Page 16 of Never Dare to Masquerade with a Maiden

“I’d wager that anything is plausible at the Velvet Hell.” He paused as if recalling the visit. “You left quite an impression upon my mother.”

Her head snapped back, and she stared up at him. “Me?”

“Yes, you, Miss Olivia.”

She frowned. Is he hinting at my deception, or does he not recognize me as the girl who was once his servant? Olivia searched his features for an answer, but her mind went blank the second her gaze fell upon his slightly parted lips. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she felt flushed all over.

Brows knitted and eyes narrowed, Warren bent his head, closing the space between them. “Oh, dear, you do look parched.” He waved at a footman carrying a salver of glasses of lemonade. As soon as the man came over, he took one and handed it to her.

Olivia accepted the refreshment and lifted it to her lips; all the while, Warren’s gaze was tracking her every move and causing her hands to tremble. This was the reason she had kept her distance all these years. She wasn’t herself when she was in his world.

“Easy,” Warren said as she gulped the sweet, yet tart, beverage.

Olivia’s gaze shifted to the glass panes of the door next to her. The temptation to flee was overwhelming, yet the repercussions of such a hasty act would be irreversible.

In the reflection, she noted Warren had also shifted his gaze. “Etiquette would dictate that we remain in sight.”

“Shame.” The singular word spilled from her, summing up the complex emotions and thoughts that had her at sixes and sevens.

“Indeed, it is.”

He remained stingy with his responses, not that she wished to engage in long conversations with the man who left her tongue-tied and palms sweating. As the years passed, she’d hoped that the invisible tether he had upon her would fray and someday break, releasing her from the madness of needing to be close to him. However, as she stood next to him once again, the urge to remain within arm’s length strengthened. She needed to escape or she may never be rid of the man. “I think it best if I⁠—”

“Tired of me already?”

His roguish tone had her searching Warren's features. Where was the uptight, pompous lord she was expecting? Curiosity piqued, she continued to stare.

“Miss Olivia, if you continue to look at me like that, I might say to hell with etiquette.” He offered his arm for her to take.

With cheeks ablaze, she placed her hand on his arm and allowed him to escort her back to Lady Charlotte, who was flanked by their hosts, the Duke and Duchess of Avondale. There was no doubt she would be interrogated by Lady Charlotte as soon as an opportunity arose, but what had Olivia squeezing Warren’s arm was the quelling gaze of the duchess directed solely upon Warren. What could have transpired to cause such a chilling reaction from the duchess, who was renowned for amicability?

Chapter Six

The coach was unusually quiet as Warren entered. Anne and his mama were not engaged in any chatter. Rather, they were both staring at him quite intently.

“Well?” Anne asked within seconds of him rapping the roof with his fist, setting the coach into motion.

“Oh, dear!” His mama snapped open the fan hanging from her wrist and waved it in a flustered manner. “You are nothing like your father.”

“And it’s a good thing I don’t take after my father,” Warren murmured.

“I simply don’t understand,” Anne huffed. “You finally find your angel after a decade, and you can’t even manage to capture her attention for longer than half a set.”

“I followed your instructions,” Warren argued. “I followed my instincts.”

“Oh, dear!” His mama repeated over and over, before turning to Anne to ask, “What should we do now? Perhaps we should call upon Miss Olivia tomorrow and appeal for her to overlook his shortcomings.”

Shortcomings! Was the woman opposite him truly the woman who brought him into this world? “I beg your pardon, but pray explain how I am deficient?”

“Warren, dear, aside from attending to the estate and attending sessions at the Lords, you rarely interact with your peers. Now that I’ve given it some thought, aside from Anne, I’d be pressed to name a member of the ton to whom you have spoken more than a few words.”

Anne patted his mama’s knee. “Lady Guernsey, he may be a bit of a bore, but I believe there is hope yet.” She sat back and narrowed her gaze upon Warren. “Did you mention the incident?”

“No. You told me not to.” His gaze flickered between the two women. He shouldn’t have sought out their advice and simply made his own plans. However, now that he’d already involved them, he couldn’t simply ignore their advice. Warren replayed his time with Olivia over in his mind, before confessing, “I did make reference to having seen her at the Velvet Hell.”

“Why ever would you go to the Velvet Hell?” Anne asked.

His mama meekly answered, “He escorted me there.”