Lucille [H.S]

2

The stars outside the window called to the Viscount, whispering promises of escape should he need it with their glistening beauty.

Peering through the thick glass of his manor's ballroom, a feeling of melancholy overcame Harry as the reminder of what he was giving up shined among the moonlight dusted fields outside. The grand ball continued around him, the sparkle of jewels and flickering candlelight reflected back at the Viscount, refusing to allow him to fully escape the bustling room despite being rendered momentarily invisible as he faded into the shadows.

Retreating to the back of his mind where he safely stored the secret part of himself only his lover got to see was slightly depressing but it provided Harry with a welcome escape from the ostentatious display of wealth his mother had put on for the whole of society.

Cordelia was desperate to showcase her desirable daughter to the social elites and reclaim a level of power she had lost when Rosemary was snubbed of the Diamond of the Season title. While she had maintained her composure in front of everyone, Harry had been preview to his mother's spiteful gossiping once they had returned from the palace. Apparently, it did not matter if Miss Hawthorne was the daughter of an old family friend - she had taken the title from Rosemary and that was enough in his mother's eyes. The spiteful comments soon stopped, however, when Cordelia realised she could still use this to her advantage if her son was the one to take Colette as his bride. Everyone's attention would still be on her family, just not in the way she originally intended.

That was how the Viscount and his mother had ended up hosting the first ball of the season, a grand affair that would surely set the family in great standings for the rest of the summer months and the perfect chance for Cordelia to introduce Harry to Miss Hawthorne.

So far, Harry had managed to avoid his mother, charming the crowds with an arrogant swagger as he kept himself too busy to be dragged onto the dancefloor. The only thing that made the whole ordeal a little more tolerable was the fact his lover was in attendance, sticking to the sidelines just like Harry.

Those brief glances across the freshly polished dancefloor were enough to get his heart fluttering like a mere schoolboy. Every playful wink, every teasing smirk and every coy sip of wine became an intricately perfected game aimed to tease and distract each other from the reminder they did not belong in a world of such stiff tradition. It felt scandalous to rile each other up in the presence of so many unsuspecting members of the ton and see who would be the first to break.

Despite Lucien's cool and cocky exterior, Harry knew it wouldn't take much to get him blushing. The Viscount refused to be the one to back down.

"Mother would be least pleased to find you have not asked a single lady to dance this evening." Rosemary's light teasing brought Harry from his daydream as her reflection appeared next to his in the glass window. Holding back a frustrated sigh, he turned to address his sister politely.

"Surely your dance card is not full already, sister?" The Viscount plastered on a fake smile as he noticed the giddy excitement flushing Rosemary's cheeks, not wanting to ruin her evening after having longed to attend balls like this since she was a little girl. Just because he was not delighting in the festivities did not mean he should ruin it for others. "I would have thought you'd be too busy entertaining the affections of a handsome Duke to check on me this evening."

A soft chuckle breathed through her lips at his words and Harry couldn't help but smirk as they shared a knowing look. Despite Rosemary's longing to find herself a romance fit for the novels, family always came first and often kept an eye on Harry to ensure he was coping well among people he didn't like to be around. Their mother was too hard on him, turning a blind eye to the fact he had never been very interested in leading a life enriched with society and following in their father's footsteps and Rosemary saw how it drained Harry to entertain the traditions of the summer months.