The Duke glided through the crowd as if he were a butterfly aimlessly making the rounds. He would find his way to them in a matter of minutes.
Matthew turned his gaze to Caroline.
“Make yourself scarce, I have to work.”
She pouted. “You have never introduced me to His Grace.”
“And I won’t. I value his friendship far too much to sully it with your acquaintance.” Matthew gestured across the ballroom. “Go to Lady Worthing.”
Honora, the Dowager Countess of Worthing, was another friend of the family. Significantly less appealing than Jasmine, but a powerful ally and a saint as far as he was concerned. A stern-shouldered petitewoman with her brown hair tied close to her head. Not costumed tonight—as she found such things frivolous. A hard woman with unrelenting morals. She often chaperoned Caroline when Matthew could not. Honora wasmuchbetter at scolding Caroline than her siblings, as Caroline actually listened to her.
Caroline glared at him, but did as she was told. He watched her move through the ballroom until she found her way to Honora. The Dowager Countess gave him a nod. Confident Caroline was safe, he shifted his attention to the Duke.
With a deep breath, he prepared himself for what was coming next.
As Duke Kendall’s eyes found him—so deep a brown they appeared pitch black—his face lit up and he waltzed to him. Matthew bowed deeply.
“Ah! There you are, Lord Lincolnshire!” Duke Kendall called out. He reached forward with long fingers to pinch both of Matthew’s cheeks and cooed, “You weren’t hiding from me, were you?”
“I was enjoying your festivities on the ballroom floor, Your Grace,” Matthew replied, rubbing his aching face once Duke Kendall released him.
“Lord Lincolnshire.” Duke Kendall’s sharp gaze looked over Matthew. “Ispecificallyremember asking you to wear a costume.”
“I am in costume,” Matthew said innocently and placed his black mask on his face. “Can’t you see? I’m a shadow.”
“That you are,” Duke Kendall said appreciatively. “TheShadow of Death, looming in every corner.”
“Whichever shadow you prefer,” Matthew said. “Personally, I prefer the worddraped, perhaps lounging. Looming sounds so ominous.”
“Whichever wordyouprefer, but I’ve never shied away fromominous.” Duke Kendall offered an all-teeth smile, linked elbows with Matthew and sang, “Walk with me, my little shadow. We have muchto discuss.”
Fighting off the instinct to throw the other man off of him, Matthew allowed Duke Kendall to escort him from the ballroom. The music muted with each step away from the ball. Deeper into the mansion, their footsteps echoed in wide open halls. Stained-glass windows lined the walls and roof. Multi-colored fractures of moonlight illuminated their path.
They strolled arm-in-arm, like old friends. Duke Kendall skipped as he guided them through a labyrinth of hallways. A suffocating air of malicious intent shrouded the surrounding space. The unsettling aura wasn’t in the gold and purple drapery smothering the walls, or that the mansion seemed to go on forever. It was in the eyes of the servants, trained to the floor, and how they flinched when their master spoke.
They stopped in front of a set of double doors. Two footmen opened the door to Duke Kendall’s private study. They walked through, and the door closed behind them.
Matthew stood to the side and waited for Duke Kendall to remove his cape and sit in a plush leather chair next to the fireplace—roaring, even in spring. The flames danced in his eyes as he flicked his gaze to the footman standing in the corner of the room.
Obediently, the footman came forward to pour them each a glass of viscous black liquid Matthew hoped was wine, then exited the room, leaving the two of them alone. Instincts prickling, he made a show of surveying the room. On the walls, rows of rifles he invented glinted next to a variety of weapons—bastard swords, samurai blades, and a flail he convinced himself wasrusted, not bloodstained.
The Duke gestured to the other chair.
“Sit. Drink.”
Matthew sat down and reached for the glass. Watching Duke Kendall do the same, he inhaled the fragrance before he took a sip. Though it had a woody smell, the wine tasted like blackberries. Heforced it down with a thick swallow, leaving a sickeningly sweet aftertaste in his mouth.
“I do hope all is going well with our little project.” Duke Kendall swirled his glass and raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t received an update this week.”
“Things are coming along smoothly,” Matthew lied. “The transition from rounds to cartridges was surprisingly simple and the pistol’s accuracy is almost within the parameters you requested. Some tinkering, and it will be ready for your birthday.”
Which hehopedwouldn’t be a lie.
“I know you won’t disappoint me.Relax,”Duke Kendall said. “That’s the reason I invited you here, after all! To have fun. I have quite the event planned for after the ball. A rake with your reputation might find itdelightful.”
The gleam in his eyes said otherwise, so Matthew tossed his arm over the back of his chair in a lazy, devil-may-care manner.
“My debauching days are over. With any luck, I’ll be a married man by the end of this season.” He toasted the Duke. “And alas, I am chaperoning my sister for the evening. I can’t be gone long. When the cat’s away the mice will play.”