“I would like to call upon you, if I may.”

Arabella felt her heart stop in her chest for a moment before it slammed back into a furious rhythm. "You wish to call upon me, Your Grace?" Warning rang in her ears, for she had heard more than a few tales about the Duke's behavior towards the ladies of the ton.

"Yes, if you will permit it," he replied, with a smile. "You need not look so fearful, my dear. I shall be on my best behavior, I assure you."

"Of course," she replied at once, hoping she had not offended him. "I would be honored, Your Grace."

“Wonderful,” he murmured, taking her hand and bowing as the music came to an end. He gently kissed her gloved hand, before looking deeply into her eyes. “Until tomorrow then, Miss Marley. I look forward to it.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, watching him take his leave as she stood, frozen in place, in the middle of the ballroom.

“It is almost time for the unmasking,” came the voice of their host. “Ladies and gentleman, prepare to reveal your identity!”

Hurriedly making her way to the corner of the room, Arabella leaned against the wall once more, her fingers tugging at the knot of the mask's ribbons. Finally managing to remove the hideous mess entirely, she let the mask drop from her face, catching it in her hands. All around her, she heard the cries of delight and laughter coming from the other guests, and, as she looked around, her eyes caught sight of the Duke, standing on the balcony with his mask still on his face.

Arabella wondered why he had removed himself from the crowd of guests, shivering slightly as he held her gaze. With great deliberation, he slowly removed his mask, finally revealing his face to her.

He was not as she had expected. In truth, she had thought she would see an arrogant looking man, with a haughty expression or even derision as he studied her. In fact, she found a friendly face, with a shock of dark hair falling over his forehead. His eyes were kind and there was a slight smile on his face, giving him an almost shy expression. Nothing like she had expected at all.

Arabella returned his smile, and, as he lifted his hand in farewell and disappeared from view, she found herself feeling strangely bereft. Suddenly, she found that she was eagerly anticipating his visit tomorrow.

“Well?”

Startled by her father’s harsh voice in her ear, Arabella jumped. “Yes, Papa,” she murmured. “All is in hand. He is to call upon me tomorrow.”

To say that the look on her father’s face was incredulous would have been something of an understatement, and Arabella felt her face grow hot with embarrassment.

"Well, well," her father murmured. "It appears you are not a lost cause, after all, Arabella. I shall look forward to meeting the Duke again tomorrow."

---

The following afternoon, Arabella was dressed in a light blue gown, with her hair perfectly arranged. Whilst she gave the impression of being entirely at ease, inwardly she was filled with anxiety. Giving herself one last, long look in the mirror, she took a deep breath and walked from the room.

“Will you hurry up?” her father exclaimed, storming towards her. “The Duke might be here at any moment!”

“And I will be ready, papa,” she promised, frustrated with his tone. “I am well aware of how important this is to you.”

She had only just sat down when there came a knock at the door and the butler introduced “His Grace, the Duke of Elenford.” Arabella's heart slammed into her chest again and again as she rose, ready to curtsy. Why had she such a reaction to him, after only such a short acquaintance? Was it because he had treated her so delightfully the night before? Arabella knew that her dance card certainly would not have been so quickly filled, had he not taken her for a turn around the floor. His evident interest in her had caused other gentlemen to practically run to her side to ensure they too were introduced to her by the Duke, so that they might have their name on her dance card. It had been a wonderful, if not slightly tiring evening, but the Duke certainly had shown himself to be a considerate and kind gentleman, which went completely at odds with what her father – and society at large – considered him to be.

“Your Grace,” she murmured, curtsying. “How wonderful to see you again.”

He bowed, with a light smile on his handsome face. “It is entirely my pleasure, Miss Marley.” He bowed to her father also, who returned it, although Arabella was surprised to see a slightly confused expression on his face. She did not have time to wonder what it was that had upset her father, for the Duke was already addressing her once again.

“My curricle is outside, Miss Marley. I had hoped we might take a drive, given that it is such a beautiful day.” He smiled at her, his dark eyes lighting with hopefulness, and Arabella felt her face warm.

“Papa?” she whispered, glancing at him. He nodded, as she had fully expected him to do, and she smiled at the Duke in return. “Your Grace, I would be delighted. I must just fetch my bonnet.”

“Perhaps she will meet you at the front door, Your Grace,” her father interrupted, unsmiling.

Wondering what on earth had come over her father, Arabella winced slightly at the confused expression on the Duke’s face, before he nodded and walked from the room, with a murmured, “Of course.”

"Papa?" she asked, turning to him. "Whatever is the matter? I thought you wished me to fetch the Marley necklace from the Duke, and how else am I do to it without pursuing our acquaintance?"

Her father frowned, his mouth in a thin line. "It certainly looks like the Duke," he mumbled, appearing even more confused. "I just thought…. What I mean is, the last thing I want to do is waste you on someone who is not! After all my scheming, I… never mind. I was mistaken."

“What did you think, Papa?” Arabella asked, surprised at her father’s sudden concern.

He shook his head. “I had imbibed quite a lot of liquor during our card game, so I must have mistaken his appearance somewhat. I had thought him a little taller, and that his hair was not so dark.” He shrugged, turning to Arabella with a sudden glare. “Whatever is keeping you, girl? Go at once, fetch your bonnet!”

Sighing heavily, Arabella strode from the room and went to fetch her bonnet. Whatever her father had been concerned over was clearly no longer a concern. Realizing that her father had not truly been concerned over her, she blinked back a sudden rush of tears. Instead, he had simply been worried that the Duke was not as he remembered him, thinking that he would ‘waste’ his scheming on an imposter. Of all the ridiculous notions!

Finding her bonnet, Arabella tied the ribbons securely, before pinching her cheeks to give them a little color. The last thing she wanted was to appear before the Duke with a somewhat sad expression or to give him any hint about what she was truly doing.

You must guard your heart, Arabella, she told herself, sternly. You cannot lose your heart to a man such as the Duke, especially when your acquaintance with him is only so that you can steal something for your father.

The sudden realization about what she was doing hit her full force, making her stomach churn with anxiety. The Duke might appear to be interested in her, but she had to remember what it was she was doing. She also had to bring to mind the kind of man the Duke was. More than likely, he would attempt to seduce her at some point. He was not interested in her heart, nor in a future with her. She would simply be another conquest.

Her heart sank to her toes as she walked towards the front door of the house. Her father would not care if the Duke was successful in his seduction of her, so long as she retrieved the necklace. The Duke would not care about her heart, so long as he was successful in his attempt to have her warm his bed. Attempting to put a smile on her face as she greeted the Duke once more, Arabella tried to banish the melancholy thoughts from her mind. There would be no use in feeling sorry for herself. Perhaps she should simply enjoy spending time with the Duke and worry about the rest later.