Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,11
one caused by an imminent threat.
And then, to Leonora’s utter shock, Lord Pemberton leaned toward her—almost imperceptibly—and said in a voice Leonora knew she would never forget, “Tell me who hurt you, and I’ll put a bullet between his eyes.”
Leonora could not say if it was the words themselves or the deep sincerity in his voice that stunned her the most. Her eyes widened in utter surprise and she felt her jaw drop as she continued to stare at him, momentarily wondering if he was nothing more than a mirage. Had she heard him correctly? Had he truly said those words? Was she finally after all this time losing her mind now?
As her eyes looked closer once again, seeking his, seeking to understand, Leonora saw that same sincerity she had heard in his voice. Indeed, he had meant what he had said. Still, what had prompted him to say it? How could he possibly have known that…?
And then something odd, but wonderful happened.
Leonora felt her rational mind reawakening, elbowing those overwhelming emotions aside. Her gaze narrowed in a most familiar way. She found herself looking closer, questions springing up in her mind as they had many times before when she had been driven by nothing else but curiosity itself. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she cocked her head to the side as she always did when she was observing a most fascinating behavior.
Lord Pemberton remained where he was, his feet firmly planted upon the snowy ground. He held his arms linked behind his back, his shoulders drawn back, his chin lifted. He held her gaze, something insistent in those gray eyes; blessedly, he did not move. He remained where he was, and Leonora suddenly knew that he was doing so to avoid frightening her. How could he know? Was he equally adept at reading another’s behavior, their facial expressions? Was she an open book to him?
The thought unsettled her. Nevertheless, after everything that had happened, the notion that someone could simply look at her and know felt strangely comforting. It seemed there was no necessity for her to speak any words at all, was there? Or was she mistaken? Had she truly misunderstood him, and he knew nothing of what lived in her heart?
Still regarding him curiously, Leonora finally managed a reply. “You’re mistaken,” she stammered, her voice still unsteady, panic still lurking on the fringes of her mind. “No one—” Oddly enough, the lie would not leave her lips. Indeed, she had lied to most of her family, unable to tell them the truth, not wishing to hurt them or herself by digging up this ugly moment of her life. Surprisingly though, lying to this stranger seemed…impossible. Was it simply because somehow she knew that he would not believe her? He would know it to be a lie, would he not?
“Lady Leonora!” Lord Sedgwick’s voice drifted to her ears from farther down the slope, and Leonora turned to find him striding toward her. “How wonderful to see you here!” A wide smile lingered upon his face as the young lord strode closer. Indeed, they had conversed every now and then, had shared a dance or two in the past. Still, now, the world was a different place. At least, for Leonora.
Unfortunately, Lord Sedgwick did not know that.
Fresh panic surged through her at the thought of him stepping closer, of him coming to stand right in front of her, close enough for her to smell the soap upon his skin and the scent of tea upon his breath. Her hands began to tremble, and she felt as though her knees would buckle at any moment. She felt completely powerless, angry at herself and her inability to act, to stand up for herself. Unfortunately, it was not enough, not enough to break this paralysis that had befallen her.
And so, Leonora simply stood there and stared as Lord Sedgwick headed toward her.
The sound of boots crunching upon the blanket of snow behind her suddenly drew Leonora’s attention and she found Lord Pemberton stride past her and toward Lord Sedgwick. He signaled to the approaching man and once they had drawn closer, she saw words drift from his lips, though she could not make them out.
Moments passed as the two gentlemen conversed quietly.
Leonora watched, her breath still coming quickly. That sense of paralysis no longer felt as suffocating as it had before. Again, curiosity piqued, and she wondered what was happening, what had prompted Lord Pemberton to intercept Lord Sedgwick.