Lady Wicked Read Free Page A

evening. And you, sir?”
    “I am incognito. I have no name.”
    “No name, sir?” She feigned surprise.
“Whatever shall I call you?”
    “Darling sounds fine.”
    There was her coquettish laugh again, the one
that tugged at his heart strings. At first he had sought her out
through interest that another of their kind might exist. It was
curiousity he told himself as he made her acquaintance one summer’s
eve, purely scientific. Throughout their years, he and Jeremy had
never chanced upon another. Decades had been spent ruminating that
perhaps they were the only ones, some strange quirks of fate, or
something in their blood that kept common human afflictions at bay,
not to mention aging and death.
    Of course, antagonising his brother was a fun
side effect of his acquaintance with Amelia. His brother chose to
watch her from afar, never meeting, not unless it was under the
auspices of the Masquerade.
    James watched as his brother fell in love
with a woman he barely knew. He suspected that Jeremy intended to
make Amelia his tonight, to bind them together forever.
    The problem was that the idea made James
inextricably angry. Sure, he was a skirt-chaser and a rogue, and
he’d never thought himself one to settle down, certainly not with
one woman, not even when he was mortal. Maybe it was because his
heart had been walled away from loss for so long that it had
hardened.
    Yet, Amelia was unknowingly chiseling away at
his defences and he was thinking of giving himself over to
surrender. It wasn’t just that she was destined to live the long
life that he was, it was that she utterly captivated him from her
sharp wit to her delicate laugh, to the beauty she commanded. He
wanted her. Lifetimes of love, passion, and her companionship was
something he couldn’t selflessly give up, even for his brother.
    “You are contemplative. Are you unwell?”
Amelia’s voice startled him out of his reverie, not that she could
see under his mask. He’d thought it funny to have it fashioned as
though an angel, but now he wondered if somehow, subconsciously,
that was how he wanted Amelia to see him: her rescuer.
    “I am well, thank you.” He darted a glance
upwards, searching for Jeremy, but his brother had vanished from
his viewpoint at the banister. One quick look to the right
confirmed his suspicion: Jeremy was making his way down the stairs,
intent etched all over his unmasked jaw.
    Quickly, James sidestepped the carousing
guests and led Amelia through the ballroom where the orchestra was
strumming a lively waltz, a dance that had only just been
introduced. James had instructed the orchestra to play several
waltzes tonight, the intimate dance fitting in with the bawdy
theme. Until this year, dancing had been a chaste act, with little
touching between the sexes and conducted in large groups so there
would be danger of impropriety. The waltz, however, required the
close contact between man and woman, a single couple whirling in an
intimate pairing as if alone. It was a touch scandalous and
therefore quickly favoured by the young men and women who strained
under perpetual social morals.
    Amelia gasped, her gloved hand covering her
bowed mouth, as the dancers swept past. Looking down James as
amused to find her eyes bright, no sign of a blush at all. Perhaps
she was racier than he had given her credit.
    “I’ll show you the steps,” James offered,
surprising himself. “Later, perhaps?” He lifted two Champagne
flutes from a passing waiter’s tray and pressed one into her
hand.
    “Come and see the terrace. The stars are
abundant here.” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead steering her
towards the open doors leading outside, casting a glance over his
shoulder to see where his brother was. He saw Jeremy enter the
ballroom, just as they stepped outside and away into the shadows of
the house. It seemed mean, traitorous even, to sidestep his
brother, but James was determined.
    Amelia crossed the terrace, resting her hands
on the stone