The Black Knight of Ashfern

Chapter 26

The ball was a lavish affair, though its enchantments were dulled by the mixture of worry and annoyance churned within Nan. She was the only one in attendance without a mask, and had she known the look of William's, she'd have walked right up to him and stomped squarely on his foot for his negligence. As it was, she didn't, so she settled on trying to find him instead.

Scanning the crowd of hidden faces, she progressed through the room, hoping to spy William among them. She knew that she'd not find him as easily as he would her unless he decided to make himself known. Without a mask, Nan stuck out like a daisy among twirling roses, but she took some small comfort in the fact that her dress did not add to her awkwardness.

It was not as magnificent as some of those spinning about the floor, but it was elegant in its simplicity. The dark blue of the fabric was offset by faint patterns woven into the cloth. A thick pale blue ribbon was set just below her breast, matching the one entwined in her hair. Pearl beads were threaded about the neck of the garment, and matching earrings dangled from her ears.

Nan had made it nearly halfway across the room before she gave up her search. With so many moving about, she knew she could not keep track of them all. With a resigned sigh, Nan spun about and made her way to an empty chair by the wall. She would not waste her time trying to find William when he could find her himself, with far less effort.

Only the sudden and dreadful thought that William might not be there kept her from her seat and pulled her gaze again, the mass moving about her. Nervously, she began to twist and tug at the fingers of her glove. What if he wasn't there? What if his sister had put him off attending? Or, more likely, he had never planned on attending. With that thought, Nan began to look about for Captain De'Mont; if any were to know of William's whereabouts, surely he would. Her hunt, however, was cut short as two men proceeded to block her path.

"Please, excuse me," Nan tried to be polite, but the annoyance she felt with the two could be heard as clearly as the music that played.

Their attire was identical to that of every other man in the room, with a black jacket, breeches, and shoes. White stockings, waistcoat, shirt, and a cravat tied or pinned in place about their throats. Their hair and masks were the only things that distinguished them from others. Where one's mask was white, the other's was black, and where one had the ends of his mask pointing up, the other's pointed down.

"Excuse you?" The white mask grinned at her, his voice, and what she could make of his expression seemed amused by her ill temperament.

"But we've only just met," The black mask added with the same look and tone as his friend. "Are we not even to receive the pleasure of a good evening?" He inquired guilelessly.

"Good evening," Nan replied with a hasty curtsy, then took a step to move past them, only to once again be blocked as they bowed to her and responded with their own greeting.

"Might I have the pleasure of the next dance?" the black mask asked after righting himself, causing his friend to frown at him.

"I do thank you for offering, sir," Nan replied hastily, "But I'm afraid I'd make for a poor partner."

"Oh! Can you not dance?" the black mask inquired, a slight frown of puzzlement tugging at his lips.

"I can—"

"Then you can dance with me," the white mask cut in with a large smile as he reached for her hand, missing as Nan quickly took a step away from the encroaching male.

"I do not decline to dance with you because I cannot. I decline because I do not know this dance—indeed, I know very few. But most importantly, I do not know you—either of you," she declared, scowling at the two of them.