《The Duke And His Four Wards》Chapter 10.3 (Part 1)
Advertisement
The masked ball given by Lady Penhurst was set to be one of the highlights of an early glittering Season. Her ladyship had spared no expense. Her ballroom was draped in white satin and the terraces and trellised walks with the Penhurst House was lavishly endowed were lit by thousands of Greek lanterns. The music of a small orchestra drifted down from the minstrels' gallery, the notes falling like petals in the gloriously covered heads of the ton. By decree, all the guests wore long dominos, concealing their evening dress, hoods secured over the ladies' curls to remove even that hint of identity. Fixed masks concealing the upper face were the order, far harder to penetrate than the smaller and often more bizarre hand-held masks, still popular in certain circles for flirtation. By eleven, the Penhurst ball had been accorded the ultimate accolade of being declared a sad crush and her ladyship retired from her position by the door to join in the revels with her guests.
Felix, wary of the occasion and having yet to divine the younger Flemings' secret aim, had taken special note of his wards' dresses when he arrived at Twyford House to escort them to the ball. Margaret he would have no difficulty in detecting; even if her domino in a subtle shade of aqua had not been virtually unique, the effect her presence had on him, he had long ago noticed, would be sufficient to enable him to unerringly find her in a crowded room blindfold. Sophia, looking slightly peaked but carrying herself with the grace he expected of a Fleming, had flicked a moss-green domino over her satin dress which was in a paper shade of the same colour. Maribella had been struggling to settle the hood of a delicate rose-pink domino over her bright curls while Emma's her grey eyes had watched from the depths of her lavender hood. Satisfied he had fixed the particular tints in his mind, Felix ushered them forth.
Advertisement
On entering the Penhurst ballroom, the three younger Flemings melted into the crowd but Margaret remained beside Felix, anchored by his hand under her elbow. To her confusion, she found that one of the major purposes of a masked ball seems to be to allow those couples who wished to spend an entire evening together without creating a scandal to do so. Certainly, her guardian appeared to have no intention of quitting her side.
While he musicians were tuning up, she was approached in a purposeful manner by a grey domino, under which she had no difficulty in recognizing the slight frame of Mr. Chistlebury. The poor man was it entirely sure of her identity and Margaret gave him no hint. He glared at the tall figure by her side, which resulted in a slow, infuriating grin spreading across that gentleman's face. Then, as Mr. Chistlebury cleared his throat preparatory to asking the lady in the aqua domino for the pleasure of the first waltz, Felix got in before him.
After her second waltz with her guardian, who was otherwise behaving impeccably, Margaret consented to a stroll about the rooms. The main ballroom was full and salons on either side took up the overflow. A series of interconnecting rooms made Margaret's head spin. Then, Felix embarked on a long and involved anecdote which focused her attention on his masked face and his wicked dancing eyes.
She should, of course, have been on her guard, but Margaret's defenses against her dangerous guardian had long since fallen. Only when she passed through the door he held open for her, and discovered it led into a bedroom, clearly set aside for the use of any guests overcome by the revels downstairs, did the penny drop. As she turned to him, she heard the clock of the lock falling into its setting. And then Felix stood before her, his eyes alight with an emotion she dared not define. That slow grin of his, which by itself turned her bones to jelly, showed in the shifting light from the open windows.
Advertisement
She put her hands on his shoulders, intending to hold him off, yet there was no strength behind the gesture and instead, as he drew her against him, her arms of their own accord slipped around his neck. She yielded in that first instant, as his lips touched hers, and Felix knew it. But he saw no reason for undue haste. Savouring the feel of her, the taste of her, he spin out their time, giving her the opportunity to learn of each pleasure as it came, gently guiding her to the chaise by the windows, never letting her leave his arms or that state of helpless surrender she was in.
Advertisement
- In Serial37 Chapters
The Lilly Within the Ashes
Jason doesn't play nice. If you owe him money and it's past its due date, you best believe he's going to f*ck you up. That's until one of these cases change his mind. When another gang got to the idiot that borrowed money before him, all that was left behind was the most beautiful girl in the ashes of her now burnt home. Instead of ruining her for her father's mistakes, Jason brings her to his home.The need to protect and to love the girl over rode his want on revenge. But there is one little problem, she is completely terrified of him.
8 183 - In Serial12 Chapters
The Crow Queen of Shrikeport
Beneath the surface of the city of Shrikeport lies a magical, sometimes dangerous underworld filled with mage clans, back-alley seers, and ancient spirits. Lately, more and more strange things have been happening, and an unusual tension fills the air... Lola, a young 20-something who's lived in the city her whole life, spends most of her time working at the Haven Cafe: a neutral meeting place and popular hangout for non-mundane city-dwellers. But, one night, everything changes when she finds a mysterious, injured spirit surrounded by crows collapsed in front of her apartment door... What to expect: lots of mystery, some occasional casual slice-of-life, and slow-burn wlw romance between the main leads. Disclaimer: I am writing this exclusively for myself, as a fun side project with minimal editing, so I won't make any guarantees about quality/plot/etc. I hope you enjoy! This story will start off with updates twice a week. We'll see how that goes, and the pace may end up changing, but for now updates can be expected on Monday and Friday.
8 267 - In Serial40 Chapters
Unspoken Thoughts
collection of late night poetry and thoughts ~madness, heartbreak, love and isolation.a mess of my mind depicted in a book.(lowercase intended)
8 225 - In Serial17 Chapters
Haruhi's Secret (OHSHC Fanfic)
[COMPLETED]Haruhi has been part of the host club for a while now but what happens when Haruhi isn't acting like herself?What if the hosts realize that she's acting differently?Will she tell them the reason why or will she keep it to herself?Find out by reading Haruhi's secret!* possible romances and slight cursingHighest rank:#1 in haruhifujioka 👏👏 10/27/19 - 12/16/19
8 127 - In Serial58 Chapters
Want To Be Loved (Himiko Toga x Female Reader Story)
Y/n hasn't had a happy life, she never got to be her true self. She's also in UA forced by her mother. This will change once Toga enters her life. This is a villain love story.⚠️Dni in the comments if you're under 15⚠️⚠️THERE ARE TW I INCLUDED IN THE BEGINNING PLEASE READ⚠️⚠️There's also smut in a few chapters!!!⚠️
8 125 - In Serial37 Chapters
Reborn as the Villainess?!
"Kill it." He ordered, his voice like ice-cold and indifferent.Speechless, all I could do was stare. What was I meant to say? Hi, I'm your daughter, an adult female stuck in a child's body and I've been reincarnated into this world?His eyes were as red a blood, hair as dark as the ocean depths and had a voice that made a chill run down my spine. He was callous, psychotic and had a thirst for blood.My blood.Even worse.I was now his daughter.
8 192