Cloaked Heart

.·:*¨༺ Twenty-Six ༻¨*:·.

The unexpected arrival of the Duke and Marquis of Vanderveer caused a great deal of commotion with the courtesans and hosts of the Casa de Mercedes. Henceforth, Mrs. Rowley who was scheduled to leave to meet her cohorts delayed her flight in order to entertain the nobles.

However, Bright did not visit the place to take pleasure in the various activities being offered, he went straight to where Win and the rest of them were, taking his hand and kissing it in front of everyone to see setting the tongues wagging. Although the news of the marquis and baron's engagement was of no mystery to every aristocrat of the beau monde, they rarely see the couple outside of the confines of the Vanderveer House. Win did not like the attention and would prefer the privacy of his fiancé's house rather than parade his elevated status which he did not intend to happen in all honesty.

The deep blush on his cheeks made the marquis's eyes sparkle, smiling playfully at his sudden display of affection for the young baron. As told by the marchioness, the marquis did not care what the members of the beau monde thought of him or his reputation. They were a lot of them who has things to say or "divulge" for they all claim to have a certain knowledge of the Marquis and his childhood, yet failed to prove it. In all truth, Win heard stories about him from others and even then when he considered him as an enemy, he did not rejoice in hearing awful things that people say about Bright behind his back. Some of them were an exaggeration of his character and often reminded Win of the novel he wrote about him, fancying him as a grotesque human being that it somehow made him feel rather guilty of the accord.

"I told you that I'm fine," Win muttered yet did not stop Bright as he sat down beside him. When the man simply fixed his coat and did not reply, he went on, "Are you going to play?"

"Mayhap a little," at last he answered and they both looked at the Duke of Vanderveer who sat beside his spouse after giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Do you want to wager?"

"And relieve me of my purses?" Off frowned a little to his cousin's enticement, "Yes, yes...damn you, Vanderveer."

Bright only laughed which Win enjoyed listening to very much for he seemed to laugh like a child. He never understood card games but the marquis was patient to explain the rules and Win watched with curiosity, he was certainly most convinced of Bright's cleverness and expertise in the game.

It was at this point that Win noticed the presence of Lady Luisa of all people out from the corner of his eye. Never in his life did he imagine that he would see his aunt in such a place, and she appeared to be acquainted with Mrs. Rowley, whom he recalled so well, was the subject of his aunt's scrutiny when he was still living in the Buell mansion. He recalled how his aunt Luisa will weave stories of the marquis and the Cyprian coming together to visit every well-known establishment in the kingdom, suspecting that he might make an offer of marriage to her considering that the former marquis was the same. How loathful it was to think that his aunt's happiness lies in meddling with other people's business.

Lady Luisa who also did not expect her nephew's presence froze at the sight of Win sitting by the gaming table with the marquis and the duke and his consort, not to mention the heir to the Viscount Ludwig-Krüger, Sir Gulf. She curtly nodded her head in acknowledgment and averted her face immediately, walking to the other reserved corner for her and her cronies, Lady Bradwell. Win sighed as he saw her and Bright, who was sitting beside him heard it loud and clear, following his line of sight, he inclined his head to the table, and both Lady Luisa and Lady Bradwell were obliged to do the same.

"How was it, Win?" Off asked suddenly diverting the other young man's attention. "Have you thought of the date?"

It was evident that the Duke of Vanderveer was asking about the wedding date, he answered, "Not yet, I'm afraid, it has to wait for a little until the marchioness announced her own engagement to His Grace, the Duke of Salisbury."