Melinda was amazing, as usual, and after an afternoon of primping, she declared Elise ready for the evening. As usual, she came downstairs with Cross and Julianna. He updated them briefly on what was happening and confirmed that a Lycan messenger from the Caelkirk clan had arrived ahead of the Alpha and his men to let them know they would be arriving at dawn the next day. They had also picked up more allies along the way from another clan closer to the English border. All in all, there would be around thirty-five male Lycans coming to the ball. It seemed everything was all set for tomorrow.
When they descended the stairs into the main foyer, Elise was surprised to see both Lycan and human guests, including Viscount Daly, Simon, and Beatrice, but she supposed that since tomorrow would be a Lycan-only affair, the dowager invited their human friends and acquaintances as well.
Reed, of course, was the last to arrive with his grandmother on his arm. Elise’s heart gave a leap when her eyes landed on his tall, handsome form looking so elegant in his all-black formalwear. Whether he even knew that she was there, she didn’t know as he didn’t bother to look her way. Instead, he led the dowager duchess into the formal dining room, signaling that dinner would begin.
Since they had about two dozen guests that night, dinner was served in the formal dining room. It seemed the dowager had not pulled any stops as the long table was richly decorated with flowers, crystal centerpieces, and the finest linen and china she had ever seen. Elise also found herself seated next to Simon Richardson, who was as charming and attentive as ever. He was a good distraction, she supposed, as she was near enough the head of the table that she could definitely see Reed if she looked his way. She told herself it was better to not look at him.
And she also told herself that she didn’t mind one bit that after dinner, Reed escorted Beatrice into the ballroom, which was set up for the performers and the audience. Her wolf yowled despondently, but she ignored it. She avoided Simon and sat between Cross and Julianna instead.
Elise was glad for the distraction of the music, but from where she was seated, she could clearly see Reed and Beatrice as they sat next to each other. Once in a while, Beatrice would lean toward him and whisper something in his ear, and he would give her a short nod.
Unable to look at them, she tried to focus her eyes elsewhere. On the movement of the cellist’s fingers as he played Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. On the candles burning above, on the outrageous peacock feathers on the Countess of Heath’s coiffure, or even at her companions. Julianna looked bored out her mind, while Cross … well, Cross looked odd. Instead of his usual guarded expression, he seemed almost forlorn. His mysterious blue-green eyes shifted colors as the candles flickered above, and she felt an overwhelming sense of sadness from him as the nurturing, empathic part of her reached out to him.
“Are you all right, Cross?” she whispered. “You seem sad.”
Her question seemed to catch him off guard as ocean-colored eyes crashed into hers. “What makes you say that?”
She shrugged. “You look like you’re a million miles away. Do you want to talk about it?”
Before he could answer, the cellist ended the prelude, and everyone began to clap. She followed suit and when she turned back to Cross, she found herself staring at an empty seat. Weird. Despite all this time they spent together, she realized that she still didn’t know Cross that well. He’d always been a quiet person growing up, but it seemed that he’d withdrawn even more the last few years.
When the quartet began to play the next song, she turned her attention back to the music. In truth, she was glad the dowager had suggested this. Tomorrow’s ball surely wouldn’t be a lighthearted and carefree affair like this one. It would be a battle, one where she could lose everything.
When the first half of the concert was over and the butler announced a fifteen-minute interval, Elise shot to her feet and hurried out of the ballroom ahead of everyone. Where she was going, she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want to have to watch Reed and Beatrice anymore. Thankfully, she spied a balcony door not too far from the room and made her way outside. The cool air was refreshing, especially after being indoors most of the day. Out here, overlooking the garden, she could feel closer to nature, something that was always difficult when she was in the big city. She could just concentrate on the air, the trees, the scent of the flowers. The minutes ticked by, and she wished that she didn’t have to go back inside. But knowing that the night was not done, she knew there was no escaping the rest of the evening.
Reaching for the door, she opened it, but the voice coming from the inside made her stop.
“… splendid, truly splendid, Your Grace. You must tell me where you found these talented musicians.” It was Lady Finnerly, the hostess from last night’s ball.
“I’ll send a note in the morning with their information,” answered the dowager. She cleared her throat. “I am glad we had a good turnout, despite the last-minute invites.”
“Speaking of guests,” Lady Finnerly’s voice lowered, “what do you think about the pretty young miss that seemed to have captured your grandson’s eye? She’s that girl who grew up in West Indies, right?”
The duchess gave a delicate snort. “I don’t give a whit where she’s from, but she’s far too forward and lacking in grace.”
“Well, Reed’s late wife was all grace, wasn’t she? I thought Joanna had the most splendid manners. And gorgeous too.”
The mention of Reed’s wife made Elise’s heart stop. She glanced around, but unless she leapt off the balcony, there was
