Masterful Trickery

IX. Lady in Blue

Three years ago...

Ralph slowly made his way to the crowd of familiar people. Except that he did not know the lady in blue—and the two gentlemen standing at both sides of her, as if it was their life's mission to place their lives between her and death.

In Ralph's mind, he recognized the challenge. The two gentlemen looked young, but something in their eyes spoke of many years of adventure.

He was even more curious now as he witnessed how his older brother, Levi and his wife, Lady Victoria, chatted with Lady in Blue and her two companions with too much familiarity.

Why in the bloody hell had he never heard of her? Why did it seem that his entire family knew her?

Where did she come from?

He slowly inched near, cautiously so as not to alarm the lady in blue.

Ralph breathed a sigh of relief when finally he managed to join the circle. Everyone's attention turned to him as he uttered, "Hello, family—and friends." He addressed the first two words to Emma, Levi and Victoria. He addressed the last two to the lady in blue and her companions.

He saw a flicker of panic flash before the mysterious woman's beautiful eyes and although Ralph would have loved to see what color they were, she veered away from him.

She wanted to escape, he thought. But it seemed that Emma, Levi and Victoria were her prison.

Ralph triumphantly smiled.

Ah, this shall be a very fun night.

*****

Grey's had always been the same. Its loud gaming rooms still filled with laughing and drunken lords and gentlemen; drinks still poured endlessly, fueling parched members.

But there were many other things that changed for Ralph.

Gone were the nights when he spent almost every bloody night at Grey's with his brothers. Their nights there had now been limited by other matters such as marriage, children and estate concerns. Ralph could very well understand estate concerns but never the former two.

Stepping into Grey's nowadays was similar to stepping into Beechworth. Grey's bombarded him with memories of many insane nights he spent with his brothers while Beechworth brought many memories of his father while when he was still alive and spent many countless hours at Beechworth to oversee the production of the jewelries.

Ralph did not hate going to Grey's for there were still nights when one or two of his brothers and now, even his brothers-in-law, could join him. Beechworth, on the other hand, was still painful thus his apartment in Wickhurst was still his preferred residence. He could spend days without going to Beechworth in the past, but these past few months seemed to prove that he was meant to be there.

Ah, how he missed the days when he was the youngest brother of the Everards and the older one for both Ysabella and Emma; those days when he had no other concerns but to get his first lover and then the next, those moments when his purpose in life was to make Ysabella and Emma's life a living hell.

But time flew fast. And it started when their eldest brother, Benedict, married his wife and took permanent residence in Devonshire. Levi followed and then Margaret. And Ysabella. And Maxwell. And now Nicholas.

Ralph merely hoped that his brother would get the happy marriage he deserved. Fast if necessary because Ralph knew Nicholas too well. His brother would never return to how he was before unless Sophia was back; unless he had the kind of happiness he had been avoiding for too long in the past before he met the woman and fell in love.