Break over, the musicians struck up another waltz. Ashley was old for a debutante, but her skill made her a popular partner while everyone was masked. Though she looked for him, Ravencroft proved elusive, and much to her disappointment he did not ask her to dance again. As a minor sop to her ego, she did not see him dancing with anyone else, either.
At last the clock struck midnight. The musicians stopped playing, more candles in the chandeliers were lit, and everyone removed their mask. Amid laughter and gasps, the buzz of conversation grew louder.
But no Ravencroft.
When Ashley came back from dancing the next polonaise, Aunt Eunice asked to make a night of it. Ashley’s feet ached, one toe might be broken from having been stepped on, and she may have actually danced a hole through the soles of her slippers. With Ravencroft absent, she readily agreed to go home.
* * *
Sunday offered a much-needed day of rest. By Monday Ashley was eager to see her new friend Georgia again. She and Aunt Eunice were welcomed into the Mansfield townhouse and joined Georgia and her mother in the front parlor for their at-home. On the other side of the wall was the music room. Ashley quickly became distracted by memories of the first time she’d heard Ravencroft sing and play.
Miss Kenyon’s arrival startled Ashley out of her reverie. While her mother went to join Lady Mansfield and Ashley’s aunt in conversation, Miss Kenyon selected a chair and pulled it close to the sofa where Ashley and Georgia sat.
Miss Kenyon leaned her elbows on her knees, practically vibrating with excitement. “My maid has heard from her brother again,” she said. “Now that word is going around town that Amber and Mrs. Driscoll saw the Bogeyman, her brother added another detail to Sir Rupert’s abrupt departure.”
Georgia and Ashley both glanced to make sure the older ladies were uninterested in their conversation. Georgia made an impatient hand gesture.
“Remember how he said Sir Rupert kept looking over his shoulder, as though he was being pursued?”
“By debt collectors,” Georgia said.
Miss Kenyon shook her head. Her blonde curls quivered with her exhilaration. “By the Bogeyman!”
“What?” Ashley said at the same moment Georgia exclaimed “No!”
Miss Kenyon glowed with the joy of being the one to share such a juicy tidbit of gossip. “It seems Sir Rupert was visited by the Bogeyman … in the middle of the night!”
Ashley and Georgia glanced at each other, wearing identical expressions of surprise.
“Why did your maid’s brother not say so before?” Georgia said.
“Can you imagine being the first to claim such a thing? Consider how everyone looked at Mrs. Driscoll and Miss Barrow-Smith on Saturday night.”
“Like they were less than sane,” Ashley said softly.
Georgia silently tapped her bottom lip with her index finger.
“But now there are three witnesses,” Miss Kenyon said.
“If we accept that someone calling himself the Bogeyman is real and not a demon nor a figment of imagination,” Georgia said slowly, “I have to wonder why he appeared to Amber and to Sir Rupert.”
“Well, he did warn Amber not to elope with Sir Peyton, in a roundabout way,” Miss Kenyon said.
“What a cad,” Georgia said, with a theatrical shudder. “Can you imagine planning to ruin an innocent girl?”
Ashley felt the blood drain from her face.
Georgia rested her hand on Ashley’s knee. “What is it? You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost!”
Ashley silently debated. The burden of keeping the secret to herself, of not being able to discuss it with anyone, had weighed heavily on her. “I wasn’t going to tell anyone. And you must swear on your honor not to share this with anyone else. Ever.”
Georgia and Miss Kenyon leaned in close, both drawing an X over their heart. “I solemnly swear.” Miss Kenyon nodded.
“I would never betray a sister,” Georgia fervently added.
Ashley squeezed Georgia’s hand in gratitude. After a quick glance to make sure the other ladies in the room were still paying them no attention, she took a deep breath. “Sir Rupert tried to … ruin me.” Her heart was pounding. She had never said the words aloud to anyone, not even to herself.
Miss Kenyon drew her brows together in puzzlement. “You planned to elope with him?”
