The masquerade ball was a regular feature of the season in Regency London.
In my Regency novel, Marrying The Reluctant Lord, heiress Juliet Bartlet has just arrived from Jamaica, but in order to claim her huge fortune she must agree to marry an English lord.
The masked ball brings a surprising proposal, and a marriage to Lord Gus would appear to solve all her problems. However, her handsome lord has given his heart to someone else, and to further complicate the engagement, Juliet has a dark secret that she is terrified to reveal.