Rory:

I stood at the bottom of the stairs tapping my foot impatiently. I was not the most tolerant of tardiness and Cecilia never took this long. What on earth was she doing up there? I slowly began to pace back and forth at the base of the large staircase, the guests would soon be arriving and as host and hostess we needed to be present to greet them all.

I readjusted the mask that covered my face, the ruddy thing was beginning to irritate me, but Cecilia had specially purchased it for me and so I would bear it with as good a temper as I could manage.

I heard a shuffling above me and turned my attention to the top of the staircase. My pacing instantly ceased as I soaked up the vision before me.

Cecilia stood at the crest of the stairs dressed in a gown of midnight blue, the colour shimmering black in places in the flickering candlelight that enveloped the main hall. It hung off her shoulders and was cinched tightly around her waist before flowing down to the ground in folds of satin.

"Lord, does it look that bad?" Her voice was tinted with a nervousness I was not used to hearing from her. I took a moment to find my voice as I stared open-mouthed at her.

"No, no, not at all," I tried to convince her, "You look mesmerisingly beautiful." I could not find the right words to describe how enchanting she looked in that moment, she had me utterly spellbound, my eyes remaining transfixed by her beauty.

She was surely a sorceress, I was sure I had never known a woman to look as heavenly as she did standing at the top of the stairs, her eyes wide and searching behind her midnight black mask.

I walked up the stairs in a daze, offering her my arm which she smilingly accepted, her eyes still holding mine. I escorted her through to the large ball room where the orchestra were warming up on the small stage. A few maids scurried around setting out the last dishes on long side tables that stretched the length of the room.

Admittedly I had been averse to the idea of hosting a ball for chiefly financial reasons yet, although there was the appearance of no expense being spared, from the accounts Cecilia had carefully managed when organising the ball, I knew she had been incredibly canny with the limited money left. I smiled proudly down at her, she was a clever woman to be sure.

**********

The ball was in full swing, skirts of every colour twirled around the centre of the room as partners happily danced together in the dimming light. I strode between the guests, many had figured out who each other were although a large number of the party had managed to keep their identities hidden on the whole.

My attention was drawn to the dance floor as I heard a familiar laugh float through the room. I immediately picked out the indigo dress and raven hair from the crowd of dancers as she spun by, a smile on her face.

I turned my gaze from her to the man she was partnering. He was clearly tall and had a shock of platinum hair. I didn't need to see any more of him to know exactly who he was; there was only one noble family that looked like that and those were the Claffington's. He would be Harold Claffington and one of the most notorious rakes in the London circles.

I ground my teeth together as I noted the overly familiar closeness of the two as his hand clutched her waist tightly bringing her closer to him. I felt my hands clench into fists by my side as I watched the two whirl around the floor.

I felt a wave of burning anger wash over me, was he aware that it was my wife he was manhandling? Bitter jealousy coursed through me, maybe this ball had not been such a good idea after all.

I stormed towards the couple as the music finished for the dance watching as she curtsied at the gentleman. I had nearly reached the couple when suddenly a dark haired man moved to Claffington's side and claimed the next dance with Cecilia.

She placed her hand in his and he led her once more onto the dance floor. I let out a growl of frustration, I had never been one to share what was mine and I certainly wasn't about to let Cecilia be stolen from me by some London libertine.

I had not managed to secure Cecilia by my side just yet but Claffington would not be leaving tonight without a word of warning from me. I continued through the gossiping crowds of people blocking my path until I was met with a well dressed man adorned with a mass of silvery blonde hair.

"Claffington," I tried to keep my voice level so as not to betray the hatred I felt for the man.

"And you are?" His voice was haughty and decidedly disagreeable.

"The Duke of Wortley, and you'd do best to remember it," I sneered at the man.

"To what do I owe the pleasure," he drawled, seemingly unperturbed by my position.

"If you'd follow me," I scowled at the man ignoring his snide comment. Not turning back to see if he was following, I walked back through the crowd leaving the ballroom and heading towards my study. I opened the door, not bothering to hold it open for the man behind me.

"Are you aware of whom exactly you were just dancing with," I growled at the man stood before me.

"Yes," the man said simply, shrugging as if it was of no importance. I felt my anger grow, had this man deliberately sought out my wife to be his next victim, had he no shame in pursuing a married woman, no more the woman married to his host? I took a few steps closer to the man who simply smirked.

"Have you no honour or morals?" My clenched fists shook by my sides as the man's smug look did not leave his face.

"None at all," his smirk remained plastered to his face. My hands itched, oh how I wanted to remove that smug look from his face.

"Your shamelessness is contemptible," I glowered at the man.

"So I have been told before," he laughed unabashed. "You are recently wed then?" his question caught me off guard, what had being recently wed got anything to do with the situation?

"But a few months," I replied, warily focussing my eyes on his person.

"Hm, I thought as much," my brow furrowed at his words. "You shall have to get used to it."

"Get used to what, pray?" I spoke in an icy tone.

"Your wife is extremely alluring, I am not the only man that shall want her as my bedfellow." I lunged forward at the man swinging my fist into his jaw. The sound of my hand against his jawbone reverberated around the room as the man let out a groan of pain.

"Get. Out." I whispered hardly containing the anger flooding through me. The man stood up clutching the side of his face, the smirk on his face had lessened greatly but he still retained a somewhat confidently smug expression on his face.

After a stiff drink to calm myself, I returned to the ballroom. Nothing seemed amiss and the guests still seemed to be enjoying themselves. Being taller than most gave me the advantage of being able to scan the whole room as the dancers waltzed past whilst the others mingled in small groups talking animatedly amongst themselves.

My eyes desperately searched the room for ink black hair and a dark blue dress, if what Claffington had said was indeed true, and why would it not be, then I needed to find Cecilia and make sure she remained at my side for the rest of the evening.

Nobody was to even entertain the idea that they could lay a hand on her, I would not allow it. It took me no more than a minute to locate her, she stood with her back faced to me as a circle of men conversed with her, their hungry eyes roaming all over her.

I must remember never to hold a ball again, I thought darkly as I watched Cecilia smiling at the men with innocent naivety. She did not know of the ravenous appetites of men, especially ones of those such as Claffington. I felt my fists clench again at the thought of the bastard.

"Gentlemen," I greeted the crowd of men all vying for a piece of Cecilia's attention. She immediately lifted her head and met my gaze. The men nodded their heads at me in acknowledgment.

"Rory," Cecilia smiled up at me as she let out a breath, she seemed... Relieved? I moved closer to her wrapping my arm securely around her waist.

"I see you have met my wife," I offered the circle a tight lipped smile. "If you'll excuse us for a moment." I nodded my head at the men signalling our departure and led a bemused looking Cecilia out of the ballroom and into a corridor.

I had meant to scold her, berate her for her wretched naivety about the intentions those men harboured, but in the barely lit corridor her eyes wide in alarm as she gazed up at me, all I could do was bend my head down and crash my lips onto hers.

Pushing her back against the wall of the darkened corridor I cupped her face with one of my hands as she leaned herself closer to me. It wasn't a sweet and gentle kiss like our other kisses had been, it was full of passion and emotion.

Her small hands gripped my arms firmly as I pinned her against the stone wall that separated us from the guests in the ballroom. "Rory," she murmured against my lips as she arched her back pressing her body closer to mine.

The rage still bubbling through my veins began to burn as I imagined Cecilia being kissed by that bastard Claffington, would she welcome his advances? Would she pull him closer? Would she allow his hands to touch her? Would she call his name?

I pushed off of Cecilia and let out a low guttural sound as the thoughts tore through my mind. "You're mine Cecilia," I growled huskily, "Nobody else's." I would not allow anyone to take her from me, she was too precious.

My eyes bore into hers as she looked at me with bewilderment etched into her face as she caught her breath. She nodded her head although she seemed in a daze.

She lifted her hand to her head and held it there a moment before ducking under my arms and running off down the corridor. I groaned, there seemed to be a pattern of me kissing her and her running off.

I had to stop putting my selfish desires first and think about her before launching myself upon her. Well I was certainly going about the right way to make her leave as she had warned.

Why could I seem to do nothing right when it came to Cecilia? I growled in frustration, that wretched girl had my head in a spin and my heart in knots and I had no idea what to do.

I had no wish to return to the ballroom full of the gossiping elites so I slipped across the main hall and climbed the stairs to my room.

I needed some time alone to think.

Hello all!

Much love

xxx