The Seventh Season by Cathy Peper

Author:Cathy Peper [Peper, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2016-08-10T00:41:34+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

On the night of the public masquerade at Vauxhall Gardens, Miranda told her mother she was not feeling well. She had her dinner sent up on a tray and peered from the balcony as Lady Somers left for her round of engagements for the evening. Lord Somers accompanied her, but he would leave shortly after arriving at the first rout to head for his club. Though unsurprised at the success of her transparent ruse, Miranda battled a sense of disappointment as her parents sauntered out the door. With as much notice as they took of her, she could take a lover right under their noses and never be caught. She felt depressed instead of liberated by the notion.

Though she had considered buying a costume for the event, for simplicity’s sake, she chose a black domino with pearl gray trim and a matching mask. She had taken her maid into her confidence, so Grace returned to her room to help her dress. She wore a simple day dress since it would be covered by the voluminous cloak-like domino. Hiding the mask in her reticule, she slipped down the front stairs and out the door. The servants had fled to their own rooms once the earl and countess departed, so no one saw her leave.

Derek was waiting in a hired hackney around the corner. He smiled at her from behind his mask as she scrambled into the carriage. Her heart pounded with excitement. “You promise that no one will ever know about this?" she asked.

He grinned, his smile seeming almost devilish beneath his scarlet mask. “If you keep your mask on.”

Miranda pulled it from her reticule and placed it over her eyes. Derek’s domino was as black as hers, but trimmed with red which seemed rather flashy to her overstretched nerves.

"To preserve our anonymity, I thought you could call me “Davey” tonight. I will refer to you as Molly."

"Not very original," Miranda said, but Derek’s commitment to maintaining her reputation eased her frazzled nerves.

But they flared once more when she realized that the driver had left them off at the Thames.

"Why are we stopping here?" she asked, hanging back from the water's edge.

"I thought we could go by water," Derek replied. "I arranged for a boat." Without hesitation, he stepped aboard the little skiff bobbing on the river's surface. A man with an oar sat in the back, observing her from eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat. "Give me your hand."

Miranda could not move. Although it was cool by the river's edge, her domino felt hot and confining. “Why could we not have gone by road?"

"Traveling by river sounded so much more exciting. However, we can still go by land if you wish. I had no idea you would be afraid to ride in a boat."

"I'm not afraid. We have a lake at the Abbey and I often go boating there."

"Then what’s the problem? Get in." Derek dropped his outstretched hand.

"I’ve never ridden in a boat on the Thames. I hear it can be dangerous.

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