Chapter 10
Ten
A man stood a few paces away from her—a guest, watching her closely, with half his mouth turned up in an amused grin.
Jade tipped up her chin and smiled sweetly at the stranger, her eyes round with innocence. “No. Just taking everything in.”
He angled his head at her, a large gold mask covering everything from his hairline to below his cheekbones. Three points lined the top edge of the mask, but other than that, the mask had no ornamentation. Dark brown eyes glinted from behind the mask, and the man stepped closer to her.
From what little of his face she saw, she didn’t recognize him, but that only meant he wasn’t part of the royal family or a prominent aristocrat. It also meant he most likely had nothing to do with the Conflict of Succession, which made him a less-than-ideal companion for the night.
“And what do you see?”
Jade pressed her lips into a flirtatious grin, her doe eyes flitting back over the crowd in another attempt to spot Arabella before returning to the man.
She would have to acknowledge him, but she couldn’t allow him to steal her for long.
The primary reason unmarried aristocrats and nobles attended such functions was to find a suitable spouse.
It might be suspicious if Jade, as Elena, didn’t relish the attentions of an eligible nobleman, at least for a little while.
“I see a fun night,” she replied with a lift of her shoulders, the smile still plastered on her face.
“I do as well.” He took one more step to stand at the edge of her personal space. “Shall we enjoy the fun night together?”
No. The last thing she needed was someone she couldn’t get away from.
She didn’t mind sharing a few dances with the young men at the ball—it would be strange if she didn’t—but she couldn’t afford to attach herself to someone all night long.
Besides, no debutante in her right mind would limit herself in her first season.
“Perhaps,” Jade finally said with a playful shrug. “I’m very generous, though. I like to share with others.”
The man forcefully pulled his crooked smile straight in what seemed like an attempt to be serious, but the hint of a grin still lingered. “Pity. I’d hoped to have you all to myself.”
“I’m afraid not.” Jade kept her tone light as she studied the man, but his features were so obscured that she couldn’t make out many details about him.
Only a sliver of his tan face was visible: his strong, clean-shaven jawline and shapely mouth with glimmering white teeth.
His brown eyes were rimmed in dark lashes, and she couldn’t determine in the ballroom lighting if his hair was dark brown or black.
She didn’t believe him to be any of the royal young men. None had the same dark features.
If he wasn’t a royal or in some way close to Grannam or Arabella, then any time she spent with him would likely be wasted.
Jade needed to get into royal circles to learn whatever she could about their next moves and if any of them had hired an assassin.
Not to mention, according to her informant, Grannam had planned to make some kind of “move” at this ball, which meant Jade needed to make her way around the room.
“And just who might you be, my lady?” the man asked, extending his hand in a gesture of greeting. “I don’t believe we have met before.”
Jade offered her hand to the man, and he took her fingers delicately in his own. His grasp was warm and firm, and something about his touch grabbed her attention, putting her on high alert. Despite her quickly rising heart rate, she kept her face pleasant and neutral.
“No, we haven’t met. I am Lady Elena Tavigne.”
He released her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Elena. Are you from here in Tourrine?”
“Actually, no,” she answered, itching to turn away, to end the conversation, to look anywhere else but at him. At the same time, something kept her eyes fixed on him, aside from maintaining her ruse. “I’m from Ellyris.”
“You don’t say.” The expression that came over his face—what she could see of it—was one of pleasant surprise. “I’m from Ellyris as well. Funny that we’ve never crossed paths before.”
For a split second, Jade didn’t know what to say. Keeping her lips pulled in an easy smile, she swallowed, hoping the movement wasn’t terribly noticeable.
The odds that another Ellyrisan had been invited to this ball were low, which was why she had chosen Ellyris for the region whence her alter ego hailed.
Not to mention, he didn’t sound Ellyrisan.
He had the right appearance, from what she could see behind his garb, but that didn’t mean much.
He could just as easily have been from another part of Tourrine.
“It’s not that surprising,” she continued without missing a beat, batting her eyelashes a few times. “I’ve just come out into society. This is my first party.”
The man’s mouth crooked into another grin. “Is that so?” He tilted his head toward her, his dark eyes sparkling. “What do you think of the party so far?”
Jade took in a deep breath, turning her face to the dancers to pretend to marvel at the sights before her. “It’s absolutely magical.”
The sound of a slow inhale through the man’s nose drew her attention back to him. “Magical,” he repeated. He angled his head, and his deep brown eyes bored into her. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Jade didn’t have to act too hard to appear flustered.
She dropped her face and shook her head, allowing herself a second to think as she pretended to gather herself after her perceived faux pas.
But she used it as a gauge to help determine someone’s understanding of magic.
This man’s fixation on her use of the word could indicate a particularly negative attitude toward magic-wielders.
Or . . . could he be a sympathizer, drawing out her beliefs on the matter?
She huffed out a little laugh with a sheepish smile and tried again. “I’d heard of the magnificence of parties held at Evenshold Palace, but I honestly never thought I’d see one with my own eyes. It’s absolutely overwhelming, but in the best way.”
She returned her gaze to the man, keeping up her facade with an air of wonderment, and found that his eyes were still fixed on her.
He straightened and closed his lips into a soft smile, something almost regal in the set of his shoulders and the lift of his jaw.
“Yes, it can be quite overwhelming here. The superfluousness of Lord Grannam seems to know no bounds.” His eyes drifted away from her for a moment, and a muscle in his jaw twitched.
It took only an instant for his easy expression to reappear on his face, and his eyes flicked to the ceiling as he made a small gesture toward it with a pointed finger.
“You see all those enormous chandeliers? He spent an exorbitant amount of money to have them fitted with wiring for electric lights, as well as for the gold trim along the molding.”
Jade followed his line of sight before giving him another polite smile.
“How exquisite.” She was wasting time. She needed to get out of this conversation.
This man was no one important. He didn’t even seem to particularly like Grannam, which led her to believe he wasn’t on his side.
But when her eyes landed on him again, she found it physically difficult to turn away.
The song ended, and applause filled the room in its absence. Jade glanced toward the orchestra and smiled, tapping her fingers softly together around where she held the stem of her glass. Guests departed the dance floor while others took their places, and Jade scanned over the crowd again.
There!
With the break in the dancers, her eyes locked on a beautiful brunette young woman across the hall from her in a full maroon gown and delicate black mask.
As quickly as Jade had spotted Arabella, she was lost again, concealed by other young ladies who blocked her from view.
Jade recognized one of them as her sister Alanna in a cobalt blue dress glittering with diamonds.
She raised herself onto her tiptoes to try to catch another glimpse, her small stature not always playing to her advantage. Jade threw back the rest of the contents of the glass, set it on a tray held by a nearby footman, and turned back to the man, prepared to excuse herself.
He beat her to it.
“Shall we dance?”
He asked as though it was half her idea, and perhaps he thought it was. She’d been peering through the dance floor to Arabella and then downed her drink, and the stranger must have taken it as an indication that she was eager to be part of the next dance.
“Actually, I—” Jade started to protest, but she found his gaze again and changed her mind. Something about the way he looked at her intrigued her. “I’m not entirely sure I can dance with someone who hasn’t even told me his name.”
“Ah!” he exclaimed, turning his head briefly toward the ceiling.
“Where are my manners?” He placed a hand over his heart and dipped his head, as if in a slight bow.
“Lord Nicolas Camarata, at your service, my lady. But please, I’d prefer if you call me Nicolas.
‘Lord Camarata’ is a bit too formal for my taste. ”
Camarata. Jade knew little of the noble families of Ellyris, but Camarata wasn’t one she recognized, whether good or not so good.
“In that case, Nicolas, I insist that you call me Elena.” She flashed him another smile, trying to keep her demeanor flirtatious while still a touch na?ve and reserved.
Nicolas extended his hand again, and Jade took it, his light grasp comfortable and pleasant. He led her to the dance floor, and they found a place just as the orchestra started again.