Page 20 of Red Masquerade

It all happened in a second, the wordsRemember, remember, remember, replaying in my head like a mantra.

Seven

Six Years Ago

It was a lucky thing I spotted him outside through my window, standing at the street corner, looking up at the house. Lucas was out, and if he came home while Adam was outside… I didn’t want to think about what would happen.

It was also a lucky thing that I was nearly ready to go, so all I had to do was grab my purse before racing down the stairs.

Mother, sitting in the drawing room, gasped as I ran by.

“Going out with Flora for a bit!” I called over my shoulder, doing my best not to slam the door behind me.

Adam was waiting at our gate, just at the end of the little walk to our front door. He wore his nicest clothes—untattered trousers, a jacket over his linen shirt, shoes shining—and in his hand was a single flower, a deep red rose. Our eyes met,and he grinned.

I melted a little as I went to him, but remembered the circumstances.

“You can’t walk up to the house,” I whispered, voice low to keep from drawing the attention of Mother and our servants. I unlocked the gate and quickly ushered him away.

His eyes widened, fingers still firm around the flower stem, then his brows furrowed, letting me lead him away.

“What’s so bad about me coming to your house?”

A trace of offense in his voice.

I hadn’t realized he remembered where it was. We were supposed to meet a few blocks away, outside a cafe. Seeing him out my window had been a shock, in which my heart soared for two entirely different reasons all at once.

I glanced at the dark brick facade over my shoulder, satisfied when no one ran out after us. “My brother,” I said. I linked my arm with his as we continued on down the street, slowing our pace a few houses down.

Adam peered at me with narrowed eyes. “You don’t want your brother to see us?”

“It’s just—he will forbid me seeing you. I’ll be locked inside,” I tried to explain, hoping it came out like a jest. “It’s best not to let my family know.”

He frowned, but let me lead him further down the pavement. A few of the neighbors noticed us, out of the corners of their eyes, and I prayed once more it wouldn’t reach Mother. Those women she had over for tea loved to speculate about the other women in the neighborhood, as though the goings-on of the neighborhood was a dramatic play for them to titter over.

“I really don’t think your brother will be appearing anytime soon,” Adam said with a slight laugh.

“How would you know?” I took a deep breath. We were lucky—this time.

Adam gave a one-shoulder shrug, watching the street straight ahead. “Just a feeling.”

I pulled him to a stop, my heart still quick in my chest, both from the young man next to me and from the prospective trouble we’d avoided.

Smiling up at Adam, I stepped in front of him, wanting to shrug it all off. He gazed down at me, and after a moment, a small smile began at the corners of his lips. Boyishly, a strand of hair hung down in front of his eyes, escaping the clean cap atop his head. His skin was free of ink, his hazel eyes bright in the late-afternoon sun.

“I managed to get the afternoon off. For you.” A dimple appeared in his cheek.

I knew how much that meant—one day without his wages. He lived a completely different life than I, every moment of his time spent at a printing press, hanging the pages to dry, folding and packing them for their customers.

He held the flower up, then tucked it into my hair, right behind my ear.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

And he leaned down, our faces so close, I thought my heart stopped. He pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek, his lips feather-light, his breath warm, and I couldn’t help but smile my brightest smile as he pulled away. I felt warm all over like melted chocolate, my face flushed at his affection.

A twinge of pink turned his cheeks, too.

“I was looking forward to this all day,” I said, unable to make my voice any louder than a whisper, for fear I would shout. “I don’t want you to think—”