Vera's lips curled into a smile at Samuel’s invitation. A masquerade in Montparnasse—how thrilling, how utterly tempting. Yet even as the thought danced enticingly in her mind, reality quickly dampened her excitement.

"I’ll certainly try," she replied, her voice laced with amusement, though she knew full well the challenge she faced. "But as you see, I am here with family." She cast a glance over her shoulder in the direction of their box, where her grandmother still dozed, oblivious to the world around her. The matronly figure slumped in her seat was a far cry from the laissez-faire approach her parents had taken when it came to her wanderings in London.

Her brother, had always given her more leeway than was proper for a young woman of her rank - mostly so she never looked too closely at his own Rakish behaviour, and her parents—ever indulgent—had never imagined her capable of half the things she got up to. But her grandmother, sharp as ever despite her age, would be far harder to slip away from unnoticed. Paris, for all its allure, came with stricter oversight in that regard - even if the society didn't know her as well.

Still, the idea of a masquerade was irresistible. "I shall do my best to free myself," she promised, meeting his gaze with a flash of determination. "But should I fail in that endeavor, you must promise me you’ll tell me all about this Montparnasse soirée next time we meet. In detail."

Her eyes gleamed with intrigue as the opera’s crescendo filled the space around them, the drama on stage playing out like the unspoken tension between them. For a moment, she let herself indulge in the fantasy of slipping away unnoticed, disappearing into the night, and joining him at the masquerade. It was an alluring thought—but one she knew might remain just that.