The opulence of the Keene mansion had been a sight to behold upon my first visit to the residence but it was nothing compared to the magnificence which awaited me as I arrived to the twins' birthday ball. I found myself frozen in the doorway, like no wealthy woman should be, gaping up at the spectacular crystal chandelier which had been installed purely for the celebrations and the matching champagne glasses making their way through the crowd on the trays of at least two dozen servants. Suddenly, not even Elena's elegant dresses seemed fit for the occasion.

"Gwendolyn!" someone squealed enthusiastically, and I blinked back to reality to find that Cecily had approached and was now gripping my arm in her excitement. Her hair was set into an obscenely high stack of curls and her lips were painted a red which, though a popular shade, did not match her olive skin. Her deep plum gown made me glad I hadn't selected an option of a similar color myself. Though I felt a tad ridiculous in the showy red dress of Elena's, it was the only option that I had been sure she'd never worn herself and I was fearful that one of these upper class ladies might recognize a Langley-made custom dress and make me for the fraud I was.

"Cecily," I did my best to beam at her the way a doting new friend would. "Happy Birthday."

She giggled and pulled me off into the crowd, telling me quickly of everything I had missed.

"You're late. Well, I supposed you did that on purpose. It is rather unseemly to be the first at a party, isn't it? My mother and father are entertaining their friends in the parlors over there, but this is where the real party is happening," she said with a wicked grin and pushed through the doors to our left. We entered an immaculate ballroom, packed to the brim with young adults laughing, dancing, or simply chatting in a corner. She beamed at my expression which must have displayed how clearly impressed I was and continued to push her way through the crowd, still speaking. "There's food, of course, and the most delightful champagne. Father even managed to get the most popular quartet in London. You've heard of them, right? Oh! And look at what father got me for my birthday."

She turned suddenly to face me and the momentum from her dragging me along nearly had me running into her but I managed to stop at the last minute, coming face to face with the gigantic diamond gleaming from a chain around her neck. My mouth dropped open and she giggled at the reaction.

"It's beautiful," I managed. She just smiled back at me.

"It's priceless," she boasted. "Or so father's appraiser says."

I smiled along with her but found myself wondering, not for the first time, how her merchant father could possibly afford something so lavish.

While I was lost in thought, Cecily was pulling me over to a group of rich young women who were giggling in the corner. She introduced me eagerly and I was greeted with judgmental glances and artificial niceties. I was stuck listening to them as their conversation turned back to the nasty comments they were making about the other young women in the room. They whispered to one another about how a woman across the room had engaged in an illicit affair with a man on the other side who couldn't stop looking her way or how another woman seemed to be unaware that her dangling earrings were composed of entirely fake emeralds. It all sounded like jealous drivel to me so, when a waiter approached with a tray of champagne, I nearly dove at the distraction and spent my time with them sipping and nodding so that I wouldn't have to speak, glancing about the room for the more interesting people in attendance.

George Keene wasn't in the ballroom but, from where I stood across from the door, I could see him greeting people in the hall from time to time, a smile on his face and an ever present interchangeable thug whispering something in his ear. His wife laughed shrilly from the parlor behind him and his older sons went back and forth between rooms, making the rounds and searching for the greatest form of entertainment. Their wives chatted happily with a few other married women near the hall.

"So, Cecily," one of the girls in our group began and I forced my attention back to the dreadfully boring ladies. "When will Camden be arriving?"

I didn't miss the way she batted her eyelashes at the utterance of the youngest Keene's name or the way that her friends put their heads together and giggled at her side. I especially didn't miss the look of annoyance that flashed across Cecily's expression before her smile fell back into place.

"Oh, you know Cam," she waved dismissively. "He arrives when he arrives and we've never been able to tell him otherwise."

"Has Cam been seeing anyone lately?"

I raised my champagne glass to my lips only to realize that it was empty. That was as good of an excuse to get away from this conversation as any. So I muttered an explanation to an irritated Cecily and headed off to the bar, hoping to gain some liquid courage to get myself through the rest of the evening. I placed my order and waited, hand dangling over my own, empty neck. Most of the women here wore jewelry. I hadn't even thought of accessories. I hoped that wouldn't cause any suspicion about the true nature of my station and that they would merely shrug it off as a lack of fashion sense.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp over my shoulder and turned to see the woman nearest me staring wide eyed at the stairs in the back of the ballroom which led up to the second story. She whispered emphatically to her friend and I caught the words since she practically made herself hoarse in her excitement.

"It's him," she gasped.

I took a sip of my new drink and turned lazily to see just who they were speaking of and found every other eye in the room turned in the same direction. Well, every eye but Cecily's which were rolled to the back of her head as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Every female in the room burst into spontaneous giggles and whispers as the man of the hour made his way down the stairs, winking at a few swooning women in the crowd and shaking the hands of a few friends. I simply rolled my eyes and turned back to the bar, ordering another drink to take to Cecily. She seemed like she could use it. Dealing with a woman feeling outshadowed by her extremely attractive brother was becoming a specialty of mine. I nodded a thanks to the barkeep as he handed me a glass of wine and went to find Cecily where she had separated herself from everyone else in a far corner.

"Thought you might need something stronger," I mused, shaking the glass of wine slightly as I held it out to her. Despite her obvious frustration, she smiled back at me and took the offered drink. She glanced behind me at where her brother was likely still working the crowd and rolled her eyes as I took a sip of my own wine.

"It's ridiculous," she said, pouting. "They treat him like he's royalty."

"You practically are," I reminded her with a pointed look as I glanced around at the wealthy guests in our immediate vicinity. "The Keene family seems to be quite... influential."

She snorted.

"I suppose," she agreed, taking a long sip of her wine. I watched her, considering. She seemed the type who might loosen her tongue with a bit more intoxicant persuasion. "They're obsessed with him."

I followed her gaze to where Camden was interacting with the women we had just been speaking to, the ones who were supposed to be her friends. They were practically tripping over themselves to make an impression, squeezing his arm, brushing their hands against his chest, batting their eyelashes. I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose in disgust and turned back in time to see Cecily drain her glass and motion to a nearby servant for another.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Fine," she snapped, a clear indication of someone who was not, indeed, fine. "Ugh, he wasn't even supposed to be here this early. Father said he was taking care of some business for him and that this would be my party for at least a few hours."

"Business?" I asked, raising a brow. I may have been pushing my luck but she wasn't even looking in my direction, eyes set in a hard glare at her charming brother.

"Something about one of his establishments," she waved me off.

"Establishments? What-"

"Cecily!" someone exclaimed. I could curse at the interruption as Camden Keene embraced his sister who did, to her credit, hug him back. He may steal the adoration of the crowd from time to time but he was still her brother and she still loved him. He hadn't come alone, either. Their older brothers had come along, joining him in the ballroom at his arrival, and I now stood beside all four of the Keene children inside their very own home. Camden separated from his sister and noticed me for the first time. With a devilish smirk, he requested an introduction. "And who might this be?"

"Gwendolyn Marlowe," William volunteered before Cecily had a chance to answer. "Cecily's new friend."

Camden chuckled at that, wrapping an arm around his sister and giving her a playful nudge.

"Impossible," he teased with an appraising smile as he looked me up and down. "Cecily doesn't have any friends."

His brothers snorted their laughter into their cups as Camden stood back, one arm around his sister and one hand in his pocket. Cecily turned a bright red, positively fuming from both embarrassment and anger. So this was the infamous Camden Keene. Typical.

"She does now," I told him before reaching out to Cecily, grasping her forearm, and pulling her away from the grinning menace. I turned my attention to her and smiled. "You were about to introduce me to someone?"

"I-er-yes," she stumbled upon understanding my ruse and then flipped her hair and turned away from her brothers, pulling me along to the next group of elitists.

Throughout the introductions and the following conversation, I felt eyes upon me and glanced up on more than one occasion to see Camden Keene smiling at me from his place in the ballroom. Once or twice he even gave a little wave, completely oblivious to the offense taken by whatever woman he happened to be speaking with at that moment.

"Oh, I'm out," Cecily said once when I had turned to find her brother watching me from where he stood with his brothers and a few other gentlemen. She was holding up her empty glass with a ridiculous pout on her lips. The way her eyes were glazed over, it seemed that my plan was working.

"I'll get you some more," I offered quickly and plucked the glass from her fingers, turning on my heel, and heading for the bar. I waited there for the refills, having my order prioritized as it was for the birthday girl herself, and found myself craning my neck to see if I could get another glimpse of George Keene from the bar.

"I don't believe I had the pleasure of introducing myself before," a familiar voice spoke and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I turned to see Cecily's twin leaning against the bar, smirking at me in a way that must have brought plenty of women to their knees before. He stuck out a hand. "Camden Keene."

"So I've heard," I replied, dragging my eyes from his hand to his face and making no move to engage in the offered handshake. After a moment, he withdrew, smiling only broader at my defiance.

"Where are you from, Miss Marlowe?"

"Sussex."

"Sussex. Lovely country down there, I hear."

"Do you?"

He fell quiet for a moment. Then he leaned in closer.

"Have I offended you in some way, Miss Marlowe?" he drawled, putting every effort of seduction he could into his tone. I turned to look at him and narrowed my eyes.

"Only in so much as you've degraded my entire sex," I told him, calmly and he raised his brows in surprise.

"I would never," he asserted. "For no finer sex there is."

"Even so, we aren't all inclined to drool over you, Mr. Keene."

Then, taking the newly filled wine glass, I left him standing at the bar, eyes watching me as I made my way back to his sister and smiled, handing her the drink she had requested. I saw his brothers approach him, speaking lowly into his ears on either side. But he kept his eyes on me up until the very moment he turned with them and vanished from the ballroom into the hall beyond. I leaned forward to see where they had gone but there was a crowd in the threshold and he faded within it.

I cursed internally for my lack of visual. After all, it had seemed like business which had disrupted the boys' enjoyment of the party and I imagined they were off to meet with their father and whatever other unsavory characters he had assembled to attend to his various crimes. That very meeting may be occurring right now, even right above me perhaps. I glanced up at the outrageous chandelier which swayed slightly from the movement below and could not think of any way to talk myself out of here and into whatever meeting they were holding.

But I had drawn his interest. That was something. It had not been my intention. I had never set my sights on the youngest Keene boy but now I found myself wondering, as I watched his sister swaying on her feet laughing far too loudly at an inappropriate joke and remembered the way in which he had watched me walk away from my rejection, which of them would be easier to use for my intended purposes. The sister or the brother.

I ruminated on that thought all evening. It was quite possible to get any sort of information out of a man who was attempting to woo you but, at the same time, Camden Keene's reputation preceded him. He was smart, perhaps too smart, and entrusted with far too much of a criminal dynasty to trust just anyone. Then there was Cecily. Far less intelligent than her brother, enough to wonder if the girl had a single original thought in her head, and likely easier to take advantage of but friendship had its limits and there were no real indications that she knew much more about her father's seedy businesses than I did. In the end, I decided to play both angles until one seemed more effective than the other.

So I remained by Cecily's side for the remainder of the evening, gossiping and giggling with the best and refilling her wine as the occasion warranted it. Until, that is, her mother strode into the room, kissing her daughter on the cheek and cutting off her consumption. I saw each of her brothers from time to time as well, milling about or conversing with the guests. Camden still watched me from wherever he was but I did my best to deflect him with the same disinterest that seemed to have drawn him in in the first place. He seemed the type of man who enjoyed a chase, likely growing tired of how easy it was for him to lure a woman to intimacy. I could do that. In fact, I preferred it.

Finally, the dull party and my covert observation ended and I bid Cecily a final happy birthday before moving with the crowd toward the exit of the massive estate. Someone caught my arm as I left the ballroom and pulled me aside in the hall. I slid sideways to find myself eye to eye with Camden Keene who was smiling at me as I wrenched myself from his grip.

"Are you leaving so soon?" he asked and I gestured toward the crowd.

"Party's over," I told him.

"It doesn't have to be," he answered, raising a brow in challenge.

"Tell that to your mother."

I nodded toward his mother who was practically pushing the last of the giggling girls from her ballroom toward the foyer. He chuckled and I took the moment to walk away, striding toward the door with the others.

"I want to see you again," he called out from behind me.

I couldn't resist. I turned slightly, casting a glance at him over my shoulders, gave him a wink, and answered.

"Maybe you will."