Before Liars Loved (Before Series, Book 3)

Dances

↫Mischief in Mayfair↬

The entire ton is flocking to the home of Lord and Lady Trotten tonight to attend their first-ever hosted event as a married couple. Rumor is that they have invited nearly two hundred guests. But do not fret, dear readers, if you did not make the cut. You can still live the magic of the affair tomorrow through my reports. I daresay there shall be mischief aplenty tonight.

-Madame Mischief

Scarlett did not even need to enter the ballroom to know the evening would be remarkable. Beautiful music flowed through the glass panes that separated Scarlett from the grand room where people floated gracefully about. It did not sound as though a single instrument was out of tune, which was certainly a relief after the horrors of the Bennett ball the previous week. A pure C sharp should not be unattainable.

She ran her gloved hands over the skirts of her fashionable gown, which was a deep mauve color trimmed with golden threads. The convenient thing about being a widow was that Scarlett needn't worry about what she wore. Frilly pastel dresses were meant for debutantes only, and Scarlett was most certainly not a debutante any longer.

At times she wished that she could turn back the clock to a much simpler time, but Scarlett knew that it would never be the same as it was then. Even if she were coming to the ball to look for a husband, she wouldn't be searching in the way she had when she was eighteen. Well, really it had been her parents who had done all the searching.

That was the most significant difference between then and now, Scarlett supposed. Her parents had been looking for someone with the highest title; it mattered not if the man was broke or old. In fact, they had targeted Lord Humphries because of his empty coffers, and the dreadful man had eagerly accepted to gain access to Scarlett's dowry.

Now, at age thirty, Scarlett did not have parents who prodded her any sort of direction. They had both passed not long after her marriage due to scarlet fever.

Irony had its way in the world.

Scarlett honestly could not say she was mad about it.

With a deep breath, Scarlett again donned the hard, lofty facade that had kept marriage-minded men away for the past five years. With a purposeful step, she made her way into the ballroom.

It was lovely, just like the rest of the mansion that Will and Emilia now owned. The home sat in the middle of Mayfair, and they had purchased it not long after their wedding. Scarlett was surprised that they had chosen to live in London after everything the ton had put them through.

After everything she had put them through, unfortunately. Mischief in Mayfair had not been kind to Emilia when Will initially broke off their engagement three years ago. The scandal had ruined Emilia, and Scarlett had capitalized on it.

Rule 4, broken.

Of course, she had hardly known Will or Emilia when that occurred. She hadn't realized that they had been in love—unlike so many couples in the ton. And Scarlett certainly hadn't known that Will refused to marry Emilia because he was being blackmailed by the king and wanted to protect her. But that wouldn't have mattered really; she had hurt someone with her words. The rule was broken.

Thank goodness Will and Emilia had reconciled after conspiring to overthrow the king last year. That was how Scarlett had become intertwined in their lives, too. It was incredible what a gossip column could do to influence the thinking of society in regards to a lecherous king.

Rule 3, broken.

"My dear Lady Humphries," a voice said kindly to her right. "How are you?"

Scarlett swiveled to see the soft and pretty face of Lady Aston. She smiled genuinely. "I'm quite well. Thank you for inquiring, my lady." The older woman was wearing a simple but elegant gown of a midnight hue, and Scarlett could not help but admire it. "How do you fare?"