Leaning against a pillar in the respectably crowded ballroom, Tristan conceded that he could not have contrived a better event himself. Two attributes of the affair worked in his favor. First, the moderate population of people who attended the Winter Season abetted his need for a quiet re-entry. By nature, Tristan didn’t think of himself as a highly social creature, reliant on the entertainments of London for his amusement. He favored the pace of life in the country, preferring the delights of his stables and greenhouse. Second, the masquerade by definition literally cloaked everyone in anonymity. Wearing the required domino and mask, he could be both seen and unseen. It suited him perfectly. To promote mingling among anonymous guests and to help people determine the identity of their cloaked fellow party goers, the Denbighs had designed the affair based on the ancient Roman celebration of the pagan holiday. When guests arrived, the women wrote their names on a piece of paper and put the slips in an urn on the center table in the foyer.
