Page 12 of Twice Upon a Midnight

“Did you enjoy yourself, Elenora?” Mama took the liberty of pouring chocolate into Ella’s cup for her.

“I did.” She carried her plate to the table and slipped onto her chair.

“Did you make any friends?”

“One,” she covered that not-quite-a-lie by reaching for her chocolate. Shehadmet someone she hoped she could consider a friend…and perhaps more.

Her mother sent her father a conspiratorial glance that was completely lost on him as he turned a page and continued reading. “Did you meet anyone you’d like to see again?” If in doubt her meaning wasn’t obvious, she clarified by adding, “Any eligible young gentlemen?”

Ella knew she couldn’t hide her emotions from the two people who knew her better than anyone else in the world. Yet she lifted her cup to her lips to hide as much of her blush as possible and said, “I did, actually.”

That snagged Papa’s attention. As he lowered his paper, he exchanged knowing glances with Mama.

“That’s wonderful!” Her mother’s face lit up as brightly as the day outside. “Who was he?”

“What your mother means,” Papa explained as he folded the paper and placed it beside his plate at his elbow, “is that we hope you met several young menandyoung ladies because what was important was introducing you to society and helping you make friends.”

Her mother completely ignored that and leaned conspiratorially toward Ella. “Was he someone you danced with?”

Ella smiled against the rim of her cup. “Yes, he was.” Although they certainly didn’t need to know all the details of that improper waltz in the darkness. If she told them, it wouldn’t be a marriage they’d push for but a convent.

“Who was he?” Mama pressed, like a dog fixated on a bone.

The sweetness of the chocolate turned bitter on her tongue, and she frowned as she admitted, “I don’t know.”

Her mother blinked. “How do you not know?”

Ella lowered her gaze as she returned the cup to its saucer. “We were both masked.”

Confusion rang through Papa’s voice. “Didn’t he introduce himself when he asked for the dance?”

“Not really.” She shrugged a shoulder and picked up her fork to push at the berries on her plate. “It was a masquerade, so we were keeping our identities secret for the fun of the party. When the fireworks went off, we were separated.” Nottechnicallya lie. “He called himself Spenser, like the author ofThe Faerie Queene. We were discussing poetry and literature, you see.”

Her mother’s shoulders deflated. “So you have no idea who this man is and no way to identify him.”

“And you only met one gentleman who pricked your interest,” her father grumbled, “among the hundreds who were invited.”

Mama silenced him by placing her hand over his. “Do you have any information about this gentleman at all?”

Ella pulled in a breath for courage. “Actually, I have this.”

She reached into her pelisse pocket and removed the glove she’d picked up from the ground when the man fled into the night. She held it out to her mother. The embroidered initialsRandSwere visible on the wrist.

“I know those are his initials.” She also knew he was intelligent and witty, well-educated, well-read…that he knew poetry and how to waltz. But she knew better than to mention any of that because none of that would matter to her parents. What mattered was—“Hendricks addressed him as ‘my lord.’”

When Ella looked hopefully at the butler who stood beside the sideboard to assist with breakfast, Hendricks’s eyes widened at suddenly being the center of attention. Yet in his loyalty to Ella, he gave a nod, albeit a hesitant one.

Mama’s eyes gleamed at that confirmation. “We can look for people on the guest list and see who—”

“There were a thousand people on your guest list,” Papa reminded them as he pushed himself away from the table. He waved away Hendricks, who gratefully left the room. “RandSare two of the most common letters in the English language, and the letters are entwined so you don’t even know which letter comes first. At best, you’ll narrow it down to two or three dozen gentlemen.”

But Mama was undaunted. “Not everyone who was invited attended—”

“Only a few didn’t.”

She ignored his interruption. “We have the invitations that were presented when people arrived.” A romantic glow shone on the duchess’s face. Ella knew Mama hoped for a true love match for her…one with a prominent, well-respected, and wealthy peer, that is. “We can look through those.”

Papa snorted at the idea and snatched up his newspaper. Years of working in diplomacy had taught him when to admit defeat and safely retreat. “Then I’ll leave you to it.” He pointed his newspaper at Ella to emphasize his point. “But I sincerely hope there was more than one gentleman in attendance last night whom you might consent to call upon you.”