Before Liars Loved (Before Series, Book 3)

Opera

Leo gave up on talking to Scarlett for the rest of their ride to the theatre. He could not be sure what was on her mind, but his father tended to give his mother space when she was irritable, and Leo figured it was worth a try here, too.

He was happy, however, that when they arrived outside the gleaming veneer of the theatre, she accepted his arm to hold as they made their way to the entrance.

The lobby was a crush of people. There were extravagant outfits of matrons and debutantes alike clashing with the ornate decor of the space. A group of boisterous gentlemen lingered just inside the door, loudly chatting about the outcome of some rigged horse race. One of the men flung his head back, almost hitting Scarlett in the face as he laughed dramatically.

Leo withdrew his arm from where she held it, deciding to wrap it around her waist instead. He pulled Scarlett to his side to avoid any more close encounters from overly animated theatre goers.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Let's get you to the royal box, shall we?"

She nodded mutely, and Leo ushered her up the grand staircase, distancing them from the loud lobby as they traversed the maroon and gold carpeted steps. An attendant greeted them, offering to take their coats and point them in the direction of their seats. As they reached the curtained doorway to the box, Leo heard the voices of Adelaide and Will leak through the velvety fabric.

"Why, Will, that's fantastic! Congratulations," Adelaide voiced.

"Thank you, Addie," Will said, the words muffled in a way that made Leo assume they were spoken through a crushing hug.

Leo moved to step through the curtain, curious to see what the conversation was about...but stopped when he noticed that Scarlett remained still in the corridor behind him. Her face, blank.

"Scarlett?"

"You go ahead," she said breathlessly, waving a hand to indicate Leo should continue.

Leo waited. "Are you not coming?"

She looked away, down the hallway of the theatre corridor. "I shouldn't have come," she said finally.

"But I thought you loved the opera?"

Scarlett slowly turned to face him once more. "I mean to say that I shouldn't have come with you. I do not belong here in the royal box."

Leo's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? We've both been invited," he said, pointing to the doorway where their friends sat on the other side—the friends that requested they both attend.

Scarlett dropped her gaze and fiddled with her reticule, unsure in a way that Leo had never seen before.

"Adelaide is merely being gracious by inviting me," she said. "Or perhaps you asked her to." She gave Leo a questioning gaze that he wasn't able to respond to because she simply continued talking. "But I am not the most...respectable woman. You know this, Leo. I do not have the prestige, titles, or honors that the rest of you do. Everyone will wonder why I am sitting with the queen."

Leo, whose hand had still been hovering near the curtain, dropped his arm and closed the short distance between them, so they were standing a pace apart.

"First of all," he said, speaking softly, "I did not ask Adelaide to invite you. When I was with Will yesterday, he informed me that she was hoping we would all join her tonight. He was going to send a note, but I told him I would take care of it."

Leo sighed, resisting the urge to reach out to her. "Adelaide wants you here because you have been important to her. Important to us. Madame Mischief has swayed the people to support her. And it isn't as though this is the first event you've been invited to with our motley crew, Scarlett."