Masqurade Ball An Ending

A Deep and sincere thank you to our Friend Emma for playing along

 

www.flickr.com/photos/193415394@N05

 

Masquerade Ball

 

2 parts

 

Part 2

“Nancy’s” view Continues

 

A voice quietly said from behind my back.

 

“ Hello, Samantha, fancy meeting you here.”

 

“Raffles!” I blurted with relief, as his hands pull away. I felt his fingers caressing alongside my face, then along through my hair.

 

He stepped back, and I quickly turned around. With a deep sigh of relief, it was really him, my Raffles.

 

“Not playing a game alone, are ye Lass?” He asked me, blue eyes twinkling.

 

“No,” I said shaking my hair.

 

He smiled, pulling his hands from his pockets,

 

I then lectured…” you gave me quite the start sir. “ then I giggled, unable to control my emotions and pleasure of his appearance here in this deserted garden.

 

He placed a finger under my chin, lifting it so I was looking up into his eyes.

 

“Stand still,” he commanded and moved around behind me.

 

“Good thing I didn’t do what first popped into my devious mind..”

 

 

I felt his knuckle go into my back…

 

 

”Playing your games. Now Stick ‘ em up miss .”

 

“Good thing you didn’t I would have peed myself... I giggled.

 

 

“Raffles” chuckled:

“Stay in character miss .”

 

We’re the words I heard from behind me

 

 

I raised up my hands, imagining like I was actually being held up. My heart began to race again with a feeling of delicious danger as I spoke.

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

 

Raffles, still holding his knuckle into my back …reached out his other hand with an open palm as he spoke.

 

”Put your hands down, I’ve taken a fancy to that bracelet of yours. So please hand it over. “

 

I shivered, saying smartly. “I don’t believe a real thief would say please …”

 

My friend “Raffles” responded.

 

“Would my real victim ask that? Try a different tack.”

 

Trembling again, with delicious delight. I played along.

 

“No sir, not my bracelet, anything but that …”

 

“That’s better, a bit of heartfelt pleading can never heart.

After a second the hand withdrew.

 

Raffles laughed amiably…

 

“Ok miss, keep your bracelet then. “

 

He chuckled from behind, removing his knuckle….

 

“It was only a thought I had when I saw you out here walking alone, remembering the story of the games you play with your brother, did I do ok?”.

 

“Smashing .” I giggled gleefully “Spot on.”

 

I put my hands down to my sides as Raffles placed a hand on my shoulder and ran it down my satin blouse’s sleeve while he came back around to face me.

 

 

“All kidding aside, you really shouldn’t be out here alone “Nancy” someone less inviting as me may have been about. And I don’t mean your brother. So let’s see you back safe Lass.”

 

I nodded.

 

He lifted my hand and pulled my back to him.

 

Coddling along against his warm figure, Raffles led me back along the path to the stairway.

 

“I’ll be leaving you here “Nancy” I was on my way home.

 

I looked up into his face. “it was fun meeting you, sorry you have to go. “

 

“So am I Lass.”

 

We embraced in a deep hug.

 

As we broke apart, He ran his fingers up my side, then lifted my hair.

 

He let my hair down, his fingers tingling as he touched along my ears and face as he spoke.

 

“A Very pretty one you are, and don’t ever let anyone say differently.”

 

I shivered with excitement over his praise as, with a clenched fist, he held my chin up, looking deep within my eyes. But he had such a sad look in his eyes.

 

I couldn’t help myself. I practically leaped up against him and tightly squeezed him in my arms.

 

We finally broke apart. He smiled. Looking like he had been relieved of some troubling thought.

 

“Go now, you before I change my mind about playing games.”

 

Letting me go with a chuckle, I turned and went up to the stairs, turning I blew him a kiss.

 

He was still watching, hands in his vest pocket, he pulled them out and caught it..acting like he was putting it inside his vest.

 

“My second this evening.” I heard him say mysteriously…

 

Then turning away, he went off down along the path.

 

I turned and went up the stairs, feeling lighter than I had all evening.

 

I was soon sneaking back onto the upstairs balcony.

 

With a start, I saw the backside of father off in a corner with some of his lads. Smoking a cigar.

 

I hightailed it out back through the entrance before slowing down to a walk.

 

As I made my way back I was still riding on air.

“What a delicious adventure I was having, one I was not expecting at all.”

 

I saw that my mum was back sitting at the table.

 

She did not notice me approaching, her eyes had a distant, far-off look, and she was smiling over something.

 

I gave a cheery hello as I went to my chair, though my heart was pounding.

 

Mum snapped out of her reverie and smiled at me. I could tell she was a bit tipsy from drinking wine all evening.

 

I also noticed with surprise that her neckline was striking bare. She had taken off her pretty necklace. Why? I wondered as mum spoke to me.

 

 

“Where did you go off to, babe?”

 

“To the loo, I unabashedly lied.” The words came out with surprisingly no hesitation.

 

“Having a good time?” she asked.

 

“Brilliant,” I said, telling no lies.

 

“I’m am having a lovely time also,” she answered an unasked question with a giggle.

 

She went on with a story I could see she was aching to tell someone.

 

“It all started when a rude man ran into me while your father was getting drinks. That wasn’t so nice, but then…”

 

And she looked off rather dreamily, which I thought was rather silly

 

“Honey, then I ran into the most darling young man. All dressed in black. He had seen that man bump into me with no apologizing, so he did so for him, then he asked me to dance. “ she said, blushing rather prettily.

 

“Told me he was dressed as an undertaker didn’t he, that he was there to collect souls. Then he told me the most marvelous stories about what young lads your age would bet on.”

 

“At a wedding?” I asked cautiously, not about to admit that I may have already met him.

 

“No, he talked about being at a cricket match and the older lads betting in on stealing a kiss from a girl.”

 

As she told me this mum was stroking the neckline of her gown, noticeably bare without her pretty necklace. . So WHY had she taken it off I pondered? It had looked so nice sparkling along there.

 

I started to ask about the necklace when an older lady began yelling out from a table across the room

 

“It’s missing! Has anyone here seen my daughter’s diamond bracelet? Cecilia is missing one of hers!” The older lady wailed.

 

I stare at mum, watching horrified by her reaction:

 

Mum’s hand shot to her neck, and I saw the startled look fill her eyes as she realized her sapphire diamond necklace was missing also.

 

“She had not been the one to remove her necklace!” I thought with a stark awareness

 

What sinister activity had been going on here this evening?

 

 

Remembering the garden game with Raffles I quickly lift my hand studying my wrist. My bracelet was still there. As well as all my rings.

 

I was starting to breath a sigh of relief when mum pulled back my hair, her eyes wide with shock

 

Honey, your earrings are gone. I reach up and feel nothing. My eyes also grow wide. What is going on?

 

 

By now the whole venue was in an uproar. Apparently, several other ladies were also checking, and some just then noticed the loss of their jewellery. Verbal gasps and mumbling could be heard amongst the tables.

 

 

Father, still out on the upper floor balcony at the time, heard the commotion.

 

Reacting instinctively, he had the rental security block the exits, nobody was to leave, then called in at his police station for reinforcements

 

He then showed up at our table to see how we were doing.

 

He was shocked and dismayed that we both had apparently fallen victims to the criminal shenanigans played out that evening.

 

He asked mum if she could think of anything out of the ordinary that had happened?

 

She mentioned being bumped by “that” man while waiting by the bar for my father to get his brandy. Neither could say if they remembered seeing mum wearing her necklace after that. Father admitting he had been more focused on meeting up with his cigar and brandy drinking lads that he was on “That prat!”

 

 

This made me want to believe that it had not been the handsome stranger we had both danced with as the culprit.

 

“And if he had not been the one to take mother’s necklace, then he was probably not responsible for taking the jewels I was missing. And I was not going to hurt my memories of his most welcome attention to me, be tarnished by accusing him without merit.” I told myself.

 

As mum and father were discussing this, my mind was flying. For I knew father, and mum would be asking me if I had had anything odd happen this evening.

 

For one thing, I was not about to admit sneaking off into the road gardens alone.

 

I myself in my heart strongly suspected “Raffles.” He had been too smooth and suave. But I did not have any real evidence. did not have any real evidence. And papa always said circumstantial evidence is no real proof.

 

No, I assured myself, at no time had I felt a prick on my wrist, and itch on my ears, a tug at my throat, nor a twitch anywhere else on my person that would have alerted me to the devious tricks an unknown someone had played upon my “dressed to kill” figure that evening.

 

So I, with all innocence, was able to play dumb at first when my father asked me how I thought my jewels had been lost.

 

Then, realizing that I was to be questioned like the rest when Father’s Detectives showed up.

 

Prompted by father, I gave it some real thought. Then it clicked. I remembered those two twit girls running into me while in the loo.

 

So I told my father that story, as well as his detectives later on. I ruefully admitted to not getting a clear enough look to be able to describe them.

 

And I got away with that story, though my father told me I should have waited and gone into the loo with mum.

 

I never mentioned the meeting with the mysterious handsome male calling himself “Raffles” to anyone.

 

The fact that Mum never said anything about her dance with him, helped me cement any concerns that he may have been the culprit. For I had definitely found a soft spot in my heart for the handsome stranger with the deep soothing voice and easy manner.

 

I have always associated my meeting with “Raffles” from a film line heard years later. later. One lady in satin was telling another lady in velvet that she had known a mutual acquaintance since childhood.

 

“And even back then, whenever he passed by us on the stairs, all the girls would place a hand on their hearts… And their jewels….”

 

I had also felt he was a kindred spirit for the way he asked about the games my brother and I played. He had seemed to enjoy hearing about them.

 

And actually, Father’s detectives never got a clear story from any of the(mostly intoxicated) victims that evening concerning pinpointing when they thought their jewels had been taken.

 

It was then decided that there must have been a small invading gang of male and female thieves who quickly worked the room, targeting our jewels. The real mystery was in their methods.

 

From what I heard the thief(s) made quite a nice haul, not in quantity, but quality. No one was ever caught.

 

Mum seemed more concerned that my earrings had fallen victim to thieves, more so than she was over the loss of her necklace.

 

She accepted the fact that she herself had been a victim. Reasoning that it was the risk a lady always takes when wearing out her good jewels.

 

So we were all shocked by what happened the next day.

 

I had gone right to bed that evening, actually early morning, for it was 2:00 am when I was undressing in my room. I had placed my purse upon my antique vanity.

 

The next morning I discovered the purse on the floor. Assuming that our Golden Retriever, Gypsy’s tail had knocked it over, I picked it up.

 

Looking inside I saw something flickering.

 

Emptying it on the bed I was shocked to see the earrings I thought had been lost!

 

Mum, father, and I all were baffled over what had happened?

 

It was a proper mystery.

 

The earrings and my green velvet purse had to be taken in for evidence. Though no clues were discovered.

 

Which was fine by me. especially since Father Christmas that year brought me my own grown-up set of rhinestone jewellery. And a new dangling sapphire and diamond necklace for mum, that far outshone the one stolen from her that unlucky evening.

 

Later on that month I went to the library to do a bit of Nancy Drew-like sleuthing.

 

I was shocked upon learning whom AJ Raffles had been:

 

A famous cricket player by day, a secret master jewel thief at night!

 

I decided to just let sleeping dogs lay.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To read the story from Raffles Viewpoint

Visit below

 

flic.kr/p/2mXdtTS

 

£££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

 

 

Done