Free An Invitation to Scandal by Kelly Boyce

line of her lower lip. He could not help himself. She trembled beneath his touch. “No. It is not always like this.”
    He should have lied again, but the words would not come. It had been magical. And foolish. And a million other things. In the end, it was like nothing he had ever experienced before.
    “I thought not.” Then, “I quite liked it.”
    He closed his eyes. He played with fire.
    “Please allow me to escort you to your carriage. You must leave here. Whatever your intention in meeting with Lord Roxton, you will not meet with success. Not here. Not tonight. I know a back way out. We can leave the premises and no one will be the wiser.”
    Why had she wanted to meet him? And why here of all places? But he could not ask her. Not without forcing her to reveal who she was, and he would not do that. Her name must never be spoken within these walls. There were too many ears. But if he expected her to slink away in defeat he was wrong. Her spine straightened. “I will leave on one condition.”
    Relief rushed through him. He wanted her out of here, and out of his embrace. And then he wanted a very large, stiff drink to cool the heated ardor burning in his veins. Oh, how Spence would laugh to see him now, brought down by an innocent in the most debauched of places.
    “What condition?”
    A bead of sweat made a hasty path down his spine. Please do not let it be another kiss. Should his lips touch hers again he did not think he possessed the power to stop it there. Her effect on him proved too strong, too uncontrollable. He did not have enough goodness in him to combat it a second time, and not take everything it offered.
    “Lord and Lady Doddington have their annual masquerade ball next week. Will you be attending?”
    The masquerade was one of the last big fetes of the Season. He had received his invitation weeks ago. “I am not certain.” A lie. Miss Caldwell had indicated to his father she looked forward to his attendance, and that had been the end of that.
    “If you promise to attend, I will leave this place now.”
    “Why?”
    She smiled slyly; he could hear it in her voice. “If you know Lord Roxton well enough to know he is not here tonight, despite everyone being in costume, then you should have no difficulty picking him out at the masquerade.”
    “Why is it so important for you to speak with him?” He could hold the question back no longer. She had risked her reputation and her virtue to confront him here tonight. But why here, and why now? What did she hope to accomplish?
    “I cannot say. It is a personal matter. Will you accept my condition?”
    His mind worked furiously. It was dark; she did not know what he looked like. If she saw him at Lord and Lady Doddington’s masquerade, likely she would look right through him and not even realize he was the man who’d kissed her senseless and longed for more.
    “It is dark. You will not recognize me.”
    “But you will recognize me. You saw me before you pulled me into this room. I will wear the same mask as tonight.” The feathers brushed his chin as she looked down. “But not the same dress.”
    He issued a silent prayer of gratitude for small favors. He’d seen enough of her as she made her way through the rooms of Opal’s home to bring his blood to a boil. It would not be wise to set her loose upon the ton where any slobbering idiot could ogle her at will. Inhibitions were notoriously lowered at such events. Masking one’s face seemed a license for risqué behavior. A fact Opal exploited to no end.
    “Fine,” he agreed, hoping she could not detect the deception in his voice. “I accept your conditions.”

 
    Chapter Five
     
    Abigail fingered the silk ribbon spread out on the table at Madame Gaston’s. It matched the sapphire gown from two seasons ago perfectly. The dress, though beautiful, needed to be updated.
    “It’s pretty,” her mother said, coming up behind her. “You should buy it.”
    Abigail let out a slow breath. She had