Midnight Masqerade

by Shirlee Busbee

  There was a dangerous silence when she finished speaking. Worn out from the telling of her tale, she leaned back against the sofa and wearily closed her eyes. " So now you know how it was that I came to marry Dominic Slade."

  "Good God! Lissa, why didn't you say something? I would have understood. If you had told the truth, I'm positive that Royce and Uncle Josh would have been more understanding about the situation."

  Melissa's eyes opened and she sent him a sardonic glance, saying dryly, "Do you really believe that? It was a ready-made opportunity for Josh to accomplish what he had been trying to do since I turned seventeen. Do you honestly think that Royce or Josh, for that matter, would not have gone in immediate search of Latimer? That one or both wouldn't have demanded the satisfaction of a duel _.. and possibly died as a result? Do you think I could bear to have that on my conscience?"

  , Zachary fairly bristled, his outraged pride very evident.

  '"It is our duty to protect our women from vermin like Latimer! It would have been only right if they had challenged him!" His anger and his resentment of the promise she had extracted from him chafing him badly, he said stiffly, "I think it was unfair of you to demand such a promise from me. You must allow me to take care of the fellow! "

  When Melissa shook her head angrily in the negative, Zachary bounded to his feet and moved agitatedly to stand in front of her. "Lissa, you must release me!" His hands clenching tightly at his sides, he pleaded, "You must give me the right to avenge you!"

  "Avenge?" Dominic echoed softly from the doorway, a most peculiar expression on his dark features. Walking indolently into the room as if he had just arrived on the scene, he inquired coolly, "What is this talk of vengeance?"

  Chapter Twenty-five

  LIKE TWO guilty schoolchildren, Zachary and Melissa swung around to face Dominic, both of them babbling the most absurd nonsense in their frantic desire to hide from him not only the subject but the seriousness of their conversation.

  "Vengeance?" Zachary repeated with suspect innocence. "There is no talk of vengeance here-I was just trying to convince Lissa to allow me to, um, make amends for having neglected her of late."

  "Oh, yes!" Melissa broke in quickly, as Dominic's eyebrow slanted skyward with open skepticism. "And I was just telling him that I didn't mind in the least that he has been so busy these past few weeks."

  There was a moment fraught with tension as they waited anxiously for his reaction, and their relief was almost patent when Dominic said smoothly, "Your devotion to each other is to be complimented." Glancing across at Zachary, he drawled, "And while I am reluctant to tear you away from your sister, I do believe that it is time for us to be on our way. Don't you agree?"

  "Oh, absolutely!" Zachary said hastily. Dropping a brief kiss on Melissa's cheek, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and fairly bolted from the room.

  Sauntering over to where Melissa sat on the sofa, Dominic surveyed her in silence for a long, unnerving moment, an odd smile on his hard mouth. His eyes shuttered, their expression hidden from her as he reached down and picked up one of her limp hands. Pressing a warm kiss on her cold fingers, he muttered in a thickened voice, "I wish that we could be alone this evening, that I did not have other commitments ... but perhaps it is just as wellthere are things that I must do this night."

  His grip on her hand increased and, surprising her, in one powerful movement he jerked her upright and pulled her slim form next to him. His lips lightly brushing her cheek, he growled, "That I have kept my hands off you these past weeks is nothing short of miraculous!"

  . Reveling in the pleasure both his words and his touch gave her, Melissa gathered up her courage and asked shyly, "Why have you? I thought . . . " A charming blush stained her face. "I thought that after ... after that night that you would . . ."

  Embarrassment stopped her from saying more, but Dominic understood precisely which night she was referring to, and a decidedly tender expression appeared on his face. "That I would care to repeat the process?" he teased gently. His fingers suddenly tightened around her shoulders and his mouth had a distinctly sensuous curve to it. "Oh, sweetheart, you can't know how much I have longed to have you share my bed again, the nights I have lain awake remembering what it felt like to have you in my arms, but until ..." His mouth twisted with distaste. "There are certain ... entanglements I must rid myself of before I dare allow myself to give in to temptation as far as you are concerned. When next we lie together, I want there to be no shadows or misunderstandings between us." His gaze intent, he stared into her eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

  Melissa nodded slowly, all her hopes and longings suddenly blazing in her beautiful eyes. "I think so." Her voice was husky as she added, "But please ... let it be soon."

  Dominic groaned and his lips caught hers in a deeply passionate kiss, all the hunger and frustration of the past weeks explicit in the way his mouth moved almost savagely against her softly yielding flesh. As quickly as the kiss had begun, it was ended and, his breath coming in short, rapid bursts, he said roughly, "This very moment would not be soon enough for me. I swear, sweetheart, that it will not be much longer." Pressing a brief, hard kiss on her mouth, he spun away and strode rapidly from the room.

  With stars in her eyes, Melissa absently touched her fingers to her stinging lips, not quite able to believe the scene that had just passed. Dared she hope? A shiver of delight snaked up her spine, and wrapping her arms around herself, she danced joyously about the small salon, an idiotic smile on her lips.

  The smile on Dominic's mouth was almost as foolish when he joined Zachary on the gallery of the cottage, but as they rode away, his smile faded and his eyes narrowed as he considered his own stupidity. How could he have been so blind? It had all been right there before his very eyes, but he had refused to see it, to believe it. Stubbornly refused, he thought angrily. Stubbornly and pigheadedly refused to trust his own instincts. But not any longer, he decided with a grim twist to his mouth. And never again. Melissa was exactly as she appeared-beautiful and brave and gallant and a darling! The idiotic smile spread across his face once more as Dominic stared blindly ahead, wondrous visions of the future that could be his dancing enticingly through his brain.

  In the faint moonlight that shone over the countryside, Zachary noticed Dominic's silly grin and decided that it o was safe to risk some conversation. "Er, am I to understand that things are well with you and Lissa now?" he asked lightly.

  "Well enough," Dominic returned easily, "but I'm hoping that before much longer they will be even better. Very much better!"

  Encouraged by these words, Zachary daringly chose to probe a bit deeper. Keeping his eyes on the twisting moonlit trail, he asked carefully, "Lady Bowden run her course with you?"

  Dominic shot him a sardonic glance. "Lady Bowden never had a course to run with me-though it may have appeared to the contrary."

  Frowning, Zachary pulled on the reins of his horse, halting the animal. "What the devil d'you mean by that?" 6e inquired sharply.

  "Precisely what I said. The lady holds no appeal for me whatsoever." A look of sudden comprehension creeping into his face, Dominic added slowly, "Whatever charm she might have held for me ended the instant I first laid eyes on your sister."

  "You mean," Zachary demanded with angry incredulity, "that I have been throwing myself in the path of the brass-faced, light-skirted frigate all for nothing?"

  "My dear Zachary, you unman me!" Dominic said, a thread of amusement obvious in his voice. "Have you been offering yourself as sacrifice?"

  Looking slightly nettled, Zachary kicked his horse into motion and replied stiffly, "Well, it just seemed to me that you and that forward piece were a mite too thick for my liking, and I thought that I would-

  "Throw a bit of competition my way?" Dominic inquired dryly.

  A belligerent expression in the tawny eyes, Zachary muttered, "Why not? Lissa's my sister and I didn't want you to make her unhappy."

  Dominic's amusement fled and his
voice was thick with emotion as he said, "I have no intention of ever making Melissa unhappy again, and if she will let me, I have every intention of spending my life showing her precisely how much she means to me-how empty my life would be without her."

  Uncomfortable at the intensity of Dominic's tone, Zachary said with an attempt at lightness, "It's not me that you have to convince! I always knew you were a right one, but you have had me worried with your antics around that Bowden wench."

  A harsh expression on his face, Dominic replied, "I think, you can safely forget about Lady Bowden. She has served her purpose."

  Zachary might have wanted to ask a few more questions about this most intriguing subject, but something in Dominic's manner made him decide to let the matter drop. Before another topic of conversation could be introduced, the lights of the Norton place came into view, and the next several moments were taken up with dismounting and being greeted by their host.

  Tom Norton was a tall, blond stripling who had been blessed with both a generous nature and a substantial fortune with which to indulge his every whim. It was to his credit, being the only surviving son of a widowed mother, that he was neither spoiled nor extravagant in his tastes. He had, however, upon reaching his majority just a few months previously, decided it was time that he had his own home and had purchased the snug little house where tonight's entertainment was being held.

  Norton had invited approximately a dozen or so gentlemen to his home, most of them younger men like himself and Zachary, but there were four or five men in their early thirties also attending, so Dominic did not feel like a graybeard watching the antics of the young. And since it was at Royce's behest that he was attending this strictly masculine party, he wasn't surprised, when he was shown into a large, pleasantly elegant room, to find Royce leaning negligently against the mantel of a marble-fronted fireplace, a resigned expression glimmering in the topaz eyes. Nor did Latimer's presence at one of the many card tables which had been set up for gaming startle him in the least.

  After having been introduced to several young men whose faces he recognized vaguely from other social functions he had attended, and a snifter of brandy had been thrust into his hand, Dominic unobtrusively made his way over to Royce's side. Dominic sipped his brandy and murmured, "I see that our friend still prefers to practice his expertise on the downy ones."

  "Hmm, yes. That's the Franklyn cub, and Latimer has been cultivating him for several weeks now. He's lost an impressive sum to the young fool and I believe that he's decided it's time for his luck to change. I shouldn't be at all surprised if Franklyn leaves the table tonight a loser," Royce remarked dryly, his eyes on the fresh-faced young man who was the object of Latimer's attentions.

  Latimer and Franklyn were playing cards at a table at the far side of the room, and as Latimer's back was to the two men near the fireplace, Royce and Dominic were able to watch the game closely without alerting Latimer to their interest in the proceedings. And both were aware the instant Latimer's luck changed, the moment the needed card was slipped from the sleeve of his coat.

  "Ah, he is very good at it, isn't he?" Dominic commented languidly. "So good, in fact, that even watching for the move, I nearly missed it. "

  Royce muttered something obscene under his breath. "And this," he added harshly, "is the fellow I have had to associate intimately with these past weeks! You have had the easier task, believe me!"

  "Perhaps," Dominic replied coolly. "But I'm beginning to believe, for all our efforts, that Latimer and his sister have been playing us for fools. I've been thinking about them and I've come to several conclusions." At Royce's cocked eyebrow, he went on smoothly. "Latimer's no spy. A gambler and a cheat and a bully, yes, but not a spy-he hasn't the brains for it. I think what little information we've gleaned from Deborah is almost all the information there is to learn. She's not the most intelligent woman I know, but she never would have divulged Roxbury's connection, or Roxbury's request to contact certain former British citizens, if she had thought it would put her brother in danger."

  "What if she doesn't know the whole story? What if there is a great deal more that Latimer has not told her?"

  Dominic shook his dark head decisively. "Think, Royce! They work together. I realize now that they always have, and they are far too concerned with feathering their own nest and saving their own necks to be involved with something as dangerous as spying-we hang spies, or have you forgotten?"

  His eyes resting speculatively on Latimer's back, Royce drawled, "They also hang murderers . . . and we're damn sure that he killed old Bowden and with Deborah's connivance."

  "I know that! But there was little risk for them. An old man, alone at night, the servants gone ... what chance would Bowden have had against them? They chose their target wisely. But a spy . . ." Dominic frowned. "A spy, especially one who intends to remain alive, cannot always choose the people who must be dealt with . . . and spying involves many people scattered throughout the countryside, not just one old man." When Royce remained silent, Dominic said impatiently, "My God! Look at the trail they've blazed from the east to here! They've made no attempt to cover their tracks; there are no plans to return to any of the places they have been, and whatever military information they may have learned along the way is months old by now. They have moved openly and leisurely across the country, stopping for an indefinite time whenever it strikes their fancy. They've not hidden the fact that they are British or that they are here in this country only for the duration of the war. Granted they may exclaim that it is their strong sympathy for our cause that made them take such a drastic step, but have they done anything to help our cause? I mean," Dominic went on seriously, "have they joined any organizations for the war effort? Aligned themselves with any political figures? Has Latimer ever mentioned joining the army to fight?"

  "That doesn't prove anything," Royce returned sourly. "If he is a spy, he would not want to be hampered by military duties. And they couldn't very well hide the fact that they were British citizens."

  Dominic sighed wearily. "No, they couldn't, but while I would enjoy watching Latimer swing for spying, I cannot believe "that he is a spy." His expression thoughtful, he continued. "Now, an advance guard for a real spy, that I could believe."

  Royce looked startled. "Of course, that's it precisely!" His low voice did not hide his excitement.

  His own thoughts running along the same path, Dominic muttered, "Why didn't we think of that before? He is not the spy, but merely a drudge to do some initial cultivating, someone to make social contact and to select those men who might be open to a treasonous offer. An offer the man who will come behind Latimer will make."

  Slowly Royce said, "It is the only solution that makes any sense. Especially knowing what we do about Latimer and what is likely or not likely to appeal to him."

  Dominic took another sip of his brandy, his eyes once more on Latimer, his thoughts for the moment leaving the puzzle of the Englishman's reasons for being in the United States and traveling along a far different path. A path that considered various methods of extracting a suitable revenge. Dominic's mouth twisted. Actually, Latimer had unknowingly done him a favor ... after a fashion, for if Latimer hadn't ... then Melissa wouldn't have ... A wave of black rage suddenly swept through him when he speculated on what might have been her fate if she had not mistaken the rooms that night at the inn. His gray eyes narrowed dangerously. It was time, he thought coldly, for Latimer to learn a lesson. A rather costly lesson, he decided with a savage smile.

  Very deliberately, Dominic set down his snifter and drawled grimly, "I think I shall go and pay my respects to friend Latimer. I might even give him a more worthy opponent than that young cub."

  Royce stiffened at Dominic's words, shooting him an uneasy glance. What he saw didn't quell the sudden suspicion that his friend had a deeper motive for seeking out the Englishman. There was about Dominic the air of a deadly predator just having sighted prey. Royce grabbed his arm and said in a low, urgent undertone, "Don't
be a fool! I'll not act your second and watch you risk your life needlessly. "

  Giving him a disdainful glare, Dominic shook off his hand. "I have no intention of doing anything so foolhardy. Besides," he added softly, "killing the bastard isn't good enough. I wish to harm him where it will hurt him the most-his money bags!"

  Helplessly Royce watched as Dominic walked over in the direction of Latimer's table. Too well did Royce recognize the menacing set to that dark head and broad shoulders and he sighed, knowing that whatever course Dominic had chosen, he would be there at his back to watch and protect. Cursing under his breath, Royce pushed himself away from the mantel and slowly made his way to Latimer's vicinity.

  As if sensing danger, Latimer glanced up from his cards, his expression of lazy confidence disappearing, replaced by a carefully bland countenance. Betraying nothing but polite interest, he said casually, "Young Franklyn is having trouble finding his pace. He is not quite up to my mettle this evening ... would you care to take his place at the table?"

  Dominic smiled wolfishly, a cold glitter in the hard gray eyes. "My thought exactly!" His smile now holding a great deal of warmth and charm, he turned to look at the slightly affronted, fresh-faced young man who sat across the felt-covered table from Latimer. "Do you mind?" he asked courteously. "Latimer and I are old ... ah, adversaries, and since he appears to be having the devil's own luck at the moment, it seems an appropriate time to renew our .., rivalry. That is, if you have no objections?"