By The Begonia

Sporting his usual scowl, Ellis shifted uncomfortably in the stifling ballroom. It was packed to the seams with gentry sporting their best finery, cloaks and masks and using their hidden identity to act their most outrageous. Lady Fairfield had created one ginormous exotic boudoir with candles everywhere lighting the room flickering shadowy light that bounced of the colourful silks that curtained off private cushioned areas. He slunk away moodily from the one he was stood by as suspect noises started to drift from it.

His scowl deepened behind his pale royal blue mask. There was a time and a place and this was not it in his lofty opinion, too many people lingering about. From his new vantage point of a deserted balcony he scoured the crowded ballroom once more for the elusive Miss Madeline East. She must be here somewhere he knew; for he had narrowly avoided another conversation with her weaselling brother.

“These damned masks!” he cursed under his breathe flinging his off and on to the velvet covered chaise that lived on the balcony.

“Aren’t they just?” came the soft, slightly nervous questioning reply behind him. He spun around to face the voice. Madeline stood in the shadows of the heavy velvet curtain that draped the balcony’s doorway. Despite her questioning agreement to his statement she made no move to remove her own mask. “I saw you come up here and followed you.” She told him.

“Really? Why?” Ellis questioned her taking a step closer. Madeline’s eyes widened behind her heather pink mask and she stepped back nervously, getting tangled in the red velvet curtain at her back.

“Why?” She asked back, her voice shaking as if it was the hardest most obscure question in the world.

“Yes, why did you follow me?” Ellis stepped closer again and Madeline had to fight the urge to step back again and turn and run. All her reasons for following him and placing herself in this possibly compromising situation fled her mind as she groped for an answer.

“I’m… I’m… I’m…” he took another step and her throat closed up and she couldn’t say it any more.

“You’re what?” he encouraged her softly, stopping where he was just a foot from her.

“I’m… I’m… I’m not sure why… I just wanted to see you again.” She blushed at her words, realising how brazen she sounded despite her nervous stammering. Extremely unladylike.
Ellis, despite his much practised frosty demeanour, could not hide his surprise however hard he tried. She wanted to see him? Despite his abandonment, not to mention his rakish behaviour? She truly wasn’t any normal woman he was coming to realise or at least not like any he had socialised with before.

But, then his ‘socialising’ had never taken part in civilised circles before. Maddie watched him curiously as surprise flitted across his face and then his eyes changed like clouds rolling across blue skies as he thought hard about something. Then it was like lightening flashes in his cool eyes heating them from within. Madeline froze in place captivated by this curious warmth.

“Did you want more lessons?” Ellis whispered softly, closing the small gap between them with one step and grasping her waist firmly with both hands so she could not move from him.

All Maddie’s well thought out plans to rebuke him for his actions the previous time they had met gave up quickly, basically jumping of the balcony and dying a quick death.

“No… yes… oh, I…” Maddie whispered so quietly Ellis almost couldn’t hear her. And then he decided he didn’t particularly want to and his mouth covered hers. It was a short, soft, undemanding kiss and Ellis pulled away far too quickly for Maddie's liking.

“What was that Madeline?” he asked dryly with a small half smile he seemed to be using far more often then he use to he realised.

Absolutely nothing, Madeline thought feeling like he had drained everything from her. Her strength, determination, resistance and all her common sense. Unable to help herself despite her minds protests her body weakly relaxed against his till her knees returned to their normal state. Ellis stiffened at this unexpected bodily contact. If felt like an action only people familiar with each other would do and they were just the opposite. Hesitantly, unsure of what she, a genteel lady, would let him do he enveloped her in his arms and looked down at her questioningly. Maddie looked back up at him her eyes wide and slightly scared behind her mask. Both were acutely aware that they were not tipsy this time.

“May I?” he asked softly, brushing a thumb roughly across her lips, savouring the heat of her breath on his hand when her mouth opened slightly in response.

He was going soft he realised. He usually just took what he wanted. No questions asked. No feelings considered. But this was different and he didn’t understand why. Even he couldn’t deny to himself that it was just her social status that made a difference. It was more than that.

Maddie nodded slightly, almost unnoticeably capturing his attention again. Ellis tightened his grip on her and pressed a fleeting kiss to the corner of her mouth teasing her senses. Maddie turned her head to try and catch the kiss fully on her mouth. He couldn’t resist such innocent pleading for a proper kiss and pressing another quick kiss to the other corner, then covered her small mouth with his letting nature guide their actions.

Their kiss was gentle, not urgent or drunken like their previous ones. Just perfectly sweet. Both of them relaxed physically and mentally. Ellis let his arms drop, his large hands circling her small waist with full trust that she would not try to escape him now. The thought didn’t even cross her mind. Instead she inched herself closer to him, winding her arms around his neck. The instinctive movement was like throwing coal on a low burning fire and heat flared up. The kiss deepened, Ellis’s mouth urging Maddie’s open under his. She complied.

But much to her inexperienced surprise his mouth did not stay on hers. Instead it trailed down the arch of her neck and over her bare softly and back again. At the sweet hollow where her collar bone was he nipped gently eliciting a startled squeal come sigh of pleasure. Ellis’s lips settled back into their original place muffling the sound before he continued fluttering light kisses over her face, savouring the feel and taste of her soft pale skin under his lips.
He could not help wonder if all her skin tasted as sweet. Maddie sighed, contented and relaxed in his arms, feeling so secure. Trailing up to her enchanting purple eyes Ellis’s mouth encountered an obstacle, cool, hard paper- Maddie’s mask. He paused in his ministrations to yank it off and throw it behind him towards the couch. Maddie froze and then pulled away quickly groping on the floor for her discarded mask.

“It was in the way.” Ellis growled frustrated that she had pulled away. She ignored him and kept looking.

“Maddie come here.” He ordered, resisting the urge to grab her derrière that was wiggling around in the air as she crawled around the balcony, to feel the lush curves hinted at by the taunt material of her skirt pulled tight by her position. She ignored him again.

“Maddie.” Ellis dropped some ice into his voice although he was in no respects feeling cold.

“No,” she whispered harshly, “I have to find the mask.” Her voice cracked and Ellis was startled into action. Gripping her waist firmly he hauled her to her feet with ease and swung her around to face him to search her face for answers. Never did he expect to find such a literal answer there. Rather than see more of the pale, delicate skin of her face he had kissed just moments ago Ellis found himself staring at a vivid purple bruise around her right eye, blacker and more tender looking at the edges. Wryly it matched her beautiful eyes in colour he thought. Then anger shook though him. Grabbing her arms so she couldn’t flee him he demanded,

“Who did this to you?” the venom in his voice surprised himself.

A sob escaped her lips and she shuddered under his hands and not in the kind of way he wanted her to. He released her quickly but she was too scared to move away from him. A face he had only ever seen strong and sure or even curious was absolutely petrified. His inner darker side of him told him to run- it was all his fault pain and fear always was. But logic and light won him over she wasn’t truly scared of him and he was not the one who had hurt her. But he would hurt the one who had, he resolved firmly.

“They shouldn’t have done this,” he whispered softly, gently brushing a finger tip around the edge of the bruise. A tear trickled down her cheek, her hauntingly beautiful eyes wide and scared.

“The wardrobe,” she stammered reluctantly avoiding his eyes and then behind him she spotted her mask resting against the balcony’s railings. Relief flooded her and snatching it up she ran and ran. Not looking back until she was safely in Lucinda’s carriage heading home.