Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Alexander breathed in deeply, standing just at the top of the stairs of the ballroom, ready to go inside. Despite the energy and fervour of the place around him, with the London nobility behind masks and ready to do whatever they wished, the place was in an uproar.

He could hear loud laughter springing from everywhere as people moved around with abandon.

Every single one of these people would have never behaved in this manner if the masks had not been in place. Although with a mask on and their identities concealed, everyone simply lost their minds completely.

“Do you wish me to announce you, My Lord?” the butler standing at the top of the staircase questioned, but Alexander shook his head.

He had no desire for his identity to be revealed.

As he stood at the top of the staircase, several people looked up to stare at him, but Alexander ignored every single one of them.

He knew it was not exactly his looks but his air of regality and nobility that always set him apart from the rest, and living in France all those years had set apart his fashion sense from the uncultured lords of England.

His confidence was caught on by everyone around him as he descended the stairs, sudden silence ensuing around the ballroom.

He had no desire to make his entrance grand, but it had happened without him even trying, and he was not going to act meek now. Alexander always had a way of grabbing attention wherever he went, and tonight was no different. Although tonight, his motives for the evening were entirely something else.

I need to find Eliza again.

He needed to make sure he came across Eliza as soon as possible, and after he had left her outside, he was sure she would find him.

That had been his motive, to intrigue her enough so they could talk later in the night. He needed to tell her he knew who she was to instill hope in her heart, which had clearly been lost.

Lara had told him everything.

Eliza and Lara did some embroidery and mending work on the side to gather money for their escape. Eliza had decided that the only way to find freedom was to escape this life along with Ralph and Lara and find another place to live. But Alexander was not going to let that happen.

Anything and everything that belonged to Eliza was going to be rightfully hers soon enough.

“My Lord.” Lord and Lady Leicester stood just at the bottom of the stairs and greeted Alexander as he entered the ballroom, several eyes still trained on him.

For some reason, he could see several ladies of the ton making their way towards him, clearly seeking an introduction.

“My Lord, My Lady,” Alexander greeted the hosts with a bow, and they bowed back in response.

“Welcome to our humble home,” Lady Leicester said, and Alexander felt himself growing angrier than he thought imaginable.

If it were possible, he would have revealed their truth right now in front of the entire ton, but that would be an entirely fruitless thing to do. The way Lady Leicester had called the estate her home made him furious because he knew the house belonged to Eliza and Eliza alone. The money spent on this ball belonged to Eliza as well, and the Russels deserved to have nothing.

Nothing at all.

Yet here they were, flaunting the money as their own.

“You have arranged a beautiful ball here, I must say. I am certainly impressed by being here.”

“Thank you!” Lord Leicester said, his marks dangling from his neck rather than being on his face.

“Please enjoy yourself,” Lady Leicester chimed in, “I can see several ladies are already gathered right there seeking introductions.”

Alexander laughed, not replying to the remark. He simply walked ahead, ignoring the group of ladies, who, as per Lady Leicester, were waiting for him.

He had no desire to mingle with any of them and certainly could not care much, even if they did want to see him. He had far more important things to accomplish, and for that, he needed to stay around the Russell family and gather who their close friends happened to be.

If he could successfully find the secrets of the family and the way they had stolen Eliza’s inheritance, he would be able to accomplish a lot and get everything back for Eliza.

But for that, he would need to be tactful. And he also needed to find Eliza again.

“My Lord?” He turned around and, as a hand touched his arm, found a set of blue eyes and pale blonde hair standing in front of him.

If he had not been looking closely, he could have mistaken her for Eliza, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that her hair was much shorter and her eyes a lot less blue than Eliza’s.

She was slightly taller and rather plain under her mask, and the sweetness that Eliza possessed was completely missing from her. This was someone else.

“Yes, My Lady?” he asked her, staying within formal bounds.

“I demand an introduction this instant.” She laughed playfully, standing closer to him than propriety allowed, but people were clearly not themselves behind these masks, and the woman in front of him already seemed slightly drunk.

“I refuse to give one.”

“Well then, I must give you mine so you could perhaps change your mind,” she continued smiling, the pink gown she wore entirely unflattering on her, “I am Lady Victoria Russel. And you are?”

Victoria Russel.

Alexander immediately knew she was the daughter of Lord and Lady Leicester, yet another person who had been involved in stealing everything that belonged to Eliza from her.

Lara had told Alexander how everyone in the household behaved terribly with Eliza, almost to the point of cruelty, and Victoria was a part of it as well. Alexander felt furious with her, but he did not let his face betray his true emotions.

“As I already told you, My Lady, I am incapable of telling you my name.”

Noticing Victoria standing with Alexander, several other ladies in the ton also gained the courage to walk up to him, and within seconds, a plethora of women surrounded him, all of them wanting an introduction. He had not even tried to gain this reaction, yet here he was, accidentally receiving all the attention he simply did not want.

Certainly not from these women.

“Why so, My Lord?” another young lady questioned.

Alexander could see anger on Victoria’s face towards all the other women who had gathered around them, and he knew she wanted him only for herself.

He had already disliked her at first glance, and now he could notice that she seemed both mean and full of herself. Alexander realized that someone like her was definitely capable of practicing cruelty towards Eliza, and she probably tortured the poor girl a lot.

His heart leapt in worry as he reminded himself that very soon, he would pull Eliza out of everything that troubled her.

“What is the point of this mask I am wearing if I am to reveal my identity?” he asked the young women, who nodded at the question, some of them laughing at the air of mystery he was trying to maintain.

Although, he could see how every single one of them enjoyed it.

“You can perhaps remove the mask and tell us your identity then?” Victoria countered, but Alexander simply shook his head.

“If that is what you wanted, you should have persuaded your parents against arranging a masquerade.”

“Had I known you were coming, I would have.”

“Too bad you were uninformed.” He shrugged, “I am afraid you will have to do with simply knowing me as the masked stranger because that is the closest you ladies will get to my name tonight.”

“I might forgive you for this secret if you dance the next set with me,” she extended her hand towards him, and Alexander stared at it for a few seconds.

He knew that humouring Victoria might mean extracting information from her if she proved to be one of the weak links in the family. He doubted her to be the weak link since she seemed both mean and cruel, but it was still worth a try.

He needed to be as close to the Russels as possible to find some information about them, or else the revelation of the truth might get slower, and he wanted Eliza free from this torture as quickly as possible.

“I would love to lead you in this dance, My Lady,” Alexander replied, taking Victoria’s hands.

He excused himself from everyone else as he led Lady Victoria towards the dance floor, where several other couples were assembling as well. The two of them stood in front of one another as the new set began, and the couples got into position and began dancing.

All Alexander could think about was finding a way to make Victoria talk, and he knew it was not going to be difficult. He could see she loved talking about herself.

“Won’t you say something, My Lord?” she finally began the conversation, and Alexander smiled from underneath his mask as she twirled around him.

“I have merely been wondering about you, My Lady,” he answered smartly.

“What about me, might I ask?”

“Anything and everything,” he replied, “Tell me more about you so I can get to know you better. You seem like a beautiful and rather interesting young lady.”

Victoria chuckled at the praise as he fed her ego, and just as he had imagined, she immediately perked up, ready to carry the entire conversation on her back.

He listened patiently as she droned on about being accomplished at everything a young woman should be accomplished in, the list of her attributes much too long. Alexander was almost sure she was lying simply to impress him but had no desire to call her out.

“You have an impressive list of accomplishments, My Lady.”

“Thank you, My Lord.”

“Do you read?”

“Read? As in books?” She looked flustered.

“Yes.”

“Well, I have always been a person of activity rather than one who could just sit for hours absorbed in a book. My disposition does not allow that, and I always run away from reading. Although Russel House has a beautiful library. You must come to call on me tomorrow morning, and I will show you all the books we keep here.”

Alexander knew she was right since he had been in this house on several occasions in the past, knowing the place as well as the back of his hand. The library had been personally built by the duchess herself, who was fond of books and reading, and she always advised both Eliza and Alexander to read as well.

Alexander also remembered borrowing books from her on several occasions. Now, Victoria laid claim to a library she had never even bothered to look into with such ease that it angered Alexander immensely.

“I would love to,” he replied shortly, “Do tell me about your family. I hear you have siblings?”

“I do.” She nodded, clearly not as eager to talk about anyone but herself. “You have already been introduced to Mama and Papa, but I also have an older brother named Henry and a younger sister, Margaret.”

Alexander waited for her to mention something about Eliza or perhaps her dead uncle, who was the Duke of Grafton, but she remained quiet as if both Eliza and her parents were entirely nonexistent. He had been right. Victoria Russel was too cunning to be considered the weak link of the family, and he would need to try a different approach.

“That sounds marvellous.”

“You have asked me every possible question about me, yet I still do not know anything about you. Mind telling me your name now, My Lord?”

Alexander laughed. “A secret will remain a secret no matter how many times you ask, Lady Victoria.”

“Ah.” She smiled.

‘Well, to be fair, I have been away from England much too long and resided in France with my family. I only returned to London a few days ago, and I am a little surprised at the changes that have happened here.”

“What kind of changes?”

Alexander knew this was his moment to press Victoria to see if she would break. A part of him told him the attempt was futile and might raise unnecessary questions, but he had to at least try before giving up entirely.

“Last I heard, the Duke and Duchess of Grafton owned this estate, or am I mistaken? It was many years ago, but they also had a little girl,” he said, pretending to think about it. “What was her name? Elena perhaps. Oh no wait. It was Eliza. Yes, Eliza Gordon. Whatever happened to the Grafton family and Lady Eliza?”

He could feel Victoria tense up in his arms, the smile on her face fading. For Alexander, this was revelation enough.

“Of course.” Victoria suddenly laughed, her smile returning albeit artificially. “The estate did belong to the Duke of Grafton, who happened to be my uncle. After he and his wife passed away, poor Eliza, who was about my age, went to France to live with her mother’s family, and the Russels have simply been taking care of the house.”

“That is so noble of you,” Alexander said, hoping he did not sound sarcastic.

“Why are you interested in the details?”

“Should I not be?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“As you said, it was many moons ago. Hardly anyone in England even remembers the deaths of the duke and duchess much less about Eliza. You certainly have an excellent memory to recall so far back.”

“I do have excellent memory.”

The set began to come to an end, the final rhythms being played by the musicians. Alexander stopped in front of Victoria as she curtsied, and he bowed in response, quickly escorting her away from the dance floor. He had no desire to be in her company any longer than it was absolutely necessary. She and her sense of superiority repulsed him.

Loud boisterous laughter reached him, and he saw Lord Leicester laughing with his friends in one corner.

Alexander had already noticed Edgar’s need to be flashy with his money, and the masquerade was just another example of such behaviour. Alexander knew flashy people were the weakest links, especially when under the intoxicated influence of alcohol.

I must gamble with him.

He knew the gambling table after he had a lot to drink would be the best place to dig secrets out of Edgar, and Alexander was going to do just that. He simply needed to wait till the card games were opened, and the men finally sat down to play.