When Josh, now William, went to the town car, he put his wallet, keys, and phone in a locking bag that would secure them and block the phone’s signal for the duration of the event. He knew from the packet that trying to smuggle any recording or transmitting devices into the event would end in his being expelled from it and sued.
The mask and voice changer felt weird when William put them on. It was a form-fitting painted leather mask that matched his suit’s colors exactly. Once the adhesive set, he could barely feel it. The voice modulator was little more than a bandage that sat on his throat. He was surprised at how well it matched his skin tone. Once on, it made his voice deeper and more resonant.
Looking in the provided mirror, between the mask that covered pretty much everything but his mouth and jaw. It wasn’t Josh in the mirror, but William. It didn’t take him long to get into the role of William Blackwell. He’d been a member of the drama club in high school and undergrad, and still roleplayed with friends when he could.
He’d even of his own choice, bought contacts that turned his blue eyes green. Having never worn contacts before, he practiced with a few sets before he could put them in without messing them up. He’d always wondered what he would look like with green eyes, so now was his chance. A part of him wondered if anyone else went that far for these events.
The car took William out to a mansion well outside of town. He wasn’t sure how large the property was, but it took nearly a minute from the time they went through the gate until they parked in front of the house. The mansion was huge, and though it looked like it came from the Victorian era, or older, it had been built six months before anyone had heard of the events.
A servant opened the door for William Blackwell, and once he stepped out of the car, took the locked pouch with his belongings before guiding him into the mansion. All the servants out here were men and were wearing masks as well, though theirs were solid white. Made it easier to identify them, William guessed.
“If you’ll follow me, sir?” the servant asked. “I will show you in and announce you.”
William followed the servant into the mansion and through a set of double doors to what appeared to be a reception room. There were fireplaces on either side of the room, each with a fire burning away in it. The room looked big enough to hold a full-sized basketball court with room to spare.
There looked to be maybe thirty people scattered around the room, the men in similar attire as William, though he noticed each man’s suit was a different color, or at least a different shade. There were two men with green embroidery and accent colors to their suits, but one was a sea green and the other was a mint green. The women were all wearing dresses, though here the dress code veered away from the Victorian era. The women’s dresses were all from the jazz era and newer. Each woman also had a mask, but theirs were jeweled masks, kind of like what Mardi Gras masks were based on.
“If it pleases the house,” the servant announced. “I have the honor of presenting Mr. William Blackwell. Of the Blackwell House.”
The servant bowed to the room, then to William, before backing away and departing.
William looked around the large room. Wrap-around sofas and leather chairs filled the room. Servants, women this time, moved with practiced ease around the room bearing trays of drinks and appetizers.
According to his packet, William Blackwell, of the Blackwell house was a powerful man, but one who let others approach him. So, keeping in character, William found a small wraparound sofa in a corner that was unoccupied. It was big enough for maybe eight people and wrapped about two-thirds of the way around a small table.
“May I take your coat and cane, sir?” A servant asked as he approached the couch.
“Thank you,” William said, allowing the servant to help him out of his long coat.
He was glad to be rid of the coat. It was fine outside, the temperatures had been falling for the past week. In here with the two large fireplaces, the coat was too much.
William hadn’t been seated for more than maybe ten seconds before a servant approached him.
“Can I interest you in some claret, sir?” the servant asked. “Or if you would prefer something else, just name it and I will fetch it for you?”
“Claret would be fine,” William said.
“Very good, sir,” the servant said, handing him the glass.
Occasionally, servants came by to offer finger foods, small sandwiches, puff pastries with savory fillings, even small bowls of fruit, all suitable for eating without utensils.
William mostly observed the people. More people were arriving. With the masks, it was hard to really tell much about them. The paperwork said everyone invited would be at least twenty-one. Though it looked like there was a decent range of ages. He focused more on the women. At a rough estimate, there looked to be twenty of them by now, not counting the servants. Compared to the maybe fifteen men. They ranged in height and weight, from petite women of maybe five feet to voluptuous women nearing six feet tall. Everyone of them was attractive to William, though. Hair colors were all natural, and there were a variety of shades of brunette and redheads with the occasional blond. One woman had gray hair. She was obviously older, but the way she carried herself told William that she did not see her age as a shortcoming.
From time to time, people would approach and introduce themselves, sometimes joining William for a few minutes of polite conversation, most of the time moving away after a few words.
“May I join you, Mr. Blackwell?” An elegant older woman asked as she approached.
William looked her up and down. He couldn’t place an age, but figured at least late forties, which didn’t bother him. She had vibrant blue eyes, auburn hair, and a voluptuous figure. Her dress was burgundy, embellished with crystals and gemstones. The bottom of it was down to just above her ankles with a high slit up her right side exposing her leg to just above mid-thigh.
William stood and took her hand, bowing over it and pressing his lips to her knuckles before standing.
“I would be honored,” William said as he guided her to sit next to him. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage Mrs?”
“Ashcroft, Ms. Eleanor Ashcroft, but please, call me Eleanor,” Eleanor said. “I do not believe I’ve seen you here before, Mr. Blackwell?”
“Please, if I am to call you Eleanor, call me William,” William said. “I have been out of the country on business for a while.”
The packet said to say that instead of saying he was new. Apparently, once you received an invitation, unless you did something that broke the rules or did not fit with your character, you had had a chance to be invited back in the future. That was likely why there was so little information about these events. They invited only a few new people each time.
“Welcome back to the land of civilization then,” Eleanor said with a smile. “Your travels must have been exhausting.”
Eleanor had a warm, sultry voice and a beautiful smile. He wasn’t sure what she would sound like without the voice modulator, but his only made his a little deeper and a little richer, so maybe it was close to that.
They spent half an hour talking and laughing as they watched people arrive. From time to time, Eleanor would tell him an interesting tidbit about certain people. He was certain that most of it was just their personas’ backstory, as she had been attending these for a couple of years now, but some of the tidbits were about things they’d done at past events, like drinking so much they had to be carried to bed, or the time one of them tripped and face planted in one woman’s cleavage.
As they talked, Eleanor touched him as she talked, brushing her fingers over his arm, or patting his hand or knee. Each touch sent a thrill through William. Between the STD tests and things Eleanor had said, it seemed it was common for attendees to hook up at these events.
Around them, the hum of conversation died down, causing William to look up. At the front of the room stood a man and a woman, both in more subdued dress than the guests. The hosts, Lord and Lady Pembroke, William thought Eleanor had said they were called.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another of our quarterly soirees. It is good to see old friends returning, as well as new friends joining us from afar,” Lord Pembroke said. “For our new friends, and as a reminder for our returning friends, you are welcome to explore the manor as much as you want. If a door is not locked, you are welcome to see what is behind it. Bedrooms are available on the second and third floors. You may explore the gardens, though if you leave the grounds you can not return until the next event. Should you have any questions, or get lost, ask the nearest servant. Now go, enjoy yourselves, explore, dance, revel.”
William turned and found Eleanor watching him intently, as if considering something.
“Would you do me the honor of a dance?” William asked her as he held out his hand.
That seemed to be the right thing to ask, because her eyes lit up and she gave William a warm smile.
“I would love to,” Eleanor said, taking his hand.
William stood and helped her up, then once she slid her hand through the crook of his arm, they set off in the direction some of the other attendees were going.
William was a little nervous. He knew salsa, the tango, some swing, and some of the more typical ballroom dancing. His worry was that he wasn’t sure what kind of dancing would be common at these events. He was fairly confident he could pick it up, but he hoped Eleanor wouldn’t think less of him if he made any mistakes.
The ballroom was similar in size to the reception room, maybe a little larger. It had a live band at one end, all dressed as if they were from the jazz era. By the time they reached it, there were a dozen couples starting to dance.
To William’s relief, the band was playing a slower tune, and no one was dancing to impress. He pulled Eleanor in and started dancing with her. Staring into each other’s eyes, their hands exploring their partners’ bodies, the pair lost themselves in the music, the movement, and the sensuality of it all.
A couple of times as they danced, men approached and tried to cut in, but Eleanor sent them away with a look that let them know exactly how unwelcome they were.
William wasn’t sure how much time had passed, an hour or two, but he was starting to tire and was thinking of taking a break when he saw Eleanor’s eyes widen in pain and heard her hiss as her body lurched to the right. William caught her and stopped her from falling.
“Are you alright, my lady?” William asked in concern.
“Twisted my ankle,” Eleanor hissed. “Help me to a seat, please?”
William looked down and realized that because of her heels, if she tried not to put weight on that leg, she might hurt the other one, so he scooped her up in his arms and carried her off the dance floor. They found a bench seat in an alcove just outside the ballroom. By the time William had set her down, a servant was there.
“Is the lady alright?” the servant asked in concern.
“I just twisted my ankle. It’s nothing to worry about,” Eleanor said, sounding pained.
“I’m afraid that I must insist on fetching the physician,” the servant said before hurrying away.
“I’m sorry that I ruined what had been an amazing time,” Eleanor said, sounding embarrassed.
William sat next to her and took her hand in his before replying.
“Nonsense, accidents happen,” William said. “I was ready to rest, anyway. Maybe find something else for us to do. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, though.”
“I should hope not!” Eleanor laughed. “Thank you for carrying me. It’s been a long time since anyone has handled me like that.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” William said with a smile.
“I’ll be alright here if you want to go find something else to do,” Eleanor said, sounding a little sad. “Don’t let my clumsiness ruin your night.”
“My dear Eleanor, I will hear nothing of that,” William protested. “I will not abandon you because of a little accident.”
Eleanor looked shocked by his response. It was clear she expected him to leave her and find someone able to entertain him while she recovered.
“William, really, it’s fine. This is your first event, you should go find someone that can help you enjoy it to the fullest,” Eleanor said.
“Eleanor, even if all we can do for the rest of the night is talk while you lay back and put your foot up, I will consider that a night well spent,” William said.
“You truly mean that?” Eleanore asked. “In that case, please call me Elle.”
“I will, if you will call me Liam,” William said.