people are supposed to do," he points out. "And it will be much easier to spot the woman we're looking for if we're dancing."
"I think you might misunderstand how difficult it is to dance and search a room at the same time."
"How hard can it be to look for someone with an orange mask with blue beading?"
"Harder than you think." One look around the room makes it clear that there are plenty of oranges and blues around.
"We practised the dance, we should at least get a chance to put all of that hard work to good use," he says.
"I suppose that is true."
He takes that as the confirmation it is and draws me over to the dance floor. For a horrible instant, I think that I'm not going to know the dance, but then familiar music starts to play and all of the lessons I've participated in come flooding back as Fen pulls me into a hold.
We're so close together that I can feel the heat radiating from him, and it only makes me want to get closer still.
He steps forward, reminding me that we're supposed to be dancing.
I go through the movements, counting in my head while I get used to the rhythm of the dance.
Fen is a good partner, and we've practised enough times that we're comfortable with one another, even if things are complicated by my comment earlier.
I look up to meet his gaze, surprised when I see him looking down at me with an intensity that isn't hidden by his mask.
His eyes flash gold, making my breath catch in my throat.
Why is that happening when he's looking at me?
Usually, it only seems to occur when we're sparring and he's concentrating on beating me.
But this is different.
He spins me under his arm, causing the various layers of my dress to flutter around me, adding to the movement of the dance.
I stumble slightly as Fen pulls me back into hold, but he steadies me with a hand on my arm.
"Are you all right?" he murmurs.
"Just a little dizzy," I respond. "I wasn't prepared for.
.." I trail off, not knowing what the end of my sentence is.
What am I not ready for? Dancing in his arms?
Being at an event like this? Being responsible for the escape of someone who I can only assume is on the verge of desperation?
The answer is probably all three of those things, but it's difficult to pinpoint which one is the most dominant.
"I can spin you slower," he promises.
"It's fine," I assure him.
He nods, moving us around with ease, like he's done this countless times.
Maybe he has. Unbidden, a surge of jealousy fills me.
I squash it down. It doesn't matter if he's done this with someone else.
He could have danced with any number of people out on a mission, and even if he had personal motives, it's not my place to say that he shouldn't be doing that.
"She's there," he says, cutting through my thoughts.
"What?"
"Lady Eyre. She's standing by the sculpture of a wolf," he says. "Look next time we turn."
I nod, though I'm still trying to process what he's saying and what it means. I've not been looking for our target, even if it's what I should have been doing. I'm letting myself get dangerously distracted by Fen's presence.
The dance makes it so that we turn, and I immediately spot the wolf statue he's referring to, and the woman in the orange mask with blue beading standing beside it.
The swallow brooch on her dress is larger than I expected it to be.
I would have thought she'd want to go with something more subtle given that this is supposed to be a secret rescue mission.
But at least we know it's her.
"You should make contact with her once the dance is through," Fen says.
I nod. "And then we leave?"
He shakes his head. "I need to make contact with Lord Alfson too."
My eyes widen. "I thought you weren't going to do that until tomorrow?"
"Tonight is better. If he decides against hiring a dragon tonight, he won't have seen my face and we can do something else."
"Oh." Despite knowing he's done this before, and that I shouldn't be worrying about him anyway, I still do. I don't want him to put himself at risk.
"I'll be fine, Ingrid," he murmurs, so low that no one will be able to hear us. Which is good. I don't think it would be considered proper for him to be addressing me by my name at an event like this even if I was his wife.
The music comes to a stop, signalling the end of the dance. It isn't a relief when he lets go of my hands, it's disappointing, and I'm not entirely sure how to deal with that, especially when I've gotten used to being so close to him.
"You should make contact with Lady Eyre," he says as bows deeply to me.
I nod and dip into a curtsy. Now is my chance. With lots of people leaving the dance floor, there's so much movement that can cover me heading up to where she is.
It's hard to tell her age from what I can see in front of me.
Her gown is exquisite, putting mine to shame, and some of the beading on her mask might be sapphires instead of glass.
I try not to feel entirely inadequate beside her, and remind myself that the reason we're here is because her life is nothing more than a gilded cage, one that she wants to escape.
"Lady Eyre," I say, dipping into a curtsy.
"Do I know you?" she asks.
"No. I'm known as Lady Han tonight. Tomorrow, you'll know me by another name." My heart races as I wait for her response.
"You've been sent by..."
"Don't say it," I cut her off. "It's best if we don't talk about this here." I slip my hand into my pocket and pull out the pendant.
"How am I supposed to be sure you are who you say you are?" she asks, a desperate note entering her voice.
"You'll know me tomorrow when I show you the other half of this." I pull the pendant apart and hold out a piece to her.
"And then you'll tell me the rest of the plan?"
One look in her eyes chases away the remaining feelings I have following my dance with Fen. Her mask doesn't hide the terror she's in, and she looks as if she could cry at any moment.
"Yes," I assure her. "I can't say more here, but it's in motion. You'll have your freedom in a matter of days." I hold out the half of the pendant she needs to take.
Her fingers close around it, and she gives the smallest of nods. "It was nice to make your acquaintance...Lady Han."
"Likewise." I dip into a curtsy and slip away, hoping we didn't draw too much attention to our conversation, even if I know it's not likely.
Lady Eyre might be the daughter of the lord of the castle, but the masquerade guests seem to be distracted by the dancing, food, and general revelry of the evening.
At first glance, it's difficult to imagine that someone might want to leave this world behind, but I know that there's going to be more beyond the surface that can't be seen, and I dread to think exactly what that might reveal.