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Chapter 1

“Why can’t I go with you?” Mary Vine storetted the petulant and childish gesture she hadn’t las was beyond frustrating this season She only ever lost her sense of decorum around him

“Because you are still a child,” Douglas replied in the sa tone he’d adopted when he’d reached his majority last year “The Fenwick Masquerade is no place for a properly bred young woman”

“But you go every year, and you are only a year older than lanced in Mr Ellis Worth’s direction but didn’t expect support fro soument Worth was ahe liked without his age ever being brought up in conversation

It was not fair, and Mary hated being thwarted She was desperately looking for a husband ould take her away fro life under her brother’s stern control The Fenwick Masquerade ht be Mary’s last chance toutterly on the shelf

Her brother sorted through the day’s mail “Worth is related to a duke”

Mary disument with the wave of her hand Worth was hardly likely to inherit that exalted position He was very far down the line of succession and had infrequent contact with the duke “That hardly signifies Why can’t you take me and be my chaperone for an hour?”

“We have other plans for the night”

She glanced at Ellis Worth, saw a flush of color fill his cheeks and concluded they were probably scandalous plans indeed He squirmed under her scrutiny and looked away

Mary was not friends with Ellis Worth He had a terrible reputation He was considered a rake—by Mary and ly polite to her mama and had never overstepped with her He would not help her Only her brother could do that She was trapped at hoht unless he could be persuaded to see reason “Please,” she begged

“Gentle Fenwick’s alas re at an invitation in his post “A rakish reputation only ever adds to a gentleman’s esteem, but where you are concerned, attendance would ht, Worth?”

She glanced to the side again, but Worth wisely kept his mouth shut and paid strict attention to the tip of his left boot

“Quite right,” Douglas continued on, ignoring the fact he’d not been answered by his friend “A lady should not attend such a party—or aive you this third season to find a spouse?”

He had her there Mary did want, no long, for a husband She’d been searching three years, s sweaty hands and fetid breath, inhaling the stench of toothe one man she could be herself around

She enty years old and had not found the right gentleun toby the lack of adlas was not keen to fund a fourth season, and she orried She had such high hopes the masquerade would be the answer to all her problems

And Mary really wanted to ht share all sorts of adventures

Even the wicked ones proper ladies were not supposed to think about

Since she had not found her husband so far by being a perfect ht have to be a little reckless to make her perfect match What Mary wanted in a husband could not be discovered in a proper society setting The masquerade provided ample opportunity to see a little bit of the real world, and she had so hoped Douglas would be her guide and a willing chaperone