Rose took her first deep breath of the night as the corset came undone, leaving her in nothing but the chemise and stockings. Rose dropped to the bed and kicked off her shoes.
Isla quickly picked them up and set them aside while Rose lay on her back, kicking her legs lightly as her hands moved up and down. It felt so nice to finally take off all that weight from her body. However, she wasn't nearly done for the night and she couldn't just go to bed.
Rose opened her eyes to see Isla standing by the foot of her bed; she was looking at Rose with an odd expression. Rose followed her gaze and noticed it was on her neck—the mask. She immediately sat upright and pulled it off.
"Was it a masquerade ball?" Isla asked.
"No," Rose said softly and shook her head.
The maid looked like she might have more questions, and Rose knew she wouldn't have the answer to them, so she was grateful when Isla didn't ask why she was wearing a mask.
