“But I couldn’t possibly go to a Cakras Ball without James,” Sophia replied. “I wouldn’t want to be seen there without him. People might presume we’ve grown bored with each other, which we have not.”
“We could wear wigs and put on English accents,” Clara suggested. “No one would recognize us.”
“Have you lost your mind? Even if we did manage to attend without anyone knowing, what are the odds that you would see this particular man again? He might not even be there.”
“Can’t we at least try? I must know who he is—have a name at least. What if he’s the man I’m destined to marry?”
“Then you will meet him in a respectable situation.”
“How can you be sure? Maybe he only goes to the Cakras Balls.”
Sophia sighed with frustration. “What about everything you just said, about him being either a rake or a philanderer?”
Clara waved a finger at her older sister. “You told me James used to go to those balls when he was younger, and now look at him. He’s a perfect husband, Sophia. What if you had dismissed him because you’d discovered he attended those parties?”
Sophia was quiet for a moment. “I suppose you have me there.”
“I just want both of us to keep our minds open.” A thrilling ripple of anticipation shimmied up Clara’s spine. “So, will you come with me?”
Her sister hesitated, then went to her desk to sort through the invitations. “The Cakras Balls don’t happen regularly. Sometimes I don’t receive an invitation for months on end.”
She continued to flip through, then stopped and stared at Clara. Excitement fluttered in the air as she handed her a card.
“Or sometimes, they come exactly when you want them to.”
Chapter 4
Dear Clara,
Please be careful. Do not forget what happened two years ago. You craved excitement and you wanted to break free of society’s strictures, and you came very close to complete ruination. Remember that where young women like us are concerned, society’s strictures exist for our protection....
Love,
Adele
“If Mother could see usnow, she’d turn blue.” Sophia glanced out the dark window of the carriage as Livingston House came into view, then arranged the rhinestone-and-feather mask on her face. “I don’t know what James will think when I tell him where we went tonight. I hope he won’t be angry.”
“You can blame it on me,” Clara replied. “Besides, it’s not as if you’re sneaking out behind his back. In fact, we would have brought him with us if he hadn’t gone to Yorkshire.”
“I suppose. At any rate, I’ll explain everything when he returns and hope for the best. We’re here. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Clara fought to suppress nervous butterflies as she, too, arranged her mask. She was about to take an enormous risk by sneaking into a Cakras Ball, but she might also see her handsome paramour again.
Anticipation rippled up her spine. “Yes, I am sure.”
Sophia faced her squarely. “All right then. Here are the rules. And as your chaperone, I will allow you to dance with him, but under no circumstances should you be alone with him. This is a dangerous place, Clara, and if he’s not to be trusted—”
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything foolish. But I don’t want to presume that he’s not to be trusted. He didn’t ravish me the last time.”
“That was last time. What if sees you here, after you’d already been warned, and presumes you’re looking for a dalliance? He might think you’re fast.”
The carriage stopped in front of the brightly lit mansion. “I’m not fast. I am morally upright, in perfect control of my impulses.”
Sophia gave her a look. “Then what, pray tell, are we doing here?”
Clara had no choice but to surrender to her sister’s shrewd observation. “I’ve missed you,” she said.
“I’ve missed you, too. And despite my misgivings, I’m pleased that I can help you tonight because I understand how you feel. It was the same when I met James. I could barely get through the day, wanting him the way I did.” She squeezed Clara’s hand. “Who knows, maybe this manisyour destiny. What a hopeless romantic I am.”
