Haunting Secrets (25 page)

“As much as I hate to leave you, I fear if I keep you from my family any longer, they’ll send out search parties.”

She laughed and pulled away. “Yes, they will. I don’t know why they insist on keeping an eye on me every minute of the day, but it’s getting bothersome.”

“Just remember not to be alone with Roderick.”

A shiver ran through her, remembering the other night. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”

“I’m proud of the way you hold your own when you’re with Bethany. She can be quite controlling when she wants.”

Once again, Victoria noticed how stiff Justin had become when talking about Roderick’s wife. The tone in Justin’s voice even sounded harsh. Indeed, Bethany must be the witch. Although he tried to hide it from Victoria, she knew. No wonder he acted with such hostility when speaking about the current Mrs. Maitland.

Victoria cuddled against his arm as they continued to walk. “I have discovered this about Bethany. I don’t like her one bit, and I can’t trust her.”

“No, you can’t. You can’t trust anyone in that house.”

She squeezed his hand. “Except you.”

“Yes, me, unless I become the wolf. Then I don’t even trust myself.”

The eerie tone of his voice sent tremors through her. As hard as it was to think the wolf killed innocent women, she knew Justin was correct. Because of the spell upon him, she couldn’t hold firm to her belief that the wolf would never hurt her.

Chapter Fifteen

Today was All Hallow’s Eve—Jonathan’s birthday.

Victoria stood in front of the full-length mirror as Mrs. White helped her with the finishing touches of her costume. Puffy sleeves that started out big at her shoulders, tapered down to her elbow. The square neck bodice dipped too low, showing off quite enough skin, in Victoria’s opinion. Around the waist fit her snugly, but the skirt ballooned out with help from the hoops underneath. Deep blood-red silk material of the she-Devil gown made Victoria’s face pale. To add insult to injury, Mrs. White caked on more face powder, making her appear like a walking corpse.

Victoria tried not to grimace as she stared at her reflection. What was Bethany thinking to buy this for her? Then again, she’d fit in very well with the rest of the people coming to the masked ball since they would all be dressed differently.

Mrs. White fluffed Victoria’s wavy hair, creating a wild look. She wished the housekeeper had wound it in a tight bun, instead. Victoria didn’t enjoy looking like a harlot.

“I must say, Miss Victoria, you are very pretty tonight. Jonathan will be very pleased.”

Forcing a faux smile, Victoria nodded to the servant. “I sincerely hope I don’t stand out. Being center of attention is not my forte. I’ve never been to a mask ball before. Will others be dressed as I?”

“But of course.” Mrs. White chuckled. “And I promise, you will not stand out. Mistress Maitland usually dresses above everyone. She will be the one standing out, I assure you.”

“Splendid. That does make me feel reassured.” And knowing Bethany, Victoria was sure the housekeeper was right.

Mrs. White stepped to the small table in Victoria’s bedchamber and picked up the she-Devil mask outlined with white beads. “Don’t forget this.”

“Thank you, Mrs. White. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

The older servant beamed as she walked Victoria to the door. “Please enjoy yourself tonight. Jonathan is especially looking forward to spending this special evening with you, Miss Victoria.”

Her heart sank in dread. She fervently hoped he wouldn’t try to get her alone—or heaven forbid, attempt to ask her a serious question in front of his guests. Victoria didn’t know how she would answer without being rude. No, she couldn’t be rude. She had a quick wit, and would think of something to say if the occasion arose.

She prayed the occasion didn’t arise.

As she made her way down the grand staircase, the musicians were beginning to play. Roderick and Bethany stood by the front door and greeted guests who were lined up outside. Just as Mrs. White had promised, Bethany stood out. The Mistress of Maitland Manor wore a glittery white silk gown that cascaded around her thin frame. Attached to the woman’s back were fairy wings, and in her hand, a fairy wand.

Victoria snickered to herself. Apparently, she wanted to look like a
good
witch tonight instead of her true self.

Beside Bethany, Roderick stood, trying to look debonair in a pirate’s costume. Victoria was certain he would attempt to make many women swoon tonight with his swashbuckling air of confidence and large sword tied to his waist. She only hoped the women would resist.

Victoria swept her gaze around the ballroom as she entered, looking for Jonathan. He stood with a group of people, who all sipped a flute of champagne. Upon seeing his costume, she groaned. Now she knew why she was dressed as the she-Devil. Jonathan was dressed as her companion—Satan himself. Even if she used the mask, the guests would assume Victoria was with him.

She hurried and turned before he spotted her, and made her way through the throng of people to the other side of the room, glancing at masks and costumes on her way. A few she recognized from town, but nobody who had been close to her. Many men eyed her as she floated past them, but she didn’t dare acknowledge their presence for fear they would ask her to dance.

Her mind came to a halt. But if she did dance with them, she would certainly avoid dancing with Jonathan.

With firm decision in hand, she adjusted her mask, spun around, and hoped to catch some man’s attention. Instead, she caught some man’s frame, because she ran right into him.

“Oh, forgive me for not looking where I was going.” She stepped back, and the man’s strong hands held her arms as if trying to hold her up. She lifted her gaze to his face. A large, black mask trimmed with silver beads, took up most of his face. A black scarf hid his hair color, and a black hat tipped low on his forehead. Her gaze traveled further down the man’s length to see he wore all black—shirt, trousers, knee-boots, and even a cape.

As she retraced the path her gaze had taken, something familiar about him struck a chord. Then his manly scent assaulted her senses.
Justin!

She gasped and clutched his hands. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

He smiled in that crooked way she loved. “I couldn’t leave you alone. Besides, nobody will recognize me.”

“I did!”

“True, but you will be the only one, my dear. Nobody else has seen me for a while.”

She glanced back to the door of the ballroom, but didn’t see Roderick and Bethany. “Are you certain
they
won’t know who you are?”

His finger touched her chin, moving her face back to look at him. “No, I can’t promise that, but what will they do even if they notice me? Scream and run? I highly doubt it.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “You are hopeless.”

“Thank you, my dear.” He took a step back and mocked a bow. “Now we have that out of the way, may I have this next dance?”

Victoria couldn’t turn him down even if she wanted. She stepped right into his arms as he spun her around the dance floor. Immediately, she realized how well they danced together, as if heaven had wanted them this way.

Once again, a pang shot through her heart. Her father had known she and Justin were meant to be together. The question was—would it ever happen?

Unshed tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them to keep the moisture from running down her powdered face. If just for tonight, she would not think of anything but dancing with Justin, and enjoying herself to the fullest. Who knows when they’d get to do this again?

“Will you do me a favor?” Justin asked.

“Anything.”

“Do not let Bethany pick out any more of your dresses. This one is definitely not your color.”

Victoria threw back her head and laughed. “I thought the same thing.” She glanced over as much as she could of his costume. “And let me know next time you want to choose a costume, because I think we need to add a little color to your wardrobe.”

His deep laugh caused tingles in her belly, and his warm smile made her melt. Surprising that she’d only known him a few days, but it seemed as if they had known each other longer. And she didn’t question anymore why she fell in love with him so quickly. Loving him felt right.

Through his mask, she saw his eyes twinkling. “Victoria, do you know how much I love you?” he asked softly.

She sighed. “I hope as much as I love you.”

He pulled her closer in his dance hold. Nothing more was spoken between them as they floated around the room. But Justin didn’t need to say anything because his gaze told her what she wanted to know.

When the music stopped, both Victoria and Justin’s smile disappeared. Getting back into character, she curtsied and placed her hand on his arm as he escorted her away from the dance floor.

“Would you like something refreshing to drink, my love?” he asked.

“No.” She did a quick glance around them to make sure nobody was close enough to listen. “You must mingle with others. We don’t want anyone getting suspicious.”

“As you wish.” He winked, turned and slowly left her side.

Victoria watched Justin until he started visiting with the guests before she expelled her breath, not realizing she’d been holding it in the first place. He didn’t seem too worried about Bethany seeing him. If that woman were the witch, surely, she’d recognize him. So because he wasn’t worried, did that mean Bethany wasn’t the witch?

Grumbling, Victoria marched to the drink table to get her some punch. Bethany was the witch, she just knew it! So why didn’t Justin seem worried?

Unless…

She paused in thought as she lifted the glass to her mouth. Perhaps Justin didn’t want Victoria to suspect Bethany was the witch. That would definitely explain why he acted nonchalant about it.

“There you are.”

Victoria gasped and swung around, thankfully, without spilling her punch. Jonathan stood by her, his smile wide as his attention roamed over her costume. The desire burning in his eyes caused sickening shivers to race up and down her spine.

“Jonathan. You startled me.” She forced a smile.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.” He took her glass and set it down. “And now that I’ve found you, I want to dance with the prettiest woman here.”

“Oh, what a flatterer you are. If you don’t watch yourself, I’ll be swooning all night.” She motioned toward his costume. “Does your boldness have anything to do with who you represent tonight?”

“Not at all.” He took her hand and led her toward the dance floor. “I’m trying to sweep you off your feet, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re doing.” She arched an eyebrow. “Thank you for pointing that out to me.”

He laughed and gathered her in the dance hold. “I adore your buoyant personality, and the fact that you can make me laugh.”

His gaze darkened as he stared into her eyes. Panicked, she struggled to think of something else she could talk to him about. There was no way she wanted their conversation to turn mushy.

She took a quick glance around the ballroom and spotted Justin as he danced with another woman. Seeing him like this didn’t bother Victoria, because he was looking at her instead of the woman he danced with, and because of this, he bumped into people around him. Victoria tried not to grin, but she couldn’t help it.

“What is so humorous?” Jonathan asked.

She snapped her attention back to him. “I—um, well, I can’t help but chuckle over some of these costumes.”

“Why so?”

“Probably because I know some of these people, and their costumes do not reflect upon their personality.” She nodded to the couple spinning beside them on Victoria’s right. “That’s Mr. Turney and his wife. I cannot fathom why he chose to dress like Napoleon, when he’s a man of God. And his wife—” Victoria peeked at the woman. “Why did Mrs. Turney adorn herself in peacock feathers when she’s highly fearful of birds?”

Jonathan laughed heartily and squeezed her hand. “You are such a delight.”

She hurried to comment on other people she knew, which made Jonathan laugh, only to keep his thoughts from drifting anywhere near romance. She must keep him from proposing.

“What about Roddy and Bethany?” he asked.

She snorted wish disdain. “Well, I suppose Roderick’s suits him well, but he’s trying to look heroic—which he is far from it. And Bethany,” Victoria paused. She didn’t want to be too sarcastic. Jonathan may not know his true relationship to Bethany, but he did love her. “I don’t know if a fairy costume suits her, either.”

A low rumble came from Jonathan in a form of a laugh as he leaned his head closer. “If you ask me, she should have worn the she-Devil gown.”

His comment caught Victoria off guard, and she laughed out loudly. Realizing she’d captured the attention of those around her, she snapped her mouth tight. She and Jonathan shared a silent laugh between them through their gazes.

After the dance, another man came to claim Victoria, which she instantly accepted. She hoped the rest of the evening would be this way and then she wouldn’t have to hurt Jonathan’s feelings by turning him down when he proposed. The only thing that kept her here instead of hiding, was knowing Justin watched her constantly. That, in itself, was a great relief.

* * * *

Bethany stood in the corner of the room, clutching a goblet of wine, as she stared at Victoria. Fury built inside of Bethany, growing stronger by the minute. The gown she’d picked for Victoria did exactly what Bethany expected. Yet, now men flocked around little Miss Fawson and kept taking her to the dance floor. Bethany counted only twice that the girl had danced with Jonathan, which was not part of the plan.

When Victoria and Jonathan were together, Bethany waited to see any signs that Jonathan had proposed, but none came. This was not acceptable!

And she didn’t like it that Victoria danced so many times with the man in black. Since the mask took up most of the stranger’s face, Bethany didn’t know who he was. She tried a few times to strike up a conversation with him, but he would always move away from her and take a woman out to dance. Bethany’s curiosity grew.