Free Once Upon a Masquerade by Tamara Hughes

trying to decipher the dialogue, Mr. Black’s presence behind her making the task impossible. Laughter rang around her. She looked about at the well-dressed audience engrossed in the performance and spotted a gentleman with gray sideburns and receding hair. His face held a remarkable resemblance to her father’s. At least to the man he used to be. His life in shambles, her father had grown weaker and thinner than the gentleman she saw in the crowd. They had so little time left, just three short days before those men would return to demand their payment, and if her father didn’t have it…
    The fringed velvet curtain fell into place, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
    Mr. Westerly offered his arm at the intermission break, and together they descended the main staircase to the lobby, followed by Mr. Black and Miss Ives. A stilted silence fell on the small group when they reached the main floor. Mr. Westerly scanned the room, apparently eager to be away. “I wonder if they’ve found out what happened to Nathan Gebhardt yet. I heard the case has been reopened.”
    Mr. Black’s jaw tensed, and he stared hard at Mr. Westerly.
    “Nathan Gebhardt?” Miss Ives asked.
    “A good friend of mine, who was mysteriously killed last year. It seems he fell down a flight of steps after he’d been poisoned,” Mr. Westerly explained somewhat matter-of-factly.
    From his dispassionate tone, Rebecca wondered precisely how much he cared for his good friend . Possibly his standards were low in that regard, and he considered everyone he met a good friend.
    “I don’t think his case was ever officially closed,” Mr. Black provided, his tone casual and curious despite his intense gaze.
    Mr. Westerly shrugged. “Everyone has heard rumors that new evidence has shed more light on the case. My favorite involves an unknown, beautiful but deadly assassin.”
    “Poor man,” Miss Ives murmured. “Did you know him, Miss Bailey?”
    “Only a little.” She glanced at Mr. Black, recalling a similar question he’d posed at the ball. He stared back, as if waiting. Rebecca vaguely remembered Mr. Gebhardt, the young private attorney who had come to the Endicotts’ house from time to time on business. “He seemed quite nice.” He’d always had time for a pleasant word no matter who he spoke to, be it maid or butler.
    Mr. Westerly waved to a gentleman in the corner, concluding, “He was a good man. He’ll be sorely missed.” Mr. Westerly’s grief lasted until his next breath. “Would anyone like to meet Senator Wagstaff? I bumped into him last night, and I see he’s standing just over there.”
    “That would be lovely,” Miss Ives agreed.
    The two of them strolled toward a portly gentleman across the lobby. “It’s Daniel Boone himself. Good to see you again, Senator,” Mr. Westerly called out to him.
    Mr. Black’s frown didn’t disappear once Mr. Westerly walked away. It remained firmly in place, but he said nothing. A trace of doubt flickered in his gaze.
    She had an awful feeling she didn’t want to know what bothered him. Still, she debated asking about it when Mrs. Breckenridge, the elderly woman she’d met at the Vanderbilt ball, shuffled toward them. Dressed in a fashionable black gown, she approached, leaning heavily on a silver cane. “Mr. Black, how are your dear parents? I haven’t seen them in ages.”
    Mr. Black’s welcoming smile brightened the room, and made Rebecca’s pulse beat a little faster. “They’re well, thank you.”
    He helped Mrs. Breckenridge cross to a row of plush chairs near the wall. Once settled in place, she continued, “I believe the last time I saw your mother and father they were preparing for your sister’s wedding.”
    “That was some time ago. Joanna will give birth to their first child this fall.”
    The affection in Christopher’s eyes dazzled. His parents and siblings meant a lot to him, of that much, she was sure. She could only imagine what it felt like to have family who