Midnight Masqerade Read online

  Having heard from his father about Melissa's changed appearance, Royce smiled enigmatically. "Ah, but there are hidden depths to Lissa."

  "Very well hidden," Dominic retorted dryly, losing interest in the subject for the time being. Then, recalling that he had another bone to pick with his friend, he asked with deceptive mildness, "Would you like to explain to me why you went along with your father's little deceit about the horse?"

  "Oh, that!"

  "Yes, that! "

  Royce shrugged. "I couldn't very well betray my father, could I? Neither could I call him a liar in front of you. It seemed simpler to let events run their course." Sending Dominic a limpid glance, he finished lightly, "You were never in any danger of any kind, and it seemed a harmless situation."

  Dominic snorted, but he was willing to let it rest at that. However, as -they entered the house he said, "For the present, it appears that Folly is out of my reach, and since I have spent several days longer than I had expected in this area, I'll be leaving for Thousand Oaks in the morning." Slanting a glance at Royce walking beside him, he asked, "Would you care to come with me? I cannot be sure precisely what sort of welcome we shall receive, but I'm certain, knowing my brother, that Morgan would not employ slovenly servants-even if he has not laid eyes on them in years!"

  Royce looked thoughtful, but after a moment's pause, he accepted Dominic's invitation. "Why not? Things will be somewhat dull once you leave."

  Dominic laughed and they parted to change for their dinner at the Whitehorn. But when Dominic reached for an elegant dark blue coat with gilt buttons, his good humor vanished as he reviewed the afternoon's events. Miss Seymour, he decided grimly, carelessly shrugging into the form-fitting coat, needed to be taught a lesson about the inadvisability of treating Dominic Slade so insolently! And, by God, he was going to enjoy teaching it to her!

  Chapter Six

  DINNER that evening at the Whitehorn was most pleasant. Dominic had requested the use of the only private sitting room, so the three gentlemen were undisturbed by other patrons of the establishment.

  Dominic's initial liking of young Zachary Seymour was reinforced and he wondered, not for the first time, how this undeniably charming young man could have such a shrew for a sister. Listening to Zachary enthuse over a yearling colt that his stablemaster, Etienne Martion, had just convinced Melissa to purchase made Dominic smile, and he was reminded of himself at the same age-horse-mad and confident of his own ability to pick a goer!

  They had finished their meal, an excellently done loin of beef, and were at present lingering over fine French brandy-smuggled French brandy. The conversation turned from horses to current affairs, namely the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte and his haunts off the coast of Louisiana.

  Setting down his snifter, Dominic observed idly, "I suppose we should be thankful for Lafitte and his smugglers-if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be drinking this brandy. But it does bother me that our governor, Clairborne, seems unable to deal with the Baratarians. He tries his best, but no one really seems to want the smugglers stopped." Picking up his snifter once more, he continued. "I confess; though, that it occasionally worries me that Lafitte has such a well-armed group of pirates at his command. If the English were to enlist Lafitte and his men ..." Dominic's voice trailed off. So berly he finished, "God knows how much damage they could inflict upon Louisiana."

  Royce nodded. "At least," he said reflectively, "General Jackson was successful at Horseshoe Bend and we no longer have to fear the Creek Indians attacking and pillaging at will as they did at Fort Mims last summer. I, for one, am glad the general can now bring his forces to bear against the British."

  His eyes glistening with excitement, Zachary blurted out, "By Heaven, I'd like to see the British try to attack Louisiana-they would have a fight on their hands!"

  Dominic's eyebrows rose. "Have you forgotten that not everyone feels as you do? There are some who would welcome the British. Aren't the Felicianas often called `English' Louisiana because of the many British who have settled here? You are of British extraction-wasn't your-. grandfather a British officer?"

  Zachary looked startled. "Well, yes, but that was long ago, and Lissa and I are American. We have no loyalty to England! "

  "Which reminds me," Royce interjected with a pointed glance at Dominic. "Were you aware that our friend from London, Julius Latimer, is currently visiting the country? That he is, at present, staying with some friends who live a few miles south of Baron Rouge?"

  The change in Dominic at the mention of Julius Latimer's name was emphatic. No longer did he lean indolently against the tall back of his chair, and wiped from his face was the expression of lazy good humor that so characterized him. Something savage leaped in his gray eyes, and his laughing mouth was held in a forbidding line, the very bones of his face seeming to suddenly have been molded from steel.

  "Julius Latimer is here?" he asked silkily. "And you just happened to remember it? The evening before we are to leave?"

  Watching Royce and Dominic, Zachary was aware for the moment that they had forgotten his presence, and in astonishment he kept his gaze locked on Dominic's dark face, unable to connect this dangerous-looking stranger with the smiling gentleman who had charmed him all eve ning. Even the long, elegant body seemed to have changed, and Zachary was reminded vividly of a sleek panther pre paring to leap upon its prey.

  Swallowing nervously, Zachary said into the tense silence that had fallen, "Do you know Mr. Latimer?"

  As if suddenly recalling his presence, Royce and Dominic both stared at him, and before Zachary could blink, Dominic's face changed again, the handsome features once more showing only warmth and congeniality.

  Dominic replied, "Yes, you could say that I am acquainted with Mr. Latimer. However," he added dryly, ..one of the last times I saw him I was looking at him down the barrel of a rather fine dueling pistol!"

  Zachary gasped, his youthful face alight with questions he was too polite to ask, but Dominic took pity on him. "In London some years ago, Mr. Latimer and I had a disagreement over a particular, ah, lady, and we vented our mutual feelings of dislike for each other on the field of honor."

  "Dominic put as pretty a hole as I have ever seen right through Latimer's arm," Royce said with obvious relish. "But unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. Two nights later Dom was ambushed as he came home from one of the gaming clubs and was beaten very badly. We have always suspected, but could not prove, that Latimer had hired the blackguards who attacked him."

  "Oh!" Zachary breathed in a sigh. Sending a shy look at Royce, he said, "I've wondered why you never seemed to care overmuch for Latimer-he has always been very polite to Lissa and me, especially since we owe him that money. Your manner toward him has puzzled me."

  "You owe that swine money?" Dominic demanded bluntly.

  "Regrettably," Zachary admitted, flushing a little. "Mr. Latimer holds a note that my father signed when he was in England. The note is long overdue, but Mr. Latimer has been very kind to us and has not sought an immediate payment, although it would be within his rights to do so." Reluctantly he added, "If he does demand his money, I have no idea how we would ever be able to raise it, since the sum is quite large."

  -so

  "I wouldn't worry," Royce-said carelessly, "but if he begins to pressure you for it, come to me immediately."

  "Or me," Dominic drawled. "I have a few debts of my own to settle with Mr. Latimer, and it wouldn't bother me a bit to settle yours as well. It would, in fact," he confessed with a tight grin, "afford me great pleasure!"

  Gratified and embarrassed at the same time, for the debt rankled, Zachary stammered, "Th-th-thank you! But Lissa says we shall come about under our own power."

  "Just keep my offer in mind," Dominic said flatly. Then, seeking to divert the conversation, he added teasingly, "As for that sister of yours-why in the hell won't she even let me see that horse of hers, Folly?"

  Zachary grinned, suddenly looking much younger than his nineteen year
s. "You put her back up," he admitted candidly. "She was really in a fury after you left. Etienne and I couldn't go near her all afternoon without having our heads bitten off!"

  "Not her usual attitude?" Dominic asked with patent disbelief.

  "Oh, no!" Zachary replied with a laugh. "Lissa is a great gun ... except when she gets her feathers ruffled, and the one thing that will set her off for sure is any mention of selling Folly." His expression becoming serious, he added, "Even if our entire future were not dependent upon what we can earn from the stallion, Lissa would never countenance selling him-he is her horse and she has raised him from a foal and truly loves him."

  "What mawkish sentimentality," Dominic said disgustedly. "I don't know what you plan, but I can tell you that without a great deal more money, you are not going to be able to fully take advantage of the horse your Folly is reputed to be." Giving Zachary a sympathetic look, Dominic continued carefully. "No breeder of any prominence will bring his best mares to a place that is run as Willowglen appears to be. I do not mean to offend you, but unless your entire establishment takes on a more affluent air and your stables are run more professionally, you are not going to have serious breeders flocking to your stud." A grin lurked at the corner of his mouth. "Espe MIDTNIGHT MASQUERADE cially not if they are greeted by a shovel-wielding, tart-tongued apparition, as I was this morning!"

  Dominic's observations stung, but Zachary could not deny the wisdom in what he said. Dispiritedly, he admitted, "I know, but Lissa and I have no choice but to try. Lissa says-"

  "Spare me what Lissa says," Dominic interrupted with a shudder. "What do you think?"

  Never loath to give his own opinions, Zachary plunged into speech and the hours continued to pass enjoyably.

  Unfortunately, neither of the two older men had taken into account that Zachary's drinking abilities did not match their own, and to their dismay, when at last they decided to call an end to the pleasant evening, they discovered that Zachary was foxed. It was glaringly apparent that he could not be allowed to ride home in such a condition-if, in fact, he could even remain on his horse.

  Royce and Dominic wrangled amiably over who would escort their youthful inebriate home. Dominic finally said, "There is no need for both of us to go with him, and since my valises are all packed and yours probably aren't, you're the one who should return to Oak Hollow." '

  Royce's consumption of the potent brandy had not been light, and somewhat owlishly he regarded Dominic. "You think I should rouse my servants at one o'clock in the morning and ask them to pack for me?"

  Dominic grinned, haphazardly grabbing Zachary's limp form as the young man reeled in the saddle. "No, but I do believe that you have had more to drink than I, and if I didn't know for a fact that you have a remarkably hard bead, I would be concerned about your ability to find your way home without mishap!"

  Looking offended, Royce wheeled his spirited chestnut gelding about. "I am," he said, enunciating each word cautiously, "quite, quite unaffected by tonight's drinking. But since you seem determined to escort my cousin home by yourself, I shall not keep you." Giving his impatient horse a swift kick, Royce galloped away.

  Smiling to himself, Dominic urged his own horse forward, keeping a judicious eye on Zachary as the young man rather ineptly rode off into the night. From the way he swayed in the saddle, Dominic seriously wondered if they would reach Willowglen before Zachary disgraced himself by falling out of the saddle.

  Fortunately, Zachary was a better rider than Dominic gave him credit for, and they arrived at Willowglen sometime later without any mishap. The night air had sobered Zachary a little and his step was only a trifle unsteady as Dominic helped him up the stairs of the house.

  Dominic had hoped that he could get Zachary inside and in bed without incident, but they had barely taken two steps across the wide gallery when one of the double doors flew open and Melissa whispered, "Oh, Zack! I am so glad you're home. I've been worried about you-do you realize that it is almost three o'clock?"

  Although he might have recovered slightly, Zachary was not in full command of himself, and in thickly slurred speech he began to apologize.

  Melissa hadn't been aware of Dominic's presence until he interrupted Zachary's incoherent words by saying softly, "I believe that he is too foxed to explain things at the moment."

  There was only a partial moon, and in the shadowy darkness Melissa had not realized that someone else was on the gallery with Zachary, but with a funny little leap of her pulse, she recognized Dominic's voice instantly. Her first concern was for her brother, though, and angrily she hissed, "And whose fault is that? Must you attempt to corrupt him to your libertine ways?"

  Melissa might have been unaware of Dominic's presence, but he had been all too disconcertingly aware of hers from the moment the door had opened. It was too dark to see very clearly, just outlines and shadowy forms, but he was distinctly conscious of her tall, slim body beneath the ghostly paleness of her night rail. From the silhouette barely discernible in the waning moonlight, it was obvious that her hair was loose and tumbling wildly about her shoulders and that she was not wearing the hideous spectacles. He could not see her features, but he was startled by an extraordinary, overwhelming desire to do so. Almost without thinking, he reached for her, his only intention in that first moment to pull her out into the weak glow of the moonlight, to attempt to satisfy his sudden curiosity. But her hot words infuriated him, and with a low growl he tightened his fingers on her slender arms and jerked her roughly up against his muscled length.

  "Libertine!" he snarled softly. "If it is libertine ways you wish . . ."

  Perhaps it was the brandy or the lateness of the hour, Dominic couldn't have said, but he was driven by a fierce, unexpected emotion that he had no control over. His mouth caught hers, his strong arms quelling Melissa's very natural struggles to escape. He hadn't meant to kiss her and certainly he hadn't expected to derive any particular pleasure from it, but to his intense astonishment, her lips were incredibly sweet, her young body warm and soft as he held her next to him, and he was suddenly gripped by a wave of baffling, heady passion.

  Melissa had been unprepared when his hands had closed around her upper arms, and the descent of his seeking mouth came as a total surprise ... as did the hot rush of excitement that surged through her when his mouth pressed intoxicatingly against hers. She made an instinctive attempt to break free, but she could not, and as the seconds passed and Dominic enfolded her even closer to his powerful form, she was dimly aware that she didn't really want to escape .., that she wanted him to kiss her, that she had thought of little else but him since this afternoon ...

  What he had intended to do, Dominic had no idea; he was conscious only of the soft, quivering lips under his and of the long, slim legs pressed against his own, of small, hard breasts pushing against his chest. Oblivious of the place and time, he gave a groan of pleasure and his hands traveled to her firm buttocks, pulling her even closer to him, forcing her warm softness against his instantly burgeoning manhood.

  Lost in a dream, awakening to passion for the first time in her life, Melissa was unaware of anything but Dominic, of the sheer pleasure his touch gave her. Her arms crept around his neck and her fingers tangled in his dark hair, her mouth shyly opening before the demanding pressure of his. Fire seemed to leap in her veins, a shiver of excitement coursing through her as his hands caressed her hips and she felt the obvious sign of his desire against her belly. This was what her cousins had tried to tell her about, she thought hazily, helplessly arching herself closer to him, wanting this moment to last, wanting his hands to continue to evoke their magic on her body.

  It was Zachary's voice that shattered the spell as he said confusedly, "I say, Dominic, are you kissing m'sister?"

  Like scalded cats, Dominic and Melissa sprang apart, sanity reasserting itself. Ashamed and bewildered, Melissa reacted blindly. Catching Dominic completely by surprise, she slapped him with all her might, the blow rocking him on his heels.

&nbs
p; "You monster!" she spat furiously. Her voice shaking with anger and embarrassment, her fists pounding on his chest, she raged, "How dare you touch me in that disgusting fashion! How dare you try to corrupt my brother with your disreputable ways!"

  One moment she had been sweet, yielding fire in his arms, and then she had changed so swiftly into a spitting wildcat that Dominic was dumbfounded. His brain fogged by brandy and the so utterly incomprehensible passion she had aroused, he did not react as quickly as he would have done normally. Her slap had effectively killed his desire, but he was still reeling from the astounding knowledge that a woman he had freely stigmatized as a dowdy, overbearing shrew had quickened his body with a feverish passion that he had never felt for any other woman.

  Almost absentmindedly, he touched his cheek where her hand had connected, so amazed by the situation that his usual quick wits deserted him. Even the small fists pounding somewhat painfully on his chest didn't really impinge on his consciousness as he stood silently before her, unable to believe what had happened. I don't even like her, he thought stupidly, so how can I want her?

  Melissa was having no such conflicting thoughts, her anger at her own. actions as well as his clouding any rational means to deal with the situation. Giving him a violent shove, she said wrathfully, "You, sir, are a blackguard, and if you ever come near me or my brother again, I shall shoot you on sight!"

  Dominic had been standing near the edge of the steps, and as she gave him one last, brisk shove he toppled down the stairs. He bounced and slid painfully down the three steps, landing with a thud on the soft ground. In stupefaction he lay on his back, staring up in her direction.

  But Melissa had vented the worst of her rage. Grabbing the equally dazed Zachary, she whisked him inside, slamming the door resoundingly behind them.