His eyebrow quirked. “Fern?”
“Yes,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.” She spun on her heel and slipped into the crowd, maneuvering her way down towards High Street, never lifting her eyes from the book.
Alex shook his head, watching her slight form disappear into a mass of people.What an unusual girl, he thought.I’m so glad to be rid of her.
She was certainly the most interesting thing that had happened to him in quite some time, he thought as he marched back to the library, eager to resume his work. Although finding their encounter interesting damned her with faint praise, considering how painfully dull his life had become. His work was his passion, and he enjoyed it thoroughly, but now with his future standing so close at hand, he was somewhat…dissatisfied? As though the dream he had worked for years to achieve somehow was no longer sufficient.
Alex was still thinking about the odd girl when he returned to his room in Pembroke College that evening. It was just before supper, much earlier than Alex typically retired, but he could not seem to focus on his work. As he unlocked his door, he saw the slender form of Lord Henry Winchester, current Viscount Morley and future Earl of Fensworth, striding towards him, a sly grin on the young nobleman’s face. Henry had the distinct luxury of having studies as a hobby, something to pass the time until receiving his earldom. He was currently working at a snail’s pace towards a degree in English literature—or was it history now?—eager to avoid spending more time under the current Fensworth’s tutelage.
“Alex,” Henry drawled. Clearly, he had already been imbibing, or perhaps had not yet stopped from the night before. “I didn’t know you could find your way back at this hour. Have you solved all the mysteries of the universe yet?”
Alex pursed his lips and glared at his friend. They had interacted this way since their first few days in undergraduate at Pembroke when the two found themselves locked out of the college gates. Alex had been in the library, and Henry had discovered a nearby pub with a collection of particularly buxom servers, but their simultaneous stranding at the gates after curfew left them united in a mission to find a way in without alerting the guards and facing punishment. Together they had scaled a trellis, walked along a six-foot-high stone wall, and lept into a rosebush to avoid detection. When they arrived back at their rooms, clothing torn, covered in scratches, and laughing hysterically, they were friends for life.
While their friendship was pure, Alex could not avoid envying Henry for the privileges his birth allowed him. Henry would inherit a powerful title, and his status as a member of the peerage would give him connections and security in his future. Henry was free to enjoy his time, and spend money as he wished, sparing not a single thought about the security of his future. Alex spent his free time tutoring and studying, saving his funds, and planning his next steps with care. While he was proud of his choices, Alex could not help but feel resentment when Henry stood before him in evening clothes, ready for a night on the town.
“No,” Alex said, “there are many mysteries yet to be solved. I assume you’re planning to find some trouble tonight?”
Henry laughed, tipping his head back. “Would it be a Saturday without trouble? And you’re coming with me.”
He did not have space in his life for the type of trouble Henry enjoyed. Although Alex never read the scandal sheets, Henry was their primary subject, cataloging his exploits like the heroes of ancient Greece. Despite his love of roguish behavior, Henry was loyal to a fault, the type of friend Alex was grateful to have found.
Shaking his head, Alex opened his room’s door and tossed his heavy leather bag onto the spindly desk chair. The cramped space resembled a cell, and heavy vines growing over the half window deprived the dank chamber of sunlight for most of the day. His desk overflowed with books and papers, and his unmade bed beckoned. He sighed and let his shoulders droop. He would need to clean up before falling asleep. “I can’t go out, I’m exhausted.”
Henry followed his friend into his room. Henry turned his nose up slightly taking in Alex’s crowded basement space. Henry rented a spacious set of rooms on the second floor more akin to a London flat than his own monk’s cell, taking full advantage of the laundry and dining services available to resident students. He routinely offered his extra space to Alex, but Alex declined, his pride not allowing him to take advantage of his friend’s kindness. “God bless it, Alex, you need to get out. You’ll go mad in here. You have to see the world beyond Pembroke.”
“I happen to like Pembroke,” Alex replied, picking a discarded shirt off the floor and stuffing it into his laundry basket. Another task to take care of this weekend, as he refused to spend the money on the laundry service.
“I do as well, but there is more in Oxford than the library offers.” Henry pushed a pair of Alex’s pants off his bed and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his dark eyes sparkling. “I’m taking you to a party.”
Alex didn’t look up from his dirty clothing as he replied. “What kind of party?”
Henry’s mouth curved into a wicked smile. “A fantastic party. You remember Sir Roland, my chum from Eton?” Alex groaned and then nodded, remembering the crass young man who enjoyed mocking Alex for his humble upbringing. “Well, he’s in from Town, he got an invitation to a masquerade at Boar’s Hill tonight.”
“Boar’s Hill? I’m not familiar.”
“It’s about a thirty-minute ride into Oxfordshire. Roland will ride with me in my curricle. I want you to go as well.”
Alex laughed, tossing a sock at Henry. “No, I’m not going to some society ball. I would have no idea what to do, when to bow, how to introduce myself…”
Henry threw the sock back, landing it on Alex’s shoulder. “Like hell, you’re not. And besides, times have changed. I’ll introduce you to the right people, and it will be so busy no one will even notice if you make a mistake. You need a good time, and this will be a step up from burying your head in a book. Do you know who the daughters are?” When Alex shook his head, Henry replied with awe in his voice, his dark eyes wide. “The Flower Sisters.”
Alex lifted his palms in question. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Henry stood up and sighed, fixing Alex with a patient smile. “Only the finest looking girls in London for the past many years. Their father is a viscount, quite the big shot in Oxford and London. High society in theton, and the family seat is in Oxfordshire. Two girls are married, but there are more. Two or three, I’m not sure how many, but if they will be there, certainly many other beautiful girls will be there as well.”
“I don’t understand that logic. Why would more beautiful girls be there?”
Henry shook his head in mock disappointment. “Every bachelor in England will set his sights on the Flower Sisters. And since the girls can’t marry all of them, other beautiful girls will be there to soothe the broken hearts of those eligible gents. And with romance in the air, we can certainly make a little mischief.”
It sounded dreadful. A room packed with aristocrats, all of them staring at him in his outdated suit and his Birmingham accent, his improper manners and his awkward way with words. No, it would be a disaster.
“Alex, you need to get back out there and meet someone new,” Henry said, his tone softer. Alex winced. Two years ago he courted a lovely art student from Sussex. He fancied himself in love when in reality he was most likely accustomed to her presence and the security of knowing she would be his wife and this aspect of his life was taken care of, another task crossed off his list of accomplishments. Upon graduation, she moved to London and quickly became engaged to a prominent art dealer. Alex did not even know about her betrothal—nor did he find her letter ending their relationship in the mess on his desk—for nearly a fortnight because he had locked himself away to prepare for an examination.
Henry clapped his hands on Alex’s shoulders. “But here’s the beauty of it—it’s a masquerade. You’ll be in disguise, no one will know who you are. You can do anything you want, be anyone you want, and no one will be the wiser.”
Alex looked around his room, the laundry heaped in the corner, the pile of books on his desk, the unmade bed. “Anyone I want?” he asked tentatively.
Henry grinned. “Come on, let’s get ready. The carriage leaves in an hour.”
