Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Picture ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The first battle Milliardo and Duo had was over clothes and money. Duo was still wary of any man bearing gifts, and if he hadn't been certain of Milliardo's love, he would not have surrendered at all. As it was, he made him understand that all Milliardo had bought would be returned to him when their escapade was over.

Milliardo took the purchase of Duo's clothes very seriously. He bought Duo only the best, and very large quantities of the best.

Milliardo had found the perfect residence, close to the Yuy summer home, WingStar. Duo was aghast at the size of his house, not to mention the cost of the furnishings with which Milliardo filled it.

"Milliardo, whatever am I going to do, alone in that huge place?"

"Alone? What makes you think you'll be alone? Now, don't jump to conclusions, Duo," he laughed. "You won't be sharing it with me, at least not for a while. When this is over . . ." He left the thought unfinished, but Duo knew he meant to suggest that after their marriage they might share the house.

They had come to see the property at night and Duo wondered why.

"Because, until you make your grand entrance, I don't want anyone to see you."

"Then just who is going to be here with me?"

"Let me see, a butler, a cook, two or three maid, a coachman, a stableboy and . . . someone a little older as a chaperone."

"My Lord!" Duo was amazed. Then a thought came to him. "Milliardo, I already have my chaperone."

"Oh?"

"Quatre. I'd like him to be with me. He'll be very careful, I promise, and I'd . . . I'd just feel safer. He would be my cousin."

"Safer? Duo, you needn't be afraid."

"I've never been in such a position before. I'm just afraid I'll make some terrible mistake and you'll have to pay the price for it."

"No, Duo." Milliardo smiled. "First, you're too smart to make a mistake. But . . . if you did, well I could just snatch you out of here and no one would pay the price."

"But what about your blackmailer?"

"If anything goes wrong, I want you safe. The choice of submitting to his demands or ensuring you safety is an easy one."

Duo smiled up at him and Milliardo bent to kiss him lightly. Silently Duo promised himself that he would fight the fear he felt. There was no limit to what he would do to protect Milliardo. He had begun to hate the man who tormented him and Duo hadn't even met him yet.

It seemed to Duo as if the lessons were endless. He was corrected, corrected and corrected again until he thought he would scream and go mad. But the day finally came when Milliardo told him that he was perfect.

They celebrated with a champagne supper, and Duo was pleased that Milliardo invited Quatre. Of course, he was well aware of Quatre's reservations about their charade. After all, Quatre wasn't in love with Milliardo and saw things from a different perspective.

Milliardo charmed Quatre, especially when he told him how grateful he would be that Quatre would be with Duo most of time.

"Well, Duo," Milliardo said as he raised his champagne glass to toast him, "tomorrow you move into you new home with all the fanfare I can arrange. The gossip will fly fast, so be prepared to be inundated with invitations. The natives will be curious, my pet, very."

"How long - " Duo began.

"Before you meet my nemesis?" Milliardo finished.

"Yes."

"Next week there is a masked ball, and you, the very mysterious person of wealth and position, will attend. I will meet you there as one of the surprised but very interested guests."

"Then you will introduce me to . . . him?"

"No," Milliardo said, a chill in his voice. "Trust me when I say he doesn't require me or anyone else for that. He will see a beautiful new face and he will promptly take care of introductions."

"Do you know something, Milliardo?" he asked when they were alone later in the evening.

"What? Have we forgotten something?"

"I should say so, something important."

"What?"

"You've never told me his name . . . or for that matter, anything else about him. I don't even know what he looks like."

"I would tell you what he looks like, Duo, but I want all your reactions to be true when you first meet him. I will tell you his name. It's Heero Yuy."

"Heero Yuy," he repeated softly. "It doesn't sound evil."

"He is diabolically clever and absolutely heartless. Remember that when he turns on the charm. He would destroy you as easily as he would step on a bug and with just as much compassion."

"I'll be careful, Milliardo. How long can it take to find out where he has hidden what you want? Once I find it, I will have it and be gone - " he snapped his fingers "like that."

They walked up to the steps and now stood in the darkness outside Dorothy and Cathy's door. Gently he took Duo's face between his hands and kissed him.

"All humor aside, I want you to be careful."

"I will." He whispered.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I am."

Duo spoke with assurance, and Milliardo took him in his arms and held Duo for a long, poignant moment. Reluctantly he released Duo, but not before he kissed him again.

"Your new coachman will meet you at the prearranged place. I want you to arrive by mid-afternoon so that you will gather all he attention possible."

"We'll be ready."

"Lord, Duo, are you sure?"

"Yes . . . yes, I'm sure. Don't be afraid for me, Milliardo. I know you'll be waiting, and I have been in more frightening places. We'll find what we need."

"Duo . . . the next time I see you will be at the ball."

"Then don't forget to dance with me," he laughed softly. "After all, I shall be watching for you."

"Good night."

"Good night, Milliardo."

Both Dorothy and Quatre were waiting for him as he stepped inside. Quatre was chattering, as was usual when he was nervous. And Dorothy, still troubled by the vision Cathy had seen, was equally worried about Duo's safety. She realized that Duo had come to mean more to her and Cathy than they had ever bargained on.

Always independent, always solitary, Dorothy had only allowed Cathy to penetrate her shell, now this boy had also got into her heart.

Dorothy had never known parents, brothers, or sisters, not a close friend to call confident until Cathy. Her surprising emotions prompted her now to break her own rule and ask questions . . . and admit that she was worried about someone other than her and Cathy.

She was certain that Duo was in love with Milliardo, and the blindness of love was well known. She had often made a stupid mistake where Cathy was concerned.

"Duo," Dorothy asked, "you've really thought this over carefully? I mean . . . if you're caught, you'll be in Newgate before you can blink an eye."

"I won't get caught," Duo said firmly.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes . . .I do."

"Have you ever considered that if he truly loved you, he wouldn't ask you to jeopardize yourself like this?"

"Don't say that, Dorothy. You don't understand."

"No, I don't. He has position and wealth. He could hire any numbers of men. Even an assassin."

"Dorothy!"

"Good God, Duo. Look at the reality! Do you think it would be hard to find an assassin here in the Round?"

"Milliardo would never stoop that low, to be responsible for murder. He only wants to put a stop to this devious man's blackmail."

Quatre had been listening, fighting the same reservations as Dorothy. He was afraid for his courageous friend. He knew that Duo would walk into a wolf's den for him or Dorothy or Cathy. But what danger was he going walk into for the sake of the man he loved?

Quatre resigned himself long ago to the fact that he would support Duo in whatever he chose to do. Despite his reservations, he knew he would go along with Duo's plans.

"Dory," Quatre interrupted hesitantly, "Duo has a lot of courage, and . . . f Milliardo truly loves him, this is a chance he must take. Think of the life he would have if they married. Everything would be perfect."

"I learned a long time ago, Quatre, that there is nothing perfect in this world, and things don't always go the way there are planned. Are you really going to be part of this foolhardy scheme?"

"Well, I've agreed," Quatre said stubbornly, "and I know Duo. If I don't go, he'll go anyhow."

"I didn't say you shouldn't go," Dorothy replied. "I'm going to send Wufei and Sally with though."

"They can share quarters in the house," Duo laughed. "Milliardo hasn't seen them yet, but when he does I'm sure he'll realize that I'm well protected. I'll be surrounded by friends." His gaze held Dorothy's. "And I'm grateful."

Dorothy sighed. There was no changing Duo's determination to go, and she realized, there was friends wanting to protect Duo. Tomorrow would be the beginning of what he hoped wouldn't turn into a disaster.

**** **** ****

Gossip flew, as Milliardo had assured Duo it would.

" . . . Has anyone seen the new resident at NightWind Hall? . . . Word has it that's he a Duke . . . but he wears dresses? . . . Is he a transvestite? . . . He's very pretty . . . They say he's an ex-lover of a diplomat . . . He's as wealthy as Croesus . . . No one knows where his wealth comes from . . . He's beautiful . . ."

By the time Duo was nicely settled it, cards, callers, and invitations came from everyone who wanted to achieve the coup of the season: having the beautiful and mysterious newcomer as a guest.

The first invitation he would accept was the masquerade ball given by the Duchess of Whisper, Hilde Carter, who was, according to Milliardo, the best person to establish him. It seemed that everyone who was anyone had become so by knowing the Duke and Duchess of Whisper.

Duo was excited and frightened at the same time. Of course, Milliardo had chosen his costume for the evening, and he stood before his full-length mirror and had to admit that his choice had been perfect.

Before him stood a Goddess from ancient mythology. The ivory toga revealed one smooth shoulder and was caught with slender gold ribbon at the other. It clung to him body in graceful lines, held by matching braided gold ribbon that began in the middle of his chest and crossed and re-crossed to his waist. There the folds hung gracefully to his sandaled feet. His mask was made up of white feathers. It covered him from forehead to the tip of his nose, and the feathers leaded into his hair, which was bound up in an intricate arrangement atop his head with the exception of three long curls that draped over his bare shoulder.

He felt wickedly exultant, and the mask gave him a sense of anonymity that could loosen his inhibitions if he was not careful.

He draped a violet cloak about himself and raised the hood to cover his hair. Yes, he looked as mysterious as Milliardo had planned.

When he came downstairs, Quatre gazed at him in awe. Duo was no longer the boy Quatre had known. He was a man, a beautiful man that looked and acted like a beautiful women as Quatre did much himself. But the change that now existed in Duo was much more than Quatre had ever thought possible.

"Milliardo made a wise choice with that outfit," Quatre said, banishing his thoughts. "If you don't set the gossips on fire and bring your intended victim to his knees, I'll be surprised."

Both the words "victim" and "brings to his knees" annoyed Duo for a reason he couldn't name.

"I don't want that scoundrel on his knees. I just want him talkative. I want him to reveal where is hiding the letters Milliardo needs."

"That may require a lot of time. If he is as clever as Milliardo said, he'll be on the watch for anything or anyone Milliardo might send against him."

"That is why Milliardo's made sure he has never seen me. To this Heero Yuy, I am just another person."

"Wufei is ready with the carriage outside," Quatre said. He still could not grasp the fact that Duo had the courage to appear at such a function alone.

"Wufei?" Duo laughed. "I hope he doesn't frighten the other drivers to death."

"You'll need as much protection as you can get," Quatre said anxiously. "What if someone should try to follow you home? Or maybe attack you on a dark road?"

"Quatre, one look at Wufei's fierce expression would dissuade the most aggressive villain. I'll be fine."

Quatre wised him well and watched with mixed emotions as Duo left.

**** **** ****

The Carter mansion glittered in the light, and the sound of music drifted through the open windows. Duo deliberately arrived late so that he would not be announced. He wanted to stir gossip and prompt whispers. He wanted to create mystery. He had been coached well.

When he stood in the arched doorway that led to the ballroom, a ripple went through the gathering. Men lost track of what the ladies were saying as with stunned eyes they watched Duo's progress through the room. Women reacted emotionally as well, eyes gleaming with rigidly contained jealousy.

Behind certain masks male eyes glittered with interest, and little time passed before Duo was surrounded by admirers.

Milliardo watched Duo's entrance from a vantage point he had chosen at the start of the evening, and he, too, complimented himself. He could not have found a more beautiful or more accomplished actor no matter what great theatre he searched.

He looked to see if Heero Yuy had arrived and was a bit annoyed to find out that he had not. "Leave it to Heero," he muttered. "Probably too bored to attend . . . or being to well entertained in someone's bed."

Milliardo waited patiently, until he knew that asking Duo to dance with him would go unnoticed. He fell into the part of just another admirer who had succeeded in getting Duo to dance with him,

"Duo, you've stunned them," he said softly.

"I'm having fun," he admitted. "But none of this will help you if he doesn't show up."

"Oh, he'll show. This is just Heero's way. Lady Hilde is a . . . special friend of his. He would not be so foolish to not appear."

"You mean he and the duchess - "

"Are a scandal?" Milliardo laughed. "My dear Duo, he and lot of people are a scandal."

"What an immoral beast he must be," Duo said angrily. "Does he consider people just . . . playthings?"

"I'm afraid I have to admit it is not all his fault. He attracts people like honey attracts bees. You can tell how much of an expert he is by the fact that he is still single."

"Milliardo," Duo laughed, "I judge he must be somewhere near your age. Can you name it experience, when you too are still single? Perhaps you have played games as well."

"Touché, my pet. He is a bit younger than me . . . about twenty-four." Milliardo could not help smiling. "But anything I've done was done before the loveliest creature I've ever met walked into my life."

"Thank you." Duo was pleased with the compliment and was about to speak again when he saw that Milliardo's attentions was no longer on him. "He's here?" he questioned softly.

"He has just arrived."

Milliardo could see avid curiosity leap into Duo's eyes and considered it suddenly very important that he caution him one more time."

"Remember, be careful. He is a dangerous man."

"I know, I know. But I'm here, and you've prepared me well. It's time we made Heero Yuy pay for all his devious machinations. Trust what you have taught me . . . and trust me. Once a person knows an evil, it is easier to evade. Now . . . where is he?"

Milliardo drew Duo off the dance floor, and then Duo followed his eyes to the other side of the ballroom.

"There he is," Milliardo said in a half whisper. "Dressed appropriately as a highwayman."

Duo's gaze touched on one man, than another, then it froze on the only man who could be Heero Yuy.

Even across the room he gave the impression of a power and vitality that was barely contained. A black mask covered the upper part of his face. Above it his chocolate colored hair was thick and fell into a messy style that was unlike the popular style for men that the day dictated. His skin was tanned, and he watched him smirk at something someone had said, a full-lipped smirk that made his stomach do a flip.

A white shirt carelessly laced halfway up the front advantageously displayed his broad shoulders. The body of the shirt fit snugly to a muscled torso, and the sleeves were full. Black pants hugged long, muscled legs with what Duo considered disgraceful snugness. High black boots gleamed with a fine polish; around his waist was a black sash that connected the ornate scabbard that held a sword on whose hilt one strong, long fingered hand rested.

Duo noticed at one that whole he conversed with those around him, his eyes seemed to be searching the room with an air of restless curiosity.

Then his eyes met his, and he actually inhaled a ragged breath. He could have sworn that in some way he had reached out and touched him.

He did not see the fleeting look of black fury that touched Milliardo's face, his eyes remained on the man who was slowly making his way in his direction. Duo felt frozen to the spot, held by a magnetism he found impossible to break. Heero stopped within inches of him, and although he spoke to Milliardo, his eyes never left Duo. He remained silent, looking up into eyes so blue he felt washed away by the tides of the sea.

He could have been a romanticized version of the Devil. The handsome Lucifer before he was ejected from heaven. The most beautiful of all angels.

"Peacecraft," he said, his voice warm and deep. "Your choice of costume is so appropriate, I didn't have to guess that it was you. Cardinal Richelieu was quite an interesting man. Loved to be the power behind the throne, didn't he?" The question was put with a mild smirk, but the gaze he turned on Milliardo was hardly mild . . . or warm.

"Yuy," Milliardo replied, "I see you've just arrived. Is Hilde not a bit put out with you?"

Ignoring the obvious meaning in his words, Heero smiled down at Duo. "Had I known you had brought such a delightful creature, I would have come sooner."

Duo was both intrigued and angered. Did he thing him a light-heels, who would be devastated by one look at those intense blue eyes?

"I hate to disappoint you if you're looking for an introduction, but I've been trying to find out the creature's name myself." Milliardo smiled a wolf's smile. "Your luck is not serving you well. Perhaps you've lost your touch."

"Ah, a person of mystery." Heero's smirk grew broader as the music, which had stopped began again. Heero took Duo's hand, and before he could protest, he was drawing Duo closer. His smirk was for Milliardo. "As for luck, I always bring my own with me."

Duo was close to him on the dance floor before he could think of something to say.

"You are impertinent, sir. Is it not custom to ask someone, if they care to dance?"

"But, my dear," he said with false remorse " a highwayman is not bound by custom. He must depend on his nerve and wit."

"Well, you do have considerable nerve," he replied, but Duo's lips twitched in a smile, and Heero responded with a low laugh.

"I have not seen you before."

"How do you know? Be careful, highwayman, I might be someone you have kissed and deserted."

"Oh, no," he said softly, and Duo did battle with the warmth of the eyes that appraised him. "I have not kissed those lips, or I would not have deserted them."

"You really are very bold."

"And you are very beautiful. Where did you come from?"

"I am Aphrodite, recently come to earth to enchant a mortal."

"I am quite prepared to be enchanted, but I thought Aphrodite was a women, not a beautiful man."

"Aphrodite may take any form she wishes, so that she may be pleasing to the eye."

"Ah, but to remain on earth you must have a mortal name."

"Alas, it is a secret. I am under a curse. If I reveal my name I will be whisked back to Mount Olympus . . . and I'm enjoying myself too much to go back yet."

"And I would not want to be responsible for your disappearance. At least not until I've seen behind that mask."

"But you may not. We do not unmask until midnight, and that is still some time away."

"Then I must be forced to keep you by my side until that time," he replied.

But Duo's laughter was all he had left when the dance ended and another ardent suitor whirled him away.

Duo kept his eye on Heero. He knew he was intrigued, but was it enough to draw him closer? The more the hours ticked by, the more shaken he was at the idea that he had failed Milliardo before he had even begun. It was only the first time he was to underestimate Heero Yuy.

The hour was past eleven when Duo slipped outside to inhale a deep breath of cool air. The black sky was kissed by a million stars and a full golden moon.

He heard the music behind him and stood quietly listening, trying to form a plan that would Heero to him again. Then he stilled his breath and grew rigid. He did not have to turn around to know he was there.

He smiled to himself, and then forced himself under control.

"So highwayman," he said softly, "you are persistent as well as bold."

"Did you doubt it Aphrodite?" he said quietly.

Only then did Duo turn around to face him. Heero had seen and held many beautiful people, but when he turned to face him, the pale glow of the moonlight turned him into a vision that took Heero's breath away.

Duo watched him walk slowly toward him, and the thought of a stalking black panther came to mind unbidden. He fought for control by remembering that this handsome man was the one who threatened Milliardo's future and, in a roundabout way, his as well.

"I thought you were beautiful with all that light inside, but only moonlight does you true justice. It's about time to unmask, Aphrodite, and to reveal your mortal name." He reached for Duo's mask, but he raised a hand to stop him.

"Not until after midnight, Mr. Bandit." He smiled and Duo heard a soft chuckle.

He was about to laugh with him when suddenly he found himself bound against a broad chest that felt as hard as iron. He began to protest when his mouth found his and took it in a fiery kiss. When Heero released him, he gasped for breath. The world has seemed to tilt precariously, while his trembling legs suddenly felt as if the ground had stirred beneath him.

"How dare you!"

"I couldn't help myself, I was enchanted." The sound of his voice was a whisper against Duo's hair.

Duo tried to move away, but Heero held him with a gentle yet unrelenting force.

"Oh no, Aphrodite. It will be midnight and I will have a name and a face to go with it."

"You cannot know when its midnight." He replied. But his voice trembled. None of this was going according to plan.

Duo could feel the length of his body pressed so intimately to his that Duo flushed, feeling a heat coil within him. He had to do something! He had to!

But he didn't . . . Hilde Carter did.

"Heero." Hilde's voice was soft, deadly soft, but it carried across the terrace to where Heero and Duo stood in a very compromising embrace.

It came so unexpectedly that Duo felt Heero's hold loosen. In that moment he was gone. He ran towards the open French door, but Heero's voice companied him.

"We'll meet again, Aphrodite!"

When Duo entered the ballroom he was panting and deeply grateful to see Milliardo there. Milliardo took Duo's hand and together they left the ballroom. In the foyer he whispered hasty instructions.

"Go back home now, Duo. This has been more than excellent. He'll find you. I don't doubt it within a day or two. We've got him. You couldn't have done it better."

Duo quickly left. But on the carriage ride home he wasn't as quite as certain as Milliardo seemed to be.

**** **** ****

Heero rested one hip against the balcony, crossed him arms and watched an enraged Hilde walk toward him. There was no doubt Hilde was a lush and delicious creature, he thought. But he knew her well enough to know that she enjoyed the games she played, and no one would ever mean enough to her to stand between her and what she wanted. He couldn't help thinking of the mysterious beauty he had just held in his arms.

Hilde was short but graceful, and her black-blue hair was elaborately coifed. She wore the disguise and Egyptian princess, which complimented her creamy skin and blue eyes. Her smile, as always, held an invitation in it.

Hilde Carter knew Heero much too well to vent her anger verbally. He would smile his ungodly devastating smirk, bow to her anger, and walk out of her life, and that was the last thing she wanted.

She stopped within inches of him and put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your rendezvous."

"Hardly a rendezvous, my sweet," Heero replied. "I don't, as yet, even know the man's name."

"You've been away too long, Heero. You don't know all the newcomers."

"Who is he, Hilde?"

The intent in his voice stirred her anger even more. She had been Heero's mistress for only a short while and soon had decided two things: Her marriage was a necessary inconvenience, and she wanted to be the one who held Heero Yuy longer than any other of his rumored lights of love. She had been successful so far because, in bed, she was a tigress who could tame most any man.

"How you torment me, Heero," she said throatily as she moved against him. "Why do you want that child's name when you need only put out your hand to have a woman in your arms? Oh, Heero, you know how much I love you."

And Heero did. He almost smirked again. He was not the first lover Hilde Carter had taken, and he knew quite well he wouldn't be the last. It seemed the lovely Hilde tired easily of the men who threw themselves at her feet - some to taste her loveliness, and others to listen to careless words spoken in passion. The second had been Heero's purpose. Not for a moment did he believe that Hilde knew what the word love meant. At times, when solitary thoughts overtook him, he wondered if he was too jaded to be able to see love if it did appear.

Tonight he was tired of the games he was forced to play, and he was irritated with the wisp of memory left behind by the elusive Aphrodite who had escaped him. He had felt so . . . different in his arms, and the taste of his soft lips were still on his.

He suddenly found it impossible to respond to Hilde the way she obviously expected him to. He moved away from her and looked out over the broad expanse of moonlit garden. He did not see her eyes narrow or her inviting mouth grow hard.

"I returned just an hour before your ball, Hilde. I suppose that is why I'm so tired."

"Tired?" she laughed softly, "You? I don't believe I have ever seen you tired . . .even after a long and strenuous night."

"Perhaps I am aging rapidly." He turned to look at her. "I only came here tonight because I gave you my promise. But I cannot stay. There is something I have to attend to before I go to bed."

"Your bed? We will not meet tonight? Heero - "

"I'm afraid by the time the ball is over the hour will long be past for us to meet. Would you have Roger draw his sword against me because we were indiscreet?"

"You would kill him and he knows it," Hilde replied and he wasn't sire he didn't hear a note of hope in her voice. But Roger Carter was too important to him to let that happen.

He came to her suddenly and took her in his arms, his roughness eliciting a pleased gasp. Then he kissed her, deeply, forcing her lips apart and drinking in her moan of pleasure.

"I do not choose to kill or to die," he said quietly. "There is still too much pleasure to be had in living."

"Yes . . . yes," she whispered against his hard mouth. His rough hands and hard body filled her with heat.

"There is always tomorrow. Can you be free?"

"Roger goes to court tomorrow."

"Oh? Something of importance?"

"I'm not sure, something about a meeting in London with Sir Raphael Waters."

He kissed her again, this time gently and so sensually he felt her melt against him.

"How can I know when we can be together if I don't know when he is leaving and how long he will be gone?"

He leaves tomorrow and he'll be gone for a week. He meets Lord Tyler also, and they're going together."

"Then . . . there will be time," he whispered. "You had best go in before you are missed."

Reluctantly Hilde backed away from him and rearranged his disheveled clothes. If he said the word she would follow him to the gazebo at the far end of the garden where she could find satisfaction in sating the heated need that was filling her. She looked at him hopefully, but she could see he was regaining his cool and elusive attitude.

"You are devil, Heero Yuy," she said with a smile.

"And you, my lady," he smirked, "are no angel."

"I believe sometimes, that you do not understand how I truly feel."

"Our passion for each other is obvious to me."

"Passion? Is that all - "

"Hilde, we tread dangerous ground. You know as well as I do that this is all we will have. You have everything you want. A prestigious name, position at court, a powerful husband, and wealth beyond your dreams. Do you think I would jeopardize that for you?"

She knew that he was right, and yet he was wrong. She did not want to lose her grip on what she possessed, yet she wanted more from him . . . more, but what more even she didn't know. He was the most elusive man she'd ever known. There was part of him she had not seen, and a part that was always withheld from her even when they were in the grip of deepest, hottest passion. That was the part he seemed to guard with an iron will she could not get beyond.

The game they played had unspoken rules, and if she did not desire him so completely, she would have cut him from her life.

"Come dance with me."

"In a while. We can't be careless. Roger is no fool."

"Yes," she said softly, "you just don't know what kind of a fool he is." She turned from him and walked toward the French doors. But just as she reached them, she heard his voice again.

"Hilde."

She did not turn around but remained still, hardly breathing in her hope that he would ask her to stay, to go into the dark garden with him, to . . .

"Yes, Heero?"

"What is his name?"

"Damn you!" Her voice was frigid.

"His name."

"Duo Maxwell."

Then name meant nothing to him.

"Where did you meet him?"

"I hadn't before tonight."

"Then you know nothing about him?"

"Only that he has let NightWind Hall and arrived with a retinue of servants. That he has a mysterious source of wealth . . and that no one knows where he came from." She finally turned to face him. "And that interests you, doesn't it? Heero, don't betray me."

The last four words were spoken so softly he barely heard them . . . but he felt them and understood the warning.

"To ask his identity is not betrayal."

"If I did not know you so well, I might take your word for that. Be cautious." She turned and walked back into the ballroom.

Heero gazed at the empty doorway for several moments, then slowly turned his back to it. Hilde was gone from his thoughts, but he was irritated that he could not similarly banish the mysterious Duo Maxwell.

He was more surprised at himself than at anything else. He had long ago divorced himself from a conscience he couldn't afford. He had also given up all hope of meeting someone who could face him with honesty, who did not have his or her own devious goals in mind.

Still, the memory of her unwilling kiss lingered, lingered with such persistence that he made a decision.

"Duo Maxwell." He smiled a smile that might have frightened Duo had he seen it. "Who are you, and why are you here? Aphrodite . . . perhaps I have yet to remove your real mask."