Midnight Masquerade

by Shirlee Busbee

  There had never been any question that Zachary had been impressed and drawn immediately to Dominic, and that should have made her think a little more deeply about Dominic's supposedly flawed personality. Wouldn't Zachary have noticed something and warned her? Josh's ready acceptance of Dominic into the family was suspicious, especially if he really believed that Dominic was a blackguard. Wasn't it far more likely that he would have kept his new nephew-in-law at arm's length?

  Melissa's lips pursed and she decided that one of the very first things she was going to do this afternoon was ride over and have a rather pointed conversation with her uncle. Josh might bluster and shout, but in the end she knew he would confess, if he had concocted that story about Dominic.

  Talking to Royce, too, might be a good idea. Royce would know if Dominic were indeed a callous womanizer. A pleased smile spread across Melissa's face. Of course! She should have paid more attention to Royce's actions during this whole affair. Josh might have been willing to sanction a marriage to an unscrupulous rake to gain control of Sally's fortune, but Royce, who knew Dominic intimately, would never have allowed her to be married to a man he thought unworthy under any circumstances.

  Melissa fairly danced out of her bedchamber. There was a great deal she intended to find out today. And if she was right... She shivered with something near to ecstasy as she considered what her future might be.

  Melissa had not been the only one to do some serious thinking this morning, nor was she the only one to come to encouraging conclusions. Dominic had awakened at the first light of dawn and had spent an excessive amount of time staring idiotically down into Melissa's sleeping countenance.

  With greedy satisfaction his eyes drank in each lovely feature, from the wildly tousled honey-brown curls to the pink sole of one slim foot that peeked out from the tangled linen sheets. He decided that he had never seen a more beautiful sight and that having Melissa in his bed was a habit he was going to enjoy cultivating.

  His eyes trapped by the sweet curve of her mouth, he couldn't control the impulse to taste that honeyed warmth once more, and his head dipped and he gently pressed his lips to hers. She stirred in her sleep, a little frown marring the serenity of her features. Seeing her reaction, he smiled faintly. After last night and the hours he had kept her awake, he wasn't at all surprised that she slept so deeply or that his kiss didn't wake her.

  Knowing that if he didn't get away soon from the seductive warmth of her body, he was going to wake her and prove that he was an insatiable animal where she was concerned, Dominic reluctantly got out of bed. For a moment he toyed with having his bath in her room but decided against it and very gently lifted her from his bed and carried her into the other room, placing her once more in her own bed.

  Back in his own room, despite the earliness of the hour, he rang for Bartholomew and wasn't surprised when his bedroom door opened almost instantly.

  Bartholomew's sallow features devoid of expression, he asked quietly, "Would you prefer your coffee before you bathe or afterward, master?"

  His manner carefree and jaunty for the first time in several weeks, Dominic grinned at his manservant and demanded, "Does nothing I do catch you off guard? I would have thought that my summons would find you in bed at this hour of the morning."

  Bartholomew sent him a reproving glance that was at variance with the twinkle in the knowing brown eyes. "I wouldn't be fulfilling my duties properly if I wasn't capable of anticipating your most likely wants, sir."

  "Oh, God! You're beginning to sound depressingly like your Uncle Litchefield," Dominic said with a mock groan.

  Bartholomew, a superior smile on his face, bowed and murmured, "That is high praise indeed, sir. You overwhelm me with your compliments."

  Laughing at his valet, Dominic said, "Enough! Now go see about my bath and bring the coffee back with you."

  Having bathed and eaten, and fortified by several cups of strong coffee, Dominic decided that an early morning ride would not come amiss. Whistling cheerfully, he wandered down the stairs and out of the house. His step as light as his spirits, he made his way to the stables and after rousing out a sleepy-eyed groom, a few minutes later he rode away, his destination unknown.

  It was a fine morning, the blistering, debilitating heat of August having faded to the far more pleasant warmth of September. This early in the day, the humidity was not as powerful either, and Dominic's horse, a flashy dark brown gelding with three white socks and a large white star in the middle of his noble forehead, cavorted and pranced as if signaling his pleasure in the morning.

  Since he had no particular destination in mind, Dominic let the horse explore at will, his own thoughts dwelling on the events of last night. A silly smile on his face, he finally admitted to himself that marriage—to the right woman, of course—had much to recommend it. And infuriating though she might be, as incomprehensible as her actions might appear to him, he conceded that Melissa was the right woman for him.

  It wasn't, he mused as his horse danced under his slack grip of the reins, just the rightness of having Melissa in his bed either. They had spent a lot of time together since they had married, and reviewing those past weeks, weeks when he had been denied her bed, he was amazed to discover that he had actually enjoyed that time with her. Naturally, he added hastily, it would have been much more enjoyable if he could have partaken of the delights he had known last night, but even without the pleasures of the flesh to cloud the issue, he had found the early days of his marriage delightful. At least, he clarified with a scowl, it had been delightful when he hadn't been thinking of the underhanded way Melissa had trapped him into marriage or been considering her a greedy little hussy.

  His scowl deepened and, almost irritably, he jerked the horse away from a clump of grass that grew near the narrow, winding path. Oblivious to the tangled undergrowth of the tall, slim beech trees, the fragrant yellow jasmine and trailing trumpet vines, as well as the deeply green magnolia trees and the towering oaks that grew in wild abandon, he continued on his way, his thoughts focusing on Melissa's contradictory behavior.

  During the time that they had been married, he could not think of an instance when she had displayed any signs of avarice or taken a marked interest in his money. Granted, he had lavished expensive gifts and luxurious items on her, but he had always had the distinct impression that she had been uncomfortable with his generosity. Of course, that could all be an act on her part, he thought reluctantly, but...

  A bit angry at the unwelcome direction of his musings but unable to stop their flow, he tried to view the past few weeks and the occurrences that had led to their marriage dispassionately. It was difficult to do because his emotions kept getting in the way, but finally, after a struggle with himself, some interesting ideas began to emerge from his muddled thinking. Ideas that he should have considered long before now.

  Dominic had always had the reputation of being a shrewd and perspicacious young man, and understandably, he had been proud of that fact. Even as a very young man he had been able to see beyond the charm and ingratiating manner of those who would trick and cheat him; able to spot at once insincerity cloaked by simulated artlessness, deceitfulness gowned by clever guilelessness. His ability to view the antics of others with a sometimes friendly, sometimes coolly detached interest had been a great boon to him, and he had grown used to thinking himself infallible when it came to understanding his fellow man. The only time his instincts had failed him had been during his brief infatuation with Deborah.

  He hadn't been able to see beyond her pretty face and beguiling smiles then, so why did he think that he was reacting any differently with Melissa? Did he have a blind side when it came to his relationship with women? Royce had taken Deborah's measure at once, but he had not. Was he one of those poor fools always being duped by a woman whose conniving ways were perfectly obvious to everyone but himself?

  His mouth twisted. It was possible, but he did not believe that his instincts had let him down that badly—twice!


  Look at Morgan. Stephanie had befuddled him, but then he'd had the good luck to find Leonie.

  Perhaps, Dominic thought with a small smile, he would be as lucky. Perhaps he was being as blind about Melissa as Morgan had been about Leonie.

  That idea brought him to an abrupt standstill, his hand jerking his wandering horse to an unexpected stop. What if he had been wrong about Melissa? What if she hadn't married him simply for money? What if there had been a legitimate reason for her having been in his room that night?

  He could think of no excuse strong enough to put her at the inn that night other than the desire to trap a rich husband, but for the sake of argument, he would assume she had been there for an innocent reason. And if that were the case, then she had been as trapped as he had been.... He frowned. But if she was innocent, why had she agreed to the marriage? Surely she could have explained everything to her uncle. And though the situation had been deplorable, if her reasons for being there were valid, surely Josh would not have insisted upon the marriage. And if she really had been opposed to the marriage, as she had pretended at first, why had she capitulated if it hadn't been an act in the first place?

  Not at all satisfied with his speculations, Dominic turned his attention to the people around Melissa and their opinion of her. It was at that point that his theorizing became similar to Melissa's, if he had but known it. For Dominic, his conclusions were far easier to come by, as he wasn't laboring under the impression that his spouse was a creature of indiscriminate morals. He only had to wade through his own notions of why Melissa had acted as she had; there had been no Josh Manchester to fill his head with lies, no Latimer to add to the lies and no clinging former lover, a la Lady Bowden, to give proof to the lies.

  Since he had known Royce the longest and trusted his opinion implicitly, it was only natural that Dominic consider his friend's estimation of Melissa. His gray eyes narrowed in concentration, he thought back over the various statements that Royce had made about Melissa, and something that should have been obvious to him before suddenly struck Dominic. Royce had wanted him to marry Melissa! Had in fact been pleased with the way things had turned out. A wry grin on his face, he realized that Royce had subtly abetted Josh when that gentleman had been singing Melissa's praises to the skies. And if Melissa was a conniving and unscrupulous little jade, would one of his best friends be in favor of his marriage to that same creature? Absolutely not! If Royce had the least suspicion about Melissa, had thought her anything less than an acceptable bride, Dominic had no doubt that his friend would have warned him. It had been apparent too, now that he thought of it, that Royce had a deep fondness for his cousin. Royce had spoken of her gallantry and beauty and, Dominic remembered, had looked murderous when he had first come upon Dominic and Melissa in bed. It was obvious to Dominic that Royce held her in the highest regard, ready to do battle even with a good friend to save her honor. It seemed extremely unlikely that the sort of woman he had envisioned Melissa to be would provoke that sort of reaction from cynical Royce.

  Feeling satisfied with his conclusions, Dominic turned his horse around and headed back to the cottage. He didn't possess one shred of proof to bolster his conviction that he had misjudged his young bride badly, but he was pleased with his deductions and he had made an important decision.

  There was only one person who could answer the questions that troubled him, and that was Melissa herself. Before the day was very much older, he was going to have a blunt conversation with his wife, and she was going to explain exactly why she had been at the inn then and why she had finally agreed to marry him. It dawned on him that he wanted to do nothing to disrupt the gentle feelings Melissa had aroused within him, and although he was burning with impatience to hear her answers, today might be too soon. He would look over the lay of the land and choose the right time to demand his answers... but it would be soon. Very soon. A sensuous smile flitted across his face. After she had prettily explained everything to his satisfaction, he was going to take her to bed and experience again all the joy he had felt last night in her arms.

  Guiding his horse down the lane that led to the cottage, his brain filled with erotic images, Dominic was jolted from his pleasant pastime by the sight of a tall, long-legged black stallion tied to the hitching post near the side of the house. He would have known that particular horse anywhere and he spurred his own horse forward, eager to greet this unexpected but most welcome guest.

  Throwing his reins to the groom who appeared just as he pulled his horse to a stop, Dominic dismounted and raced up the broad steps two at a time. His foot had barely touched the floor of the gallery when a laughing voice rang out to his left. Spinning in that direction with a wide smile, he caught sight of the tall, broad-shouldered gentleman coming toward him. Hand outstretched, his voice full of warmth and affection, Dominic said, "Adam St. Clair! When you didn't come to the wedding, I assumed that you must have met your fate and that some irate husband had finally given you your just deserts!"

  Adam St. Clair, his bright blue eyes full of mischief, murmured, "At least I am not the one caught in the parson's mousetrap. Good God! I could not believe my eyes when I returned home and read the invitation to your wedding." He looked mournful for a moment. "You realize that now that you have been leg-shackled, Catherine will not give me a moment's peace? Whenever she becomes too insistent about my unmarried state, I have always been able to fob her off by telling her that she needn't worry—you weren't married yet either. Now what am I going to do?"

  Dominic burst out laughing, his pleasure in seeing his friend from Natchez evident. The two companions shook hands enthusiastically, and after much pounding of each other's back and several ribald comments about the other's appearance and habits, they walked to the end of the gallery, where Adam had been sitting talking to Melissa.

  As if it were something that he did every morning, Dominic strolled up to Melissa and, despite the interested onlooker, dropped a brief kiss on her surprised mouth. "Good morning, my dear," he drawled, his eyes studying her lovely features for a moment before he sat down in the chair next to her.

  Flustered, Melissa busied herself by fussing with the items on the silver tray. Realizing that there was no cup for Dominic, she rang for a servant, glad to occupy herself with housewifely details until she could regain her composure.

  Sprawled in his chair, Dominic looked warmly at his glowing bride and said teasingly, "It seems that I cannot leave for a morning ride, madam, that I don't return home and find you entertaining guests. In this case a guest whose penchant for poaching other men's wives is well known to me." Sliding a caressing finger along Melissa's hot cheek, he added, "I think I shall have to shoot him before he even begins to think about trying any of his tricks with my wife!"

  Her heart racing beneath the lacy insert of her attractive, gown of cherry-pink muslin, Melissa said breathlessly, "He's already warned me of his reputation and has promised, since your skill on the dueling field is common knowledge, not to make any attempt to sway my emotions." Her eyes brimming with mischief, she murmured, "I think that he is being most considerate and magnanimous, don't you? After all, he is nearly as handsome and charming as you."

  Adam St. Clair was a very handsome and charming young man, and there were those who would have been hard pressed to choose between him and Dominic. It didn't help matters that the two men in question were conspicuously similar in appearance and background. Like Dominic, Adam was tall, standing well above six feet; and like his friend's, his hair was thick and black, not as curly as Dominic's, but with an attractive wave to it. Their ages were the same too, Dominic being the older by just a few months, and until Dominic had purchased Thousand Oaks, they had both called the Natchez area home—Adam's plantation, Belle Vista, situated a scant three miles from Bonheur. But if there were many similarities between them, there was one marked difference: Adam had been born and raised in England, not coming to America until he was eighteen years old; instead of the drawling manner of speaking that Dominic had, his
English accent was apparent in his clipped speech, although the years in Natchez had softened it considerably.

  Even if the two young men had not taken a liking to each other at first meeting, their friendship probably still would have prospered—Adam's younger sister, Catherine, was married to Jason Savage, Morgan's close friend. There was a great deal of interaction between the Savages and the Slades, and so naturally Adam had always been included and he was as familiar with Dominic's family as Dominic was with his. Of late, the meetings between the two had been few, Dominic busy with his life and Adam equally busy with his own affairs, and so Dominic's delight in being with his longtime friend was not surprising.

  The servant arrived with the other china cup as well as a freshly brewed pot of coffee, and it was only after everyone had been served that Dominic settled back in his chair and asked, "Now, what sort of excuse are you going to offer for not being here for my wedding?"

  Adam grimaced, his air of relaxation vanishing. "I'm afraid that Jason's business kept me away from Belle Vista until recently. It was only when I stopped by the house on my way to New Orleans that I even knew of your wedding." His mood changed for a moment and he cast a languishing glance in Melissa's direction. "If only I had seen you first. Just think, madam, instead of that lump beside you, you could have been married to me."

  Melissa smiled at his teasing, and feeling very brave, she put her hand on Dominic's sleeve and remarked, "You are too kind, sir!" She cast Dominic an uncertain look and added softly, "But I am..." She hesitated, then, encouraged by the warm expression in Dominic's eyes, said in a rush, "Content with the husband I have!"

  Oblivious to Adam, Dominic brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand, his eyes locked intently on hers. "Are you, my dear? Are you really?" he murmured.

  A lovely blush flooded her cheeks and, unable to sustain his probing stare, she glanced away and mumbled "I believe so."