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Mission first, and Olivia… His mind drifted again, and Jarvis cursed his wayward thoughts.
Mission first.
He pushed away from the wall and walked toward the duke’s study.
Olivia saw Jarvis almost immediately after entering the ballroom. She got diverted by Bradshaw, who invited her to have a turn about the room, but she never lost sight of her friend.
He stood by the wall, looking confused or perhaps thoughtful. She could not make out his facial expressions because he stood quite far from her and because he was wearing a domino mask.
Truthfully, she was not that good at discerning facial expressions, even when a person stood right in front of her. But she knew Jarvis better than she probably knew herself. The way he stood, slouching by the wall, communicated uneasiness to Olivia.
She could be wrong. The uneasiness she felt from Jarvis could have been her own feeling. She was in the throng of the crowd, after all, walking on the arm of her suitor, and all of these experiences were quite new to her. Especially considering that the suitor was waiting on her answer to his proposal.
Bradshaw and she didn’t speak. He asked something of her, but she didn’t hear him for the noise in the ballroom, so they just smiled and continued their promenade around the room. Olivia continued watching Jarvis, who suddenly turned and disappeared out of the room.
Olivia turned an apologetic smile toward Bradshaw. “Excuse me, I need to… er… go to the other place. I mean, to the powder room.”
Bradshaw blinked at her, and Olivia just smiled and hurried after Jarvis.
Olivia hadn’t seen him since the passionate night in her room, and she was adamant about confronting him. What a cad he was to introduce her to pleasure beyond anything she had imagined and just leave her there! One of the main reasons for her attending this blasted masquerade was the hope that she’d see him.
She was tired of waiting for him to confess that he was the Shadow. Why in the world wouldn’t he just tell her that himself?
She walked through the poorly lit corridor, looking around. Now, where had he gone?
She opened the door to one room and then another, but they were all empty. A couple of doors were locked.
Olivia walked into the darker corner of the corridor. What was Jarvis doing here?More importantly, what am I doing here?Didn’t I promise Mother not to do anything that could lead to scandal?
All right, one more door, and if Jarvis isn’t there, I am leaving.
She huffed a breath of frustration and tugged on the door handle. It opened with a creak, and Olivia peeked inside.
A light came from the corner of the room, but it was doused the next moment.
“Jarvis?” Olivia asked and immediately questioned her sanity. What if it wasn’t Jarvis?
“Olive?” Jarvis said from the dark.
Olivia smiled and walked in, shutting the door after her.
There was the sound of a tinderbox being ignited, and a moment later, the candle on the desk in the far right corner was lit. Olivia walked toward it.
Now that she saw him with the mask on, in the light of a candle, she wondered how she could have ever doubted the Shadow and he were one and the same.
“What are you doing here?” Jarvis asked sternly. “It wouldn’t do for a lady to be caught snooping around the house by herself.”
“And it would do for a gentleman?” She cocked her brow, although she was sure he couldn’t see her in the dark.
“You need to leave, Olive.” He was moving toward her now.
She could not hear his steps, for they were quiet, but she could see a slight shadow moving her way.
“I am not leaving without you,” she said stubbornly.
He reached her side then and took her by the upper arms. He was so close, standing in front of her face to face, a few inches away from her. So close, in fact, that she could smell him. His dear scent was mixed with the perfume she’d made for him and a faint scent of candle wax.
“What if we’re caught here?” he said harshly.
